Pawan, a former electrician, set up chow mein stall in the over-crowded Sundar Nagri area in north-east Delhi, after an accident. When the COVID-19 lockdowns hit he had to wind up his business. Trade unions helped him to get a loan of ₹10,000 in 2022 from the Prime Minister Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi). He now sells vegetables from a cart in the same area. “I have to take care of a family of 10. My monthly instalment towards the loan and its interest is ₹950. I am sure I can pay that back,” he said, hoping the government would do something more to compensate the loss he suffered during the pandemic.
The UPA government passed the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, and the current NDA regime launched the PM SVANidhi scheme in June 2020, but street vendors like Pawan — one of the most vulnerable sections of society both economically and socially — are facing the brunt of poverty and administrative neglect, especially after the pandemic.
