PESHAWAR: The provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has formally approved the Ehsaas Rehribaan (Street Vendors) Livelihood Protection Bill, 2025, which will soon be presented in the Provincial Assembly. The law aims to protect the rights of street vendors by allocating designated spaces in every city where they can conduct their business in an improved and organized environment. Approval to draft of law was granted by the provincial cabinet that met here with Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi in the chair. The purpose the provincial government is set to introduce a legislation to protect the street economy worth Rs.380 billion. The legislation will help formalize and protect the livelihood of the street vendours. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would become the first province in the country to make the rights of street vendors a permanent and enforceable part of the legal framework. There are more than 140,000 street vendors across the province that will be incorporated into a formal system of state protection under the new law. After granting legal cover, no official, authority or private individual would be permitted to unlawfully seize vending spaces, displace vendors, or exert pressure on their livelihoods. The proposed legislation addresses longstanding issues faced by street vendors, including harassment, bribery, extortion, and sudden removal from vending locations. Under the bill, acts of intimidation, coercion, rent seeking, or illegal payments demanded from vendors, whether by government officials, police personnel, or private individuals, will be treated as serious criminal offenses. The core features of the legislation is its emphasis on due process, ensuring that no anti-encroachment action of any kind would be permissible against registered vendors without prior notice, evidence- based justification, and adherence to legal procedure. In addition to legal safeguards, the bill extends access to microfinance, credit, insurance, and emergency support. These measures will enable street vendors, many of whom operate on narrow margins and lack financial security, to become part of the formal economic system. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025