EMPLOYING THE BEGGARS

Grameen Bank, the award winning initiative by Dr. Md. Yunus has pulled another stunt by offering loan to the beggars to purchase mobile phones (without collateral) so that they can offer mobile phone service in the streets. This looks good in theory but I have apprehensions whether it will reach the objective of changing beggar's lives. Their previous effort "The phone ladies" - giving mobile loan to poor women in the village was misused by some quarters or middlemen.