03/04/2009 12:28
Bangladesh to ban begging in public places
The Bangladeshi authorities will enforce a ban on begging so that it can be eliminated within five years, the government says, according to BBC.
According to the new law, anyone caught begging in public places will face a maximum three months in jail. Finance Minister A.M.A. Muhith said earlier that the government wants to eliminate begging from the country within five years, CBC says.
Bangladesh had an estimated 700,000 beggars six years ago, but the number has reportedly risen. The World Bank said in November that the percentage of Bangladeshi people living on less than $1 a day has been reduced to 40 per cent from 49 per cent in 2000.