Street vending as a profession has been in existence in India since time immemorial . What could be a better reference for street vendors than the 1960s classic film KABULIWALA, a beautiful short story based on Rehman, an Afghani dry fruit seller, written by Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore.
Street vendors/sellers are the class of workers engaged in vending of articles, goods, wares, food items, or merchandise of everyday use, or someone who offers services to the general people from a temporary built-up structure or by shifting and moving from one place to another.
According to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, there were more than 10 million street vendors in India. If we talk on a global level-The International Labor Organization released the first-ever estimates of the world's informal labor force in 2018: 61% of the world's workers earn their livings in the informal economy.
In recent decades, the growth of statistics on the informal economy has shed light on how large the informal workforce is – 2 billion workers worldwide – and how significant their contributions.
Poverty and lack of gainful employment in the rural areas and the smaller towns drive large numbers of people to the city. India is a developing country and stands second in terms of population in the world. India is poised with rapid urbanization. Over 94 percent of India's working population is part of the unorganized sector.
The unorganized sector, also known as the informal sector or own account enterprises, refers to all unlicensed, self-employed, or unregistered economic activity such as street vending.
"Though street vending plays a vital role in assuring livelihood to a large underprivileged and marginalized section of the society, its contribution is seldom recognized by the city administration or urban planning agencies."
Even though street vending is a huge part of the economy, it was illegal in urban India for almost six decades until the passage of the Street Vendors Act in 2014.
Perhaps ancient and medieval civilizations were tolerant of these wandering traders and that is why they flourished. In modern times we find that street vendors are rarely treated with the same measure of dignity and tolerance.
According to a study in Mumbai, the per capita income of 53% of street vendors is Rs 20 per day. The NCEUS report categorizes this income level as "poor and vulnerable". The income level of the vendors has not increased over the years. So it's very difficult for most of them to make the ends meet, not to forget the pressure and torture of upperclassmen, municipalities, police. They are targeted by municipalities and police in urban areas as illegal traders.
Most street vendors are constantly harassed by the authorities. The local bodies conduct eviction drives to clear the pavements of these encroachers and in most cases confiscate their goods. A municipal raid is like a cat and mouse game with municipal workers chasing street vendors away while these people try to run away and hide. Confiscation of their goods entails heavy fines for recovery. Besides these sudden raids, street vendors normally have to regularly bribe the authorities to carry out their business on the streets. Article 19 (1) (g) of the Constitution of India promises the right to practice any profession or to carry on any occupation, trade, or business to all Indian citizens. Paradoxically, different sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Police Act empower police to remove obstructions on the streets.
After decades in 2014, the Parliament of India passed legislation called "Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act 2014". Civil society organizations such as the Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) and the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) were instrumental in getting the landmark legislation drafted, hoping that it would ease the situation for the vendors. This act legalizes as well as provides security to the profession of street vendors. However, many cities have not implemented the act.
Now if we talk about the current measures taken by the government during the COVID19 pandemic where the Indian economy is facing its biggest downfall in GDP, a portal for street vendors' loan scheme launched.
The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry launched the portal for the loan scheme for street vendors that started from June 1.
The Pradhan Mantri Street Vendors' AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PMSVANidhi) scheme, which is a part of the economic package for sectors affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, provides small loans for street vendors to restart their operations. The portal – pmsvanidhi.mohua.gov.in – provides an "integrated end-to-end IT interfaces to users for availing benefits under the scheme," a Ministry statement said.
"Till now more than 4lakh loans have been sanctioned."
In conclusion street vending is a crucial part of the economy for developing countries like India. But due to the discrimination and harassment from the upper classes of society, the life of vendors has become pitiful; it is still below the poverty line. The government has taken measures to provide them equal rights, but it's impossible to ensure its effectiveness unless every part of society is sensitized to do the same. Street vendors are part of our everyday life from milkman to vegetable sellers, from food stalls to cloth stalls providing daily necessities goods at affordable rates. So the next time you see a vendor be a little more grateful towards them.
-NANDITA SINGH
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