“Your work will be looked after Sir, you just have to pay
some of your extra pennies… for the file to proceed”- the common old line that
many must have come across. And years
after years the unsought, untamed heinous modus operandi of making money out of
money, unflinchingly sustained in its business with its host of crooked expertise.
On one hand , it is the money sucked out quite scornfully from the hard earned fellow doers ,who out of peer pressure backed
by their saddened helpless situations have to pour the hefty currencies into the unknown pockets, just for the sake of
converting a plain paper to a legitimize
platform for making it justified. Although initially, the modest ones stay firm
on their ground resisting hard to get de-magnetized from the web of bribe and
corruption, but their efforts eventually droop in vain. After waiting for days, some for weeks and
sometimes for months or even years , where time no more does justice to what
they lawfully deserve , they make no delay to pump into those filthy pockets
beyond the eyes of law.
Like an age old ceremony, such malevolence has been sweeping
across the country which is quite known yet unheard and acted upon blindly by
the people. Unaware of its brutal consequences that how indulgence and
repetitiveness is another factor that has always sincerely attributed to conversion
of the white money in an amenable way to the category of black/the unaccounted
money. Today it is because of this
care-free unabashed attitude that has led to the paradigm shift making the rich
merrier and richer and deteriorating the state of the impoverished section of
the society. On the other hand, the spiral racket of such pooling of money gets
aggravated when some handful of powerful
business doers or the hooted bureaucrats with not a tinge of regret in
breaking their business ethics and laws, indulge in being the money hawkers to
be at their heights of avarice. Or it can
also be the other way round, where they happily get involved competing in their
hoarding capacity outlandishly utilizing their power of political wrath and freedom
of injustice. With time it got so rooted that media once took no less a time unearthing
the bold headlines that said ‘stacks of black money account holders in the
Swiss accounts outside the country’. What a shame?
India, a country despite rich in many cultural spheres always
scored at its low when it comes to brutal corruption say in sports, education,
profit/not-for profit organizations, academics and not even they spared the
health sector. As such, corruption went viral, so viral that in no less time,
the circulation of the so called black money got a ruckus in the entire country.
From a corruption index of 38th position in 2015, India somehow managed
with a sheepish improvement occupying the 75th position. The spread
of this corruption virus backed by unleashed stack of black money have much
before got aggravated and today have reached at its pinnacle of destructing
India. Such consequences deepened not only because of our fragile punishment acts
followed by lenient income tax slabs but also because of the constant
cooperation of some of the impatient masses mostly belonging to the high
profile public fraternity . Despite the untiring slogans and the unstoppable
breathless speeches of the political party leaders to fight corruption with the
common age-old taboo “fight for anti-corruption” the evil yet ruled and may be
still ruling. As such, not much change has been witnessed in fighting
corruption and combating the presence of black money.
So today, in my blog I
would like to ask whether really this story would go on or there is a sheer
hope of a turning point making India a corrupt free and a better happy India? I wish definitely the latter sustains. But is
it something that Modi has already planned out? I guess so. I am talking
about the truckloads of news that has already flooded our minds, the media
channels both domestic and international with the most striking news ever for
the first time in the Indian history. Yes, I am talking about the epic step
taken by our honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi declaring currency ban as popularly known by
the word ‘Demonetization’. As I say
demonetization, quickly I can recall that very night on 8th November,
2016 when like a swarm of bees people panicked, rushed every to and fro, tensed
and anxious to get changes of their old currencies at the mentioned junctions
in their respective places. Public gatherings in huge masses were witnessed
holding currencies openly for the first time queuing late nights that were
mostly highlighted in front the petrol pumps. Who doesn’t remember the picture?
Yes the picture was grim with the aam aadmis being the worst sufferers.
Sufferings were not just witnessed for that very night or a day. It went on for
more than a month with people apprehensive enough of the new move, of the new
saga of fighting corruption. The long queues in front of the banks across the
country, the death news of a few out of the panic attacks , parents concerned
of their children residing outside their home, fainting of some old- aged men
and women due to hours standing under the unbearable heat in such long queues
and that’s how the news of disaster kept flashing in all media channels,
magazines, and newspapers that imprinted quite bold and thought provoking
indeed.
