Street vendors seek financial aid from government

With the lockdown affecting the day-to-day earnings of street vendors and other daily wage workers in the city, the street vendors’ committee wrote to the chief minister, seeking financial aid or relaxations in curbs

With the lockdown affecting the day-to-day earnings of street vendors and other daily wage workers in the city, the street vendors’ committee wrote to the chief minister, seeking financial aid or relaxations in curbs. Under the banner of Dron Rehdi Patri Feri committee of Gurugram, street vendors submitted a copy of the letter to the deputy commissioner of Gurugram, seeking financial aid of ₹7,500 per month.

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Yogesh Kumar, the president of the committee, said, “The government has allowed even small restaurants to operate for deliveries, but no provisions have been made for the street vendors who depend on daily earnings. At present, we are able to manage food, using the ration we had purchased for our stalls, but there is no option available to us for medical expenses or paying the school fee of our children.”

“We are requesting the government to allow us to function so that at least packed food can be delivered from our stalls, which will help us in earning some money. If the government does not allow us to start our shops, then we request them to pay ₹7,500 to each street vendor in the district,” added Kumar.

At present, there are around 50,000 street vendors associated with the committee of which “around 40% have gone back to their villages as it is difficult to manage major expenses like rent, without daily earnings.”

Deputy commissioner Yash Garg said that as the matter was under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram, the letter was forwarded to them.

A senior MCG official, requesting anonymity, said, “Last year, after the lockdown, the government had started a scheme where street vendors could take loans of ₹10,000 on low interest rates from banks to set up their work again and the same scheme is continuing. We will be looking into this matter again and see that all possible help is given to them.”

Rajendra Singh Saroha, the general secretary of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, said, “Since the lockdown was imposed, I have been getting calls daily from street vendors and daily wage earners seeking help as they are not able to manage daily expenses. Keeping the situation in mind, we have written to the chief minister seeking financial assistance so that the street vendors can sustain themselves.”

Ashok Kumar, who worked as a helper at a food stall in Sector 40 market, said, “The lockdown was imposed at the starting of the month, so the owner did not pay me last month’s salary as he himself did not have money. Now, with the lockdown being extended, there is no clarity on when I would get paid and without money, it is difficult to stay here.”