Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation

PM’s interaction with street vendors from Madhya Pradesh

  • My colleague in the Union Council of Ministers, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri ji, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Bhai Shivraj ji, other members of the state cabinet, people associated with the administration, all the beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Svanidhi Scheme and all my dear brothers and sisters who are attending this programme from Madhya Pradesh and outside Madhya Pradesh.
  • First of all, I extend my best wishes to all the beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Svanidhi Scheme. A little while ago, I had the opportunity to talk to some beneficiaries.
  • There is conviction in their expression and a hope is also visible. This faith is the greatest success and strength of the Pradhan Mantri Svanidhi Scheme. I respectfully salute the strength of your labour, your self-esteem and self-confidence.
  • I also extend my best wishes to all the friends of the country who are moving ahead with Pradhan Mantri Svanidhi Scheme.
  • I congratulate Madhya Pradesh and the team of Shivraj ji in particular because more than one lakh street vendors have benefited from the Svanidhi Scheme within two months due to their efforts.
  • I think it is a great job to provide identity cards and certificates of vending to 4.5 lakh street vendors in such a short time notwithstanding the Corona pandemic.
  • I am hopeful that other states will also draw inspiration from the efforts of Madhya Pradesh and will be encouraged and make concrete attempts to ensure that all our street vendor brothers and sisters in all the cities of India get money from banks.
  • Friends, whenever there is such a major crisis in the world, or the epidemic occurs, the first and foremost effect is on our poor brothers and sisters. The poor have to suffer even if there is more rain, or cold or heat.
  • The poor have a crisis of employment, a crisis of eatables, and he loses whatever savings he has made. The pandemic brings along all these problems with it. Our poor brothers and sisters, our labour friends, our street vendor colleagues, they have suffered the most during this pandemic.
  • There were many who used to work in other cities, but had to return to their villages during the pandemic. And therefore, the efforts of the government and the country have been to make concerted efforts right from day one of the Corona pandemic to mitigate the sufferings of the poor.
  • The country took care of the food and ration of the people who were in distress and also provided free gas cylinders.
  • Lakhs of people were given employment through the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan. In the midst of several schemes for the poor, there was a very big segment which needed special attention.
  • These were my street vendor brothers and sisters. The families of our lakhs of street vendor friends are dependent on their daily wages.
  • Markets were closed down due to Corona, people started living inside their homes fearing for their lives, and as a result the business of our street vendor brothers and sisters was hit the hardest. The Pradhan Mantri Svanidhi Scheme has been launched to pull them out of their distress.
  • The purpose behind this scheme is to ensure easy capital to the people so that they can make fresh beginning and can restart their work. They should not be compelled to pay high interests for the money borrowed.
  • This has happened for the first time that the network of lakhs of street vendors has got a new identity and they have been connected with the system in a proper way.
  • The Svanidhi scheme is an important milestone in the journey of self-finance to self-employment, from self-employment to self-sustenance and from self-sustenance to self-esteem.
  • Friends, you have been told about the Svanidhi scheme. Colleagues I spoke to now are very much aware of it. But it is very essential that all the needy and every street vendor should know everything about this scheme. Only then, our poor brothers and sisters will be able to make benefit of it.

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