STREET VENDORS ACT

Subject : Legislation

Context : There are an estimated 50-60 lakh street vendors in India, with the largest concentrations in the cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad.

Most of them are migrants who typically work for 10–12 hours every day on average.

Concept :

• Street Vendors have been defined to include ‘any person engaged in vending of articles, goods, food etc or offering services to the general public in a street lane, sidewalk, footpath, pavement, public park, or any other public or private area. It includes hawkers, peddlers, and squatters.
• Any person above 14 years of age, who is a street vendor has to register him/herself with the Town Vending Committee (TVC).
• The TVC shall have a 40% representation from street vendors and another 10% from civil society. The remaining would be represented by local authorities, residential associations etc,.
• Every street vendor has to obtain a certificate of vending from TVC, for which he/she will be issued with an identity card.
• The local authorities shall frame a street vending plan, which shall be revised every 5 years. The plan should contain free vending zones, restricted vending zones, and no-vending zones.
• The local authorities can relocate the street vendors in case of causing a public nuisance. The relocated street vendor shall be provided a new site for vending.
• The local authority is also empowered to confiscate the goods of the vendors in the manner specified in the street vending scheme.
• The duties of the local authority to include monitoring and supervising the street vendor scheme, monitoring the effectiveness of the TVC and deciding appeals.
• There is also a provision to provide credit insurance and welfare schemes to the street vendors by the appropriate government.
• There is a provision for independent Grievance Redressal Mechanism composing a retired judicial officer.