After benefitting millions deserving people in the country, the scope of Ehsaas program has been extended to Street Hawkers for their socio-economic uplift by providing better earning opportunities.
This is yet another unique intervention of the Ehsaas program aimed at ameliorating the lot of a poor segment of society, roaming at pavements and streets in low cost localities and providing easy access for people to a wider range of goods and services.
The initiative is being executed through collaboration among the Capital Development Authority (CDA), Islamabad Capital Territory Administration (ICTA), Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI), and Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) under Mazdoor Ka Ehsaas.
According to the conservative estimates, there are around 20,000 street vendors operating in Islamabad, who are generating annual net income up to Rupees 9.6 billion.
Under this initiative, around 200 vendors in Islamabad have been provided vending licenses issued by municipality and new eco-friendly carts.
Syed Tahir Sardar, a street vendor at G-11 who is beneficiary of the Ehsaas Rehribaan initiative said.
Another beneficiary of the program, Zahid Javed who is a garments vendor in the same sector, said the Rehribaan initiative has reduced our difficulties to a greater extent.
They reach out to every nook and corner especially in low cost settlement to provide items of daily use at their door step.
Executive Director, Center of Street Economy (CSE), Zia Bandey informed that more than 200 existing vendors have been provided with the carts facility in four sectors of the federal capital including G-10, G-11, F-11 and I-10 after conducting survey.
“During upcoming weeks, carts will be provided to the vendors in F-7 sector and gradually this facility would be extended to other sectors as well.”
“These carts are eco-friendly and being provided initially to the vendors already selling goods outside the shops or in markets for the last many years,” he informed.
“The only difference we made is that now they have more convenient cart facility, legal space, license and they don’t have to pay rent or money to any shopkeeper there and face exploitation”.
These vendors who have been provided carts and licenses are now able to focus on their businesses more diligently without facing any threat or exploitation.
