Thanks to ‘helpful’ placement agents and labour contractors, family members of ‘trusted household maids’ in the National Capital Region are making a quick buck due to demonetisation.
A placement agency operator based in east Delhi said that for a modest fee — between Rs.50 and Rs.100 per hour — a family member of a trusted maid will stand in line for you at the bank or the ATM to withdraw money.
Trust is important
Gyanesh (name changed), from New Ashok Nagar, said: “We have asked several women whom we placed at homes across the city to introduce their family members to their bosses for this purpose.” Mr. Gyanesh claims the scheme “worked instantly” in cases where the women had been employed for a long time and there was a “certain level of trust between both parties”.
“Our role is to bring both sides to an agreement in terms of rates and assure the family that their money will be safe once it is withdrawn, which we ensure by taking them [the maid’s family members] to the banks ourselves and keeping our eyes open,” Mr. Gyanesh said.
According to Rajbir Kasana, a contractor who provides plumbers, cooks, construction workers and maids to clients in Noida, several women he had put in touch with employers at “posh sectors” had a similar story.
‘Win-win solution’
“There is a lot of unemployment in the market due to the cash crunch, so the household maids are making the male members of their family available to employers, especially working couples, to stand in line for the ATM or bank,” Mr. Kasana said.
“Both sides benefit, but the unemployed daily wager, in my opinion, gets more out of the deal since those in need of petty jobs have virtually come to the brink of starvation. Meanwhile, the working couple gets their cash when they reach home,” Mr. Kasana said.
Jasjit Dogra (name changed), who operates out of Burari and provides placements to maids in Rohini, Pitampura and Saraswati Vihar, said the service was being provided “only after adequate training” had been given to those being asked to stand in lines.
“While some of the maids and their family members do have bank accounts, they didn’t know how to operate them. So we had to train them through pictures and, when possible, by taking them to ATMs. Those who can read have instructions written on their palms for help. I don’t see anything wrong with the service since it helps the unemployed make a little money,” Mr. Dogra said.
