On Thursday, approximately a hundred angry locals protested outside Punjab National Bank in Salempur, UP.
At a private bank in Salempur, a small village in east Uttar Pradesh around 300 from Lucknow, tempers are in abundance but money is not. The bank has received cash just once in the last nine days and more than a month after the government announced it was recalling 86 per cent of the country's cash to combat corruption and tax evasion, the shortage has showed little signs of relent. The bank's ATM hasn't worked since the surprise announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8.
On Thursday, approximately a hundred angry locals protested outside the Punjab National Bank, the only bank in the village, and blocked a road for half-an-hour.
Sudan Singh, a 60-year-old farmer, said, "My buffalo is unwell and might die soon. If she does, it will be because of not having enough money."
Punjab National Bank is the only bank in the village.
Another pressed on a bank window and asked for details on how much money was coming into the bank account and who all it went to.
"Am I asking them for a loan? It is my money in the bank account," said Jaipal Singh, an 80-year-old farmer.
Jaipal Singh (L), an 80-year-old farmer, and his son, 40-year-old Ravinder Singh (R).
Jaipal said he hasn't been able to sow any wheat on his 12-bigha field in the Rabi cropping season that begins in October because of the cash crunch.
His son, 40-year-old Ravinder Singh, said they sold their sugarcane crop but received the payment directly to their bank account from where they have not been able to withdraw from.
"If we got the money like we usually do then we would have been able to sow like we used to. November, December, January, February - the land will remain like this. Rs 70,000 is our loss just this season," Ravinder said.
The only way out would be to take part in share-cropping, they said. "We can't sell our body so we will have to share our land. What else?" Jaipal said.