Cash disaster grips Afghan refugees dwelling in India

Posted On Sep 24, 2021 By admin With Comments Off

Refugees have been forced to depend on relatives from the US, UAE, UK, Germany and Canada for sustaining their livelihood as Afghanistan’s banking system has stopped functioning. ATMs across Afghanistan have been empty for daytimes and fund give firms such as MoneyGram and Western Union have halted operations too.Even relatives and friends of the refugees in India who have hosted them do not have a bank account as guidelines don’t permit it. Many of them said money changers no longer admitted afghani even in places such Bhogal and Lajpat Nagar which have a large number of Afghans.“Western Union and MoneyGram have suspended their operations. Beings depend on relatives in the UK, US and Canada to send them money. In the last few days, many of them have received [?] 8,000 to [?] 10,000 from their kin, ” said Awdesh Kumar who runs a Western Union movement bar in Lajpat Nagar. Vijay Pokhali, a money changer in Lajpat Nagar said most Afghans have afghani 1,000 documents and moneychangers were reluctant to accept them since the exchange rate was very unstable. “Nobody knows what varies Taliban will draw to the banking and fiscal organisation and fund changers don’t want to take a risk. They made numerous changes to currency that they saw was not Islamic. Since Afghans are also not leaving India for Kabul, the mentions are stuck here, ” he said.Bank-e-Milli, Ghazanfar Bank, Maiwand Bank, Afghanistan National Bank, Afghan United Bank, Pashtany Bank, Azizi Bank and Kabul Bank had become popular in the last few years, but Afghans have traditionally relied on cash transfers from kin abroad. Harmonizing to World Bank approximates, remittances to Afghanistan was around $ 790 million, 4% of its GDP. Even coin carry works in India exclusively render a payout mean they can receive up to [?] 50,000 in one go, but would need to go to the bank’s head office to send money to family in Afghanistan.Fahim Ahmed who contacted India two weeks ago said that apart from hawala transportations, it was money transfer business that have contributed to refugees sustain their lives in countries such as India. “Particularly the ones who came in the last two to three years have no errands because of Covid-1 9. Afghanistan was learning to rely banks, but now it is likely to go back to fully cash dependency, ” he said.“Some banks offer online bank but it is very complicated. I have an account in Maiwand but cannot access it now. I have been trying for daytimes, exclusively one in 100 business gets across, ” said Younus Ashraf, a lawyer who came here in August first week.Mohammed Noor who contacted now three weeks ago on a medical visa said Afghan residents were reeling from a severe shortage of money as banks remained shut and remittances from abroad dried up. “We are not able to access our savings now. The only lane is for our family members to send it to us. But ATMs across Afghanistan are empty and fund exchange is unavailable. There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding exchange rates. Many of us have brought Afghan currency as we had to leave in haste but we are not able to exchange it now. I wanted to withdraw total of eight, 000 afghanis, or $88, before the money flowed out but I hardly controlled 4,000 afghanis, ” he said, adding that people like him have been talking to money changers particularly in Balli Maran in Chandni Chowk and traders in Okhla who have access to traders in Afghanistan to get their currency exchanged.A money changer in Okhla, Mohammed Amjad said the suspension of banking services in Afghanistan has severely affected patients who have come for critical surgeries and cancer care. “They bring cash or dollars but depend a lot on families to send money from shared chronicles. Their visit has been prolonged here due to suspension of flights, and added accommodation and medical care requires a lot of cash that they are having trouble arranging.”Noor said in some areas, his relatives back home in Kabul have also queued up in front of banks for hours really to enquire if coin is safe but haven’t been able to get a proper answer. “Those who worked in the army, government and government-run institutions are yet to receive their salaries. Even the Sarai Shazada market where most money does exchanged has been closed for eras. Countries like India should let people open bank account as quickly as possible. It is a safer form of managing their finances while in deport, ” he lent.