Warangal: SVANidhi, a boon for the street vendors

Warangal : PM SVANidhi or Pradhan Mantri Street Vendor’s Atma Nirbhar Nidhi, one of the successful schemes introduced by the Centre, aimed at providing affordable working capital loans to street vendors. The scheme was initiated on June 1, 2020, to bail out the petty vendors adversely affected by the Covid-19-induced lockdown. Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) is one of the top performers in the implementation of the scheme in the country.

It may be noted here that under the scheme, a street vendor can avail of a loan to the tune of Rs 10,000 at 7 per cent interest, which can be repaid in 12 EMIs. The interest paid at the above 7 per cent rate will be reimbursed under this scheme.

The GWMC stood first in the above 1 lakh to below 10 lakh population category cities in terms of the maximum number of disbursals due to the efforts of the urban local body (ULB) which conducted special camps to sensitise the street vendors in availing the loans under the scheme.

So far, the ULB assisted nearly 30,000 street vendors in availing the loans in the city, thereby taking the top spot in the country, according to the Ministry of Union Housing and Urban Affairs.

“The Centre is willing to provide loans to another 6,000 street vendors under the scheme. The Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA) will organise special camps from December 14 to 21 to enrol the new street vendors who are willing to avail the loans,” the Greater Warangal Municipal Commissioner Rizwan Basha Shaik said. The street vendors who already availed loans will be provided with labour and insurance cards, he added.

Md Mahmood Pasha, a tea vendor in Warangal, who benefited by the Centre’s scheme, had even caught the eye of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). He was one among those chosen by the PMO to speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of the Mann ki Baat programme on July 1, 2021.

Rizwan Basha said that efforts are on to set up a Bartan Bank in each GWMC Division. Bartan Banks is a novel initiative introduced by the Telangana MA&UD to combat the rampant usage of single-use plastics. The banks will offer stainless steel utensils such as plates, glasses, bowls etc as alternatives to disposable plastics. during functions, social gatherings and religious events. This initiative is not only economically sustainable but also eco-friendly, the officials said. These reusable utensils will be available at nominal rent.