Urban livelihood and social security of street vendors

Abstract

Street vending plays one of the major roles in generating employment for the urban poor in the informal sector. It is very common to come across street vendors mostly in the urban areas of the developing nations. In addition to the exclusion from accessing employment in the formal sector, they are also excluded from the benefits a city usually provides. They encounter several inequalities in both personal and professional space. The Government of India has introduced certain acts and policies like the Street Vendors Act, 2014, to reduce the inequities faced by vendors. The present study deals with the socio-economic issues faced by vendors in the city of Guwahati and attempts to understand whether the plight of the vendors has lessened due to the initiatives taken by the Government. It also aspires to provide a comparative view of the state of street vendors in Guwahati city with the other cities of India. To justify the study, the method of descriptive analysis is used, and the period of study is 2012–17. Street vending, a part of the informal economy, makes a significant contribution to urban life. The microfinance institutions and various organisations are working to provide financial assistance to the disadvantaged section of the population, but if the people are unaware of the schemes, then the motive goes unfulfilled.