SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir recorded 2,531 beneficiaries under the PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM-SVANidhi) scheme over the last three financial years, while Ladakh recorded 145, according to data provided by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
The ministry’s state-wise data showed that J&K had 1,553 beneficiaries in 2023-24, followed by 499 in 2024-25 and 479 in 2025-26. Ladakh recorded 128 beneficiaries in 2023-24, 14 in 2024-25 and three in 2025-26.
The figures indicate a sharp decline in new beneficiaries in both Union Territories over the three-year period. In JK, the number fell by nearly 69 per cent from 1,553 in 2023-24 to 479 in 2025-26, while Ladakh saw a decline of more than 97 per cent from 128 to three.
JK’s combined three-year total was substantially below the national average among the 35 States and UTs listed in the annexure. The national total for the three years stood at 39,85,537 beneficiaries, putting the average at around 1.14 lakh per State/UT. J&K’s 2,531 beneficiaries were therefore well below this average, while Ladakh’s 145 were among the lowest figures nationally.
The Union Government said that, as of July 12, 2026, a total of 76.95 lakh street vendors had availed 1.15 crore loans worth Rs 18,475.06 crore under PM-SVANidhi since its launch on June 1, 2020. As of the same date, 1,17,64,812 loans had been sanctioned, 1,15,15,856 disbursed and 56,18,024 beneficiaries were digitally active under the scheme.
Among larger States, Maharashtra recorded the highest number of beneficiaries over the last three years in the annexure with 5,66,442, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 5,75,745 and Madhya Pradesh with 4,56,073. The latest annual figures also showed Uttar Pradesh at the top in 2025-26 with 1,15,156 beneficiaries, ahead of Madhya Pradesh at 1,01,066 and Andhra Pradesh at 75,522.
The ministry said an impact assessment by the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, conducted in 2023 across 100 Urban Local Bodies and covering more than 5,000 beneficiaries, found that PM-SVANidhi provided the first bank loan for 95 per cent of beneficiaries.
A second assessment conducted in 2025 across 99 Urban Local Bodies, again covering more than 5,000 beneficiaries, found that the average annualised business income of PM-SVANidhi borrowers increased by around 20 per cent between 2023 and 2025. The study also found that around 30 per cent of borrowers across all loan cycles reported having loans other than PM-SVANidhi loans, which the ministry said indicated the scheme’s role in helping vendors build formal credit histories.
According to the Union Ministry, the scheme’s impact also extended to household welfare, with easier access to credit helping vendor families improve living conditions, food security, healthcare access and children’s education.
The government said the scheme, initially implemented in statutory urban areas, was later extended to street vendors from surrounding peri-urban areas who vend within Urban Local Body limits. Under the restructured PM-SVANidhi scheme, coverage is being expanded in a graded manner to include census towns and peri-urban areas, among others, to reach eligible vendors who were previously outside the scheme’s coverage.
