Programme Launched To Upskill 2,500 Street Food Vendors In East Delhi

New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has announced a pilot project under which it will upskill 2,500 vendors, aged between 23 to 55 years.

The initiative will be implemented under the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) component of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 3.0, an official statement on Tuesday said.

The objective of this programme is to provide relevant skills to the Street Food Vendors, leading towards better services to consumers, more opportunities to vendors for revenue generation, awareness on regulations and stipulated rules, in return providing better services to the local bodies.

Launching the initiative, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship; and Ministry of Electronics and IT, said that India is land to 55 Lakh Street Food Vendors, their contribution to the informal economy is 14 percent which is not a small number and highlights the important role played by them in India's economy.

''The upliftment of our Street Food Vendors lacked attention and focus. However, with his vision, as we celebrate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, to celebrate India's rich heritage, this is the first time, schemes like SVANidhi and RPL training for Street Food Vendors have been introduced, especially after the COVID-19, where retail and street vending segments were hugely impacted,'' he added.

The Minister also highlighted that the conduct and well-being of Street Food Vendors define how their respective cities are perceived; therefore, their upskilling is an imperative.

He further said that Government is committed towards the welfare of Street Vendors.

Commenting on the same, Shyam Sundar Agarwal, Mayor, East Delhi thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his vision of empowering India's workforce with skills.

''His focus on improving the conditions of Street Food Vendors will surely help them lift their working and living conditions,'' he added.

He further said that by upskilling the vendors and providing them with loans for accessing e-cart licenses under this initiative, we will ensure that no vendor is left jobless.

Further, this initiative will also provide social security and safety to 4,000 vendors of East Delhi and 25 lakh street vendors, nationally, he said.

Under the initiative, the Street Food Vendors will be educated on health and safety standards, safety provisions under COVID-19 protocols, effective communication techniques with staff and customers, new-age skills such as digital literacy, financial literacy, digital payments and e-selling. The vendors will also be supported with loans under the Mudra Scheme.

Further, to compensate the candidates for income loss during the training, NSDC will ensure that they complete the training of 32 hours and spend about 8 hours a day on training.

''Customised monitoring and evaluation enhancements visits, verification of previous skills and eligibility ascertained by an initial screening, e- verification calls, and face detection for attendance will also be performed,'' the statement added.

Also read:FIR Filed Against Mark Zuckerberg For Facebook Post Against Akhilesh Yadav

Also watch: