New Delhi, April 12 -- National Hawkers Federation (NHF) on Friday urged the Centre to issue national-level guidelines to protect street vendors from the rising threat of heatwaves. The increasing temperatures are putting the lives and livelihoods of over two crore vendors at risk, it said.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, the federation said the frequency and intensity of heatwaves have increased alarmingly, with 2023 witnessing around 30 days of extreme heat conditions, and demanded that heatwaves be included in notified disasters under the Disaster Management Act.
The federation said vendors are facing a "double impact" in the form of health risks due to prolonged exposure and ...