Beggars exist because of poverty, lack of right opportunities, hard times, etc.  But thats only half the story.  Ever looked at a beggar from the lens of an economist? A person may beg once at first due to lack of resources to do anything else, but a continued existence in that state means the act of begging is now a feasible activity to keep oneself afloat. No need to engage in anything meaningful or useful to earn your living. If we all stopped paying beggars we came across, the feasibility of begging would reduce; forcing beggars to either find some work, die or indulge in criminal activity.   If we consider the last of those 3 alternatives to be the least likely to occur, it is but imperative to stop enabling people to be unproductive (or enabling unproductive people) by giving away alms to beggars, and force them into doing better things. Feeling sympathetic pangs and giving away a few rupees on the spur of the moment only remediates your sympathy and makes you feel like you did your bit. But in reality, by doing so you contribute to the problem, daily tens and hundreds of people feeling sympathy give away little amounts which collectively become a sum large enough for the beggar. If you want more than a quick fix, stop giving money and try to solve the problem at hand. Poor kid begging, fund his education.
Middle-aged woman, help her find a job as a household help
… STOP giving money to beggars. Also see, a similar question on quora