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Jul 12, 2022

By: Venkatesh Nayak

Three days ago, I shared findings from a preliminary study of the data obtained under The Right to Information Act, 2005 (RTI Act) about PMSVANidhi loans which the implementing Ministry- Union Ministry of Housing and Urban (MoHUA) Affairs treats as non-performing assets (NPAs). In this despatch, I am presenting State-wise and gender-wise beneficiary trends that have emerged with regard to the implementation of the PMSVANidhi scheme. As mentioned in the previous despatch, this analysis is limited to the data supplied by the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) under RTI, in June 2022. MoHUA has put out more recent figures with regard to loan applications and disbursals, last week. Those figures, reported on the Press Information Bureau website, do not cover all data fields supplied under the RTI Act. Further, as I have not been able to access an authentic copy of the dataset that MoHUA released last week, the dataset supplied under the RTI Act cannot be updated comprehensively with the latest implementation figures.

About PMSVANidhi

Click here for a backgrounder to the PMSVANidhi scheme.

Since its inception, the Union Government has answered several questions raised by Members in Parliament about the manner of implementation of the PMSVANidhi scheme. The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs devoted its 10^th report released in December 2021 to assess the progress made by this scheme and recommended measures for improvement. Nevertheless, implementation data obtained through the RTI Act reveals much more about the scheme’s impact than what the MPs and the Parliamentary committee elected to ask and what the Government chose to disclose to them.

The RTI Intervention

In May 2022, after researching implementation data publicised by the Union Government both inside and outside Parliament, an RTI application was submitted to MoHUA through the RTI Online Facility.

Click here to read the RTI application.

Within a month of receiving the RTI application, MoHUA’s Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) collected an additional fee of Rs. 50/- and supplied all the information sought, via email and in hard copy. Click here for the CPIO’s reply and extracted data tables. Click here for the open data sets.

Preliminary analysis of the data in comparison with statistics tabled in Parliament

a) Coverage of the scheme:

Data tabled in Parliament: According to data submitted by MoHUA to the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs (see Annexure-I pages 68-69 of the report), a target of 46.65 lakh (4.66 million) in December 2021, Street Vendors across the country had been identified for coverage under PMSVANidhi. 44.52 lakh (4.45 million) applications were received from eligible street vendors and 26.58 lakh (2.65 million) loan applications were sanctioned. Of these 24.10 lakh (2.41 million) street vendors were actually disbursed loans. Towards the end of March 2022, in response to an unstarred question, MoHUA informed the Lok Sabha that a total of 29.05 lakh (2.90 million) loans had been disbursed across all States and Union Territories (UTs). This number includes figures for the first and second loans (out of three loans that an eligible beneficiary may receive under the scheme). Of course, MoHUA has published the latest implementation data last week. For reasons already explained above, this analysis is limited to the dataset supplied under the RTI Act.

Data obtained under the RTI Act: According to the data supplied by MoHUA’s CPIO, only 42.21 lakh (4.22 million) applications for the 1^st loan disbursable under PMSVANidhi were received across all States and UTs since its inception and until the date of my RTI application. Of these, 29.91 lakh (2.99 million) beneficiaries actually received the 1^st loan during the financial years (FYs) 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23.  The average success rate of 1^st loan applications works out to 70.86%.

A total of 6.48 lakh applications were received for the 2^nd loan during the FYs 2021-22 and 2022-23, till the date of the RTI application. Of these only 2.35 lakh (235,419) loans were disbursed to the beneficiaries of the scheme.

Taken together, the data supplied under the RTI Act indicates a total of 48.70 lakh (4.87 million) applications for loans- both first and second that were received across the country and a total of 32.26 lakh (3.22 million) loans that were actually disbursed (including first and second loans). In other words, 66.25% of the loan applications have been successfully disbursed till date. (Of course, this proportion will change if the latest implementation data that MOHUA released last week is factored in.) 

b) Popularity of the scheme on a negative curve?:

At the time of the inception of the PMSVANidhi scheme in June 2020, on the scheme-dedicated website, MoHUA published a target of 50.47 lakh (5.04 million) street vendors who would be covered by the scheme across the country. Data obtained under the RTI Act in June 2022 shows that only 29.91 lakhs (2.99 million) beneficiaries had availed the 1^st loan. This amounts to 59.26% of the target set by MoHUA at the time of the inception of the scheme. (As subsequent loans are available only to beneficiaries who repaid the 1^st loan fully, adding the number of 2^nd loan recipients will not increase the coverage of the scheme in terms of the total number of unique beneficiaries). In December 2021 MoHUA informed the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Urban Development, about having set a reduced target of 48.30 lakh beneficiaries across the country. If this figure is taken into consideration, the actual number of street vendors who received the 1^st loan is only 61.93% of the target presented by the Union Ministry to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs.

