Kathmandu, June 19 -- It's scorching hot and Kanchi Tamang, who lost all her fingers to leprosy, sits in the shade of the gate at the entrance of the main temple of Pashupatinath--begging for alms from passers-by. With her are two other women beggars, one deaf and the other dumb.

Sixty-six-year-old Tamang and her two companions--until recently--used to live in the Samakhushi-based Manab Sewa Ashram. The ashram was established by the Pashupati Area Development Trust in coordination with the Ministry of Culture Tourism and Civil Aviation as a shelter for beggars living around the Pashupatinath area.

Around 180 beggars were moved to the ashram in April last year, and then the area was announced as 'beggar-free zone'. The task was highly ap...