India Launches Digital Payment Communications Campaign

The government of India has decided to take a series of measures to provide incentives to the district administrations which will give a boost to cashless digital payment systems across the districts, talukas, and panchayats.

The move is supposed to provide logistic support to the IEC (information, education, communication) activities for holding training camps for digital mode of payment.

According to NITI Aayog, a government department, the new steps will help usher in an era of transparency and good governance for a corruption-free India envisaged by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi.

NITI Aayog has enlisted a series of incentives for the communications campaign for the district authorities and administration to promote the transition to the cashless digital payment systems.

These include incentives for digital payments for day-to-day financial transactions like buying or selling goods, services, and for transferring money.

NITI Aayog will provide logistic support for outreach activities at the district, taluk and panchayat level in the form of the seed money of Rs. 5 lakh per district administration as a part of the communication campaign.

The purpose is to enhance the seeding of mobile and Aadhaar numbers to the bank account, issue of Rupay cards wherever necessary, issue of PIN, downloading of app, and finally achieving two successful transactions.

The top ten best performing districts will be awarded the Digital Payment Champions of India award. The first 50 Panchayats which go cashless will be awarded Digital Payment Award of Honour.

The five digital payment systems are –

1. Unified Payment Interface, UPI

2. USSD (*99#banking)

3. Adhar Enabled Systems

4. Wallets

5. Rupay / Debit / Credit / Prepaid Cards

The Hindi / English version of the brochure which gives step by step approach to each of the five options is available on this website. In order to help spread the message of advantages of digital payment systems, NITI Aayog has collated and put up the entire sets of creative material – presentations / posters / FM radio spots / films on its website dedicated to the digital payments.

In addition, Common Service Networks are being mobilized to enlist the support of people and the merchants in going cashless.

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has announced cash incentive of Rs.100 for every merchant enabled to transact digitally. Two resource persons have been provided in each district collectorate to co-ordinate the CSE in each district.

NITI Aayog has also solicited the views of the districts in terms of the challenges being faced by them, the solutions thereof and the manner in which they can be supported.

It has lauded the efforts made by the district authorities in designing innovative campaigns to help spread digital payments in their respective districts and urged upon them to share and document the best practices.

Photo courtesy: Press Information Bureau