Govt draws up plan for street vendors' welfare

Madhya Pradesh municipal corporations will conduct a survey of street vendors as part of a programme chalked out and approved by the state government for the welfare of urban street vendors.

The programme has been drawn up to iron out problems and address grievances faced by hawkers and street vendors. A committee comprising members of town hawkers' welfare committees and ward hawkers' welfare committees will be constituted.

The state government will issue licences to them on the basis of the survey. The commissioner (urban administration and development) will be the nodal officer for the task and the All India Institute of Local Government, Bhopal, will impart training to hawkers and street vendors.

Also, there are plans for creating hawker corners by urban bodies and development authorities in each city keeping in view the number of street vendors at strategic points near markets and wards. However the number of hawkers and street vendors is yet to be known.

"We do not have data but the survey will reveal the status," said a government spokesperson. "The identified street vendors will be issued identity cards carrying photographs of the vendors and their spouses to maintain details them."

The registered hawkers will be covered through a group insurance scheme. Urban civic bodies will contribute the premium. Non-governmental organisations may also participate in the programme.

Plans are afoot to form self-help groups of the hawkers so that they can run their small business more efficiently.

They would also be linked with Swarna Jayanti Urban Employment Scheme and Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Yojana for further financial assistance.