
Children staging a cultural performance at an annual event held to recognise the accomplishments of the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation under the PM SVANidhi Scheme, at Tummalapalli Kalakshetram in Vijayawada on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: G.N. Rao
Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) Commissioner H.M. Dhyana Chandra received the ‘PRAISE’ award from Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister Ponguru Narayana on Tuesday (October 29), for the corporation’s work in providing financial inclusion and empowerment to street vendors.
The award, presented as part of the PRAISE Awards 2023-24 and organised by the Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas, was given to Vijayawada in the Mega and Million-Plus Cities category in Andhra Pradesh.
Following the Central government’s guidelines under the National Urban Livelihood Mission, the corporation has actively supported street vendors through the Prime Minister’s Street Vendor’s Atmanirbhar Nidhi (PMSVA Nidhi) scheme, a release from the VMC said.
Expressing happiness, the Commissioner said 17,114 street vendors had been identified under the ‘Support to Urban Street Vendors’ (SUSV) initiative, as per the Street Vendors Act, 2014. Among them, 16,771 vendors have already received identification cards, with the remaining 343 to receive soon. Of the 9,428 eligible vendors, 9,200 have accessed financial support through the PMSVA Nidhi scheme, and 6,748 others have received other loan assistance, he said. This brings the total coverage to 16,203 vendors, accounting for nearly 97% of all eligible vendors.
Mr. Dhyan Chandra said the corporation is committed to eradicating poverty and supporting urban livelihoods. “In collaboration with the Andhra Pradesh State and Central governments, we remain dedicated to ensuring financial inclusion and empowerment for all eligible street vendors within our city,” he added.
Published – October 30, 2024 09:38 am IST