Prime Minister Narendra Modi has instructed the ministry of finance to organise felicitation functions for those street vendors who are doing 100% digital transactions. He also asked the ministries of housing and urban affairs, and electronics and IT to explore the possibilities of a software or app with a voice notification feature for beneficiary phones (both feature phones and smartphones), and not just depend on sound boxes.
The PM was reviewing the Pradhan Mantri Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme, which was launched in June 2020.
One of the recommendations says that all chief secretaries should identify and cover all the eligible street vendors in urban areas, especially in tier 2 and 3 cities.
Secondly, it was also suggested that a drive should be carried out to encourage digital transactions by street vendors in a mission mode. Additionally, it was said that the benefits of all government programmes should be given to family members of SVANidhi beneficiaries through the SVANidhi se Samriddhi campaign.
Furthermore, the recommendations state that all stakeholders should be sensitised regarding the significance and transformational potential of the scheme.
The Prime Minister’s review of the PM SVANidhi scheme is a clear indication of the government’s commitment to supporting street vendors and helping them become self-reliant, officials said. The scheme has been a success in helping street vendors restart their businesses and improve their livelihoods, they added. The Prime Minister’s recommendations will further strengthen the scheme and help it reach more street vendors across the country, said officials.
During the Rajya Sabha session on July 24, questions were asked about the scheme which has now been extended till 2024. Minister of state for housing and urban affairs Kaushal Kishore stated that as of July 13, a total of 38,30,076 beneficiaries have availed loans under the PM SVANidhi scheme and over 50 lakh loans, amounting to more than Rs 6,800 crore, have been distributed to the street vendors.
“The scheme is facilitating PM SVANidhi beneficiaries, for the adoption of digital payments, building a safety net of welfare schemes for street vendor families, and also onboarding them on e-commerce platforms for the sustainability of their businesses,” he told Parliament.
Kishore also shared state-wise beneficiary details which showed that the majority of the street vendor beneficiaries are from Uttar Pradesh (10,19,855), followed by Madhya Pradesh (5,56,571), Maharashtra (4,08,506), and Telangana (3,58,377).
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