Yogesh’s Story

Yogesh is a 49 year old mason from Selu - a town 8 hours from Pune. He is the sole breadwinner of his family and works as a daily wage labourer to support his wife, son and daughter.

He spends his mornings at the labor naka waiting to get work. To help him stand out, he has taken a series of photos of his work as a mason which he shows to potential employers.

Fifteen years ago, Yogesh's bank account was disconnected due to infrequent deposits and usage of the account. At the time, he visited his bank branch to resolve the issue, but a series of errors, which he now cannot recall, prevented any resolution. As a daily wage worker, he could not afford to keep visiting and following up with the bank, so he decided to find a way to manage without it.

Since then, Yogesh has been navigating the financial realm by transacting mainly in cash or "piggybacking" on his family member's bank accounts when required. He usually uses his wife's account, but there are instances where he has used his son's and mother-in-law's accounts. In fact, Yogesh had even managed to take out a loan under his Mother-in-law's name to purchase a motorbike.

To add to this, Yogesh also uses digital financial systems like UPI through his wife's and son's accounts. He often asks them to transfer money to other people.

Recently, Yogesh has been considering getting a bank account again as he feels that it would give him control over his money and daily transactions. He hopes to get an account in a government bank as he feels that they are the most trustworthy and secure options as they are backed by the government.

Although Yogesh has been hoping to open a bank account, his demanding schedule as a daily wage worker makes it difficult to find the time. He currently waiting for a day when he has some free time to visit the bank and get the account opened.