Street Economy From Economic, Political, Social and Ecological Perspectives

Abstract

Street economy encouraging self-sufficiency at the local, village and district levels could be considered as a viable alternative to the neoliberal model of globalisation of social production and services. In a way street economy resembles pre-industrial agrarian economic institutions being centres of local production/manufacturing and marketing with very less cash inputs, mostly based on exchange of goods. Labour intensive tasks like creating infrastructure for water harvesting, drought relief and flood control are preferred. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Act 2011 is a great success with all its limitations and drawbacks as it has prevented internal migration during off-season of agricultural work and providing succour to families in the villages. Street Vendors Act 2014 is another landmark legislation aimed at providing social security and livelihood rights to street vendors, has its origins in the street vendors’ policy introduced in 2004, which was later revised as National Policy on Urban Street Vendors 2009.