The little makeshift kiosks that dot Baruwanarendrapur’s rustic landscape, supplying it rations and other daily items, have not opened since November 9. The next nearest supply point is at Ramnagar Kasba, a good 10 km away, entailing an excruciating wait at the railway crossing on the route.
Holi Gautam, a Dalit farmer, one of the few of his community owning land, has been unable to procure seeds and fertilizers for the upcoming wheat season. His eight bighas lies waste. Not only that, the paddy crop he reaped recently has no takers in the market, short on cash.
“Merchants say they have no cash. They offer drastically low prices, which is not viable,” says Gautam, a Jatav, U.P.’s largest Dalit caste. He feels the demonetisation of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes has caused undue harassment to the poor. The 60-year-old had gone to the nearest bank in Ramnagar for the last three days but forced to return empty-handed, unable to wait for long in the serpentine queues.
Bank branches in rural U.P. are few and far between, compounding the situation. Gautam, who is yet to receive the compensation due to him for damage to the wheat crop by hailstorm last season, is not sure if he will be able the sow the crop in time this time. In peak season, each day counts.
Babulal, the former gram pradhan, and Gautam’s neighbour, has sown wheat without fertilizer, as he could not wait any longer.
‘Should I stay hungry?’The market scenario is not promising for the farmer. The price of paddy has fallen from Rs. 1,200 to Rs. 1,450 per quintal to a mere Rs. 700-Rs. 1,000. “Do I have black money? Why don’t you go and bother the rich? Should I stay hungry for seven days and eat all at once on the eight day? Why now, just before the Vidhan Sabha polls,” an agitated Gautam asks.
Jagdish Kumar, 30, a farm labourer, sits dejected in his hut as he has not got a single day’s work since the currency ban. Most farms have shut down or see reduced activity.
‘Poor also suffer’The MGNREGA has been non-operative in the village since a year and work on private farms belonging to upper caste Thakurs and Kurmis (OBC peasant caste) in neighbouring villages is unstable — the wages fluctuate from a meagre Rs. 50 to Rs. 150 and there is no guarantee of prompt payment. Jagdish has a bank account.
“To punish the rich and corrupt, the poor are also being crushed (gareeb pisa gaya). Those supporting the move are greedy they will get a share of the black money. It’s not as if Modiji will distribute the black money among us after this entire process,” says Jagdish.
