In the Indian sociological context, beggary cannot be divorced from the broader structures of caste, agrarian crises, and traditional institutions of charity (such as Daan, Zakat, and religious mendicancy). Indian sociological pioneers like G.S. Ghurye and Radhakamal Mukerjee emphasized how cultural traditions interact with modern economic dislocations to shape deviant forms of survival.
Empirical studies on Indian beggary (such as those by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and various state committees) categorize beggars into able-bodied beggars, religious mendicants (Sadhus/Fakirs forced into or masking destitution), disabled persons, and organized syndicates. Radhakamal Mukerjee's theory of social values highlights how traditional values of philanthropy often inadvertently sustain organized begging networks.
- Rural-Urban Migration & Urban Slums: As M.N. Srinivas and S.C. Dube documented in village and urban periphery studies, the breakdown of the Jajmani system and rural distress push marginal peasants and landless laborers into urban centers, where lack of skills forces them into destitution.
- Yogendra Singh's Modernization Paradigm: Modernization of Indian tradition has created dual structures; while legal and bureaucratic frameworks attempt to eradicate beggary, traditional patron-client and almsgiving networks continue to reproduce it.