NCUI signs MoU with NASVI

Continuing its endeavour to build linkages with stakeholders and promote cooperative identity among the vulnerable sections of society, the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) on February 14.

The MoU document was signed by Dr Sudhir Mahajan, Chief Executive of NCUI, and Arbind Singh, National Coordinator of NASVI, in the former’s office.

The signing of the MoU occurred on the premise of the development of the livelihood and situation of street vendors in the country and making regulations, improving their standard of living, with an immediate focus on their territory of work, hygiene and training facilities.

Mahajan assured the NASVI delegation that NCUI will provide all possible support to NASVI for building capacities of the street vendors and registering cooperative societies of street vendors for empowering them.

Singh, on his part, thanked Mahajan for his offer of support for implementing interventions to ensure the holistic development of the street vendor community.

Through the collaboration, NCUI and NASVI aim to organize stakeholder consultation workshops at the national and regional levels for building consensus on key issues related to street vending, identify suitable technologies and approaches for enhancing livelihood options of street vendors, promote cooperative identity among the street vendor community from across India and register new cooperatives for empowering street vendors. The two organizations also plan to conceptualize and execute pilot projects to develop sustainable livelihood models and to organize capacity-building programmes for supporting the street vendors in utilizing the power of social media and technological interventions for furthering their business goals.

Prior to the signing of MoU, a couple of meetings were held between officials of the Cooperative Entrepreneurship Development Cell of NCUI and NASVI team to identify modalities of collaboration and identify a few locations in Delhi where pilot projects can be taken up jointly by them for socio-economic empowerment of the street vendor community.