With employers failing to disburse wages in the form of hard cash, owing to non-availability of lower denomination notes, people working in the unorganised sectors in Mandya and Ramanagaram districts are thronging banks to open new accounts or activate their defunct ones.
Over 7,000 accounts were opened in various nationalised and private banks on November 29 and November 30, say statistics at Lead Banks.
Subsequently, the authorities concerned decided to continue account opening drives till the year-end in both districts.
In Mandya
Such drives were held in various parts of the district on November 30 and the response from people was tremendous, N.G. Prabhudev, manager, Lead Bank of Mandya (Vijaya Bank), told The Hindu here on Friday.
People working in unorganised sectors in all seven taluks — Mandya, Maddur, Malavalli, Srirangapatna, K.R. Pet, Pandavapura, and Nagamangala — visited banks/stalls put up at various places to open accounts.
The Lead Bank of Ramanagaram (Corporation Bank) also witnessed an impressive response from people during its drive held at different places in all four taluks — Ramanagaram, Channapatna, Magadi, and Kanakapura —on November 29 and 30.
A total of 2,588 people have opened their accounts, B. Prakash, Manager, Lead Bank of Ramanagaram, told The Hindu .
According to statistics at the District Industries Centres (DIC), Mandya district has around 6,000 small-scale industrial units and Ramanagaram has around 1,700. The scarcity of valid notes due to demonetisation has severely hit labourers working in the unorganised sectors as over 20 per cent of the workers do not have accounts in banks. Majority of them have not received their full payment ever since November 9.
Of around 7,000 people who opened accounts recently, majority of them are pavement vendors, flower and fruit merchants, vegetable sellers, beedi rollers, employees of silk reeling units, cigarette sellers, hotel employees, masons, and daily wagers.
456 banks
Various nationalised and private banks have opened their branches at 172 places in Ramanagaram district and at 284 places in Mandya district.
