Archive · 11 Aug 2026
BMC Issues QR-Enabled ID Cards to 99,435 Mumbai Hawkers
In Mumbai, a huge city in India, there are many people who sell things on the streets.
The city wants to know exactly who these street vendors are.
So the municipal corporation is giving the vendors special ID cards with a QR code on them.
A QR code is like a magic barcode that a phone can scan quickly.
The card shows that a vendor is officially allowed to sell on the street.
This helps the city stop people who sell without permission.
About 99,435 vendors are supposed to get the cards.
Around 55,000 have already received them so far.
The city hopes to finish giving out all the cards by the end of August.
Some vendors on the old list had passed away, so the city is thinking about who should get their spots.
BMC has issued QR-enabled identity cards to around 55,000 of the 99,435 registered hawkers identified in its 2014 survey.
The drive, launched in June, follows a Bombay High Court order and targets completion by August 31.
The exercise cost nearly Rs 1.75 crore, with cards printed at Rs 168 each.
Verification found 3,167 hawkers from the survey have died; BMC is considering allowing legal heirs to take over their vending licences.
BMC has proposed a three-member Grievance Redressal and Dispute Resolution Committee, headed by a serving or retired City Civil Court judge, with a five-year tenure.
- Who
- The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and registered hawkers in Mumbai, following a Bombay High Court order.
- What
- The BMC is issuing QR code-enabled identity cards to 99,435 registered hawkers to create a verified vendor database and curb illegal hawking.
- When
- The initiative was launched in June, with around 55,000 cards issued as of August 11, 2026; the BMC aims to complete the exercise by August 31.
- Where
- Mumbai, India.
- Why
- To identify authorised vendors, curb illegal hawking, and implement the hawkers' policy in line with the Street Vendors Act, 2014, a Bombay High Court order, and Supreme Court directives.
- Hawkers to receive cards
- 99,435 (from 2014 survey)
- Cards issued so far
- Around 55,000
- Total cost
- Nearly Rs 1.75 crore
- Printing cost per card
- Rs 168
- Target completion
- August 31, 2026
- Deceased hawkers
- 3,167
- Legal basis
- Street Vendors Act, 2014; Bombay High Court order; Supreme Court directives
- Implementation pace
- Gained momentum in April with the formation of the Town Vending Committee (TVC)