Malkangiri: With the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) withdrawing the Rs2,000 notes from circulation, exchanging those with currencies of equal value or against provisions has become a herculean task for the primitive Bonda tribals in Malkangiri district, a report said Saturday.
Even though the RBI has clarified that the exiting notes will continue to be legal tender, there is visible sense of panic among the poor Bonda tribals who are finding it difficult to exchange the notes. The `2000 notes have turned into headache for them as traders are refusing to accept them.
As a result, Bonda women visiting local haats to buy provisions or to sell their harvested crops and vegetables were seen resorting to barter system.
They were seen exchanging their harvested crops and vegetables to buy essentials for their family.
Notably, Bonda tribals live on modest means and manage their family expenses with whatever they earn from cultivation or by selling minor forest produce that they collect.
The Bonda tribals bring the crops and vegetables which they cultivate in their backyard for sale to the haat and return home by buying their daily essentials with the money they earn.
However, after the RBI announced to withdraw Rs 2,000 notes from circulation things have taken a difficult turn as the development has put them in a catch-22 situation.
It is learnt that many Bonda families are still left with some Rs 2,000 notes they have managed to save from their meagre earnings.
They have been panicking after learning that the Rs 2,000 note is going to be withdrawn. Several Bonda women were found coming to the Mundiguda haat carrying Rs 2,000 notes to exchange them by buying provisions or with currencies of equal value but traders are refusing to accept those notes or claiming that they do not have change.
This has sparked concern among the primitive tribals. As the RBI has directed to deposit the `2000 notes in the bank, several small and marginal traders operating in the haat are declining to accept those notes from the customers.
As a result, Bonda women could be seen moving from shop to shop to exchange the notes or buy goods with it as many of them have not even seen a bank yet.
Left with no option, they have resorted to barter system to buy provisions by exchanging their harvested crops and vegetables.
The local intelligentsia has demanded that the bank authorities urgently intervene and collect those Rs 2,000 notes from the tribals by arranging camps in the Bonda villages.
PNN