Rush for less cash: A list of incentives to encourage digital payments

A little more than a month after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the decision to ban Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, Sanjeeb Mukherjee looks at the government’s push towards a digital economy. Here’s a list of the top initiatives that ministries and departments have announced recently, to convince citizens to use plastic or mobile wallets instead of cash:

Finance: Announced up to 10% discounts and other concessions on digital payments for a host of services that included purchasing petrol, booking seasonal tickets in suburban trains, paying premium for LIC policies, etc

Labour: Proposed amendment to Payment of Wages Act to empower state governments to pay wages through cheques or direct credit into bank accounts

Urban Development: All local bodies told to ensure all utility payments are made electronically and to go for e-governance

Electronics and Information Technology: Started a full-fledged 24 hours free-to-air DTH channel called Digishala to educate and inform citizens. A portal called www.cashlessindia.gov.in too was launched 

Roads: Arranged for FASTags, allowed e-payment of tolls, digital wallets, etc, in select toll plazas across the country

Petroleum and Natural Gas: Directed all public-sector OMCs to install point-of-sale devices (PoS) in all petrol pumps across the country and a filling stations have started accepting payments through e-wallets

Railway: Efforts on to make all passenger ticketing and freight booking cashless

Food: Work to install PoS devices in ration shops stepped up; electronic payment to FCI labourer

Textiles: Has sent advisories to sectoral export promotion councils to introduce digital payments and app-based transactions on a fixed time line