On June 1, 2020, the government introduced the PM SVAnidhi scheme to assist street vendors by providing them with a one-year business loan of up to Rs. 10,000. Applicants for the PM SVAnidhi scheme are not required to present any collateral. The PM SVAnidhi Yojana would help over 50 lakh street sellers across the country.
The project is a Central Sector Scheme, which means it is entirely supported by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to assist street sellers in standing tall in the face of the crisis. Street vendors are an important component of the urban informal economy, playing a vital role in providing the availability of goods and services at reasonable prices at the doorsteps of city people.
In different areas/contexts, they are called vendors, hawkers, thelewala, rehriwala, theliphadwala, and so on. They provide vegetables, fruits, ready-to-eat street food, tea, pakodas, loaves of bread, eggs, textile, clothes, footwear, artisan products, books/stationery, and so on. Barbershops, cobblers, pan shops, washing services, and so on are among the services available.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdowns have had a negative influence on the livelihoods of street sellers. They often work with a tiny capital base and may have depleted it during the lockdown. As a result, there is an urgent need to provide credit for operating capital to street vendors in order for them to resume their operations.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible for the PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi, applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Applicants must have a Certificate of Vending / Identity Card issued by Urban Local Bodies.
- Applicants who do not have a Certificate of Vending / Identity Card will be awarded a Provisional Certificate of Vending by the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). Such sellers will be issued a permanent Certificate of Vending and Identification Card by the ULBs.
- Vendors who were not included in the identification survey or who began vending after the survey and were awarded a Letter of Recommendation (LoR) are eligible.
Steps before application
Before beginning the online application procedure, you should go through the following three steps:
- Recognize the loan application requirements.
- Check that your mobile number is linked to your Aadhaar card.
- Check your eligibility status in accordance with the scheme’s terms and conditions.
Application process
The application process for PM SVANidhi Scheme is mentioned below:
- Visit PM SVAnidhi’s official website.
- After that, you must download the PM SVAnidhi application form.
- Choose the vendor category for which you are qualified.
- Fill out the loan application. Ascertain if your mobile number is linked to your Aadhar card.
- Fill in the essential information and submit.
Survey status
To check the status of your survey, follow these steps:
- Access the official PM SVANidhi website.
- Select the ‘Street Vendor Survey Search’ option.
- Fill in the required fields such as State, ULB Name, Vendor-Id Card Number, Certificate of Vending No., Name of Street Vendor, Father’s/Name, Spouse’s and Mobile Number.
- Once completed, you may check the status of your survey by clicking ‘Search.’