pune even as the state government is working towards making the streets beggarfree the dwindling number of inmates in the governmentrun rehabilitation and resettlement homes where the beggars are imparted valuable skills so that they do not have to return to begging is a cause for serious concernthe beggars homecumreceiving centre at vishrantwadi in fact has witnessed a declining trend for the past four years subhangi zodage the superintendent of the beggars home said the pune facility is both a receiving centre as well as a home the facility can house 100 men and 15 women as of today the number of inmates at the vishrantwadi facility is less than 100however the decline is not indicative of a reduction in the number of beggars who can still be spotted at bus stops major traffic junctions railway stations etcthe authorities have attributed the decline to various factors including the general reluctance among most beggars to work and earn other contributing factors are the lack of awareness among the police about begging which is a social crime and the ability of many beggars to set themselves free by securing bails most beggars are able to afford bailbonds or cash sureties when they are produced in front of the courtmany police officers do not know the procedure to catch the beggars and send them to the receiving centres begging is a social crime if required officers from the home or the receiving centre can go along with the policemen to conduct the raids zodage saidbeggar receiving centres across the state are supposed to receive beggars from the police and send them to 14 different beggars homes once the police pick up the beggars from the streets and produce them in front of the courts the courts can send them to the homes for rehabilitation for the period of one yearwe teach them tailoring zadukharata making gardening and horticulture after leaving the home they are expected to continue working utilising the skills they have learnt here they are not supposed to return to begging zodage saidhowever zodage said many beggars are able to afford bail money when they are produced before the court some are able to pay as much as rs 5000 on the spot to secure a bail the court releases them and the beggars are then free to return to the streetsin january the state government started a twomonth programme to make maharashtra a beggarfree state the programme has now been extended till june 2018 she said