Data supplied under the RTI Act presents, what readers might think of as, a worrisome picture of the popularity of the PMSVANidhi scheme in more recent months. According to MoHUA’s CPIO, only 6.48 lakh (648,950) applications were received across the country for the 2^nd loan during the FYs 2021-23. Readers may recall, only those who have successfully repaid the first loan are eligible to apply for and receive the second and third loans under this scheme. Therefore, this smaller figure as compared with the 42.21 lakh (4.22 million) applications received for the 1^st loan might indicate the waning popularity of the scheme among the street vendors. Less than 15.37% of the 1^st loan applicants applied for the 2^nd loan. Only 36.28% of the 2^nd loan applicants had received the disbursement of the 2^nd loan at the time of obtaining the implementation data under the RTI Act. The number of successful recipients of the 2^nd loan is a meagre 5.58% of the total number of street vendors who applied for the 1^st loan. To put it in further perspective, only 7.87% of the beneficiaries who had received the 1st loan also received the 2^nd loan under PMSVANidhi. (Of course, this proportion will change if the latest implementation data that MOHUA released last week is factored in.) 

Further, as we are into only the fourth month of the current financial year (2022-23), there is a strong likelihood that more street vendors might seek the 2^nd loan as well and perhaps seek the 3^rd loan after repaying the first two. However, the low uptake of the 2^nd loan till date ought to be cause for concern and the reasons for this lack of demand must be probed. I hope Parliament reviews the scheme with greater care and diligence in the upcoming monsoon and winter sessions.

c) State and UT-wise performance: Data presented in Parliament in response to MPs’ queries and to the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs, being consolidated in form, does not help much to assess the performance of the States and UTs with regard to the disbursal of the 1^st and the 2^nd loan. Thankfully, data supplied by MoHUA’s CPIO under RTI permits such an assessment to be made. Our preliminary findings are given below:

i) 1^st Loan applications:

• During the period between the date of inception of PMSVANidhi scheme and the date of my RTI application (i.e., FYs 2020-23), Uttar Pradesh- UP (8.7 lakhs or 870,086) topped the list of States receiving the highest number of applications for the 1^st loan from street vendors followed by Madhya Pradesh-MP (6.37 lakhs or 637,840). Telangana reported 4 lakh (404,729) applications, taking 3^rd place followed by Tamil Nadu at 4^th place with 3.42 lakh (342,105) applications for the 1^st loan. Maharashtra occupies the fifth position with 3.34 lakh (334,028) applications.

• The two States of UP and MP accounted for more than a third (35.72%) of the total number of 1^st loan applications received. The South Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Kerala along with the UT of Puducherry accounted for 28.66% of the 1^st loan applications. The remaining States and UTs contributed to the rest of the total.

• Sikkim, with only three applications, figures at the bottom of the pile preceded by Ladakh (290 applications), Andaman & Nicobar Islands (515 applications), Mizoram (581 applications) and Meghalaya (834 applications) in reverse order.

ii) 1st Loan disbursals:

• During the period between the date of inception of PMSVANidhi scheme and the date of my RTI application (i.e., FYs 2020-23) UP topped the list with the highest number (8.28 lakhs or 828,467) of 1^st loan disbursals followed by MP (4.72 lakhs or 472,439). Telangana took 3^rd place with 3.44 lakh (344,387) 1^st loan disbursals followed by Gujarat at 4^th place with 1.99 lakh (199,490) disbursals. Maharashtra takes 5^th position with 1.97 lakh (197,715) 1^st loan disbursals.

• UP and MP together accounted for 43.49% of the successful 1^st loan disbursals. Street vendors in the South Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Kerala accounted for 28.11% of the 1^st loan disbursals. The remaining States and UTs contributed to the rest of the total.

