The PM SVANidhi Scheme was initially implemented in statutory urban areas. The eligibility was also extended to street vendors from surrounding peri-urban areas who vend within the geographical limits of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). Under the restructured PM SVANidhi Scheme, the coverage of the Scheme is expanded in a phased manner beyond statutory urban areas to include census towns, peri urban areas etc.

Impact assessment studies of the PM SVANidhi scheme was undertaken by Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad in 2023 & 2025. The 2023 study was conducted in 100 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) across the country covering more than 5,000 beneficiaries and it found that PM SVANidhi was the first loan from a bank for 95% of the beneficiaries and the loan was utilized for expanding their business. The 2025 study was conducted in 99 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) across the country covering more than 5,000 beneficiaries (with around 60% of the respondents being part of the 2023 study sample) and it found that the average annualized business income among SVANidhi borrowers grew by around 20 percent, between 2023 and 2025.

Around 30 percent of borrowers across all cycles reported holding loans other than PM SVANidhi loans which underscores the scheme’s role in building credit histories for vendors who previously had little or no access to formal credit. Further the study also found that between 2023 and 2025, the adoption of digital payments among street vendors rose significantly.

The study also found the scheme’s impact extends well beyond business recovery. By easing credit constraints and stabilizing household cash flows, the scheme has enabled vendor families to improve living conditions, strengthen food security, enhance access to health-care, and support children’s education.

The identification of street vendors is carried out by States/UTs through surveys conducted under the provisions of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014. The responsibility for conducting surveys, issuing Certificates of Vending etc. rests with the respective Urban Local Bodies and State/UT Governments.

Number of Letters of Recommendation (LoR) issued, Tranche-wise loans sanctioned and disbursed in Katni, Panna and Khajuraho during the last three years (FY 2023-24 to FY 2025-26) is provided in Annexure – I.

UPI-linked RuPay Credit Card has been introduced for beneficiaries who have repaid the second loan tranche. The UPI-linked RuPay Credit Card was launched on 23rd January 2026, and as on 12^th July, 2026, number of credit cards issued in Katni, Panna and Khajuraho cities are 14, 2 and 1 respectively.

All street vendors including, seasonal, mobile, women and tourism-dependent vendors are covered under the PM SVANidhi scheme provided they satisfy the eligibility criteria prescribed under the scheme guidelines.

State/ULBs are responsible for identification of eligible street vendors and mobilisation of new applications under the scheme. As per PM SVANidhi Portal, the average time taken to sanction loan is 23 days. To enhance coverage and ensure wider inclusion of street vendor beneficiaries, the Ministry has undertaken several initiatives, including periodic awareness campaigns through radio jingles, television and newspaper advertisements. States and Union Territories are also regularly provided with Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials in local languages to facilitate outreach and dissemination of scheme benefits among street vendors. Regular reviews are also conducted with States/UTs/ULBs and banks /lending institutions.

Under the scheme, MoHUA has organized various campaigns and events to enhance outreach to street vendors. After the approval of the restructured PM SVANidhi scheme on 27th August 2025, Lok Kalyan Melas were organized in ULBs from 17th September 2025 to 15th October 2025. Additionally, a special campaign was conducted from 3rd November, 2025 to 2nd December, 2025 across all States and Union Territories in a mission mode to clear pendency at both the bank and ULB levels. ULBs, in collaboration with Digital Payment Aggregators (DPAs), also conduct regular digital literacy camps. To enhance digital onboarding and promote the adoption of cashless payments among street vendors, beneficiaries are provided cashback incentives. A nationwide Special Campaign was also launched by the Ministry from 1st June to 30th June 2026, comprising SVANidhi Mahotsav and Lok Kalyan Melas across States and Union Territories. These Melas promoted the new features of the schemes and supported vendor mobilisation, loan application submission, faster loan disbursement, and digital onboarding of beneficiaries.

Further, the Ministry has issued guidelines to States/UTs for the development of Street Food Hubs under PM SVANidhi to create well-planned, safe and vibrant vending spaces, particularly at locations with high public and tourist footfall.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Housing & Urban Affairs, Shri Tokhan Sahu in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

 

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SK

 

ANNEXURE-I

 

NUMBER OF LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION (LOR) ISSUED, TRANCHE-WISE LOANS SANCTIONED AND DISBURSED IN KATNI, PANNA AND KHAJURAHO DURING THE LAST THREE YEARS (FY 2023-24 TO FY 2025-26) UNDER PM SVANIDHI SCHEME

City	LoR Issued	Loan Sanctions			Loans Disbursed
		1st Tranche	2nd Tranche	3rd Tranche	1st Tranche	2nd Tranche	3rd Tranche
Katni	1,999	2,684	2,804	1,233	2,765	2,846	1,221
Panna	247	351	462	385	349	471	385
Khajuraho	280	590	405	238	585	402	236

 (Data Source: PM SVANidhi Portal)

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