Hawkers say they deserve a good bargain

NEW DELHI: It took street vendors over a decade to make policy-makers respond to their concerns. Several protests later, they now have a law that ensures them the right to earn a livelihood without fear. This is just the beginning, they say. The real challenge lies in implementation.

This February, Rajya Sabha passed the much-delayed Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill, 2012.

Vendors complain that the UPA government took inordinately long to recognize the needs of their sector and plan a policy. They now want the new government to quickly implement the bill.

"The government must issue implementation guidelines. We hope these are issued by July. The Centre should monitor implementation in the states," says Arbind Singh, national coordinator, National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI).

India has over 2.5 crore street vendors, but very few municipalities have created facilities like vending zones for them. A uniform vendor identification system and creation of vending zones are the main challenges for the government.

The Bhubaneswar civic body has registered 20,000 vendors and created 67 vending zones. "Earlier, no one took us seriously. But after protests, the municipal corporation registered us. Vendors now work without fear of police and municipal inspectors as most of them are registered. This model should be replicated in other cities,'' says Sachidananda Swamy, secretary, Orissa Street Vendors' Association.

Vendors want to be included in the National Urban Livelihood Mission so that they can receive skillbased training. The bill gives them the right to livelihood, vendor say, but they are deprived of facilities like health, housing and education, which people in other unorganized sectors are entitled to.

Health is the most important facility which the government must provide, say vendors. "We can't avail of medical benefi t given to the poor under the Rasthriya Swasthya Bima Yojna, as most vendors don't have registration certifi cates. We can't get benefi ts under the EWS scheme in schools as vendors aren't recognized," says Chandra Prakash Singh, Intuc national secretary. His union works with Bihar street vendors. While they struggle for their basic rights, vendors say, the government should keep in mind life insurance and pension schemes for them.

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