Deptt. Of Community Medicine & SPH, PGIMER in collaboration with Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh organizes Capacity Building & Training Workshop for Street Vendors

Chandigarh : March 12 : The Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, PGIMER and Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh have committed themselves for empowerment of street vendors.
For this, a project “Capacity building, training and health promotion intervention package for empowerment of registered street vendors under DAY-NULM and Street Vendors Act in making Chandigarh a model street-vending” has been launched.
The project has been developed under the patronage of Sh. K.K Yadav, Municipal Commissioner and Dr. Amarjeet Singh, Professor and Head, Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, PGIMER. It is an extension of the pilot project, focusing on food vendors only. It was successfully completed in March 2020. Under the current project focus is on all types of street vendors. In this, 100 workshops will be held to train 3000 vendors in one year.
These workshops will impart trainings and ensure that Chandigarh-based street vendors comply with byelaws of Municipal Corporation, Street Vendors Act 2014, Swachh Bharat Campaign, Food Safety and Standard Regulation 2011and Women and Child empowerment acts. The street vendors will also be enlightened about their rights and duties.
In addition, a new initiative on health assurance scheme for vendors and their families will be developed by PGIMER which will ensure basic health care coverage provision to street vendors and their families through various health centres run by Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, PGIMER in Chandigarh.
The first workshop of the project was held on 12th March, 2021 at City livelihood Centre, Community Sewa Kendra, Sector 25D, Chandigarh. It was attended by 35 street vendors.
The training sessions included a skit performed by Mask theatre artists on street vending related issues followed by lecture on Hygiene & Micro environment delivered by Dr. BK Padhi, Assistant Professor at PGIMER in Chandigarh. The vendors were made aware of regulations under Street Vendors’ Act and byelaws through a lecture delivered by Mr. Vivek Trivedi, Social Development Officer, Municipal Corporation Chandigarh on legal aspects of street vending.
The street vendors were also introduced to the new initiative on health assurance scheme and its benefits by Dr. Kathirvel, Assistant Professor, PGIMER Chandigarh. Ms. Ramnik Kaur, Livelihood Officer, DAY-NULM, Municipal Corporation Chandigarh briefed the street vendors on various micro-credit schemes for them. The workshop concluded by distribution of refreshment and certificate to vendors by the project team.