Demonetisation aftermath: Small vendors go cashless in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: At a time the whole country is grappling with the demonetization problem, the small vendors in Bhubaneswar have adopted the smartest ways. They are accepting payment through mobile and online payment services.

Tea sellers, vegetable vendors and grocery stores are unzipping their e-wallets at a time when digital money is king after the government last week banned Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.

Hundreds of such small vendors and businesses have switched to mobile and online payment services. While a number of payment gateways such, as Paytm and Freecharge, are in big demand to offer payment options to small traders and kirana shop owners.

They have put up bills with Paytm logo before their shops. Tea seller Paramananda who has a tea shop in Jaydev Vihar, is among those small vendors who are using the service and was happy with the outcome.

He does not go to his bank to deposit his income, since Paytm provides a service that allows him to transfer the money from the wallet to his bank account.

“I try to convince my customers to pay me my due with Paytm. I get notified by the company after every payment,” he said.

Grocery shop owners have also started using the wallet service after the recent demonetisation step. One such vendor Ramachandra Ghadei, who owns a shop in Satyanagar said, “We started using Paytm after the demonetisation of big currency notes was declared. We knew that there will be a shortage of money and most ATMs and banks will be crowded.”

“Even if you eat for Rs 10, no problem. Pay using paytm,” he said, adding many of his competitors had applied for paytm.

Some vendors claimed that officials from Paytm have been visiting their shops and requesting to give their wallet service a try. They install its application on their phones and teach them to use it.

Shibashankar Patra, who sells snacks at his makeshift shop near Exhibition Ground, said, ‘A Paytm official came and suggested me to use their application for hassle-free payment. They took my Aadhar card for ID verification.”