Staff Reporter
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection Dr. Sania Nishtar Monday visited the ‘Ehsaas Rehribaan’ site in G-11 Markaz of the federal capital to interact with street vendors who have been provided with improved carts and training to streamline local vending activities.
The collaborative street vending initiative aims to create an enabling environment for street vendors in Islamabad.
During the visit, Dr. Sania walked around the vending carts and met with local street vendors.
She obtained their viewpoints on the multistakeholder initiative and explored possibilities to improve the street vending ecosystem.
Speaking to media during her visit, Dr. Sania stated, “In line with the PM’s vision to create an enabling environment for street vendors, ‘Ehsaas Rehribaan’ has embarked upon furthering local vending to improve overall ecology.
‘Ehsaas Rehribaan’ is a first pilot project of its kind in the country wherein street vendors are being actively engaged with multiple government stakeholders to contribute effectively to local economy.
Street vendors were happy to see Dr. Sania around them and lauded Ehsaas saying that this was the first time that the government has provided vending license and improved carts to them.
Now, they can earn their respectable living and do not have to run away when municipal authorities visit the area.
According to findings of a street vendor survey, there are overall 85-street vendors operating in G-11, Markaz.
The placement of remaining 60-street vendors in G-11 with improved carts will be upscaled later this year.
The CDA is working on making this street vendor model scalable and replicable for urban Pakistan.
They never thought that any government official will ever approach them with empathy and they will be regularized under objective criteria, without any nepotism.
Focal Person on Street Vendors’ Initiative, Zia Banday informed that Pakistan Institute of Development Economics in partnership with Ehsaas has already conducted street vendors surveys in a number of areas in Islamabad.
“After the successful execution of pilot project in G-11 Markaz, the initiative will be scaled up through coverage of additional areas and regularization of more street vendors.
The intervention will not only provide decent livelihood to people from lower strata but will also enhance city outlook with the placement of aesthetically pleasing carts,” Zia Banday added.
