Need to survive the next few days while strapped for cash after the surprise government announcement discontinuing existing Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes on Tuesday? Is buying vegetables and groceries, or medicines, and the daily commutewithout cash making your life miserable? Worry not, Business Standard presents your survival guide for living in a cash-less urban India for the next 48 hours.
Yes, the ATMs are shuttered and there are limits imposed on how much cash you can exchange at the banks, to receive new legal notes in place of the old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination notes; however, there are ways to meet your expenses in India's growing cash-less, e-commerce driven economy.
1) Vegetables and groceries: If the local grocer or the neighbourhood vegetable vendor won't take your notes, opt for online alternatives where you can. BigBasket.com for example will provide you with everything from fruits and vegetables, to gourmet products, along with meat and dairy options. It even has organic vegetables and fruits as an option. The company claims that it can deliver your order to your doorstep, anywhere in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Delhi-Noida, Mysore, Madurai, Coimbatore, Vijayawada-Guntur, Kolkata, Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar, Nashik, Lucknow-Kanpur, Gurgaon, Vadodara, Visakhapatnam, Surat, Nagpur, Patna, Indore and Chandigarh Tricity. Payments can be made using your debit or credit card and even netbanking or m-wallets. Further, you can opt for express delivery on 1,400 plus daily essentials. Of course, there are other options too. Try Groffers for size. The hyper-local delivery app is currently operational in Agra, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kanpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Mumbai, NCR, Nagpur, Pune, Surat and Vadodara. However, it does not deliver to all locations within a listed city. Nature's Basket is another option.
2) Eating out: So, the local grocer's refusal to take your cash has given you the perfect excuse to binge and treat your taste buds. Apps like Swiggy and Zomato have you covered with online payment options. Swiggy currently serves hungry customers in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Kolkata, Pune, New Delhi and Chennai. It claims that it has no restriction on minimum order. Zomato will deliver in almost all major Indian cities.
3) Commuting: Need to catch a cab? Ola users can pay their fare using the company’s own online wallet, Ola Money. Uber customers can attach their debit or credit cards to the app or just pay their fare using Paytm.
4) Medical needs: Both prescription and over the counter healthcare or medical products can be purchased through the netmeds app. They claim to deliver to any address in India. For prescription medicines you will need to upload your doctor's prescription. It also has its own e-wallet option.
