India will now have a new digital payment mode with PM Modi announcing the launch of the e-RUPI digital payment platform on 2nd August, 2021.
There were times when people and organisations willing to donate money for someone’s treatment or education or for a similar philanthropic work would get apprehensive about their donations reaching the right place. This dubious situation would lead them to withdraw from the idea of making donations in the first place.
Backed by impeccable technology support, the Modi Government has now come up with a solution for such situations by making Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) more effective and transparent.
Adding a new dimension to digital governance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched e-RUPI – a digital payments solution – via Video Conferencing on Monday, 2nd August 2021.
Modi happily explained that the e-RUPI voucher – a person and purpose specific cashless and contactless digital payment solution being developed by National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) and the Ministry of Finance – is a symbol of how India is progressing by connecting people with technology – technology that was once considered a domain of the rich.
In simpler terms, e-RUPI is basically a QR code or SMS string-based prepaid voucher e-gift card meant to be sent on the beneficiary’s mobile number.
Further asserting on the new opportunities that technological developments in the country have paved the path for, the PM said that it was bringing in transparency and integrity in transactions. This would also create newer opportunities and make technology-driven initiatives more accessible to the poor.
Highlighting the benefits of a tech-enabled DBT in place, Modi threw light on the fact that more than ₹17.50 Lakh Crore had been transferred directly to the accounts of people via DBT in recent times. He further remarked: “More than 3,000 schemes are using DBT, and 90 Crore Indians are being benefited in some way or the other in areas like LPG, ration, medical treatment, scholarship, pension and wage disbursal. Also ₹1,35,000 Crore had been directly transferred to farmers under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. A sum of ₹85,000 Crore for government purchase of wheat was also disbursed in this manner. The biggest benefit of this all was that ₹1,78,000 Crore was prevented from going to the wrong hands”.
We can clearly see that with the launch of the e-RUPI app, money allocated for healthcare and welfare schemes will now reach the actual beneficiaries without any sort of ‘leakage’.
