50 lakh street vendors to benefit Rs 5,000 crore with initial cap of Rs 10,000: Nirmala Sitharaman

New Delhi, May 14: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said that special credit facility will be provided for street vendors. She also said that the Centre would launch a special scheme within a month.

Addressing the media, Sitharaman said, "Within a month we will launch a special scheme in a month. The initial working will be up to Rs 10,000. We will support nearly about 50 lakh street vendors and will provide liquidity of Rs 5,000 crore."

Earlier, the Finance Minister said that nine steps would be announced where three will be announced for migrant workers, one for shishu loan within mudra, one for street vendors, one for housing, one for employment generations largely for tribals and two for small farmers.

"Three crore farmers had availed loans that were given to the to the tune of Rs 4.22 lakh crore. 25 lakh new Kisan Credit Cards sanctioned with a loan limit of Rs 25,000 crore," the Finance Minister said.

She further went on to say that the Centre wants to have a definition of inter-state migrant workers and the central government is committed towards to know if the workers are treated better, with their due rights.

Also, the Finance Minister announced free food grains supply to all migrants for the next two months. She said that the migrants who are neither the beneficiaries of NFSA or state card that they are stationed, will be given five kg of grains per person for two months.

FM Sitharaman further said that eight crore migrants are expected to benefit. Rs 3,500 crore will be spent on this.