Cash influx will cost poor sops

Hyderabad: People from poorer sections, who are being hired by the rich, to convert black money into white, face the risk of losing welfare schemes implemented by central and state governments. The rich are engaging the services of daily labourers, construction workers, MNREGA workers, farmers, drivers and slum dwellers, luring them with good returns for every Rs 1000 deposited in their accounts.

Though the rich first tried to turn their black into white by giving ‘advance salary’ for six months to one year to their maids and drivers, it was stopped as a sense of  ‘mistrust’ prevails over them leaving jobs midway after taking advance salaries. All welfare schemes like food security, pensions, scholarships,. Arogyasri etc are linked with income limit and if deposits cross the limit, they would become ineligible to claim the benefit.

With bank accounts already linked to Aadhaar, thanks to LPG cash transfer scheme and ration cards, banks are sending details of account holders who crossed the income limit criterion to various departments for verification. In Telangana, the total beneficiaries covered under food security cards (ration cards) currently stand at 2.78 crore. Of them, Aadhaar seeding has already been completed for 2.77 lakh, amounting to 99.63 per cent. Similarly, the LPG-Aadhaar-bank seeding has crossed 95 per cent. This makes the task easier for officials to identify the income status of every beneficiary by verifying their banking transactions with Aadhaar and LPG seeding.

However, people from poorer sections who aren’t aware of technology and how they may be caught at the click of a button are being exploited by brokers, who struck deals with the rich to convert their black into white, collecting commission of up to 30 per cent in the process. The famous ‘labour addas’ in city located  in Golnaka, Chikkadpally, Musheerabad, Secunderabad, Chilakalaguda,  Uppal, Tarnaka and Balangar have been buzzing with activity for the last five days.

Normally, labourers are hired to load, unload stocks in markets, gardening, construction work, plumbing etc. Thanks to demonetisation, the scene has entirely changed. There was no work for them for the first two days. Now they are busy being approached by brokers to stand in long queues to exchange currency or make deposits. “It was tough to earn even Rs 400 per day earlier despite doing strenuous work. Now, we are offered Rs 300 for every Rs 1000 note exchanged. For making deposits of over Rs 10,000, over Rs 3,000 is offered as commission. We need to stand for four to five hours in queues for this job,” said Peddi Anjaiah, a daily-wage labourer in the city.

The brokers are engaging the services of only those labourers who have Aadhaar, ration cards or bank accounts. Labourers are not aware of the consequences they would face due to these banking transactions providing Aadhaar and other proofs. They see it as just another job. “Today we don’t have any other work except standing in queue to exchange currency. We need to do this to eke out a living,” said Sathyamma, a labourer.

Cash brokers seek farmers’ accounts:

The Telangana state government has warned the poor against being used as a conduit to turn black money of the rich into white for temporary benefits. It has come to the notice of the government that farmers are being appro-ached by brokers to make deposits of black money in their accounts since agricultural income is exempt from income-tax. The government has decided to cross-check the details of all beneficiaries of welfare schemes with their bank accounts to find out whether they comply with the norms on upper income limit to claim benefits.
The finance department has instructed all departments to keep a tab on banking transactions of beneficiaries of respective departments till December 30.

Following this, the welfare departments of backward classes, economically backward classes, minorities, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, and panchayati raj, agriculture and labour departments, are gathering banking transaction details from the State Level Bankers’ Committee, an umbrella association of all public sector banks. “We have online database of all beneficiaries in the state, which has been seeded with Aadhaar, LPG and bank accounts. With this, we can track the banking transactions of any beneficiary with the help of banks. The account details will be sent to the revenue department, which issues income certificates. Those accounts crossing the upper income limit would become ineligible since beneficiaries need to obtain fresh certificates every year,” said sources in the finance department.

Instructions have been issued to district collectors, RDOs, MROs to inform poorer sections of the implications of converting black money into white in their accounts. The government wants to reduce its subsidy burden to the maximum possible extent with this screening in the wake of tighter financial condition.