On one hand media didn’t stop playing Modi’s speeches
pleading people- the ‘janata’ to cooperate and communicate and bear the pain
convincing that it would not last long. While on the other hand the same media
channels broadcasting with no stone unturned the angst and agonies of the
citizens complaining their woes out of note ban. In fact, the introduction of
the highly weighted currency note of 2000, that immediately followed after note
ban have added fuel to the fire. Although, the ‘dear’ 2000 notes have made its
place in ATMs and people’s pockets but yet, I guess, has not been successful enough
making its place in transactions. More complex it has become for the aam aadmis
once he holds the mighty 2000 as neither it gets easily breakable nor easily
acceptable. Never-ending debates by the intellectuals, stinging criticisms by
the economists , constant bullies and slams from the Oppositions, and public
hue and cry were all that reigned for more than a month almost in every place
and yet continued quite noticeably with the same uproar. Apart from these
plaintive wails, the situation got more perplexing when demonetization was
backed streamlining India into cashless digitalized economy. A country feeding
its population through daily cash transactions now has to revert its daily
routine through cashless transactions. ‘Could be a success or a complete messy
deadlock?’, is what mostly all are apprehensive about. Quite yes, to all the
grim consequences, that seem more like a punishable picture testing the
tolerance limit of the citizens all because of the sudden brunt of the
traumatized note-ban. It actually depicted a Hitler approach rather an economic
reform policy which as per Modi is the significant step to combat black money,
tax evasion and extremism.
So, really an
unavoidable plethora of circumstances and consequences Modi Ji! Here, in line
with what the sources outlined, I too being one among the fellow citizens would
like to mark on the thought and wonder that in a country like India where rural
masses form the majority, where in many areas dilapidated infrastructure still poses
a great threat to development, shortage of electronic payment systems despite
many with their debit cards and smart phones, where problems like unemployment
are ameliorating , where ratio of manpower to accounting way shrinking, where there
are no stringent punishing laws for the law-breakers, no fines, no rigorous
income tax slabs, where 98% consumers as
sources said deal through transactions in cashes, where still in many parts of
the country villages survive without proper electricity and no education then how come a country like
India can outgrow a model cashless digitalized nation ? Will all these
loopholes be compensated at the earliest genuinely and not just by raising
digital campaigns, the digi dhan melas and shouting slogans for ‘acche din’?
Yes, India has got several potholes which have been rising at a steady rate. So, amid such potholes, can India really
outgrow with what Modi has in his vision today? Can entire India be turned into a cashless
digitalized economy? Will the tea-tribes and the masses of the far-flung rural
India be able to adapt to this new payment system? Is it really for the
interest of the Indian citizens or a move taken for the party’s political
interest? And the questions go on that more or less ends up reflecting an
apprehensive response regarding note ban policy followed by foreseeing India as
a cashless economy.
But today, I think, the aam janata can really give it a
chance cornering the skeptic approach and allowing demonetization go hand in
hand with unity in diversity. Of course, results are already witnessed when
millions of people who despite their agonies arising out of note ban have supported
whole-heartedly in the new black money eradication mission, and have abided as
asked so far. So, it’s public
participation, their cooperation, faith and awareness regarding anti-corruption
thereby combating the black money dwellers. The drudgeries may continue for
some more time but in the long run it shall sooth the economy. Not forgetting
about the successful Jan dhan mission,
the LPG scheme and the recent Income declaration scheme , the citizens shall
give time for the mess to get stable as great things really need time to
happen. I believe! But Mr. Modi, your dream of a better India and providing
peaceful sleep to the entire country can really be a possibility if the potholes
(as mentioned above) are not ignored. They need to be bandaged sooner or else demonetization
may evolve as a conundrum with all efforts in vain. It is mercy for what the
honest citizens of your country are asking for. And being the humble citizens of
the country, I believe, today, we shall not let it go off rather shall give a
chance to support the new move of democratic India, no matter how harsh the
routes be as it is high time for combating the evil corruption and combat black
money. Long Live a happy India.
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