Empowering MSMEs with News & Insights

PM Narendra Modi holds 'SVANidhi Samvaad' with Madhya Pradesh street vendors

Updated: Sep 09, 2020 11:30:31am
image

PM Narendra Modi holds 'SVANidhi Samvaad' with Madhya Pradesh street vendors

New Delhi, Sep 9 (KNN) The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held 'SVANidhi Samvaad' with street vendors from Madhya Pradesh and praised their efforts to bounce back and appreciated their self-confidence, perseverance and hard work.

The centre had launched the PM SVANidhi scheme on June 1st, 2020 to help poor street vendors, impacted by COVID-19, resume livelihood activities.

Around 4.5 lakh street vendors were registered in Madhya Pradesh, out of which acceptance has been granted to around 1.4 lakh street vendors of amount worth Rs 140 crore.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister appreciated the efforts of the Madhya Pradesh government, for identifying more than 4.5 Lakh street vendors and completing the process to give loans to over a 1 Lakh vendors within 2 months, notwithstanding the effect of the pandemic.

Referring to the tough times when most of the poor migrants had to return to the villages, Modi said, ''any calamity first affects the poor impacting their jobs, food and savings.''

Modi said the government's right from the first day tried to obliterate the difficulties that the poor and the lower middle class have to face owing to the lockdown and the impact of the pandemic, adding, ''Government made all efforts to provide food, ration, free gas cylinders apart from employment through the Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan.''

The Prime Minister said that the government also focussed on another vulnerable section that is the street vendors and announced the PM SVANidhi Yojana in order to provide cheap capital to those vendors so that they can restart their livelihood businesses.

''This is for the first time that lakhs of street vendors are directly connected to the system so that they can start getting the benefit,'' he added.

The Prime Minister said the aim of the SVANidhi yojana is to provide Swarozgar, Swavlamban and Swabhimaan (Self Employment, Self-Sustenance and Self-Confidence) to the Street Vendors.

PM also stressed the importance of making every street-vendor know everything about this scheme. This scheme has been made so simple that even ordinary people can connect with it. He said that one can get registered with the scheme through the common service centre or in the municipality office by uploading the application and no need to stand in a queue.

''Not only this Business Correspondent from the bank but municipal staff can also come and take the application from the street vendors,'' he avowed.

He said this scheme gives upto 7 per cent rebate on the interest and if one repays the money taken from the bank within 1 year, then one will get an interest rebate.

''This scheme helps people to start afresh & get easy capital. For the first time, a network of millions of street vendors has been truly connected to the system, they have got an identity,'' PM said.

"The scheme helps one get rid of interest completely. Under this scheme, interest rebate of up to 7 per cent is being given anyway. A new beginning has been made in collaboration with banks and digital payment facilitators to ensure that our street vendors do not lag behind in digital shop-keeping," he added.

PM said in the times of Corona, customers are resorting to more digital transactions rather than cash. He also urged the street vendors to also adapt to transacting digitally.

Modi said the government is now going to bring about a OTT platform so that all the street vendors can conduct their business transactions digitally.

The Prime Minister said the beneficiaries of the PM SVANidhi Scheme would get access to the Ujjwala gas scheme, Ayushman Bharat scheme, etc on priority basis.

He said that through the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Bank accounts of more than 40 crore poor, lower middle-class people have been opened and now they directly receive all the benefits to their accounts and that it is easier for them to get loans. He listed similar achievements in other schemes like Digital Health Mission, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Prime Minister Jeevan Jyoti Yojana and Ayushman Bharat

Modi said that in the last six years several measures have been implemented to make the lives of the poor easier in the country. He further said the government launched a major scheme to provide accommodation in cities and major towns at an affordable rent.

He referred to the One Nation One Ration Card which would enable anybody to get affordable rations anywhere in the country.

The Prime Minister asked the street vendors to maintain cleanliness and follow all the measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

COMMENTS

    Be first to give your comments.

LEAVE A REPLY

Required fields are marked *