Introduction

Social security schemes play a vital role in enhancing the livelihood and well-being of street vendors, particularly those working in railway stations, an unorganized workforce of India. The informal labour is stated as a work that is not casual by Jane Bremen in his work ‘At Work In Informal Economy’. “It is that which is insecure, casual and unprotected”(Nair,2014). The income through unorganized informal sector is an important factor for developing countries via job production and income generation. “As per the Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008, the Government is mandated to provide Social Security to the workers of unorganised sector including vendors and street side workers by formulating suitable welfare schemes on matters relating to life and disability cover, health and maternity benefits, old age protection etc.”(PIB,2023). "Social security may be productive or promotional". This paper examine the effectiveness of social security schemes implemented for street vendors at Kozhikode railway station, a major transportation hub in Kerala,India,has a significant presence of street vendors catering to passengers and locals. The major objectives of the study are

• To asses the socio - economic status of the railway vendors

•To find out the existent social security mechanisms for railway vendors.

•TO examine whether the vendors enjoy the benefits and schemes.

Literature Review

▪︎Nengroo ,Bhatt (2013) studied street vendors in Kashmir to understand why they choose this work. He found that they do it because they can't find other jobs or don't have someone in their family to support them. Most vendors are young (16-35 years old), didn't finish school, and work long hours (7-10 hours a day). How much they earn depends on what they sell. Vendors selling shoes make the most money, followed by those selling clothes and fish.

▪︎Sarkar Manik Aica (2014)offers a comprehensive overview of the socio-economic challenges faced by railway hawkers. The study highlights hawkers' vital role in the railways, selling a wide range of goods, from basic necessities to electronic items. A key finding is that Burdwan railway hawkers are more educated and organized than their counterparts in Asansol, but they still face opposition from railway authorities, passengers, and police. The study outlines the key themes, showcasing hawking as a sensitive and demanding profession while underscoring its importance to the railway system. The use of primary data strengthens the study's authenticity and relevance.

▪︎Chakaraborty (2018) examine the socio-economic challenges of street vendors near Tatanagar Rail Station, Jamshedpur. The study highlights street vending as a livelihood for those with limited education and skills. Using mixed methods, the research reveals a gendered disparity in income, with male vendors earning more than female vendors. While the abstract provides valuable insights, it could benefit from improved clarity and grammar. Additional details on spatial challenges and policy implications would enhance the study's relevance. Overall, the abstract offers a comprehensive overview of street vendors' socio-economic conditions, but could be presented more clearly.

▪︎Vinod & Abhin (2020) investigated the socio-economic dynamics of street vendors in Kerala, specifically in Thiruvananthapuram's East Fort area. They found that men make up most of the vendors, while women are fewer in number due to safety issues and male dominance. Young people are also less interested in street vending, preferring office jobs. Many youngsters are now highly educated and don't want to do this type of work. Most vendors under 25 come from North Indian states.

▪︎Amrutha and Ibrahim (2021) provide a concise overview of street vendors' role in Kozhikode's informal economy, highlighting their importance in employment, accessibility, and affordability. The study notes their strategic locations, but omits details on methodology, sample size, and scope. While mentioning socio-economic and health conditions, it lacks specific findings and insights. The paper discusses vendors' challenges, but a deeper exploration of their health conditions would add depth.

Methodology

The data were collected from 30 respondents using unstructured interview method. Survey method is used in few occasions also. It is a qualitative research in which explanatory research design used.

The paper is mainly based on data provided by catering workers of the Kozhikode station across 20 stalls. Majority (80%) of the respondents were men in between 21-60 years old.

Analysis and Interpretation

Socio - economic status

The social background of the vendors who were interviewed was average. Most of them resides places nearby Calicut except those migrants from other stations like Shornur, Angadipuram and guest workers from Bihar, UP etc.

The 80% of the respondents are belongs to Above Poverty Line (APL).The interesting fact is that they are highly reputed in their land as Railway Workers though they are not respectable by authorities by denying basic labour rights.The working time of the vendors longs to 12 hour and 40% of them have above 10 year experience. Still their income is not fixed, vary into 150 to 600 per day. It is clear that the 17% or 20% commission by the contractors are the only solace to feed their family. The job is highly capitalistic under contractors and so they are not permanent workers who last only 2 months (not guaranteed). Their economic status in the current job is really weak and unsatisfactory one to the labours.

In India, social security schemes for street vendors in railway stations include:

1. Railway Ministry's Street Vendor Scheme:

- Registration and identity cards for vendors.

- Access to social security schemes like health insurance and pension.

2. IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) Vendor Scheme:

- Insurance coverage (accidental, life, and health).

- Pension benefits.

- Training and skill development programs.

3. Pradhan Mantri Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Scheme:

- Loans up to ₹10,000 for working capital.

- Interest subsidy and cashback incentives.

4. Railway Employees' Welfare Scheme:

- Extended benefits to street vendors, including medical assistance and financial aid.

5. State-specific schemes:

- Kerala: MUKHYAMANTRI STREET VENDORS SOCIAL SECURITY SCHEME.

(Ministry of labour and employment,2023)

However the vendors in Kozhikode Railway Station who were interviewed claims that they are not beneficiaries of any of these schemes. They argues that there is no Insurance,no pension, no Providence fund, any loan etc for any of railway workers except government officials. Any kind of medical assistantce and financial aid is not provided either by centre-state governments or railway authority. No one is recipients of little schemes like these provided by the Government or NGOs or advocacy groups .Plus they can't take membership in the Kshemanidi trust of Kerala Government that provides financial assistance and support to labours ib the state, in which other unorganized workers can gain benefits. 40% of the vendors in the station are not yet registered in the e-Shram portal,an online platform launched by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Govt of India. As long as were in this field, they don't know any other skills and so can't left this insecure and unofficial scenerio. Lack of alternative skills are visible here.

The transformation of Indian railway from service sector to industrial sector made the catering work under capitalism. The licensed private ownership of stakeholders and contracters were not ready to take measures to ensure the safety of the labours. It makes them more miserable. The Railway Catering policy of 2020 by IRCTC also impacted the vendors negatively.

The respondents claims that the railway vendors are not even considered as 'workers' by the government.The labour commission of centre and state governments and the Railway authority are not responsible to look upon their requests. Now they can't find a seat of power where they can present their demand and grievances.

The shocking thing is that whenever they raise voice for their rights they became arrested and suppressed. And due to the fear out of it their union 'Railway Contract Catering and General Works Unit' becomes weak day by day. It is clear that there is no guidelines issued by authority on the working condition of railway vendors.They are identified in ID card (that have less vailidity now ) and uniform along the platform while denying every right as a labour.

Key Findings

It is found that…

-The railway street vendors are denied basic labour rights.

-The existing schemes of government for railway vendors are insufficient and unproductive.

The schemes should be efficient and have to imorove more and more.

-The vendors have limited access to social security schemes and financial inclusion.

-Health and safety level of railway labours are miserable.

-Lack of grievance redresseal mechanism is visible among railway vendors.

- The social status and economic status of railway vendors are not interdependent.

Conclusion

From the study ,one can conclude that the vendors especially the catering workers face lots of challenges due to the insuffient schemes. The face significant chalenges including denial of basic labour rights, insufficient government support, limited access to social security and financial inclusion, poor health and safety conditions, and lack of effective grievance redressal mechanisms. The existing schemes should be impoverise. It is the need of hour. Any initiatives for the vendors should not remain in whitepaper and should implement properly. The findings of the study deserve proper attention for the betterment of this unorganized sector.

Reference

▪︎Ministry of Labour & Employment. (2023, December 14). New measures to protect interests of unorganised labour. PIB Delhi.

▪︎Ministry of Labour & Employment (2023, January 11) Unorganised Worker.National informatics centre (NIC)

▪︎Amrutha, P., & Cholakkal, I. (2021). Socio-economic and health conditions of street vendors in Kozhikode. PG & Research Department of Economics, EMEA College of Arts and Science Kondotty, India..

▪︎Sugathan VC and Vyas A (2020). Socio-Economic Profile of Street Vendors in Kerala: A case study of vendors in Eastfort, Thiruvananthapuram, Mukt shabad Journal, 9(6),151-165.

▪︎Chakraborty, P., & Koley, S (2018). Socio-economic view on street vendors: A study of a daily market at Jamshedpur. Journal of Advanced Research in Humanities and Social Science, 5(1), 14-20. https://doi.org/10.24321/2349.2872.201804

▪︎Sarkar, M. A. (2014). Socio-economic conditions of railway hawkers of Burdwan District in the state of West Bengal. Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR)*, 1(1). Retrieved from https://www.jetir.org (ISSN-2349-5162).

▪︎Nair,Vasundharaa. (2014). A sociological study on the Sub-urban railway vendors settled in Chennai. Indian Stream Journal 2014.

▪︎Bhatt and Nengroo (2013). Urban Informal Sector: A Case Study of Street Vendors in Kahmir, International Journal of Management and Business Studies. 3(1):112-115.