Chandra Mishra who earned profits from investing on Beggars says ‘Don't Donate, Invest'

Don't Donate, Invest' is the slogan of Beggars Corporation which is a registered company started by a social worker from Odisha named Chandra Mishra. His campaign aimed to turn beggars into entrepreneurs. 

Chandra Mishra narrated how he got the idea of providing lifetime employment to the beggars by giving them skill trainings after spotting the beggars sitting in front of a temple.

After working in several states on employment policies, Mishra finally reached Varanasi on 31 December 2020 with full preparation. He informed about his plan to a local NGO Janmitra Nyas in Varanasi and took their help.

 After a survey of the ghats of Varanasi, Mishra tried to learn more about the life of beggars but he failed to convince any to work with him. The pandemic put the beggars in trouble. First a woman who was left by her husband came to seek help. Mishra trained her in making bags and gave her a job. Similarly he changed the lives of 14 beggar families. Thus the Beggar Corporation came into existence. 

Mishra registered Beggars Corporation as a 'For Profit Company' in August 2022 with copartners Badrinath Mishra and Devendra Thapa. He persuaded people to invest any amount ranging between Rs10 to Rs10, 000. Beginning from the investment by an engineer from Chattisgarh, the corporation received donation from around 57 people in the first round of its campaign, which lasted for one-and-a-half months. 

As per Mishra’s model Rs 50,000 is spent on providing skill training for three months out of Rs 1.5 lakh that required per beggar. The remaining amount was used to set up a business infrastructure. "We then returned the money to the people from whom we took the money in six months with 16.5% ROI (Return on Investment)," said Chandra.Surprised by the returns generated from a social cause more people began trusting and participating in the business.

His company registered and participated in the Innovative Startups Competition. Consequently he got a place in 100 Innovative Startups and was also included in the Top 16 Mindful Startups. He also initiated the School of Life which is especially dedicated to children who beg in the form of Shiva-Hanuman in the ghats of Varanasi.