Vendors irked as Corpn delays beneficiary identification

VELLORE: The delay by the Vellore Corporation in identifying beneficiaries for the central government’s Deendayal Upadhyaya Antodaya Yojana has reportedly irked street vendors.

Sources claimed that the central scheme has been designed to provide ID cards to street vendors and help them start/continue their business in the locality thereby ensuring sales of locally grown products.

According to BJP’s Vellore district government liaison wing president VSC Venketesh, “all other urban local bodies have completed the survey of street vendors in urban areas and forwarded the list to the state government. However, Vellore Corporation has not even started the survey citing various excuses.”

Pointing to a video on social media about the scheme’s success at Kodaikanal in Dindigul district, he said, “the scheme is a boon for urban street vendors, who can use the ID cards to get loans from banks instead of going to private lenders or usurers.”

Elaborating, he said, “When we approached the Corporation officials about the scheme they said that they had floated tenders four months ago, but that the contractor was delaying the work.” Officials said they would finalise the vendors’ list by this month end, he added. However, around 70 street vendors in Katpadi were keen to join the scheme but were peeved at the local body’s delay.

“As funds required for our daily business is small, we don’t approach commercial banks and, hence, forced to rely on private lenders. If banks can lend us around Rs 10,000 it we will be more than sufficient,” said M Suresh, a panipuri vendor at Katpadi.

Asked about repayment, Vel Jayaraman, another food vendor, said, “Undoubtedly, repayment will be on a par with the rate of women SHGs, which are known for their punctuality and promptness. We also understand that such a discipline will help us to get additional loans.”