Shreya

UM4000-2

Street Vending and Gujrat Urban Livelihood Mission

The project follows a structured, phased, and participatory methodology to strengthen the street vendor ecosystem in Dholka. It begins with a baseline assessment through field surveys, vendor interactions, and data collection from the Nagar Palika to identify existing gaps and needs. The first phase focuses on capacity building, including training in digital literacy, legal rights, financial management, and business skills. This is followed by financial inclusion, ensuring vendors gain access to credit through schemes like PMSVANidhi, along with linkages to insurance and savings services. Once vendors are better informed and financially empowered, the project moves to the formation of the Town Vending Committee (TVC) to institutionalize governance and ensure representation. In parallel, refurbishment of vending zones is undertaken—improving infrastructure such as water supply, sanitation, lighting, and waste management. Stakeholder convergence with Nagar Palika, SHGs, NGOs, and CSCs is ensured throughout, along with regular monitoring and feedback to guide adaptive implementation.


Report Content

Dholka at glance

Street Vendor's at Glance

We mapped key vending locations in Dholka — Kalikund Circle, Gamthal, Alka Road, among others. These hotspots reveal a concentrated presence of vendors but lack structured infrastructure, storage, and basic facilities.

The foundation of street vendor rights in India is the Street Vendors Act of 2014, supported by the National Urban Livelihood Mission. These legal and policy instruments aim to provide recognition and prevent arbitrary eviction, while promoting sustainable urban livelihoods.

Gujrat Urban Livelihood Mission Overview

At the top, under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission, we have the Mission Director and the Deputy Mission Director, who oversee operations at the national level. These are permanent positions responsible for strategy and oversight across states. Under the GULM tier at the state level, we have the State Mission Director and the Joint or Deputy State Mission Director. They supervise implementation across all municipalities in Gujarat, ensuring alignment with state policies and funding mechanisms. Now, focusing on the Municipality level, the structure flows downward from: (A) State-level leadership to (B) Municipal-level leadership, headed by the Chief Officer, who acts as the administrative anchor for the program in the city. Supporting them are two City Mission Managers and the Community Organizer. These positions are largely contractual and work on direct field execution — such as mobilizing vendors, running training programs, and collecting data. At the bottom level, we have

GULM implements Day-NULM in Dholka by offering employment training, supporting SHGs, and enabling financial inclusion through SEP-I and SEP-G schemes. So far, over ?1 crore has been disbursed under SEP-I alone, and vendors have benefitted from micro-loans through the PM SVANidhi scheme

Our primary survey revealed significant gaps — most vendors still operate in cash, are unaware of government surveys, and lack basic facilities. Issues of harassment and congestion also emerged. A powerful quote from a vendor said, 'We want training on how to manage money, save, and maybe grow our business.' This underlines the urgent need for capacity building

This slide outlines the five major issues currently hindering the effective implementation of street vending reforms in Dholka

Our vision is to create a vibrant, safe, and clean vending environment in Dholka that empowers vendors economically while integrating them into the urban fabric.