(a) whether the Government proposes a ‘National Policy for Urban Street Vendors’ in the country and if so, the details and salient features thereof;
(b) the status of its implementation in the various States of the country including Bihar; and
(c) the details of monitoring mechanism for overseeing the implementation of the policy in the country?
(a) The Government has enacted the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014. The Act extends to all States/UTs, except for the UTs of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, for which this Act has to be extended.
The Act, inter-alia, provides for survey of street vendors; protection from eviction and relocation; issue of certificate of vending; laying down rights of street vendors; mechanism for redressal of grievances; preparation of plan of street vending; constitution of town vending committees; and prevention of harassment of street vendors.
(b)& (c) As per Act, the appropriate government shall, by notification, make Rules and Scheme. Further, local authority may make bye-laws to provide for matters specified in the Act. So far, Rules under the Act have been notified by 33 States/Union Territories and Schemes by 25 States/UTs. Bihar has notified both Rules and Scheme. Meghalaya has its own Street Vendors Act, 2014.
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