Commemorating International Labour Day on May 1, the Nagaland Voluntary Consumers’ Organisation (NVCO) insisted that the state government adopt the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014. According to a press release from NVCO press & media cell, two years ago the NVCO had launched the awareness campaign on Street Vendors Act, 2014 and appealed to the state government to implement the same. The NVCO assured the people of the state to continue the awareness campaign on this Act. According to NVCO, this Central Act will create a conducive atmosphere for street vendors conduct business in dignity and provide livelihood protection to street vendors across the state. NVCO president Kezhokhoto Savi suggested that the local vendors may be given preferences in the issuing of certificate of vending/license etc.
The release listed a number of salient features of the act which, it said, was passed by Parliament on February 20, 2014. The Act provides for empowering street vendors, protecting their rights and also ensuring that they are given approved vending zones from where they may not be arbitrarily evicted. The Act also provides for protection of street vendors from harassment by police and other authorities and provides for an overriding clause to ensure they carry on their business without the fear of harassment by the authorities under any other law.
The release also mentioned ‘Support to Urban Street Vendors’ under National Urban Livelihood Mission.
It, according to the release, is one of the components of National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) which aims at addressing the vulnerabilities of urban street vendors through a multi-pronged approach. This includes: Survey of street vendors and issue of Identity Cards; Development of city street vending plans; Infrastructure development of vending zones in the city; Training and Skill Development; Financial Inclusion; Access to credit and, Linkages to social security schemes
Up to 5% of the total NULM allocation of the State can be spent on implementation on this component of NULM, it concluded.