agra on the eve of payday industries are finding it difficult to pay their workers most of who work on daily wages from opening bank accounts to distributing coupons of malls and opening grocery shops in their premises footwear industry for instance unsuccessfully tried to pay their workers who traditionally have more belief in hard cash distribution of coupons proved to be a damp squib as workers felt they would require to spend more in buying household goods from malls the focus is now on micro atms which will come to factories doorsteps for workers other industrial sectors like glass bangles petha and budget hotels and restaurants are totally dependent on cash flow from banks and paying their workers as and when there is currency supply puran dawar president of agra footwear manufacturers and exporters chamber afmec said we have been different options to pay salaries our workers and ease pay day woes earlier we tied with a super market and distributed their coupons to workers for buying groceries from there but it did not work out firstly workers who are used to fulfil their household needs from their neighbourhood shops were not comfortable with the idea of visit the mall secondly rates of products were obviously on higher side given the quality and other factors dawar who had himself bought coupons worth rs 2 lakh was able to distribute vouchers of rs 15000 value only rest he had to return to the mall there were other problems with coupons for instance if a worker was given a rs 2000 coupon he was required to buy goods worth that value as the mall was not ready to adjust the remaining balance in next shopping next some exporters tried to sign contracts with department stores in areas where workers live but that turned out to be a cumbersome process in identifying and keeping a track of transactions with so many shops with this idea not working out properly a few opened grocery stores in factories to provide primary food items to their workers this idea worked to some extent but did not solve the problem altogether we are in discussion with banks to open accounts for workers provided they are ready for this as high as 85 are reluctant about opening accounts as they feel it would be a waste of time going to banks just to collect their wages for decades and decades they have been using cash they feel that money is only cash when it comes into hand explained shahroo mohsin afmec senior vice president finally the factories owners have zeroed on microatms to deal with salary issues now banks will visit their plants with the device and cash once or twice a week and disburse the salary rajesh sehgal afmec vice president who had opened a grocery shop at his factory said microatms will solve the problem of salary banks have assured to provide enough money through this facility in coming days this way workers will not