National
Alliance of Street Vendors of India (NASVI)
In
1998, vendors and their organisations from fourteen cities of
India, attended a workship in Ahmedabad on the legal status of
vendors in india. Vendors from all parts of the country felt that
there was increasing pressure on them from local authorities and
the police. The root cause was unanimously felt to be lack of
a clear policy on vendors and the need for a greater recognition
of their immense contribution to the urban economy and the distribution
of various essential goods and fresh produce.
It was then that
vendors resolved to form their own National Alliance of Street
Vendors of India (NASVI) with its secretariat in Patna, Bihar.
NASVI has grown tremendously in the past year, with more than
250 vendor organisations and groups in virtually every state in
India. Currently an eight-city study of vendors is underway. The
study will highlight vendors issues, town planning and other laws
pertaining to vendors and also best practices visa-vis vendors
in each city.
