Seybold Report ISSN: 1533-9211

Abstract

IMPACT OF URBAN INFORMALITY IN INDIAN STREET MARKETS: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF VENDORS FROM JANPATH MARKET, NEW DELHI


Vanshika Mittal
Senior Research Analyst with Centre for New Economics Studies, Jindal School of Liberal Arts and Humanities, O.P. Jindal Global University.

Mitali Arora
Senior Research Analyst with Centre for New Economics Studies, Jindal School of Liberal Arts and Humanities, O.P. Jindal Global University.

Wynnona Fernandes
Research Analyst with Centre for New Economics Studies, Jindal School of Liberal Arts and Humanities, O.P. Jindal Global University.

Deepanshu Mohan
Associate Professor and Director, Centre for New Economics Studies, Jindal School of Liberal Arts and Humanities, O.P. Jindal Global University.

Rekha Pachauri
Assistant Professor at Times School of Media, Bennett University.

Shagun Nayar
Affiliated with New York University's School of Professional Studies. She is also a Graduate Assistant and the Director of Finances of the Cyber Policy Professional Society at New York University (NYU).


Vol 17, No 07 ( 2022 )   |  DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6879772   |   Licensing: CC 4.0   |   Pg no: 274-294   |   Published on: 25-07-2022



Abstract
This paper aims to understand the form, extent and implications of urban informality in the Janpath market of Delhi. Janpath, a centrally located, famous street market attracts a large number of domestic and international consumers. However, the Covid-19 induced restrictions adversely impacted the lives-livelihoods of vendors at the market. Through an ethnographic field study documenting perspectives from randomly identified street vendors, we observe how the pandemic affected the market landscape and to what extent different street vendor union groups have redefined the market’s socioeconomic importance.


Keywords:
Janpath, Informality, Street vendors, Market, Unionization



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