“It took some time for me to understand what exactly was happening, but we managed after a week of serious trouble.”

This is how Venkateshwara Rao, a fisherman-turned-cycle repair shop owner in Chinnapuram village of AP’s Krishna district, recalls his experience of demonetisation.

He is not alone in feeling the shock and confusion. For many residents of a cluster of villages from Chinnapuram, KPT Palem and Kammavari Cheruvu, it took time to understand the actual impact of note withdrawal.

“The first week was challenging for many fishermen and other working class people in these villages, after which the trouble eased, thanks to daily distribution of notes by the local Andhra Bank branch,” recalls Thirumalasetti Jaya Raj, Sarpanch of KPT Palem village.

Rationed supply

As in other places, cash was rationed, and senior citizens and the poor prioritised. “We also directed the business correspondents to cater to the minimum needs of people within the limitations of cash supply,” Naga Venkateshwara Rao, Manager of Andhra Bank’s Chinnapuram branch, tells BuisnessLine.

The bank staff worked 15-17 hours a day, often facing the misplaced wrath of irate customers.

As most villagers needed only small amounts, they could get it from the bank or business correspondents. During the early days of demonetisation, the only bank branch in the area received a daily quota of ₹3 lakh.

Jan Dhan accounts

For deposit of withdrawn notes, the Jan Dhan Yojana accounts came in handy for many. Most of them deposited withdrawn notes worth less than ₹20,000 in the first two weeks itself, according Jaya Raj.

Today, for most villagers, demonetisation is a fast-fading memory. “We are not rich people to face many problems. In a village like ours , cash is not always needed,” says Pamula, an agricultural labourer.

Published on November 7, 2017