Abstract

The Pradhan Mantri Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme provides collateral-free working-capital loans to street vendors for post-COVID livelihood recovery and financial inclusion. This study examines how gender and caste intersect to shape the composition of disbursed PM SVANidhi microcredit beneficiaries among street vendors in Jalgaon Municipal Corporation, Maharashtra. Data comprised 12,400 disbursed loans from the PMS-CAS administrative database (2020–2026), which were analysed to profile beneficiaries, examine gender-caste cross-tabulations, and compare sanctioned loan amounts. Data analysis combined descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations, Pearson’s chi-square test, and Welch’s t-test to examine gender–caste composition and sanctioned loan amounts across intersectional groups.

Beneficiary demographics revealed 56.0% male (n = 6,948) and 44.0% female (n = 5,452) participants. Caste distribution was 39.3% Other Backward Classes (OBC), 35.7% General categories, 13.4% Scheduled Castes (SC), 7.4% Minorities, and 4.1% Scheduled Tribes (ST). Intersectional analysis indicated that women constituted a minority in General and OBC groups but slightly outnumbered men among SC and ST beneficiaries. This gender–caste association was statistically significant, though modest in strength (χ2 ≈ 159.5, Cramer’s V = 0.11, p < 0.001). Mean sanctioned loan amounts were similar across groups, with women and SC beneficiaries receiving marginally higher average amounts. The findings reveal both inclusive features and persistent inequities within this flagship urban livelihood scheme, underscoring the importance of intersectional monitoring in urban social policy.