New Delhi, jan 17 Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today directed the Social Welfare department to take effective steps to make the metropolis a beggar-free city.Dikshit also asked the department to start a forceful campaign against begging, saying people must be persuaded to avoid encouraging beggars. The Chief Minister issued the directions at a high-level meeting where she reviewed functioning of Social Welfare and Women and Child Development departments. Officials said they would start a campaign in the city soon which would include small hoardings on bus stops and jingles on FM Radio stations.
They said special steps would be taken near religious places to check begging. Reviewing functioning of Women and Child Welfare Department (WCD), Dikshit instructed it to commission another 500 Anganwaris in the capital as early as possible.At present there are 6,100 Anganwaris functioning in Delhi.
The Integrated Child Development Scheme is being implemented quite satisfactorily though there is need of commissioning more Anganwari Centres, she said.
In the meeting, Dikshit appreciated implementation of'Laadli' scheme and said there will be no dearth of funds for it. Officials said 1.67 lakh applications have been submitted to avail benefit of the scheme out of which 97,000 applications have been approved.
They said pensions to 2.14 people have been sanctioned by the Social Welfare Department which included 700 handicapped people and around 18,000 widows. They was attended by Social Welfare Minister Mangat Ram Singhal and Women and Child Development Minister Kiran Walia besides Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister P K Tripathi and other senior officials.