• Sikkim reported only one 1^st Loan disbursal appearing at the bottom of the list. Ladakh with 264 disbursals, Andaman and Nicobar Islands with 473, Mizoram with 484 and Meghalaya with 649 successful 1^st loan disbursals figure at the bottom of the pile, in reverse order.

• Interestingly, the success rate for 1^st loan disbursals was much higher in the smaller States and UTs which reported fewer applications. Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Ladakh reported a success rate of above 91% each. Of course, UP topped the list with the highest success rate of 95.22%. Himachal Pradesh- HP, Telangana, Kerala, Mizoram, Goa and Puducherry reported success rates of above 81%. AP, J&K, Meghalaya and MP reported success rates above 74%.

• Less than half of the 1^st loan applications were successful in Bihar (49.24%), Tamil Nadu (47.47%), West Bengal (43.77%) and Punjab (43.53%). Sikkim reported a success rate of one third only 1^st loan applications (33.33%).

• Interestingly, some of the States reported a much higher disbursal rate for 1^st loans than the actual number of applicants. For example, in FY 2021-22, Telangana reported only 5,206 women street vendor applicants applied for the 1^st loan but 21,251 women beneficiaries (408.20% increase) are reported during the same period. Similarly, UP reported only 51,586 women street vendor applicants but 82,159 1^st loans were disbursed (159.27% increase) during the same FY. In the current FY 2022-23, Assam reported only 558 1^st loan applicants, but 836 beneficiaries received the 1^st loan (149.82% increase). The dataset supplied by MoHUA’s CPIO does not indicate whether these excess disbursals were due to the fact that hundreds of 1^st loan applications received during that FY were approved for disbursal in the next FY. This is another issue which has escaped the attention of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs.

iii) 2nd Loan applications:

• Interestingly, Telangana tops the list of States with the highest number (1.31 lakhs or 131,579) of 2^nd loan applications received, followed by UP (1.10 lakhs or 110,041). MP with 1.02 lakh (102,395) 2^nd loan applications, AP with 53,101 applications, Maharashtra with 46,547 applications took the 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th positions respectively.

• The South Indian States of Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala and the UT of Puducherry accounted for 39.80% of the total number of 2^nd loan applications received. UP and MP accounted for 32.73% of the total 2^nd loan applications received. The remaining States and UTs contributed to the balance figure.

• Meghalaya (63 applications), Ladakh (161 applications), Mizoram (241 applications), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (247 applications) and Daman and Diu and Dadra Nagar Haveli (316 applications) appear at the bottom of the pile with fewer 2^nd loan applications being submitted under PMSVANidhi. No 2^nd loan applications are reported for Sikkim.

iv) 2nd Loan disbursals:

• Telangana topped the list with the highest number (56,917) of 2^nd loans disbursed followed by MP (47,811) in 2^nd place. UP with 43,435 successful applications, Gujarat with 18,877 and AP with 15,628 successful applications took the 3^rd, 4^th and the 5^th positions respectively.

• UP and MP accounted for 38.76% of the total number of successful 2^nd loan disbursals. The five South Indian States of AP, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the UT of Puducherry accounted for 38.87% of the successful 2^nd loan disbursals. The remaining States and UTs accounted for the balance figure.

• Interestingly, the success rate for 2^nd loan disbursals is much lower as compared with the success rate for the 1^st loan disbursal figures. No State or UT reported more than 75% success rate. Meghalaya’s was the highest at 74.60% followed by that of Ladakh (63.98%). In all other States and UTs success rate for 2^nd loan disbursals was less than 50%. UP which had reported a success rate of above 95% for 1^st loan disbursals, managed a success rate of less than 4 out of every 10 applications (39.47%) with regard to 2^nd loan disbursals.

• The lowest success rate was reported by Rajasthan (2.38%) preceded by West Bengal (4.73%), Delhi (8.02%), Diu, Daman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli (10.13%) and Tamil Nadu (12.16%) in reverse order. Punjab, Puducherry, Bihar, Manipur, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh reported less than 25% success rate for 2^nd loan disbursals. As no 2^nd loan applications were reported from Sikkim, no disbursals were reported either from there.

d) Genderised analysis of beneficiary data: Data presented in Parliament in response to MPs’ queries and to the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs, being consolidated in form does not help understand the gender breakup of the beneficiaries of PMSVANidhi. Thankfully, data supplied under RTI by MoHUA’s CPIO makes it possible to analyse the data from the perspective of gender- i.e., Male, Female and Other categories. Our main findings are given below: 

i) 1^st and 2^nd loan- composite trends:

