The National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) organized the Uttar Pradesh Network Meeting on 4th February 2025 at the Press Club Lucknow, starting at 12:00 PM. The event was inaugurated by Smt. Savita Shukla, Assistant Director, Urban Development Department, Uttar Pradesh, Shri Arbind Singh, National Coordinator of NASVI, Shri Gokul Prasad, Vice President of NASVI and other dignitaries.
Street Vendor Leaders from across the state attended the meeting and shared their grievances. Key issues discussed included the lack of proper vending zones, harassment by local authorities, inadequate access to basic services, and the need for better integration of street vendors in urban planning.
Smt. Savita Shukla, Assistant Director, Urban Development Department, Uttar Pradesh addressed the vendors and said that ‘9 lakh 49 thousand vendors have got Certificate of vending in Uttar Pradesh and 13 lakh 91 thousand got PMSVAnidi which is a achievement in itself. In addition to that she said ‘the issues street vendors are facing at the grassroot level are not known to the department and will certainly work in the direction. We will be working in creating vending zone for street vendors and also make an SOP of the Sarnath Model. Our street vendors got digitally active and follows the Swacch Bharat Mission and keep the markets clean, they have become Atmanirbhar.
Arbind Singh, the National Coordinator of NASVI, said, “This meeting provided a platform for sharing experiences, identifying challenges, and discussing collective action to ensure that the Street Vendors Act fulfills its true purpose – the empowerment and inclusion of street vendors in our cities, We demand that Vending Zone should be created for street vendors and continuous evictions of vendors should be stop, NASVI has also develop an App, Street Sathi which will help street vendors.”
In a recent meeting, several issues faced by street vendors were discussed. Cities like Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Muradabad, and Etawah are grappling with a lack of designated vending zones, evictions, and exploitation, while Prayagraj has not formed a new TVC since 2017, and many vending zones remain underdeveloped or occupied by brokers. Additionally, in Meerut, Agra, and Mathura, weekly markets have been banned for over three years, leaving vendors without a livelihood. These challenges highlight the urgent need for better representation, infrastructure, and support for street vendors.
NASVI’s Uttar Pradesh Network Meeting proved to be an important step in advocating for the rights and dignity of street vendors across the state, and the organization remains committed to advancing the social and economic inclusion of this often-overlooked group.
