Demonetization of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 notes is certainly the biggest step any government has taken. While there is a huge debate on the implementation strategies, there is a section of people and organizations who are taking this opportunity to come forward clean and socially empathetic. In an amazing step, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (also known as Amul), country’s biggest milk and milk products producer took the cashless route for paying their members. The milk company helped in opening 5.4 lakh new saving accounts for its members especially in the rural areas.
Amul has always proven itself be more than a brand right from the time of its inception in 1946. In fact the entire cooperative movement was started against the brutalities of Polson Dairy of Anand, Gujarat. Operation Flood scripted by the organization in the 70s turned India from a net importer of milk into one of the world’s biggest producers in the world.
Amul had been stressing on the need to take the digital route for transactions since more than a couple of years. Dairy farmers were sensitized to open bank accounts for a seamless shift. With this effort, around Rs. 450 crores per week which dairy farmers transact for milk procurement, will go digital.
This is definitely a huge step towards realizing cashless India. With organizations connected to the rural India taking such initiatives, digital India dream start to seem more and more real. Government of India is also supporting and encouraging different modalities for digital payments. We hope more organizations with bigger human resource base especially in the rural set up take up digital mode for transactions. This is the only way Digital India initiative will be able to engage with masses living in the hinterlands.
News Source: Financial Express | Rediff
