Commerce ministry organises competition for designing new street vending carts to cope with COVID-19 challenges

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in collaboration with the National Institute of Design (NID) Ahmedabad, organised a competition for designing Covid-19 Street Vending Cart through new and cost-effective cart models.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in collaboration with the National Institute of Design (NID) Ahmedabad, orgsed a competition for designing Covid-19 Street Vending Cart through new and cost-effective cart models.

The objective of the competition was to design a new and cost-effective solution for a modern vending cart to cope with the recent challenges emerging due to COVID-19, the ministry said in a statement.

The competition took place from December 22, 2020, to February 5, 2021.

The ministry said that NID Ahmedabad coordinated with other NIDs and conducted a Design Hackathon for designing new carts to cope with the recent challenges emerging due to COVID-19, adding that after selection, it is also proposed to offer these models on a mass scale to street vendors.

The cart should also provide better business prospects in the post-COVID-19 world and the design should also consider issues and opportunities for street vendors so that they can sell better with improved efficiency and pride, addressing the needs of all segments of society, said the ministry.

As street vendor uses conventional vending carts but, in the post-COVID-19 era, the requirements from a cart have evolved in terms of packaging of goods, display, billing, hygiene, foldability, compactness, mobility, accessories like dustbins, seats, etc., provision for shade, lighting, power supply, etc. Indian street vendors are going through a tough phase due to COVID -19 scenario, noted the ministry.

The ministry further observed that loss of customers and demand, restriction of mobility, hygiene issues, and competitive challenges are dominant in the present time.

Post COVID-19 time, there are new emerging scenarios in street vending, the ministry said.

According to the ministry, there is an opportunity for street vendors to innovate their businesses and attract customers adapting to these changes.

These Street carts could become a turning point for product, storage, mobility and branding point of view, it added.

( With inputs from ANI )