SVANidhi Yojna has proved to be lifeline for street vendors: PM Modi

NEW DELHI: Hitting out at the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that the governments in the past “did not take interest” in the welfare of street vendors which led to them facing disrespect and hardships and PM SVANidhi Yojna has proved a lifeline for them.

The Prime Minister addressed the beneficiaries of the PM SVANidhi scheme at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi today and distributed loans to 1 lakh street vendors (SVs) including 5,000 SVs from Delhi as part of the scheme. He handed over PM SVANidhi loan cheques to five beneficiaries. The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of two additional corridors of Delhi Metro’s Phase 4.

“Previous governments did not pay any heed to the needs of street vendors, nor did they make any effort to tackle their issues. This servant of yours has come out of poverty. I have lived in poverty. That is why those who have not been cared for by anyone, they were not only cared for but have been worshiped by Modi,” he said.

PM Modi said those who did not have anything to give guarantee as collateral were assured of Modi’s Guarantee. “In the cities across our country, lakhs of people work as street vendors, on footpaths and in handcarts. These are the people who are present here today, who work hard with self-respect and support their families, their carts, and their shops. They may be small, but their dreams are not small, their dreams are also big. In the past, the previous governments did not even take interest in these people, they had to endure insults and were forced to stumble,” the Prime Minister said.

“Even if someone went to open an account, he had to give various guarantees and in such a situation, it was impossible to get a loan from the bank. Amidst so many problems, how can a person think of moving forward? he asked.

The Prime Minister said that PM SVANidhi Yojana has become the support system for lakhs of street vendors families. “Modi is relentlessly working to improve the lives of the poor and the middle classes. Modi’s thinking is ‘welfare of nation by the welfare of people’. Partnership of dreams of common citizens and Modi’s resolve is the guarantee of a bright future”, he said.

“Today’s programme PM SVANidhi Mahotsav is dedicated to those who are always around us and without them we cannot imagine our lives. We saw the power of these street vendors during the Covid…Today, I heartily congratulate each of our street vendors, street vendors, and roadside shopkeepers on this event”, he added.

PM SVANidhi was launched on June 1, 2020, amidst the global economic crisis caused by the pandemic. A release said that it has proven to be transformative for the marginalised communities of street vendors.

Till now, more than 82 lakh loans, amounting to over Rs 10,978 crore, have been disbursed to more than 62 lakh street vendors across the country. Delhi alone has witnessed the distribution of nearly 2 lakh loans, amounting to Rs 232 crore, it said. (ANI)