Cash rules and Wi-Fi down at MP’s celebrated ‘Digital Gaon’

BHOPAL: Badjhiri was touted as the first ‘Digital Gaon’ of the state. About 23 km from Bhopal, as you drive down the Bhopal-Sehore bypass, a roadside signboard greets you: ‘Digital Gaon Badjhiri Mein Aapka Swagat Hain.’ On December 21, Madhya Pradesh finance minister Jayant Malaiyya, at a much-hyped event organised by Bank of Baroda, had declared the village “fully digital” and had boasted it’s all cashless here.
Now, the reality is a bit different.
“Sir, yahan par kucch hee dukandaar hain jo PoS machines liye hain. Gaon waale bhee humko cash dete hain aur hum bhee cash lete hain, kyunki business toh karna hai (here only few shopkeepers have PoS machines. Villagers give us cash, and we also take cash – after all we have to run the business),” said Durgesh, 35.
Badjhiri has a population of around 2,000. It has 20 shops, small and medium, but not even half of these carry out any digital transaction. “I have applied for the machine, but have not received it,” said Prajapati, 45, adding that there is no need of it as people are comfortable transacting in cash.
Incidentally, the only cash deposit machine in the village, belonging to Bank of Baroda, was out of order. “I have to deposit cash, but the machine is not working. What kind of digital gaon is this?” reacted a villager, Ram Sharan.
“My daughter wishes to use Internet for her studies, but due to limited connectivity she has not been able to take advantage of the only wi-fi facility in the village,” said Vidyadhar. He added that digitalisation is welcome but without providing proper infrastructure, it is a pipe dream.
At the government school of this so-called ‘Digital Gaon’, BoB had donated three computers so that “students understand the digital process.” School principal Shamim Ali told TOI that the computers are merely showpieces. “We were given three computers by the bank. But we can’t use it because the school has no electricity for the last two years,” she said.
Rajendra Kumar, general manager of Bank of Baroda, said wi-fi availability is limited owing to the absence of a lease line. “We have requested state government to provide a lease line. Till that time, wi-fi area will be limited to 100m radius only,” said Kumar. He added that they had given 15 PoS to the village. “I do not think there is any issue over this. We have given sufficient PoS and more would be made available,” said Kumar.
“We have never claimed that Badjhiri is fully cashless. It is fully digital, not cashless,” Kumar added, taking the proud signboard outside the village by surprise.