New Delhi, October 27: Street vendors and small traders need a special assistance package not loans, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on Tuesday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted in Uttar Pradesh with some beneficiaries of the 'PM SVANidhi scheme' for street vendors.

Tweeting just ahead of the prime minister's interaction with the street vendors from UP, Priyanka Gandhi said throughout the lockdown, street vendors and small shopkeepers, were hit hard. Priyanka Gandhi Slams Yogi Adityanath-Led Uttar Pradesh Govt Over Rising Prices During Festive Season.

Priyanka Gandhi's Tweet

"It became difficult for them to run their homes, their livelihood was ruined," the Congress general secretary in-charge UP East said. "The street vendors, shopkeepers, small traders today need a special assistance package, not loans," she said.

The PM Street Vendor's Atmanirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme was launched on June 1 to help street vendors resume their livelihood activities after they were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.