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

Unions for hawkers have called out BMCrsquos ldquodouble standardrdquo in pressuring street vendors to take loans under the Pradhan Mantri Svanidhi Yojana while giving licence to merely 32400 of them Many hawkers said they availed of the scheme just for proof of their workOn June 15 the BMC published on its website a list of 32407 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 COVID19 lockdownA hawker outside Charni Road station Representation PicAshish RajeThe scheme which is applicable until December 2024 a vendor is initially entitled to a loan of Rs 10000 at subsidised interest rate of 7 per cent Upon full repayment the vendor can avail another loan of Rs 20000 and later on Rs 50000 But vendors are reluctant to avail of the scheme citing frequent crackdown on hawkers by the BMC and the city policelsquoLoan didnrsquot helprsquoldquoLast year BMC officials told me to get a loan of Rs 10000 under the Pradhan Mantri Svanidhi Yojana After repaying it I had to borrow another R20000 or I was told I would not get a licencerdquo said Sriram Prajapati a fruit vendor near Breach Candy hospital Prajapati said his name was among the 30000plus hawkers listed on the BMCrsquos site but he hasnrsquot received a hawking licence yet ldquoDespite taking out loans I am facing action for hawking Just last week the police cracked down on us We donrsquot need loans we need permission to earn our livelihood he saidGanesh Gupta a hawker from Teli Gulli in Andheri East said ldquoNowadays 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 1200 each time We are not committing any theft or robbery All we do is sell vegetables to put food on the tableldquoI 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 donrsquot need a loan but the implementation of Street Vendors Act as soon as possiblerdquo Gupta added Ashok Panday a fruit vendor on Daftary Road in Malad East said that he has taken out a second loan of R20000 ldquoIt was proof that I sell vegetables here in Malad My name is on the BMCrsquos list of recognised hawkersrdquo he addedlsquoJust for the targetrsquoIn January before the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi civic officials completed a target of getting 90000odd 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 32000 with 15000 of them being old licensees On loans he asked ldquoWhat will hawkers in Mumbai do with a loan of Rs 10000 or Rs 20000 On one hand the BMC helped 90000 hawkers borrow money and on the other hand they gave recognition to merely 32407 hawkersrdquoA banana vendor at Dadar TT Representation PicAtul KambleSingh added ldquoDuring 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 happenedrdquo Shashank Rao president of Mumbai Hawkers Union said they will submit their objections to the current list in detail ldquoAfter 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 livelihoodrdquoThe listAs 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 ldquoThe 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 32407 street vendors who fulfil the criteria has been preparedrdquo 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 vendors90000No of hawkers BMC helped borrow under the scheme