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Bengaluru, Oct 27 (IANS) The Karnataka High Court on Monday expressed serious concern over the continued prevalence of child beggary in the state and sought clarification on how Rs 7,093 crore collected as beggary cess in the last four years has been utilised.
A bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Poonacha gave these directions while hearing a petition filed by an NGO. The court said the available records raise important questions about the use of the funds. “Apparently you are keeping Rs 3,000 crore with you for four years and children are begging on the streets – something is not right,” the bench remarked.
The court directed the state government and the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KSLSA) to file a detailed report on the cess expenditure and remaining funds within eight weeks. In this, information has also been sought about the steps taken to recover the pending amount from the local bodies.
During the hearing, petitioner’s lawyer Puttij R. Ramesh submitted that according to an affidavit by the director of the Directorate of Municipal Administration, the state collected Rs 7,093.50 crore as beggar cess between 2021-22 and 2024-25. Of this, Rs 3,453 crore has been spent, while Rs 3,639 crore has still not been transferred by the local bodies, he argued, adding that despite the massive expenditure, child beggary continues unabated.
The government counsel replied that the pending amount had not yet been remitted by the local bodies. “Notices have been issued to them, and the additional funds have been transferred to the Women and Child Welfare Department,” the lawyer told the court.
The bench said the affidavit does not clearly state how the Rs 3,453.86 crore spent was utilised, and pointed out that Rs 3,639.64 crore has not been deposited in the specified account or utilized through proper channels.
The court said it was considering directing KSLSA to work with the state government to collect and verify data related to the issue, and directed the government to cooperate fully and share all necessary information.
–IANS
MKA/PGH