• A total of 48.70 lakh (4.87 million) applications were received for the 1^st and 2^nd loans across the country since the inception of PMSVANidhi scheme until the date of my RTI application. Of these, 41.87% (20.39 lakhs or 2.03 million) applications for the 1^st and 2^nd loan were submitted by women street vendors. 58.13% (28.30 lakhs or 2.83 million) of the applications were submitted by male street vendors during the same period. The remaining 0.01% (292) loan applications were submitted by street vendors belonging to the “other” category- presumably.

• The combined figure of 1^st and 2^nd loans successfully disbursed during this period is 32.26 lakhs (3.26 million). 41.32% of the successful street vendors were women (13.33 lakhs or 1.33 million). 58.68% of the male street vendors (18.93 lakhs or 1.89 million) were successful in obtaining the 1^st and 2^nd loans. The remaining 0.01% of the loans were secured by street vendors belonging to the “other” category.

• The highest number of women applicants during this period were from Telangana (3.55 lakhs or 355,578) followed by their counterparts from UP (3.04 lakhs or 304,935). Tamil Nadu accounting for 2.37 lakh (237,880) applications, MP with 2.33 lakh (233,203) applications and AP with 1.90 lakh (190,903) applications took the top 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th places respectively in terms of the highest number of women street vendors who applied for 1^st and 2^nd loans under the PMSVANidhi scheme.

• Sikkim did not report any woman applicants during this period. Ladakh with 318 women applicants, Andaman and Nicobar Islands with 322 applications, Tripura with 542, Meghalaya with 680 and J&K with 748 women applicants figure at the bottom of the pile.

• UP accounted for the highest number (2.76 lakh or 276,625) of successful women street vendors who obtained 1^st and 2^nd loans during this period. Telangana with 2.66 lakhs (266,924) successful women applicants, MP with 1.62 lakhs (162,921), AP with 1.36 lakhs (136,198) and Tamil Nadu with 1.04 lakh (104,041) women applicants take the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th places respectively in terms of disbursal of both loans.

• Andaman and Nicobar Islands (230), Ladakh (265), Tripura (305), Daman, Diu and Dadra Nagar Haveli (403) and Meghalaya (525) figure at the bottom of the pile in terms of the smallest number of successful women applicants for both loans.

• In terms of success rate, 90.72% of the women applicants from UP secured both 1^st and 2^nd loans. Ladakh’s success rate was 83.33% followed by Meghalaya, HP, J&K, Telangana, Kerala, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Mizoram accounting for between 70-78% success rate for women street vendors.

• Punjab recorded the lowest success rate for women applicants (34.14%) followed by West Bengal (37.42%), Bihar (42.84%) Tamil Nadu (43.74%) and Haryana (45.03%) in reverse order.

• UP (6.75 lakhs or 675,185) and MP (5.07 lakhs or 507,023) accounted for the top two States reporting the highest number of male applicants for both 1^st and 2^nd loans. Maharashtra (2.30 lakhs or 230,482), Gujarat (2.16 lakhs or 216,907), and Telangana (1.80 lakhs or 180,670) took the 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th places respectively in terms of the highest number if male street vendors applying for both loans.

• UP (5.95 lakhs or 595,272) and MP (3.57 lakhs or 357,325) also took the top two spots in terms of successful disbursal of 1^st and 2^nd loans to male applicants. Telangana (1.34 lakhs or 134,331), Maharashtra (1.29 lakhs or 129,154) and Gujarat (1.28 lakhs or 128,282) took the 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th places respectively in terms of the highest number if male street vendors successfully receiving both loans.

• UP reported the highest success rate (88.16%) for male street vendors receiving both loans. Meghalaya, Ladakh, HP, Telangana, J&K, Kerala, MP and Goa reported a success rate of more than 70% for male applicants for both 1^st and 2^nd loans.

• Mizoram with 39, Ladakh with 102, Meghalaya with 171, Nagaland with 201 and Andaman and Nicobar Islands with 304 successful male applicants for both loans figure at the bottom of the pile.

