Kohima: The Press Information Bureau hosted a session in Kohima on June 29 to review 12 years of federal urban development initiatives. City officials and media representatives met at Hotel Japfu to examine how these programs impact local vendors and entrepreneurs.
Petevilie Khatsu, State Mission Director for DAY-NULM, detailed the success of the PM SVANidhi loan scheme. It offers street vendors collateral-free credit in three stages, starting at 15,000 rupees and reaching 50,000 rupees. The government guarantees these loans and provides an interest subsidy of up to 7 percent. "Anyone who sells goods or offers services on the streets, footpaths, pavements, or by moving from place to place can get these loans," Khatsu explained.
The program covers sellers of food, clothes, and services like laundry or barber work. Vendors can apply online and gain access to eight other welfare schemes, including insurance and food rations, by enrolling in the Svanidhi Se Samridhi profiling drive. The scheme now runs through March 2030.
Abaii Suokhrie of the Directorate of Urban Development outlined the local impact of the DAY-NULM program. Since 2014, it has organized the urban poor into 984 self-help groups across 11 districts. These groups help women improve savings and gain credit.
The government is now replacing DAY-NULM with the Deendayal Jan Aajeevika Yojana-Shehari. Kohima is one of 25 cities selected for the pilot phase of this new mission. It specifically targets gig workers, waste collectors, and other vulnerable labor groups to improve their social protections and job skills.
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