Jaipur demonetization survey: 90% casual labour report less income or no income, 11% zero income for 10 days

By A Representative
Vijay, a 55-year-old casual worker who seeks work every day standing at one of the 50-odd labour markets or chowktis in Jaipur, says, a few days after the demonetization announcement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8, he was thrown out of out of the small room he lived in with his wife as he failed to pay his rent.
“I am living on the street for the last 10 days. My wife is unwell, and I have no money to take her to hospital. We even canceled my sister’s marriage”, he complains.
Another worker, Jamilan Yaju, who stands at the chowkti at Dadi Ka Fatak says, following Modi's demonetization move, his mother died, “as she was ill and we did not have money for her treatment... We don't have money to eat bread with salt.”
These are just two of the responses from the 737 casual labourers,interviewed between December 20 and 23, spread over 20 chowktis by 64 students from 13 different law colleges and universities in a People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) report, “Impact of Demonetization on Casual Labour at the Chowktis of Jaipur.”
The report states, “More than half the respondents stated that even relations within family or outside have been impacted adversely. A little over quarter of total respondents have faced the brunt of the demonetization as they have suffered on account of health, education of children, lack of housing, cancellation of marriages and so on. ”
According to the report, during the pre-demonetization period 57.7% workers would get employment at chowtkis, as against 35.4% during the post-demonetization period, adding, “Excluding rare exceptions all the respondents reported loss of work and incomes.”
The report further says, “Over 90% reported either less income or no income at all. Almost 11% reported zero incomes during the last ten days from the date of survey”, adding, “Many reported that the payments were made in old notes whose value had depreciated in the market and thus they could exchange these old notes at a reduced value of up to 25 to 30%.”
In fact, if the report is to be believed, “Most of the workers said that an old Rs 500 note fetched Rs 350 to 400 and Rs 1000 note about Rs 700. Not only that, even payment in new Rs 2000 note fetched only 1800 in smaller denomination notes due to paucity of change.”
Then, says the report, “The income also eroded because of rise in staple food items like wheat flour. Responses suggest that the price of wheat flour which hovered around Rs 20 a kilogram shot up to Rs 25 or more a kilo post demonetization.”
In fact, notes the report, “Not only that the current income has been knocked off considerably, there is also strain on future incomes, both directly and indirectly. Due to lack of jobs and incomes, many workers having low income base have been forced to take small survival loans from moneylenders at a high rate of 5% a month for bare survival.”
Overal, the report states, “Almost two-thirds of workers reported that they are facing problems related to payment of wages. About 90% of all responses indicate that there has been negative impact on food intake. For about 20 percent the impact has been huge. People reported having slept hungry for days; having starved; surviving on bread and tea and biscuits; eating at akshay patra; having just one meal a day and so on.”

Comments

Grueling summer ahead: Cuttack’s alarming health trends and what they mean for Odisha

By Sudhansu R Das The preparation to face the summer should begin early in Odisha. People in the state endure long, grueling summer months starting from mid-February and extending until the end of October. This prolonged heat adversely affects productivity, causes deaths and diseases, and impacts agriculture, tourism and the unorganized sector. The social, economic and cultural life of the state remains severely disrupted during the peak heat months.

Stronger India–Russia partnership highlights a missed energy breakthrough

By N.S. Venkataraman* The recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India was widely publicized across several countries and has attracted significant global attention. The warmth with which Mr. Putin was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was particularly noted, prompting policy planners worldwide to examine the implications of this cordial relationship for the global economy and political climate. India–Russia relations have stood on a strong foundation for decades and have consistently withstood geopolitical shifts. This is in marked contrast to India’s ties with the United States, which have experienced fluctuations under different U.S. administrations.

From natural farming to fair prices: Young entrepreneurs show a new path

By Bharat Dogra There have been frequent debates on agro-business companies not showing adequate concern for the livelihoods of small farmers. Farmers’ unions have often protested—generally with good reason—that while they do not receive fair returns despite high risks and hard work, corporate interests that merely process the crops produced by farmers earn disproportionately high profits. Hence, there is a growing demand for alternative models of agro-business development that demonstrate genuine commitment to protecting farmer livelihoods.

The Vande Mataram debate and the politics of manufactured controversy

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The recent Vande Mataram debate in Parliament was never meant to foster genuine dialogue. Each political party spoke past the other, addressing its own constituency, ensuring that clips went viral rather than contributing to meaningful deliberation. The objective was clear: to construct a Hindutva narrative ahead of the Bengal elections. Predictably, the Lok Sabha will likely expunge the opposition’s “controversial” remarks while retaining blatant inaccuracies voiced by ministers and ruling-party members. The BJP has mastered the art of inserting distortions into parliamentary records to provide them with a veneer of historical legitimacy.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Why India must urgently strengthen its policies for an ageing population

By Bharat Dogra A quiet but far-reaching demographic transformation is reshaping much of the world. As life expectancy rises and birth rates fall, societies are witnessing a rapid increase in the proportion of older people. This shift has profound implications for public policy, and the need to strengthen frameworks for healthy and secure ageing has never been more urgent. India is among the countries where these pressures will intensify most sharply in the coming decades.

The cost of being Indian: How inequality and market logic redefine rights

By Vikas Gupta We, the people of India, are engaged in a daily tryst—read: struggle—for basic human rights. For the seemingly well-to-do, the wish list includes constant water supply, clean air, safe roads, punctual public transportation, and crime-free neighbourhoods. For those further down the ladder, the struggle is starker: food that fills the stomach, water that doesn’t sicken, medicines that don’t kill, houses that don’t flood, habitats at safe distances from polluted streams or garbage piles, and exploitation-free environments in the public institutions they are compelled to navigate.

Thota Sitaramaiah: An internal pillar of an underground organisation

By Harsh Thakor* Thota Sitaramaiah was regarded within his circles as an example of the many individuals whose work in various underground movements remained largely unknown to the wider public. While some leaders become visible through organisational roles or media attention, many others contribute quietly, without public recognition. Sitaramaiah was considered one such figure. He passed away on December 8, 2025, at the age of 65.

Bangladesh alternative more vital for NE India than Kaladan project in Myanmar

By Mehjabin Bhanu* There has been a recent surge in the number of Chin refugees entering Mizoram from the adjacent nation as a result of airstrikes by the Myanmar Army on ethnic insurgents and intense fighting along the border between India and Myanmar. Uncertainty has surrounded India's Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport project, which uses Sittwe port in Myanmar, due to the recent outbreak of hostilities along the Mizoram-Myanmar border. Construction on the road portion of the Kaladan project, which runs from Paletwa in Myanmar to Zorinpui in Mizoram, was resumed thanks to the time of relative calm during the intermittent period. However, recent unrest has increased concerns about missing the revised commissioning goal dates. The project's goal is to link northeastern states with the rest of India via an alternate route, using the Sittwe port in Myanmar. In addition to this route, India can also connect the region with the rest of India through Assam by using the Chittagon...

Search This Blog