No one can dare extort street vendors, says UP CM Adityanath

PTI, Aug 24, 2023, 8:04 PM IST

No one can dare extort money from street vendors in Uttar Pradesh, unlike in the past, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Thursday. He also said that street vendors no longer have to beg to money lenders due to the PM SVANidhi Scheme.

Addressing an event at Lok Bhawan to distribute loans to 11,000 beneficiaries under the PM SVANidhi and Self-Help Group Loan Scheme, Adityanath said 15 lakh street vendors are currently benefiting from the scheme in Uttar Pradesh alone.

He handed over cheques to nearly a dozen street vendors and women from self-help groups.

Street vendors have been connected with banks and provided interest-free loans under the scheme in three installments of Rs 10,000, Rs 20,000 and Rs 50,000, respectively.

Adityanath said no scheme had ever been launched for street vendors before but Prime Minister Narendra Modi understood their pain and brought the PM SVANidhi scheme for them.

The chief minister said the state government has gifted security insurance of Rs 5 lakh to the street vendors associated with scheme so that their families do not face any problem.

”The double-engine government is relentlessly working to strengthen society by standing with the last person in the last rung of society,” he said.

The chief minister mentioned that the state government is developing a large industrial zone in Jhansi, along the lines of Noida. Steps have already been taken to acquire about 35,000 acres for the purpose. The establishment of a defence manufacturing corridor is already underway, he added.