  Just read an article about beggars in Mumbai. One particular guy supposedly earns more than 35k a month.
Big time beggar nuisance here in Blr too. Step out to any shopping area and you are accosted. And most of them are children as young as 5 or 6 maybe, and women, invariably with a baby in hand. And people actually give them money. I really wish they wouldn't. I mean, it is ok if the person begging is really, badly disabled, in a state where he really cannot work, but otherwise it is not justified.
The kids are so brash that they literally take things right away from your hands. Recently, there was this photo in the newspaper that showed a little girl taking away an icecream cone from a person just as it was on its way to his mouth. And they take hold of dupattas and scarves as the women walk by and don't let go till properly berated .
And foreigners are the worst affected. I feel no pity towards them. Most of them are fakes, and begging is an easy, lucrative option. Like the article said, The next time a beggar sidles up to you, you should think twice. Otherwise the beggar may just turn around with the clinking bowl, change into something snazzy and drive off in a car you always wanted to buy with your 9-to-5 job. 
