Akodara, a small village in Sabarkantha district of Gujarat, is back in the news!
Ever since PM Narendra Modi announced demonetisation, this is the only place in India that is completely unaffected by the cash crunch. For they don’t use cash at all!
It was PM Modi’s idea to develop Akodara as India’s first cashless village. ICICI Bank adopted the village and turned it into a ‘digital village’ in 2015. Every household has at least one mobile phone, which is used for mobile banking. Most people are seen using the facility for daily transactions.
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While the milk industry in neighbouring villages has been affected by demonetisation, cattle owners in Akodara are smiling as all their daily transactions are made online. The crime rate in the village too has reportedly come down as people rarely carry cash.
The only ATM in the village had no queues.
The bank has also helped in digitisation of schools and anganwadi, where digital boards, LCD screens and tables are provided. Subscription-based wifi service is available, although the speed of the internet is poor.
Akodara is living proof that rural India can truly be transformed if the government, private sector and people decide to come together. The real task is to replicate the model in all 6 lakh villages – most of which don’t have basic banking facilities.
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