Demonetisation: Here's why Modi should have looked before he took the leap

Queuing up at an ATM and waiting for your turn isn’t something to get pissed about. Standing in a queue is how democracy works. But when you have waited for half an hour behind 20 odd people, and found the ATM screen displaying ‘No Cash’ the moment you entered the cubicle, would make Censor Board chairman Pahlaj Nihalani censor the blue screen saver of ATM machine, had he been here.

Ever since Modi’s policy on demonetization has been announced, normal life has been paralysed. The earlier reform moves might have been criticized by the political parties, but this is the first time ever, Modi’s decision has hit the common masses directly. The decision to ban Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes have disrupted businesses, offices like never before. Earlier any shop would search for excuses to refuse change of Rs 500 when you buy stuff for Rs 200 or less. And now they have a legal excuse. Visit a government office other than bank or post office in a suburban town in any state, employees have found a new excuse of bunking office. They are justifying their absence for 3 hours by saying, they don’t have money so needed to visit bank and stand in queue.

Well, you might say that these all can be ignored for greater good. But as reported by an esteemed regional newspaper in Bengal, businessmen with black money are paying jobless youths Rs 300 to stand on queue and exchange money. The only qualification required is having a bank account. So black money can be whitewashed.

It’s easy for people with an ATM or debit card and a Smartphone to justify the move. Social media is exploding with Ola and Uber drivers ‘sacrificing’ for the country, but what the netizens are forgetting is a driver partner with any of the app based cab service is well off than many people. They earn better than many freshers.

While the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has requested time till 30th of December, finance minister Arun Jaitley didn’t sound very confident when indicating ATM normalcy to be restored within 3 weeks. When lack of clarity gets blended with uncertainty, the result is horrific. And that’s exactly what you can see in front of banks and ATMs.

Delivery pain of a new born is suffered by its mother. But when a nation-changing revolutionary step is taken, unfortunately the pain is seeping down to the ever-suffering people who don’t own ATM card, smartphone and in worst cases bank accounts. Two-third of India’s population doesn’t know what Grofers means or what Cash on Delivery is. Even urban population has people who have never been to ATM. It’s not that they can’t but illiteracy is largely responsible for it. In remote villages of Bihar, Bengal, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan going to bank means spending Rs 20-30 and wasting 3 hours of time. And people who get paid Rs 400 everyday going to bank would mean skipping dinner for the day.

It’s assumed that the reform doesn’t end here. The next step would be making all transactions cashless i.e. card, e-wallet and cheque payment. For us, who live in big cities, flaunt coupons to buy pizzas and Promo codes to book cabs, life wouldn’t change much. But for the migrating labour coming from Bihar to work in Delhi NCR, the migrating maid from Maharashtra to Bangalore, the migrating security guards from Haryana to Chennai, this change wouldn’t be as easy.

For beginning a new journey, Modi should have made sure that the co-passengers have also put on their seat belt and the tray of Rs 500 notes in ATM machine has been properly fitted.