Curriculum The Informal Economy and Street Vendors
The Informal Economy and Street Vendors
India's informal economy: what it is, why it persists, who street vendors are, the Street Vendors Act, public space and eviction, credit and PM SVANidhi, digital payments, women in informal work, shocks, formalisation, and a recap.
- What the Informal Economy Is The informal economy covers work and businesses outside formal registration, tax and labour law, and it employs most Indians. 📄 Read-aloud
- Why Informality Persists High costs of registration, low productivity, and a large supply of workers keep much of India informal. 📄 Read-aloud
- Street Vendors: Who They Are India has several million street vendors selling food, clothes, vegetables and services, and they form a vital part of city life. 📄 Read-aloud
- The Street Vendors Act, 2014 This law recognises vendors' right to trade, requires surveys and vending certificates, and creates town vending committees. 📄 Read-aloud
- Public Space, Eviction and Conflict Vendors compete with traffic, shops and pedestrians for space, and evictions can destroy livelihoods overnight. 📄 Read-aloud
- Credit, Debt and PM SVANidhi Vendors often borrow from moneylenders at high rates, and the PM SVANidhi scheme offers small working-capital loans with incentives for digital payments. 📄 Read-aloud
- The Informal Economy and Street Vendors: Checkpoint 1 Quick checkpoint - five questions on the informal economy and street vendors. 5 questions
- UPI, QR Codes and the Digital Vendor Digital payments spread quickly among vendors, creating financial records and easier saving, though not everyone benefits equally. 📄 Read-aloud
- Women in the Informal Economy Women work disproportionately in informal jobs, from home-based work to domestic labour, often earning less and with less recognition. 📄 Read-aloud
- Shocks: Demonetisation, GST and Covid Big policy changes and the pandemic hit informal workers hard because they have few savings or protections. 📄 Read-aloud
- Pathways to Formalisation Simplified registration, social security and credit can gradually help informal workers become formal without losing their livelihoods. 📄 Read-aloud
- Informal Economy: Recap A summary of India's informal economy, street vendors and policy responses. 📄 Read-aloud