India, Dec. 11 -- The Legislative council on Wednesday passed the amendment bill to the Maharashtra Prevention of Begging Act 1959, which mandates that words such as "leprosy" and "leper" be deleted from its various clauses, adhering to the Supreme Court ruling of May this year, each time there is a reference to beggars. It also stems from the fact that since leprosy has largely been eradicated from the country, the use of the word carelessly in connection with beggars is derogatory.

The government has also assured that it will make provisions for stringent implementation of the law and take steps to rehabilitate beggars.

The bill was passed amid an uproar in the house with opposition MLAs looking for assurance from the government over ...