Jan Dhan accounts to help Maoists convert levy

RACNCHI: The CPI (Maoist) zonal and special area committee (SAC), which collects levies in cash for the organisation's daily functioning, is not worried about the sudden demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes. The Jan Dhan accounts of villagers in rural Jharkhand will bail out the rebels by converting the "redundant" currencies into usable instruments, they believe.
Maoists who possess Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes in large numbers - collected from contractors, mining companies and industrialists as "levy" - have issued instructions to their cadres to hold talks with the villagers and expedite a workable plan.They count on the villagers as supporters and hope the latter will deposit money in their Jan Dhan accounts for a commission and help them.
Bihar-Jharkhand Special Area Committee (BJSAC) spokesperson Gopalji said the levy collected is handed over to the central committee which, in turn, allocates money to different zonal and special area committees for their functioning. "Zonal and special area committees, in particular, do not have much in cash but the ban will create trouble unless the notes are exchanged," he said.