“A recent High Court judgement has sought to dispel the idea of begging as a disease – which leads to its stigmatization and criminalization – and to regard it as a symptom. The underlying disease is the failure of the state to protect citizens who fall through the social security net.”
Which one of the following statements can be inferred from the given passage?
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Answer: B
To find the correct inference, let us analyze the key assertions in the passage:
- Begging is a symptom, not the disease: The judgement dispels the notion that begging itself is a disease, arguing against its stigmatization and criminalization.
- The real disease: The passage explicitly states that the underlying disease is "the failure of the state to protect citizens who fall through the social security net."
The "social security net" refers to state-sponsored social welfare schemes. Therefore, the failure or absence of these protective schemes is what causes citizens to fall into begging.
Let us evaluate the options:
- Option A is incorrect: The passage makes no mention of beggars being lazy or unwilling to work.
- Option B is correct: This directly reflects the passage's claim that begging is a symptom of the state's failure to provide an adequate social security net (welfare schemes).
- Option C is incorrect: The passage opposes the criminalization of begging, so it does not support dealing with it as a firm offence.
- Option D is incorrect: The passage does not suggest banning begging, nor does it claim begging harms the state; rather, it is the state's failure that harms the citizens.
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