Deoghar holds SVANidhi Mahotsav, Rs 27.20 lakh in loans disbursed

Deoghar: Deoghar Municipal Corporation on Monday organised the SVANidhi Mahotsav at its auditorium to strengthen the financial position of street vendors and extend social security benefits to them. Mayor Ravi Kumar Raut, Deputy Mayor Teep Chatterjee, Municipal Commissioner Sulochana Meena, the Assistant Municipal Commissioner, the City Mission Manager, representatives of various banks, community organisers and CRPs attended the programme.
Under the month-long Lok Kalyan Mela held from June 1 to June 30, the Municipal Corporation provided financial assistance to a large number of street vendors. During the campaign, loans worth Rs 27.20 lakh were disbursed through different banks. A total of 113 vendors received the first installment of Rs 15,000 each, 15 vendors received the second installment of Rs 25,000 each, while 11 vendors were provided the third installment of Rs 50,000 each.
Municipal Commissioner Sulochana Meena said the corporation aims to ensure that every eligible street vendor in the municipal area benefits from the Prime Minister Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme. She said that so far, 6,117 vendors have received the first installment, 1,484 the second installment and 288 the third installment. A total of Rs 12.38 crore has been transferred directly to beneficiaries through various banks. She added that credit cards are also being provided to street vendors to integrate them into the formal banking system and promote financial self-reliance.During the programme, Tinku Kumar Sah, Pushpa Kumari and Rasim Prasad Verma shared their success stories. They said the loans received under the PM SVANidhi scheme helped revive their businesses and improve their incomes.The Municipal Corporation also announced that a Didi Cafeteria is being set up on its premises to create employment opportunities for women associated with self-help groups. Interested groups can submit their applications directly at the Municipal Corporation office.
Deputy Mayor Teep Chatterjee said local street vendors would soon be connected to online platforms so that customers across India and abroad could view and purchase Deoghar's local products, helping increase their sales.Mayor Ravi Kumar Raut said the scheme currently provides loans of up to Rs 50,000. Vendors requiring higher financial assistance would be linked to other government schemes. He also urged bank representatives to expedite loan processing and simplify the lending procedure.The programme concluded with the Assistant Municipal Commissioner expressing gratitude to the guests, bankers and street vendors for their participation.