Govt offices in Odisha to switch to digital payments

State starts installing mobile PoS and Aadhaar-based payments; full switchover likely by year end

Government offices in Odisha are preparing for a shift to digital payments. The state government has kicked off the process for procurement and installation of Point of Sale (PoS) devices like mobile PoS and Aadhaar based payments. Apart from government offices, state-controlled PSUs and societies would also be enabled for receiving digital payments. The switch to the digital payment mode is expected to be fully ready by the end of this financial year.

Tuhin K Pandey, principal secretary (finance), Odisha has urged all government departments and district collectors to issue necessary instructions to agencies under their control to install PoS devices for facilitating digital payments. The finance department has formulated a set of guidelines to enable government departments for installation of PoS devices.

The heads of the state government agencies are required to assess the requirement of PoS devices in their counters and make an indent with any of the two banks authorized to handle the business and deposits of state PSUs. Upon requisition of the devices, the banks would supply the PoS devices to the agencies concerned. The onus would be on the agencies to ensure the required infrastructure including internet connectivity, telephone, personal computer and sim card. The bank would supply the device in terms of the requisition indicating the machine identity number for monitoring payment of merchant discount rate and payment of rentals on the devices installed.

In order to ensure redundancy in the arrangement for acceptance of digital payment, the departmental offices are to use payment solutions and devices from two different agency banks. Devices accepting the digital payment would be linked to a designated bank account maintained in the bank branch which has supplied the device.

Citizens who are keen to pay taxes and non-tax revenue or fees need to approach the concerned departmental counter for payment of the charges. The head of the agency would aggregate the item-wise receipts from different counters and prepare a consolidated, item-wise statement of collections made for each day.

Currently, digital payments being accepted by over 70 central government departments through various electronic modes- net banking, debit/credit/prepaid cards, Interbank Mobile Payment Service (IMPS). To enable all central government departments to accept digital payments without passing associated charges to citizens, a separate head of expenditure has been approved by the government.

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