Port Blair, Feb 11: PM SVANidhi has proved to be a much needed respite for street vendors in their most dreadful days. One such beneficiary is Smti M.laxmi who sells fish at Chakkargoan. Life has been very hard for Laxmi since the death of her husband three years ago due to liver damage. He left behind two young sons and his ageing mother to be taken care of.

Laxmi is the only earning member in the family and fish vending is the sole business by which she was earning livelihood for her family. The onset of the pandemic had left her family starving for days together as regular income came to a halt and all savings got exhausted, her family was forced to sleep empty stomach every alternate day.

Laxmi says that she had lost all hopes for survival. With no help or support coming from anywhere, it was amidst these miserable days that she heard about the PMSVANidhi scheme of Rs 10,000 working capital loan from the municipal staffs and applied for the same in the PBMC facilitation centre. Upon receiving the loan, first she bought some fish stocks to resume her business, then paid rent for her home, bought some ration for her family and now she is in a better state financially to take care of her children and mother in law.

Laxmi today expresses her heartfelt gratitude for Administration and PBMC staff for much needed handholding support and timely assistance.