• Tamil Nadu reported the highest number of applicants belonging to “other” category (96) and also those who were the most successful (49). However, the success rate for applicants from Tamil Nadu was only 51.04%. Telangana witnessed 81.67% success rate for street vendors belonging to “other” category followed by UP (7.43%), AP and Jharkhand (66.67% each). Assam and Chhattisgarh both reported a success rate of 57.14% in this category.

The trends specific to 1st and 2nd loans under PMSVANidhi scheme are given below: 

ii) 1^st Loan applications:

• UP topped the list of States with the largest numbers of women applicants (2.79 lakhs or 279,036) for the 1^st loan during the FYs 2020-23, followed by Telangana (2.65 lakhs or 265,478), Tamil Nadu (2.20 lakhs or 220,187), MP (2.05 lakhs or 205,836) and AP (1.55 lakhs or 155,794).

• Ladakh (198), Andaman & Nicobar Islands (215), Tripura (499), Mizoram (541) and Meghalaya (636) figure at the bottom of the pile with the lowest numbers of women street vendors applying for the 1^st loan.

• UP (5.91 lakhs or 591,044) and MP (4.31 lakhs or 431,996) topped the list of States with the highest numbers of male applicants for the 1^st loan during the FYs 2020-23 followed by Maharashtra (1.99 lakhs or 199,716), Gujarat (1.91 lakhs or 191,662) and Telangana (1.39 lakhs or 139,202).

• Sikkim with only three applicants followed by Mizoram (40), Ladakh (92), Meghalaya (198) and Nagaland (294) figure at the bottom of the pile of States and UTs with the smallest numbers of male applicants for the 1^st loan.

• Tamil Nadu (86), Telangana (49), AP (34), Karnataka (18) and Assam (12) reported the highest numbers of applicants for the 1^st loan who belonged to the “other” category.

iii) 1^st Loan disbursals:

• UP topped the list of States with the largest number (2.66 lakhs or 266,064) of successful women street vendors who secured the 1^st loan followed by Telangana (2.26 lakhs or 226,385), MP (1.49 lakhs or 149,524), AP (1,.25 lakhs or 125,154) and Tamil Nadu (1.01 lakhs or 101,867).

• Ladakh reported the smallest number (184) of successful women applicants who secured the 1^st loan followed by Andaman and Nicobar Islands (200), Tripura (289), Daman, Diu and Dadra Nagar Haveli (397) and Mizoram (449) in reverse order.

• The success rate for women street vendors securing the 1^st loan was between 92-95% in UP, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Ladakh. The success rate for women street vendors was between 80-89% in HP, Telangana, Mizoram, Puducherry, Kerala, Goa and AP.

• The success rate for women street vendors in securing the 1^st loan was less than 50% in the States of Punjab (35.08%), West Bengal (37.91%), Bihar (44.18%), Tamil Nadu (46.26%) and Haryana (46.82%).

• UP (5.62 lakhs or 562,398) and MP (3.22 lakhs or 322,911) took the top two places in the list of states with the greatest number of successful male applicants for the 1^st loan followed by Maharashtra (1.19 lakhs or 119,908), Telangana (1.17 lakhs or 117,961) and Gujarat (1.16 lakhs or 116,761).

• Only 1 male applicant was able to secure the 1^st loan in Sikkim. Mizoram (35), Ladakh (80), Meghalaya (161) and Nagaland (182) are located at the bottom of the pile with the lowest number of male street vendors who secured their 1^st loan.

• UP and Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported a success rate of above 90% for male street vendors who secured the 1^st loan. Mizoram, HP, Ladakh, Telangana, Kerala, Goa, Meghalaya and Puducherry reported a success rate between 80-87.50% for male street vendors who secured the 1^st loan. 

• Sikkim (33.33%), Manipur (45.39%), West Bengal (45.61%), Punjab (47.19%) and Tamil Nadu (49.64%) with less than 50% success rate for male street vendors figure at the bottom of the pile.

• Tamil Nadu topped the list of States with the highest number (49) of street vendors of “other” category securing the 1^st loan followed by Telangana (41), AP (23), Karnataka (11) and Assam (7).

