Captured by : PG1. LEAD
Defence minister Manohar Parrikar flew down to Goa along with Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore to hold a meeting with the local BJP government officials, government officials and bankers on the possible move to a cashless economy in the state.
This would mean that government departments would start paying labourers directly into their bank acocunts. The labour class would be educated in using electronic money instead of cash money. All outlets under the purview of the excise and commercial taxes department will go cashless. This means you can now buy liquor and other products anywhere by swiping your card, not just select outlets. Bankers will also be interacting with those in the transport industry etc to advise them on electronic methods of payment. It’s a massive exercise but one with even bigger potential.
However, the move is to start with almost immediate effect. The government aims to get things in place before the end of the year, which is a little more than a month away. This, if done well, could be good for Goa, but is it possible, for one? Second, is this the need of the hour right now, with the state and the country reeling from the after-effects of demonitisation?
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The government is planning to start the process of going cashless on that date , which means it’s going to introduce measures to promote going cashless from that time, be it apps or other methods of transaction. It will also have to involve education about the policy etc especially to illiterate or semiliterate individuals. Considering the population, area to be covered and accessibility Goa seems to be a good place to start the process, the keyword here is ‘start’.
Neenad Rajagolkar, entrepreneur
This new move by the government is only going to cause more issues and confusion. The labour class citizens who operate without bank accounts will be the worst hit. The central government has already put the entire nation through massive inconvenience over the past few weeks and people are still reeling from the effects of the demonetisation, which in my opinion is a complete waste of time and has aided nobody. This move is probably just a ruse to cover up the massive cracks in their plan.
Sullivan Noronha, media professional
For established and structured business like ours, it's not a new step. But all this comes at a cost - computers, internet, qualified staff, etc etc. A simple card swipe machine incurs a cost as well. This kind of infrastructure and associated costs can be borne by bigger establishments... but these are few and far between in a small state like Goa. Getting cashless cannot be achieved overnight and even if it does will come at the cost of the unorganised and small scale economy.
Hansel Vaz, entrepreneur
