D. Kumar, a fruit vendor.
| Photo Credit: M. Vedhan
Annual income: ₹1.2 lakh per annum
No. of family members: 4
D. Kumar and Santhi, a couple, find little solace in the Union Budget being presented every year, and this year is no different.
While Mr. Kumar runs a fruit shop in Parry’s, his wife works as a domestic help. With limited funds, they find it difficult to educate their two girl children. Adding to their burden are the high rent and electricity charges.
Mr. Kumar said that daily earnings are being used to run the family, and his wife’s salary is spent exclusively on their children’s education. After the COVID-19 lockdowns, the banks disbursed loans of ₹10,000, which helped in purchasing stock, but the initiative has since been stopped, he points out. He wants the Central government to provide loans to vendors like him. Except certain social welfare benefits provided by the State government in the form of free bus travel for women and the monthly aid of ₹1,000, which his wife benefits from, the Central government has no such measures for the economically weaker sections of society, he said.
Mr. Kumar said that the Centre should also announce social welfare benefits for those with a family income of less than ₹2 lakh per annum.
