Bhubaneswar:23/9/20: The Narendra Modi-led Central government has sanctioned Rs 8.2 crore as collateral-free loans to street vendors in Odisha under Prime Minister Street Vendor’s Amta Nirbhar Nidhi Scheme (PM SVANidhi), informed Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. He said so far Rs 0.81 crore has been disbursed by the Centre for the State.
Taking to Twitter, Pradhan thanked PM Modi, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and MoS, Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri for the sanction and said this would help the street vendors resume their livelihood activities affected by the sudden outbreak of Covid19 pandemic.
Of the total 63,222 street vendors identified in the state, more than 23,550 vendors have applied for affordable working capital loans being provided under the scheme till now.
“Our street vendors form a crucial part of the informal micro-economy. PM SVANidhi brings banking at the doorsteps of these nano-entrepreneurs helping them become more self-reliant and thereby empowering them,” Pradhan mentioned.