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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/bill-to-protect-street-vendors-introduced-in-lok-sabha/articleshow/22345323.cms

NEW DELHI: A Bill to protect the rights of urban street vendors- including against harassment by the police and other authorities- as well as to regulate street vending activities was today moved for discussion and passage in the Lok Sabha.

Moving for discussion and passage the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill, 2012, in the Lok Sabha, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister Girija Vyas said it seeks to protect the rights of urban street vendors from harassment by the police, municipal authorities and others.

 The Bill, which has already been cleared by the Standing Committee, is also aimed at regulating street vending activities.

 “At present around 2 per cent of the population is involved in street vending activity and this figure is likely to reach 2.5 per cent in a few years,” she said, adding the proposed legislation will allow them to earn their livelihood without fear.

The Bill provides for security and protection of livelihood to all street vendors having a vending certificate to be issued by the Town Vending Committee.

Vyas said police and other authorities cannot remove a street vendor who has the certificate. She said those markets, which have been functional for more than 50 years, will be considered natural markets and vendors located there will be protected. The minister said states and the Centre will have to work together to make the Act a success.

Shailendra Kumar (SP) said street vendors mostly belong to OBC and the minority community and also involves unorganised labour. He said in Mumbai there are around five lakh street vendors yet only around 18,000 of them have been given licenses. He demanded the new law should ensure that vendors are allowed to set up shops in or near main markets.

Shailendra Kumar further said the Bill seeks to reduce the fine on street vendors from Rs 1,000 at present to Rs 250 but it would be good if it is reduced further. He lamented that banks do not provide loans to street vendors and they end up being exploited by money lenders.

He said government should see to it that there is no child labour in street vending business.

Supporting the Bill, Jayaprakash Hegde (Cong) said railway vendors, who have been excluded from the Bill, should be brought under it.

He expressed concern over the unhygienic food served by street vendors and said this needs to be looked into.

Anant Geete ( Shiv Sena) said he supports the Bill which seeks to provide security and protection to the street vendors.

The debate will continue in the Lok Sabha tomorrow.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) with an allocation of approximately Rs. 6,405 crore.

The Mission of NULM is to reduce poverty and vulnerability of the urban poor households by enabling them to access gainful self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities, resulting in an appreciable improvement in their livelihoods on a sustainable basis, through building strong grassroots level institutions of the poor. The mission would also aim at providing shelter equipped with essential services to the urban homeless in a phased manner. In addition, the Mission would also address livelihood concerns of the urban street vendors also by facilitating access to suitable spaces, institutional credit, social security and skills to the urban street vendors for accessing emerging market opportunities.

NULM will rest on the foundation of community mobilization and women empowerment. NULM envisages universal mobilisation of urban poor households into thrift and credit-based Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and their federations/collectives. These groups will serve as a” support system for the poor, to meet their financial and social need. Under the Mission, City Livelihood Centres (CLCs) will be established in Mission cities to provide a platform whereby the urban poor can market their services and access information on self-employment, skill training and other benefits.

The Support to Urban Street Vendors (USV) component will cover a socio-economic survey of street vendors, development of pro-vending urban planning and vendors’ markets, credit enablement of vendors, skill development and micro-enterprise development and convergence under various schemes of the Government.

NULM would aim at providing shelter for the urban homeless equipped with essential services. The shelters should be permanent all-weather 24 x 7 shelters for the urban homeless. For every one lakh urban population, provisions will be made for permanent community shelters for a minimum of one hundred persons. Depending upon local conditions each shelter could cater to between 50 and 100 persons.

The NULM will be implemented in two phases: Phase I (2013-2017) and Phase II (2017-2022). In Phase I, NULM will target all cities with a population of one lakh or more and district headquarter towns with a population of less than one lakh as per Census of India 2011. However, other towns may be allowed in exceptional cases on the request of the States. Funding will be shared between the Centre and the States in the ratio of 75:25.

Cabinet Decision

The Union Cabinet today approved the proposal for amendment in the existing FDI policy in Multi-Brand Retail Trading (MBRT) in para 6.2.16.5(1) (iii), (iv) and (vi) of ‘Circular 1 of 2013 – Consolidated FDI Policy.

a) Amendment in para 6.2.16.5(1) (iii) of ‘Circular 1 of 2013- Consolidated FDI Policy’ to read as follows:

“At least 50% of total FDI brought in the first tranche of US$ 100 million, shall be invested in ‘backend infrastructure’ within three years, where ‘back-end infrastructure’ will include capital expenditure on all activities, excluding that on front-end units. For instance, back-end infrastructure will include investment made towards processing, manufacturing, distribution, design improvement, quality control, packaging, logistics, storage, ware-house, agriculture market produce infrastructure etc. Expenditure on land cost and rentals, if any, will not be counted for purposes of backend infrastructure. Subsequent investment in the back-end infrastructure would be made by the MBRT retailer as needed, depending upon his business requirements”.

b) Amendment in para 6.2.16.5(1)(iv)of ‘Circular 1 of 2013 – Consolidated FDI Policy’ to read as follows:

“At least 30% of the value of procurement of manufactured/ processed products purchased shall be sourced from Indian micro, small and medium industries which have a total investment in plant & machinery not exceeding US $ 2.00 million. This valuation refers to the value at the time of installation, without providing for depreciation. The ‘small industry’ status would be reckoned only at the time of first engagement with the retailer and such industry shall continue to qualify as a ‘small industry’ for this purpose even if it outgrows the said investment of US$ 2.00 million, during the course of its relationship with the said retailer. Sourcing from agricultural co-operatives and farmers co¬operatives would also be considered in this category. The procurement requirement would have to be met, in the first instance, as an average of five years’ total value of the manufactured/ processed products purchased, beginning 1st April of the year during which the first tranche of FDI is received. Thereafter, it would have to be met on an annual basis”. 

c) Amendment in para 6.2.16.5(1)(vi) of ‘Circular 1 of 2013 – Consolidated FDI Policy’ to read as follows:

“Retail sales outlets may be set up only in cities with a population of more than 10 lakh as per the 2011 Census or any other cities as per the decision of the respective State Governments, and may also cover an area of 10 kms around the municipal/urban agglomeration limits of such cities; retail locations will be restricted to conforming areas as per the Master/Zonal Plans of the concerned cities and provision will be made for requisite facilities such as transport connectivity and parking”.

The amendment in the extant FDI policy relating to Multi-Brand Retail Trading in respect of ‘small industry’ will bring in a balance between the business exigencies of the MBRT entity and intent of the policy which is to extend the benefits of the FDI policy in multi-brand retail trading to a larger constituency of small industries. The amendment in the provision regarding ‘back-end infrastructure’ will give more clarity to the policy. The amendment to the provision regarding location of retail outlets will bring in parity in the policy as it is proposed to extend such dispensation to all States.

Article published July 18th, 2013 in Hindi daily Prabhat Khabar on the National Sample Survey Organization recent survey reporting 15% decline in Indian Poverty between 2004-2005 to 2011-2012.

Full article here.