With the sudden implementation of the demonetization policy, millions of Indians were left helpless with limited to no money in their pockets. But surprisingly,  there is one place in the country where the change has not left the residents terrified of an uncertain future, and overwhelmed at the sight of bank queues. Located 90 kms from Ahmedabad in Gujarat,  the village with its population of around 1,200 was adopted by  ICICI Bank as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Digital India campaign according to a report by the Hindustan Times.  And the complete digitization in the village has led to a  transformation that speaks for itself.While several of his countrymen are scrambling for 100 Rupee notes and to exchange their old notes, Manilal Prajapati is without a care in the world because technology has allowed him to pay for his groceries with a few clicks on his phone, reports Hindustan Times. Prajapati, a cable operator collects his all his monthly cable connection electronically. All his  subscribers need to do is to send an SMS to the bank after typing 3 followed by Prajapati’s mobile number, the amount to be transferred and the last six digits of their own account numbers and the amount is credited to the operator account, adds the Hindustan Times report. Touted as “India’s first digital village,” Akodara is a shining example of using technological advancement to its fullest.
Unlike a lot of villages in India, this one has over 220 families with e-banking facilities and their phones are also linked to their accounts which makes transactions faster than ever before. In addition, the villager dwellers have their accounts linked to their Aadhar cards,so government benefits are  transferred directly into their savings accounts, reports Business Insider. Even the most simple transaction like buying milk has become electronic. The local dairy cooperative has also stopped paying farmers in cash since the last year and transfers the amount directly to their bank accounts states the Business Insider report.It is initiatives like these that attempt to close up the huge digital gap that exists between urban and rural India. Despite what skeptics say, the Prime Minister’s Digital India plan is already proving to be a worthwhile investment. And with its right implementation, Digital India could help improve not just commerce, but education, medicine and agriculture among other aspects.For more details on Akodara Digital village, you can visit their Facebook page.

Feature Image Courtesy of Hindustan Times