The Social Impacts of India’s Demonetization: Banks Threaten Impoverished Farmers…
NOVANEWS
'Gandhigiri', Cashless Hara-Kiri in Marathwada
By P. Sainath
CounterCurrents
The bank has “decided to use Gandhigiri to try and recover the loans [from you]. For this the bank has decided to do one of the following: 1) Put up a tent opposite your house to protest, 2) Make use of a band, 3) ring bells.
“Due to these actions, your standing and image in society are likely to be in danger.”
That is the Osmanabad District Central Cooperative Bank (ODCC) promising 20,000 of its clients public humiliation and ridicule.
Those clients, mostly farmers, have seen many years of distress. Sometimes from crop failure, sometimes from a glut or price crash. A crippling drought and water crisis have further hit their loan repayments. On top of that, the government’s recent scrapp...