jaipur a survey of 737 daily wage labourers at 20 of jaipurs nearly 50 labour markets locally called chowktis where men and rarely women wait to be hired for the day has revealed that the november 8 demonetization move of prime minister narendra modi has pushed several poor families to the brink one woman said her threeyearold died after having nothing to eat for four days others said even affording medical treatment or a normal diet had become hard over 54 of respondents said demonetization was a decision that hurt the poorthe survey was conducted by 64 students drawn from 13 different universities across the country under the supervision of peoples union for civil liberties and bharat gyan vigyan bhavanthe results of the threeday survey were compiled into a report released at a press conference on friday the aim of the survey was to study the impact of demonetization on work prospects for daily wagers their income social relationships and access to food banking behavior of labourers the understanding of daily wagers of demonetization and black money were also assessed through questions as part of the surveyabout 30 of those surveyed lived in the city alone with families elsewhere they were migrants in the city in search of work average family size was high from eight to ten943 of respondents said work was much harder to find since demonetization 577 of workers who came out to the labour bazaars would earlier get work since november 9 this has dwindled to 354over 95 of respondents said that their incomes had taken the brunt of modis announcement while daily wages before demonetization was on average about rs450 per day since november 8 it has been about rs 264 per day loss of income was on many counts there was a sharp contraction in labour demand leading to oversupply of labour and shrinkage of wages many respondents said they were paid in old notes which they were forced to exchange for about 30 less than its face value if paid in new notes then rs2000 would fetch only 1800 because of the paucity of change the rise in price of staple items like wheat flour also ate into their meager incomes many said they had begun to live on borrowed money moneylenders were charging interest of 5 a month and this would erode future earnings as wellfamily relationships too had been strained one man reported having to cancel his sisters wedding one labourer said his wife had left him as he failed to pay the childrens fees at least two respondents said they had been evicted from their homes after failing to pay rent one man at pratap nagar chowkti on failing to pay rent was beaten so brutally that his arm broke he said he did not have the means to get it treated and the pain had dulled as numbness had set inover 85 said that demonetization had impacted even their diet nearly 30