Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Nov 23: 'Badavara Bandhu', the ambitious scheme of the state government meant to rid street vendors from the clutches of moneylenders, was launched by Karnataka chief minister (CM), H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday November 22.

Under the said scheme, street vendors would be able to get loans between Rs 2,000 and 10,000 to run their businesses. The scheme got initiated with the CM distributing cheques to beneficiaries at the Agricultural Produce Market Committee vegetable market at Yashwantpur here.

Speaking on the occasion, Kumaraswamy said that this scheme is aimed at relieving poor street vendors of total dependence on moneylenders who charge exorbitant rates of interest every day. He reminded that he had announced this scheme when presenting the budget.

Local bodies have been issuing identity cards to street vendors. "A total of 1.80 lac street vendors including 24,650 from within the limits of Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike have already got their identity cards. Out of them, 5,000 from this city, 3,000 from other city corporations, and a thousand beneficiaries each from district urban areas will be lent between Rs 2,000 and 10,000 this year.

Those who operate push carts by roadsides and people selling beverages, eatables, food and other services in motor vehicles, those who sell fruits, vegetables, flowers, baskets and such other things, and vendors undertaking cobbling work and selling footwear and other leather items, and also those involved with selling of toys, household items etc would be eligible under this scheme.

However, those who sell things which meddle with cleanliness by the roadside and harm the environment will not get loans under the scheme.

Registered street vendors should possess Adhar cards, BPL ration cards, photo of the place where they conduct business, identity card issued by local bodies, and zero balance saving bank account opened with banks. The loan so raised has to be repaid within three months. If the loans are repaid in time, they get the option of getting ten percent more loan next time.

The total number of street vendors in the state has been put at 4.5 lac including 80,000 in this city alone. This year, 53,000 street vendors are proposed be covered under the scheme.