Among those who know of the schemes, most are reluctant to spend a day to get the paper work done.
About 44 percent of street vendors in Bangalore avail social security schemes, according to an article published by the National Journal of Physiology, Pharmacy and Pharmacology. Expert say this is a low number. The article also reveals that most of the street vendors do not have any type of medical health insurance.
According to July 2023 article which records the results of a survey of 160 street vendors in Bangalore, 32 vendors were aware of Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme(IGNOAPS), 28 of Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) scheme, 44 of Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), 12 of Pradhan Mantra Shram Yogi Maandhan Yojana (PM-SYM), and only 15 were aware of all the above schemes.
Raghunath, a fruit vendor from near the Lalbagh Botanical garden said, “I am aware that government schemes are available but that is all.” He added that he has never heard of or availed particular schemes. Street food vendors vending in Mosque Road had similar responses.
Several vendors at KR Market said they do not make use of any government schemes. Lalitha, an old woman who vends jewelry on the roadside said that she is illiterate and does not know how to use the internet. “I want to avail the government schemes for old and poor people like us, but I don’t know how,” she added. She also said that she lives by herself and does not have sons or daughters who could help.
Praveen S, an ice cream seller said, “I have a kidney disease and need to undergo dialysis frequently. I did not know of any government medical insurance scheme until my doctor informed me. He was also kind enough to tell me about the registration procedure.” He added that he lost one of his family members to cancer. “We did not have enough money for her treatment and no one in my family knew of PM-JAY then.”
Bashir, a fast food street vendor from Wilson Garden said he was aware but unwilling to avail government schemes. “Registering for the schemes is a time consuming and complicated process. I would rather utilize that time for work,” he said. Basavanna, another fast food vendor agreed. “I have heard that in order to be eligible for any government scheme, you need to produce many documents. I don’t think I will have all of them. Applying to get the documents is another time consuming process.”
Shankaramma, a vendor in Church Street said that when she was pregnant, she wanted to avail the financial benefits under the JSY scheme and had submitted the necessary documents to an Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) worker. However, she has not received her JSY card yet, even after four months after delivery. “I don’t earn enough from vending; any kind of financial assistance could really help.”
Mohammed Javed, president of All India Street Vendors Public and Charitable Trust (AISVPCT), Bengaluru, said, “What the survey has found is not surprising. Most street vendors are illiterate and hence uneducated about these schemes. But they cannot be blamed. Almost nothing is done to spread awareness about these schemes amongst the class of society which needs them the most.” He added that this situation is not only restricted to Bangalore and prevails throughout the country.
A research analyst at the Center for Social and Economic Progress said that one of the main reasons why the unorganized sector cannot avail government schemes is digitalization which demands that documents and ID proofs be interlinked. The process of interlinking is tedious and protracted and, for those not savvy enough with the internet requires sitting at government offices for hours. “The street vendors would not want to compromise on an entire day’s earning just to check if they are eligible for a scheme,” she said. “Since they are mainly meant for the marginalized sections, the process of availing the schemes both offline and online should be simplified and any form of red tapism should be eliminated,” she added.
