Private hospitals, malls not fully equipped for cash-less transaction in Bihar
Patna,(BiharTimes): Notwithstanding lectures given by prime minister Narendra Modi on the importance of cash-less transaction, the ground reality suggests that the country is not prepared for such a sudden transformation. Not to speak of rural areas, the infrastructure has not been fully developed even in metropolitan cities. The problem of network persists everywhere in India. Patna, not to speak of other towns and villages of Bihar too has its quota of problems.
That is why in spite of all the tall claim of heading towards cashless economy, the truth is that things are still moving at a very slow pace.
The process started several years back without any demonetization and without any PM repeatedly asking people to do so. No President or PM or even dictator of any country in the world has made it an issue to convert the country into a cash-less economy in a few weeks.
There is no denying the fact that the concept of cash-less economy is being suddenly encouraged because the government is unable to generate new currency notes on time.
True the banks have started providing Electronic Data Capture machines, also known as Card Swipe Machine and several business establishment have even started installing it, yet the problem of connectivity and lack of training among customers are a big problem.
For example, when a customer went to V2 Mall to purchase some goods he saw a long queue on the counter for payment.
The customer told BiharTimes that he was not among those who was to pay through card and was about to pay in cash when it was announced that the network has got disrupted and only cash would be accepted.
This angered an elderly lady, who was there to pay through card and had no cash.
“Aur do Modi ko vote. Mein to nahin diya tha”(Give votes to Modi. I never gave),” she yelled.
“Kiya kijye ka madam, humlog to bandar hain” (What will you do madam, we are monkeys), came a reply from one of the customers.
If this is the scene in a mall, a Delhi-based journalist of an English daily was surprised on the way a premier private hospital of Patna insisted on cash payment.
He rang to BiharTimes to narrate as to how the Heart Hospital in Kankarbagh refused to accept cash through card even when Modiji is talking about cashless economy.
His father is in the intensive care unit of the said hospital. After all arranging such big cash in this era of cash crunch is no easy task.
The situation is very grim in the rural area. A Plus-2 contractual teacher posted in Sitamarhi has a different story to narrate about cashlessness. He said that after a long wait for hours in queue what he got as a salary was just Rs 2,000 when he gets Rs 18,000 as monthly salary.