Kolkata: Ahead of the festive season, central govt initiatives to provide low-interest loans with easy conditions and rehabilitate street vendors are set to begin.To assess the opinion of pavement vendors in the Howrah Maidan area, Tarun Kapoor, adviser to the Prime Minister’s Office, visited Howrah Maidan on Saturday, accompanied by Howrah Municipal Corporation commissioner Tejaswi Rana.Kapoor sought to understand whether unorganised hawkers are keen to utilise the PM SVANidhi scheme, designed to help them expand their businesses, and gathered their feedback regarding a proposed hawkers’ complex near Howrah Maidan.He informed vendors that under the PM SVANidhi scheme, collateral-free loans ranging from Rs15,000 to Rs 50,000 are available at low interest rates.Kapoor highlighted that beneficiaries will receive an official govt certificate to display at their stalls, serving as proof of business legitimacy. This visit comes in the wake of recent eviction drives along Grand Trunk Road across Howrah Maidan, north Howrah, and south Howrah to clear illegally occupied pavements. While the CPM has been actively protesting the eviction—claiming that nearly 3,000 hawkers and small vendors have been uprooted across these areas—the association of permanent shopkeepers welcomed the administration’s move.During the visit, vendors voiced their operational challenges and requirements directly to the PMO adviser.
