Yes

• Discourages them
  

Giving money to beggars will never teach them to be self-sufficient. It will encourage them to stay on the streets and beg all their life.

Agnidhro Ganguly,

First year, Techno India Salt Lake, Calcutta

• Insult to others
  

Begging has become a pity market. Giving money to someone who has no contribution towards the society is stupid. It’s an insult to the small-time vendors and workers, who burn their oil to earn money and make their ends meet.

Piyush Nawalgaria,

The Bhawanipur Educati-on Society College, Calcutta

• Donate to charities
  

We don’t know if they are really beggars or homeless or just too lazy. If you want to help them, the best thing to do is to donate to the charities set up to assist them.

Tauseef Sehar,

Kendriya Vidyalaya Latehar, Jharkhand

• Affects the nation
  

Begging hinders the progress of a nation. Instead of giving them alms, we should appeal to the government to provide them with suitable jobs.

Shramana Paul,

G.D. Birla Centre for Education, Calcutta

• Easy way out
  

The people we call beggars have bargained for their decorum, sold out the last iota of their dignity and found the easy way out to earn money. Able-bodied people choose not to work and grab a share of others’ hard-earned money.

Sisilia Banerjee,

Bethune College, Calcutta

• Organised scams
  

Most of the times, begging is a scam. They are part of organised gangs and many deliberately disfigure themselves. Children are forced into begging despite their ability to earn by working hard.

Payal Roy,

Shri Shikshayatan College, Calcutta

No

• Not by choice
  

No one begs out of choice. Either they are forced or situations lead them there. One should think about the social injustice that has caused many of our brothers to be reduced to beggars. One should always think about the physically handicapped people who have become beggars by accident. They are unable to earn their own bread.

Souhardya Dey,

Vidyasagar Metropolitan College, Calcutta

• Lend a hand
  

Giving money to beggars is equivalent to going to the temple. They live in inhuman circumstances. If we can help in a small way, we should. In the process, we can give back to humanity.

Ananya Dutta,

Dibrugarh University, Assam

Next issue: Prayer in any form should be prohibited in schools

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