Street Vending: A Comparative Analysis Of Laws In India And Ghana

Piyush Pal, Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies

ABSTRACT

Street vending, despite being an informal economic setup, is considered an essential part of a country's economy. In developing nations, it is a source of livelihood for many people and is considered as a reliable form of business. There are a higher number of people engaged in street vending in developing countries than in developed countries.

In India, roughly 10 million people are street vendors. Despite having an effect on a large portion of the population, the law regulating street vending was enacted only in 2014. The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014 came into force on June 3, 2014. The root of this act can be traced in the case of Gainda Ram v. MCD, in which the Supreme Court of India held that the right to street vending was a fundamental right protected under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution of India. Despite that, street vendors still face various atrocities by the state authorities. They have been living in constant fear that the police, municipality, or other state authorities will destroy their shop, the source of their livelihood. This paper aims to focus on a comparative study between the laws related to street vendors in India and some other developing nations.

Keyword: Street vendor, vending, Article 19(1)(g), occupation, informal economy.