Rs 10,000 Loan To Be Provided To Street Vendors Under Atma Nirbhar Bharat

The government allowed granting of loans up to Rs 10,000 to street vendors in second tranche of Atma Nirbhar Bharat measures announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday. The government will make a liquidity provision of Rs 5,000 crore for 50 lakh street vendors, Ms Sitharman said while giving details of the COVID-19 economic relief package worth Rs 20 lakh crore announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.

"We are giving a special credit facility for about Rs 5,000 crore because most of their livelihoods has been adversely affected. Street vendors have not been allowed to do anything during the lockdown. Therefore within a month the government will launch a special scheme which will facilitate easy access to credit to all the street vendors," Ms Sitharaman said.

"50 lakh street vendors will be able to avail Rs 10,000 loan from Rs 5,000 crore special credit facility once the lockdown is lifted they can start their business back," Ms Sitharaman added.

Thursday's set of Atma Nirbhar Bharat announcements were focused on farmers, street vendors, small businessmen and migrant workers.

Among other decisions, government announced that migrant workers will be provided free food grains for next two months, an affordable rental housing scheme under PM Awas Yojana will be launched for migrant worker and urban poor and ration cards can be used in any part of the country under One Nation One Ration scheme.