Government talks cashless gain, they feel the pain

GURUGRAM: In the quiet lanes of IMT Manesar, there are some labourers sitting at a roadside stall having tea and snacks. It’s around 4pm on Friday. However a mention of ‘notebandi’ pulls them all together and after a few seconds of hesitation, their stories of helplessness, misery and angry just come out pouring.
It has been difficult days for these as some do not even have any bank accounts.One such worker employed at Geeta pvt limited Suket Kumar says, “I will get it made (bank account) in a few days or else it will go on like the way it has been going on for so many days.” He laughs off at the people around him trying to advise him.
However not everybody is taking it this easy. Aftab Aslam who hails from Motiya District in Bihar says, “I have not been able to send money home and things are only getting worse back at home. The teachers at my son’s schools have sending notes to submit money. I told him to sit at home given that there is hardly any money to feed people let alone school fees,” says Alam.
A united voice followed his saying that as many as 75% of the kids back in their villages are sitting at home since there is no money. The problem is same for many others like mostly hailing from Bihar.
There are no food supplies at home and their families are managing on credit from the local vendors and shopkeepers. Most of these people belong to extremely humble background and hardly have any sources of income beyond their wages to support their families.
A few though do have farms back in their villages which are lying useless as there is no money to buy seeds. “It is the season when we sow seeds and wheat is a very important crop for use but we have no money for buying seeds or getting any labour to till the land,” said Santosh Yadav, another labourer from Siwan district in Bihar.
Problems are getting graver for people with each passing day as many of them have not been able to withdraw even their previous month’s salary. “There are five people back at home including mom, dad wife and kids and they are barley managing to eat. If things go on like this it would be difficult to manage for long,” said Razaq, also from Muzaffurpur in Bihar.
Many of their colleagues they say haven’t even come out as they are not event left with ten rupee notes to pay for the tea. Others are too worried about their families and are losing their appetite over the health and well-being of their loved ones back at home.
Though things back at home are bad, life does not get easier here either for these migrant labourers. They say the landlords are asking for rent in cash, there is no cash to buy vegetables and the queues at the banks are never ending.
“The landlord is asking for cash payment. We requested against it but you know we are hardly any force against the influential locals who could do anything if they get angry,” said a labourer working with a manufacturing unit who did not want to give away his name.
Surprisingly though when asked if demonetisation has been a good decision by the central government, the workers spoke in the favour of it. “The decision comes with a good intent but poor implementation. The government has ended up troubling the very people it intended to benefit with this decision, “said Mohammad Israhil, from Darbangha district in Bihar.