Mumbai: ‘Give us legit licences, not PM yojana loans’

Vegetable vendors on Ramwadi lane, near Bhuleshwar. File pic

Unions for hawkers have called out BMC's "double standard" in pressuring street vendors to take loans under the Pradhan Mantri Svanidhi Yojana, while giving licence to merely 32,400 of them. Many hawkers said they availed of the scheme just for proof of their work.

On June 15, the BMC published on its website a list of 32,407 people who had completed the street vendor certification process as per the criteria. The deadline for submitting suggestions or objections to the ward offices concerned is Friday, July 14. Meanwhile, the BMC asked the hawkers to apply for the Pradhan Mantri Svanidhi Yojana, which was launched in 2021 to help street vendors get back on their feet after a long COVID-19 lockdown.

A hawker outside Charni Road station. Representation Pic/Ashish Raje

The scheme, which is applicable until December 2024, a vendor is initially entitled to a loan of Rs 10,000 at subsidised interest rate of 7 per cent. Upon full repayment, the vendor can avail another loan of Rs 20,000, and later on, Rs 50,000. But, vendors are reluctant to avail of the scheme, citing frequent crackdown on hawkers by the BMC and the city police.

‘Loan didn't help'

"Last year, BMC officials told me to get a loan of Rs 10,000 under the Pradhan Mantri Svanidhi Yojana. After repaying it, I had to borrow another R20,000 or I was told I would not get a licence," said Sriram Prajapati, a fruit vendor near Breach Candy hospital. Prajapati said his name was among the 30,000-plus hawkers listed on the BMC's site, but he hasn't received a hawking licence yet. "Despite taking out loans, I am facing action for hawking. Just last week, the police cracked down on us. We don't need loans, we need permission to earn our livelihood," he said.

Ganesh Gupta, a hawker from Teli Gulli in Andheri East, said, "Nowadays, we are facing action by the police more than the BMC. We pack our wares and run when we spot a police van, otherwise we are fined Rs 1,200 each time. We are not committing any theft or robbery. All we do is sell vegetables to put food on the table.

"I got a loan in January just so that I can prove that I am a vendor in this area. Hawkers like me are taking out loans for the same purpose. We don't need a loan, but the implementation of Street Vendors Act as soon as possible," Gupta added. Ashok Panday, a fruit vendor on Daftary Road in Malad East, said that he has taken out a second loan of R20,000. "It was proof that I sell vegetables here in Malad. My name is on the BMC's list of recognised hawkers," he added.

‘Just for the target'

In January, before the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, civic officials completed a target of getting 90,000-odd street vendors to borrow money under the Pradhan Mantri Svanidhi Yojana. Dayashankar Singh, president of Azad Hawkers Union, said that the civic body has made a joke of hawkers by publishing a list of just 32,000, with 15,000 of them being old licensees. On loans, he asked, "What will hawkers in Mumbai do with a loan of Rs 10,000 or Rs 20,000? On one hand, the BMC helped 90,000 hawkers borrow money and on the other hand, they gave recognition to merely 32,407 hawkers."

A banana vendor at Dadar TT. Representation Pic/Atul Kamble

Singh added, "During an online meeting, the Central government assured us that the loans will help the hawkers to get their licence. But two years later, nothing of that sort has happened." Shashank Rao, president of Mumbai Hawkers Union, said they will submit their objections to the current list in detail. "After getting a target from the Central government, the BMC is pressuring hawkers to borrow under the scheme. But they are not ready to give hawkers official recognition. This is a double standard. Why should hawkers take out a loan if the BMC is not giving them licence to earn their livelihood?"

The list

As per the provisions of Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Street Vending Exchange) Act 2014, Maharashtra Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) (Maharashtra) Rules, 2016 as well as the direction of the high court, the BMC carried a survey in 2016. "The state government has directed the BMC to conduct a survey of the street vendors, publish the voter list of the registered street vendors and elect the representative members in the Municipal Street Vendor Committee. Accordingly, a preliminary voter list of a total of 32,407 street vendors who fulfil the criteria has been prepared," said an official from the BMC. In the meeting held on May 3, 2023, the City Street Vendor Committee approved displaying the list of street vendors.

90,000
No of hawkers BMC helped borrow under the scheme