New Delhi : Amid the Municipal Corporation of Delhi polls BJP announced its commitment to regularise weekly markets of street vendors and hawkers, hours before the culmination of the campaigning for civic polls.
Addressing a press conference, National Spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said except the BJP, other parties only focused on street vendors and hawkers but forgot them after the elections. The eight lakh street vendors and hawkers in Delhi work hard to earn their livelihood, he said.
He said, “We want to make it clear that we stand with them. It has been their demand to be regularised. Taking cognizance of their demands, we are saying it today with full responsibility that it is their right to be regularised.
He said that considering the pain of the street vendors, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi implemented the Swanidhi Yojana, under which small traders were given an amount of Rs. 10,000 to start his small business. BJP is committed to ensure that hardworking people are not harassed.
He said that there are a total 12 zones in Delhi and night markets will be set up in them. Along with this, arrangements will also be made for a special women’s market. It will ensure that more and more employment opportunities are generated and corruption problems will also be dealt with strictly in a legal manner.
He further added that there are 2700 weekly markets in Delhi, which have been running for more than 20 years, but if almost 80 percent of them do not get their slips, their slips will also be cut so that they can come to regular status. He said that there has always been a demand of the street vendors to increase the space, keeping this in mind, the BJP has decided that the street vendors that have been given 6/4 size for so many years. We will increase that size to 7/5 while the weekly markets will be 12/8. So that no one has to face any problem.
Leader of the Opposition Ramveer Singh Bidhuri expressed his gratitude to the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi that during the Corona period, when there was an epidemic-like situation everywhere, he provided financial assistance to street vendors by giving Rs 10,000 each for employment survival. He said that after Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave financial assistance of Rs. 10000, Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal also talked about giving Rs. 20000 to vendors. Bidhuri said I will resign from my post if Kejriwal shows one man who has got Rs. 20000 though lacs have got Rs. 10000 from the central government.
Bidhuri said that the way the central government has given free rations under the Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, it has proved to be a boon in the Corona period. He said that today 3024 flats built in Kalkaji were given to the poor, in which about 17 percent of the poor are street vendors.
