Socio-Economic Status of Urban Madurai Street Vendors-A Micro-Level Analysis

Street Vending is one of the fundamental constituents of urban economies and also a distinctive part of large informal sector. Though street vendors contribute to the economy in many ways (creates employment, produces and distributes goods/services at affordable prices), they did not get the required attention of the planners, policy makers and public. On realizing the contributions and the need to integrate them in the growth process of the economy, Parliament of India enacted an Act namely, Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014 to regulate street vendors in public areas and protect their rights. The objective of this chapter is to examine the socio-economic conditions street vendors of urban Madurai, based on the primary survey conducted among 200 respondents during the year 2019. The socio-economic condition of street vendors could be understood by examining the characteristics such as religion, caste, community, nature, size of family, education, marital status, migration, employment, housing condition, income, expenditure and savings, indebtedness, etc. The study concluded that the socio-economic conditions of the street vendors are still poor and there are several areas on which there is scope for intervention and improvement. The development in the socio-economic conditions can be achieved with the support of street vendors, family members, local organisations and NGOs and Government. This calls for a coordinated effort from all individuals and institutions.