More than 75.5 lakh street vendors have availed over 112 lakh loans under the PM SVANidhi scheme, with total disbursements crossing ₹17,800 crore across the country, according to an official fact-sheet. Beneficiaries have additionally received nearly ₹800 crore through interest subsidies and digital cashback incentives, underscoring the scheme's reach into India's vast informal economy.

Key Figures and Beneficiary Profile

Nearly 46 per cent of all beneficiaries are women, and around 70 per cent belong to marginalised communities — figures that highlight the scheme's tilt toward financial inclusion for the most underserved segments of the urban workforce. The programme has strengthened micro-enterprises, bolstered local supply chains, and deepened the integration of street vendors with Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).

Vendors engaged in selling vegetables, fruits, ready-to-eat street food, and those offering services such as barbering, cobbling, and laundry are all covered under the scheme. Loans are collateral-free and disbursed in progressive tranches of ₹15,000, ₹25,000, and ₹50,000.

How the Scheme Works

PM SVANidhi offers an interest subsidy of 7 per cent per annum to encourage timely repayment. Vendors who repay on schedule become eligible for higher loan tranches in subsequent cycles. The scheme also provides UPI-linked RuPay Credit Cards of up to ₹30,000 for eligible vendors, along with credit guarantee support.

Digital adoption has been a standout outcome: more than 55 lakh vendors completed over 841 crore digital transactions worth nearly ₹8.96 lakh crore. Cashback incentives of up to ₹1,600 have driven this uptake, alongside financial literacy support.

Training and Food Safety

The scheme collaborates with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to deliver training in financial literacy, digital literacy, and food safety practices. Around 6 lakh street food vendors have been trained on food safety and hygiene standards to date.

Extension and Restructuring

PM SVANidhi was originally launched during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide affordable working capital to street vendors whose livelihoods had been severely disrupted. As the first dedicated micro-credit scheme for this segment — which constitutes a significant share of the informal workforce and historically had limited access to formal credit — it was designed to support business growth while promoting financial inclusion.

Building on these outcomes, the government has approved a restructuring and extension of the scheme, with the lending period now extended until March 2030. The move signals continued policy commitment to the urban informal sector well beyond its pandemic-era origins.