Railway reason behind Mizoram’s anti-begging Bill

GUWAHATI An apprehension that trains might bring beggars to Aizawl played a part in the passage of an anti-begging bill in Mizoram on Wednesday (August 27, 2025).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the 51.38 km Bairabi-Sairang railway line on September 13. The Northeast Frontier Railway completed the ₹5,020 crore project recently.

Bairabi is close to Mizoram’s border with Assam, while Sairang is 18 km short of the State’s capital, Aizawl.

“Aizawl has more than 30 beggars, most of them outsiders. There is a fear that the railways might bring in more beggars,” Mizoram’s Social Welfare Minister Lalrinpuii said after introducing the Mizoram Prohibition of Beggary Bill, 2025.

She said the State needed a mechanism to control unforeseen situations due to the possible influx of beggars from outside the State once the railway services began.

Assist and rehabilitate

Ms. Lalrinpuii, however, said the objective of the Bill was not only to prohibit begging but to assist and rehabilitate beggars by offering sustainable livelihood options.

Opposition MLAs in the 40-member House, including Mizo National Front leader Lalchhandama Ralte, stated the Bill was against the Christian faith and would bring a bad reputation to the State. They suggested a robust community project to stop beggary.

The Bill was passed after Chief Minister Lalduhoma stated that it prescribes a collective effort involving the government, NGOs, and churches to ensure the State is free of beggars.

The expansion of railways in Meghalaya has been stalled because of a similar apprehension. Pressure groups in the State want the Centre to first guarantee a mechanism to check the “influx of outsiders” before undertaking a project to connect the capital city, Shillong, by rail.