By Shambhavi Saxena for Cake:
At 8 p.m. on Nov 8 2016, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that ₹500 and ₹1000 notes would cease to be legal tender at midnight. The point? To flush out black money, meaning any cash in circulation that has been acquired through less than fair means.
A bold move like this has received praise from several quarters, including the President Pranab Mukherjee, because it will create a huge impact on people who deal with black money in, say, real estate.
In the span of four hours, a whole lot of stuff was said about the move: that it would do nothing for money that existed as jewellery, land, or in offshore accounts; that India had already gone through this in the ’70s; that it hadn’t done very much even then. And it took virtually no time for eateries, bars and jewellers to “cash in” on the sudden panic, by advertising that they were still accepting high-value notes till midnight.
All holders of Indian currency notes have been instructed to exchange their high value cash at banks or post offices, but they must have valid government-issued ID proof to do so. And while it may seem reasonable on the surface, in a country like India, identification documents can also be something of a privilege. Which is why this move is going to have a very severe impact on large tracts of the population.
Almost as soon as the news broke last night, Twitter user and activist Amba Azaad drew attentions towards the biggest pitfalls of this economic decision:
People wandering into my mentions who do not know people who have no form of ID with which to ‘walk into a post office’ – you terrify me.
— Amba Azaad (@AmbaAzaad) November 8, 2016
Cash works in interesting ways in India. Some of us are frequent users of money managing apps like PayTM or Freecharge, and often make cashless transactions online or by card. But we are an extremely privileged minority. And we won’t really feel the pinch. But Azaad has compiled a list of people who will.
You express surprise that people without IDs can own Rs 500. I express surprise that your bubble ignores the following:
— Amba Azaad (@AmbaAzaad) November 8, 2016
1 Children who have run away from abusive homes with some cash, but no paperwork. And no access to a support system.
— Amba Azaad (@AmbaAzaad) November 8, 2016
2 Sex workers paid by clients only in cash. Who keep their money on their persons in high denomination notes for ease of transport.
— Amba Azaad (@AmbaAzaad) November 8, 2016
3 Hijras who are also paid in cash but who cannot get IDs or bank accounts in the gender they self-identify as.
— Amba Azaad (@AmbaAzaad) November 8, 2016
4 Domestic abuse survivors who have painstakingly collected cash since their abusers deny them access to bank accounts or original papers
— Amba Azaad (@AmbaAzaad) November 8, 2016
5 Intercase and interreligious couples who are in hiding from vengeful families, and have sold gold for cash
— Amba Azaad (@AmbaAzaad) November 8, 2016
6 Parents in villages where the nearest bank is 10 km away who have been sent cash by their urban migrant children
— Amba Azaad (@AmbaAzaad) November 8, 2016
7 People who have sold their only cow/plot of land/silver anklet/zhopadpatti/bicycle to pay for urgent school fees/bail/medicines/tickets
— Amba Azaad (@AmbaAzaad) November 8, 2016
8 Nomadic people who make a living selling goods and/or doing labour and being paid in cash. Without address proof, and so, access to ID.
— Amba Azaad (@AmbaAzaad) November 8, 2016
9 People who have saved cash for the weekly bribes to police/gangs to let them hawk, solicit, beg, sleep, live.
— Amba Azaad (@AmbaAzaad) November 8, 2016
10 Disabled people where every bank and ID-giving office is inaccessible who want to live financially autonomous lives of dignity.
— Amba Azaad (@AmbaAzaad) November 8, 2016
And others have also highlighting glaring concerns:
Here in my village getting frantic calls from daily wage workers n subsistence farmers who hold their meagre savings in the largest notes https://t.co/0CctHhoMfy
— Fez Al Hindi (@Multibility) November 8, 2016
@AmbaAzaad 13. The fruit vendor, the street food hawker, innumerable such who are paid in 500/- notes.
— Purva Agarwala (@ppurva) November 9, 2016
WHO DECIDED TO ANNOUNCE A MIDNIGHT TIME LIMIT AT 8PM. People are travelling! There’s a dearth of infrastructure! ATMs aren’t ready for this!
— Peglet (@PedestrianPoet) November 8, 2016
Azaad’s list comprises of those populations that are already vulnerable, and worse still, are invisible to those of us who can afford to complain on Twitter or debate in newsrooms. A bold move, yes. But perhaps a knee-jerk one. And that may have been the point. But there are simply far too many social factors that prevent many of these vulnerable groups from following the government’s instructions. One hopes the government is aware of these limitations and plans to address them immediately.
This article was first published here on Cake.
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