In an effort to combat organised begging, the Punjab government has introduced amendments to The Punjab Vagrancy Ordinance 1958, making the offence of forcing individuals into begging a non-bailable crime.
The proposed amendments, presented in the Punjab Assembly, significantly increase punishments and fines to dismantle networks that exploit vulnerable individuals, particularly children. Under the revised law, individuals found guilty of forcing one person to beg will face three years in prison and a fine of Rs300,000.
Failure to pay the fine will result in an additional six months of imprisonment.
Those compelling multiple individuals into begging will be sentenced to three to five years in prison and fined up to Rs500,000.
Harsher penalties have been introduced for those exploiting children. Anyone found forcing a child into begging will face five to seven years in prison and a fine of up to Rs700,000.
In case of non-payment, the offender will serve an additional year in jail.
The most severe punishment is reserved for individuals who disable children or adults to force them into begging, with penalties ranging from seven to 10 years in prison and fines of up to Rs2 million. Failure to pay the fine will lead to an additional two years behind bars for the ringleaders of these criminal networks.
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