HYDERABAD: Telangana stood top in the country in providing loans to street vendors in the category of large States, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri said on Thursday. The Union minister was felicitating the representatives of Telangana on the occasion of the third anniversary of PM SVANidhi -- Empowering Nano Entrepreneurs, at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on Thursday. MAUD secretary Sudarshan Reddy and TSMEPMA Project Manager Krishna Chaitanya received the award on the behalf of the State government.
In the category of large States in the country, awards were presented to Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. Telangana is one of the top performers among all large States and the Centre appreciated the State’s commitment and dedication to the successful execution of Pattana Pragathi - Street Vendors (SVs) development - PM SVANidhi scheme.
After launching Pattana Pragathi in all ULBs of Telangana in February 2020, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao directed that street vendors’ development may be taken up as part of the programme. During the same year, MAUD Minister KT Rama Rao also directed that working capital loans be sanctioned to all street vendors and steps taken for developing vending zones in ULBs. Telangana is the first State to waive off the stamp duty in full for the loans under PM SVANidhi with coterminous provisions of the scheme.
Till now a total of Rs 695.42 crore has been disbursed to SVs in the State in first, second and third tranche loans. The SVs have also received interest subsidies of Rs 10.70 crore for regular repayment of loans. As many as 3,24,089 street vendors (91%) are being digitally onboarded by providing QR codes (UPI IDs) as well as training on digital transactions. They have availed the second highest cash incentive in the country of Rs 6.59 crore for conducting digital transactions, after Uttar Pradesh with Rs 6.67 crore.
The state Government under Pattana Pragathi has also issued indicative guiding parameters for the improvement of infrastructure and providing basic amenities in vending zones of street vendors to all the ULBs and till now, out of total of 2,676 Street Vending Sheds, 1,294 sheds have been constructed and 1,382 sheds are under construction.
Officials felicitated
MAUD secretary Sudarshan Reddy and TSMEPMA Project Manager Krishna Chaitanya received the
award on the behalf of the State government