This lockdown might leave many of us craving for street food. After all street food is a whole different experience altogether. Chilling with your gang, while the vendor prepares spicy snacks, the whiff of freshly prepared food enveloping the air and the bustling streets make for the most perfect ambience. But while many of us crave for street food, there might also be some of us who are worried about the eating out, post lockdown. So here’s some food news, street food vendors are undergoing e-training on hygiene, protective and safety measures to be adopted in order to fight COVID-19.
Street Vendors Given E-Training To Adopt New Safety Measures Post Lockdown
The National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) will train 500 street food vendors in collaboration with FSSAI to assist them in earning their livelihood by strictly following certain safety measures. As a part of the first phase, vendors were given training on Saturday. They informed and educated about the different kids of precautionary measures which include food, safety, health and hygiene. They were also taught about the use of disposal plates, glasses and the safe use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Apart from this, the importance of social distancing and hand wash was also explained to them.
The President of Karnataka State Street Vendor’s Mahamandala and Secretary of Mysuru District Street Vendors Association, Bhaskar Urs stated the importance of e-training for these vendors. He claimed that e-training is helpful for vendors to operate their business keeping in mind the safety and security of citizens. It was further revealed that the vendors were informed to wash their vehicles and pushcarts regularly. Only three staff will be allowed to work at a time. The street vendors in India’s urban areas provide pocket-friendly meals to two-thirds of the population. But unfortunately, only 15% of these vendors are able to work as the government has allowed only fruit and vegetable sellers to work.
Street Vendors Most Affected By Lockdown
Bhaskar Urs went on to state that the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the livelihoods of street vendors, especially those selling street food. He sympathetically revealed that street food vendors are self-employed, so they don’t have money to invest in a business. They are often left at the mercy of moneylenders. Bhaskar Urs added that NASVI has appealed to the Ministry of Urban Development and National Livelihood Mission to give interest-free loans to these street vendors. We do hope that once the lockdown is lifted, street vendors will adopt new safety measures to fight coronavirus. Till then, #CTCraves: 12 Street Food Of Mumbai We Are Missing Right Now!
First Published: May 12, 2020 1:41 PM