Poor connectivity hinders cashless system

SHILLONG: The Centre’s push for cashless transaction is stuck in Meghalaya’s grey areas and the State authorities are trying to find a way out of the problem.
Secretary of the Finance Department Sanjay Goyal said there are 83 grey and dark areas in the State, which include 1,034 villages, where poor or no connectivity is a major challenge for implementing cashless transactions.
“We have taken up the matter with the Union government and even BSNL to provide at least some sort of connectivity in these villages,” Goyal told The Shillong Times.
The government has directed deputy commissioners, block development officers and even banks to organise financial literacy campaigns in various locations where people will be informed about usage of ATM cards and other modes of transactions.
Reacting to a query about the shortage of smaller denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 100 in the town, Goyal said the situation in Shillong is better than other cities.
He further informed that availability of smaller denomination notes in Shillong has increased from 4 percent to 12 percent in the last one month.
“The government is taking up the matter with the Union government and the Reserve Bank of India and we are getting supply of notes at regular intervals,” Goyal said.
Earlier, BJP had asserted that the Centre would not force the cashless system and that necessary awareness is being created in this regard. However, those who delink themselves from cash transactions will be encouraged.