penny for your thoughts

Whenever I see an erring man, I say to myself I have also erred; when I see a lustful man I say to myself, so was I once; and in this way I feel kinship with everyone in the world and feel that I cannot be happy without the humblest of us being happy.
Mahatma Ghandi

CNN-IBN: Docs Chop of Limbs for Beggars
CNN-IBN: Legal Options to Nail "Butcher" Docs

India
Population > 1.1 billion
> 25% of the population live below the poverty line
In a country with such disparities in income, where opportunity is severely limited by religion and caste, it does not come as a surprise that begging has developed into an extensive sector of moneymaking. As a result, a beggar mafia exists in which people, often children, are forced into begging. Even more disturbing is the fact that some physicians will chop off healthy limbs for a fee (10,000 rupees ~ US $215), in hopes of generating more sympathy and in turn more money.
What does it take for a person to become so despondent that amputating a healthy limb begins to seem like a viable idea? It is hard to fathom the level of indigency one must experience to be willing to sacrifice a limb in order to alleviate the situation. And many others have their limbs amputated without thier consent only to wake up to find these parts missing. They are then forced into begging.
Why does justice not exist for these victims?
What excuse can these "doctors" offer for such behavior?
So should one not give money to beggars? But how can one refuse help to another who is in need? Still even this is only treating the symptoms of poverty and not fixing the underlying causes.

For a situation that seems eminently hopeless, I can offer no solutions to these questions.