Skill India launches a programme to upskill Street Food Vendors, making them eligible for e-cart license; Targets 2,500 vendors in its pilot phase

Delhi : In a quest to formalize the unorganised sector and upskill the street food vendors, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) today announced to skill the Street Food Vendors of East Delhi and make them eligible for e-cart licenses, improving the hygiene conditions in food preparation and aesthetics of vending. The initiative will be implemented under the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) component of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 3.0. 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. In its pilot phase with East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC), Skill India aims at upskilling 2,500 vendors, aged between 23 to 55 years.

The project will be implemented by the Tourism and Hospitality Sector Skill Council (THSSC) and training partners of NSDC. The two training partners recommended by THSSC are Learnet Institute of Skills and Tata STRIVE. 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.

MSDE, NSDC and THSSC will provide necessary knowledge and skills to the Street Food Vendors through this programme to increase productivity and enhance their livelihoods. The inaugural batches will take place at EDMC Headquarters and the remaining beneficiaries will be trained in their respective wards/zones in a decentralized mode. EDMC will identify schools and community halls to conduct this four-day training programme.

Launching the initiative, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship; and Ministry of Electronics and IT, said “India is land to 55 Lakh Street Food Vendors, their contribution to the informal economy is 14% which is not a small number and highlights the important role played by them in India’s economy. Before the able leadership of our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, 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. I would also like to highlight that the conduct and well-being of Street Food Vendors define how their respective cities are perceived, therefore, their upskilling is an imperative.”

Expressing his views on the initiative, Shri Shyam Sundar Agarwal, Mayor, East Delhi said, “We thank Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri 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. 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 job less. Further, this initiative will also provide social security and safety to 4,000 vendors of East Delhi and 25 lakh street vendors, nationally.”

All mobilized candidates who have completed registration will go through a counselling session conducted by the training partners preferably in the presence of MCD officials. The counselling session intends to provide clarity to candidates on their skill competencies, aptitude, interests, opportunities, and structure of the itinerary for next 4-5 days. The programme will be implemented under PMKVY 3.0 which provides for training, certification, and assessment cost along with Rs. 500/- incentive and Rs. 2 lakh accidental insurance for 3 years to the candidates.

Further, 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.

It is expected that a larger proportion of applicants will be existing hawkers and street food vendors looking at better opportunities and legitimacy. Therefore, the programme will be customised as per their requirements which would mean limited number of hours for training, as per their convenience, selection of a suitable location for training and taking support of related NGOs and MCD for motivation and counselling. Training Partners will be the primary agency to address issues.