Congress will work to empower street vendors: Rahul Gandhi

NEW DELHI: A day after Parliament cleared the street vendors bill, scores of street vendors met Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and thanked him for his help in ensuring passage of the legislation.

"I congratulate them (street vendors) over the passage of the street vendors bill. They have got the right to run their business. Seventy crore people run this country and their fight is our fight. In these 70 crore people are also included street vendors," Gandhi told reporters after he had met the street vendors outside his residence here.

"I want to say to them (street vendors) that they need to be given their rights and power, and Congress will do this work," he added.

Rajya Sabha yesterday passed the bill which aims to regulate street vending and protect the rights of urban street vendors, besides ensuring steps against their harassment by police and civic authorities.

The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill, 2014 ---- which Lok Sabha had cleared on September 6 of last year ---- also provides for protection of livelihood rights and social security of street vendors.