Street vendors 'not allowed' to do business despite Modi's PM Svanidhi loan scheme

By Arbind Singh*
Delhi has seen the worst forms of violations of human rights of street vendors, even after passage of Street Vendors Act 2014 and Distribution of 75,000 Certificate of Vending (COVs) to street vendors of Delhi.
Even after having a Law, there has been no change in the security of life and employment of the vendors, rather the situation has become even worse. There are cases of gross administrative disobedience towards the provisions of the Act and the scheme.
The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act 2014 was implemented for protection of livelihood of street vendors in view of right to life and employment under Section 19-1 (G) and 21 of the Constitution respectively.
The municipal authorities and police forces, continue to act in a feudal way, disregarding the law and related policies of the government. The Prime Minister launched PM SVanidhi, a credit scheme for street vendors, but it's sad that on one hand they get the loan and on the other hand they are regularly evicted and not allowed to the business. Vendors are beaten up if they don't give bribe to the police. They are slapped by municipal authorities when they don’t get money from them.
Delay in survey, non-issuance of certificate of vending/ recommendation letter and even after issuance, not giving respect to it is common. Vendors are being harassed due to regular evictions and fines by police and municipal bodies, without rehabilitating them in the vending zone and without any notice, in violation of Section 3.3 of the Act.
Therefore, on the occasion of the Human Rights Day (December 10), it is necessary that the government should ensure the following:

Encroachment should be defined and vendors should be excluded from this scope of encroachment in the light of Street Vending Act.
All the street vendors surveyed should be given certificates of sale and the vendors should not be harassed at any cost.
Vending zones should be identified as soon as possible and all the vendors approved by the Town Vending Committee (TVC) and obtained Certificate of Vending should be given place in the vending zone.
Regular meetings of the committee should be organized by forming an elected Town Vending Committee (TVC) in each municipal body. Minutes of the meetings should be shared with the street vendors’ members.
The list of vendors should be shared by the municipality with the police so that police harassment stops. On the decision of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Urban Development, the Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (MoHUA) vide letter (D.O. No: K-12017(30)/6/2020-UPA-II-UD-Part(1) dated 18 May 2021) to the Chief Secretaries all States are requested to instruct local municipal bodies to share the list of identified street vendors in the area with local police stations so that incidents of harassment against street vendors do not take place.
There should be social audit of implementation of Street Vendors Act 2014.
All government officials and responsible authorities should be trained on The Street Vendors Act 2014.
Government should speed up loan disbursement under PM SVanidhi Scheme

---
*National Coordinator, National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI)

Comments

Sergei Vasilyevich Gerasimov, the artist who survived Stalin's cultural purges

By Harsh Thakor* Sergei Vasilyevich Gerasimov (September 14, 1885 – April 20, 1964) was a Soviet artist, professor, academician, and teacher. His work was posthumously awarded the Lenin Prize, the highest artistic honour of the USSR. His paintings traced the development of socialist realism in the visual arts while retaining qualities drawn from impressionism. Gerasimov reconciled a lyrical approach to nature with the demands of Soviet socialist ideology.

Nepal votes amid regional rivalry: Why New Delhi is watching closely

By Nava Thakuria* As Nepal holds an early national election on Thursday (5 March 2026), the people of northeast India, along with other regional observers, are watching the proceedings closely. The vote was necessitated after the government of Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli collapsed in September 2025 following widespread anti-government protests. The election will determine the composition of the 275-member House of Representatives, originally scheduled for 2027, under the stewardship of an interim government led by former Supreme Court justice Sushila Karki.

From plagiarism to proxy exams: Galgotias and systemic failure in education

By Sandeep Pandey* Shock is being expressed at Galgotias University being found presenting a Chinese-made robotic dog and a South Korean-made soccer-playing drone as its own creations at the recently held India AI Impact Summit 2026, a global event in New Delhi. Earlier, a UGC-listed journal had published a paper from the university titled “Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis,” which became the subject of widespread ridicule. Following the robotic dog controversy coming to light, the university has withdrawn the paper. These incidents are symptoms of deeper problems afflicting the Indian education system in general. Galgotias merely bit off more than it could chew.

'Policy long overdue': Coalition of 29 experts tells JP Nadda to act on SC warning label order

By A Representative In a significant development for public health, the Supreme Court of India has directed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to seriously consider implementing mandatory front-of-pack warning labels on pre-packaged food products. The order, passed by a bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan on February 10, 2026, comes as the Court expressed dissatisfaction with the regulatory body's progress on the issue.

From non-alignment to strategic partnership: India's ideological shift toward Israel

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* India's historical foreign policy maintained a notable duality: offering sanctuary to persecuted Jewish communities dating back centuries, while simultaneously supporting Palestinian self-determination as an expression of its broader anti-colonial foreign policy commitments. The gradual shift in Indian foreign policy under Hindutva-aligned governance — moving toward a strategic partnership with Israel while reducing substantive engagement with the Palestinian cause — raises legitimate questions about ideological motivation and geopolitical consequence.

Development vs community: New coal politics and old conflicts in Madhya Pradesh

By Deepmala Patel* The Singrauli region of Madhya Pradesh, often described as “India’s energy capital,” has for decades been a hub of coal mining and thermal power generation. Today, the Dhirouli coal mine project in this district has triggered widespread protests among local communities. In recent years, the project has generated intense controversy, public opposition, and significant legal and social questions. This is not merely a dispute over one mine; it raises a larger question—who pays the price for energy development? Large corporate beneficiaries or the survival of local communities?

Indian ecologist urges United Nations to probe alleged Epstein links within UN ranks

By A Representative A senior Indian ecologist and long-time United Nations environmental negotiator, Dr. S. Faizi of Thiruvananthapuram, has written to António Guterres, urging the United Nations to launch a high-level investigation into alleged links between certain current and former UN officials and the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein, following disclosures of email communications by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Vaccination vs screening: Policy questions raised on cervical cancer strategy

By A Representative A public policy expert has written to Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda raising a series of concerns regarding the national Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign launched on February 28 for 14-year-old girls.

Zinaida Portnova: The teenage partisan of the Soviet resistance

By Harsh Thakor* February 20 marked the birth centenary of Zinaida Portnova, one of the youngest recipients of the Soviet Union’s highest wartime honour. Remembered for her role in the anti-Nazi underground in occupied Belarus during the Second World War, Portnova became a symbol of youth participation in the Soviet resistance.

Search This Blog