Ensuring Health Security | Bridging the Gap for Street Vendors

A resident of Samalkot Mandal, Andhra Pradesh, Sri. Korada Challarao had a dream of securing a government job after completing his degree. Unfortunately, despite his efforts, he was not successful in obtaining employment in the public sector. Undeterred by this setback, Challarao was determined to find an alternative path to support his family. With a passion for business, he decided to venture into the fruit business.

However, Challarao faced a significant obstacle: he lacked the necessary financial support to start his business. To add to this problem, his mother was diagnosed with cancer. With no health insurance coverage to fall back upon and an inconsistent source of income, Challarao had to use all his savings for the treatment. Despite the challenges he encountered, he remained steadfast in his belief that the fruit business had a promising future and would be beneficial to people. He was willing to work hard and overcome the difficulties that lay ahead.

Challarao came across volunteers from Santhivardhana Ministries, the implementation partner of Upfront in the area. The organisation promotes the wellbeing of street vendors and has extensive experience in assisting them. After collecting Challarao’s data and understanding his circumstances, the team guided him and his family to apply for the PM Jan Aarogya Yojana scheme.

The PM Jan Aarogya Yojana is a government initiative specifically designed for the welfare of poor families. Realising the importance of health insurance for Challarao and his family, the team engaged in conversations with the Health Department employees to facilitate Challarao’s application to the scheme. Through their efforts and dedication, Challarao and his family could avail the benefits of the scheme.

Challarao expressed his sincere gratitude to our teams for their invaluable guidance and support, which has given Challarao a renewed sense of hope and a chance to build a stable future for his family. The Social Protection and Street Vendor WellBeing programmes have proved to be a lifeline for many individuals like Challarao, enabling them to overcome financial barriers, improve their health outcomes, empower themselves, and embark on a path towards self-sufficiency.