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The below image has been circulating on Facebook on and off, it says that rich beggars earn 50-130k per month

Is this number substantiated by any concrete data?

For context,

1 lakh = 100k

1 Crore(cr) = 100 lakh = 10 million

A college grad in a company like Infosys earns 25k per month

enter image description here

CoffeeDay
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user87166
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  • Referring to people as a beggar can be construed as offensive. You don't have to repeat what this image is stating; there are other words available. – Ruut Nov 01 '15 at 15:23
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    @Ruut What other words are available? You can't call them homeless; they all have homes. You can't call them destitute; they all have wealth. I'd say the use of 'beggar' is fine. These people are literally begging for money. It's a descriptive term, not a pejorative term. – Shaz Nov 01 '15 at 15:58
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    For reference, [1 lakh rupees (equal to 100,000 rupees) is about $1500](http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=convert+1+lakh+Indian+rupees+to+US+dollars). – tcrosley Nov 01 '15 at 19:03
  • @Ryan Fair enough. – Ruut Nov 01 '15 at 22:44
  • @tcrosley - how does that relate to minimum/average income in the specified area? – user5341 Nov 02 '15 at 16:25
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    @user5341 The OP indicated engineers make about 1/4 of that, and I verified that via sites like glassdoor.com which gave a figure of 30k rupees/month. – tcrosley Nov 02 '15 at 17:06
  • I have heard similar things. In some ways it makes a lot of sense. If you get to beg in a touristy location, in a country where the tourists are relative billionaires it is not going to be particularly difficult. To the tourists they just gave you enough to buy a hamburger, to the beggar he just received a weeks wages. – Jonathon Nov 20 '15 at 19:59

2 Answers2

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According to Begging for a Childhood by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi

The All India Citizen Alliance for Progress and Development (AICAPD) and Innovation Mobile Schools, in partnership with the J.K. Business School, Gurgaon, conducted the survey in Gurgaon on 6,000 roadside beggars in the age group of 6-14 years. The survey was conducted between January 25 and February 5, 2014 in various places of the city, including metro stations, malls, traffic signals, railway stations and bus stands, where 4,000 girls and 2,000 boys were found begging. The survey revealed that around 95 per cent of the children had never been to any school, 80 per cent were residing under bridges and near traffic signals and 20 per cent came from Khandsa village near Gurgaon. The survey found that the average income of each child was nearly Rs.5000 a month. Many of them earned over Rs.12,000 at times.

DavePhD
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So, the following numbers show the magnanimous size of the begging industry in India.

According to a study made by a sociologist from Hyderabad Mr. Mohammed Rafiuddin, 73,00,000 beggars across India who earn as much as Rs 180 crore (Rs 1.8 billion).

And that is a survey conducted across all the top tier towns in India. And the cities like Delhi and Mumbai, which are the National capital and the Finance capital respectively, sits higher than the mean.

The study put the number of beggars in Hyderabad at 11000 with a total earning of Rs 1.5 crore.

And as Dave has mentioned in his answer, this survey would give a better insight into the earnings of the beggars in Delhi.

Dawny33
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  • I looked into the Hyderabad study, and I think the study itself doesn't say Rs 15 crore. I think the right number is close to Rs 1.5 crore. This article says the study found a maximum of Rs 4000: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Richest-beggar-in-city-earns-Rs-4K-per-month/articleshow/3576088.cms Rs 15 crore is so big it would necessitate the average being much greater than the maximum. – DavePhD Nov 25 '15 at 18:36