• With the exception of Odisha (20% only) the success rate for street vendors belonging to “other” category ranged between 50-84% in other States like UP, AP, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Assam, TN, Maharashtra, Gujarat, MP and Punjab.

iv) 2nd Loan applications:

• Telangana topped the list of States with the biggest number (90,100) of women street vendors who applied for the 2^nd loan under the PMSVANidhi scheme. AP (35,109) came a distant second followed by MP (27,367), UP (25,899) and Tamil Nadu (17,693) taking the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th places respectively. It is worth recalling that UP had topped the list with regard to the number of 1^st loan applications.

• Sikkim did not report any 2^nd loan application filed by women street vendors. Tripura reported the lowest number (43) of applications, preceded Meghalaya (44), J&K (89), Daman, Diu and Dadra Nagar Haveli (91) and West Bengal (107) in the reverse order.

• UP topped the list of the largest number (84,141) of 2^nd loan applications submitted by male street vendors. Interestingly, this figure is much lesser than the number of women street vendors in Telangana who applied for the 2^nd loan. MP (75,027), Telangana (41,468), Maharashtra (30,766) and Gujarat (25,245) took the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th places on this list.

• Mizoram reported the smallest number (17) of 2^nd loan applications from male street vendors preceded by Meghalaya (19), Manipur (31), Ladakh (41) and Nagaland (60).

• Very few street vendors (39) belonging to the “other” category applied for the 2^nd loans across the country. Telangana topped the list (11) followed by Tamil Nadu (10), Karnataka (6), AP (5) taking the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th places. Assam and Maharashtra with two applications each took the 5^th spot on the list. Only one application each in this category was submitted for the 2^nd loan in the States of Chhattisgarh, MP and UP.

v) 2nd Loan disbursals:

• Telangana topped the list of States and UTs with the highest number (40,539) of successful 2^nd loan disbursals to women street vendors. MP (13,397), AP (11,044), UP (10,561) and Gujarat (7,356) take the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th places on this list.

• West Bengal with four disbursals, Daman and Diu and Dadra Nagar Haveli (6), Tripura (16), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (30), Puducherry and Meghalaya (30 each) appear at the bottom of the pile with the smallest number of women street vendors who secured the 2^nd loan.

• Despite the low figure with regard to applications, Meghalaya’s success rate with 2^nd loan disbursals to women street vendors was the highest (84.09%) among all States and UTs. Ladakh (67.50%) and J&K (53.93%) were the only ones to report a success rate of above 50%. Kerala, Gujarat, MP, HP, Telangana, Assam and Mizoram reported success rates between 40-49%.

• Once again, the success rate for 2^nd loan disbursals to women street vendors was the lowest in Rajasthan (2.83%), West Bengal (3.74%), Daman and Diu and Dadra Nagar Haveli (6.59%), Delhi (9.35%) and Tamil Nadu (12.29%) figure at the bottom of the pile in reverse order.

• MP topped the list of States with the highest number (34,414) of 2^nd loans disbursed to male street vendors followed by UP (32,874), Telangana (16,370), Gujarat (11,521) and Maharashtra (9,246) taking 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th places respectively.

• Manipur (3), Mizoram (4), Meghalaya (10), Nagaland (19) and Ladakh (22) figure at the bottom of the pile in reverse order as regards the number of male street vendors who secured 2^nd loans.

• Ladakh (53.66%) and Meghalaya (52.63%) reported a success rate of more than half of the 2^nd loan applicants succeeding in obtaining loans. Kerala, J&K, MP, Gujarat, Assam and HP reported success rates between 40-46.50% for male street vendor applicants for the 2^nd loan.

• Here too, the lowest success rate for male street vendors seeking 2^nd loan disbursal was reported from Rajasthan (2.29%). West Bengal (4.95%), Delhi (7.68%), Manipur (9.68%) and Daman and Diu and Dadra Nagar Haveli (11.56%) appear at the bottom of the pile in the reverse order.

• Only 18 applicants from the “other” category succeeded in obtaining the 2^nd loan. Telangana topped the list with eight followed by Karnataka (5), AP (3) and Assam and Maharashtra (1 each).

• Karnataka reported the highest success rate (83.33%) for the “other” category while Telangana reported a success rate of 72.73%.

This is the second tranche of our preliminary findings with regard to the analysis of the PMSVANidhi implementation data obtained under the RTI Act. Our next tranche of preliminary findings will cover the social category-wise (SC, ST, OBC, General, Minorities and persons with disabilities) analysis of beneficiary data obtained under the RTI Act.

All facts are in the public domain. Views are personal.