HYDERABAD: All Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), as well as public utilities and municipal service providers in the State, were told to go for digital transactions through Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) mobile application.
The Joint Secretary of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and Mission Director of Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana National Urban Livelihood Mission (DAY-NULM), Sanjay Kumar, a few days ago, had urged the State government to instruct the ULBs — mainly municipal corporations and municipalities, public utilities and others in the state — to set targets for digital transactions through BHIM app and aim to achieve them by August 15 as the matter is being monitored at the highest level in Central Government.
BHIM app has been developed by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to drive digital payments across the country. The government has been pushing the usage of its the app for faster adoption of digital payments across the country.
The user can easily make direct bank-to-bank payments instantly and collect money using the just mobile number of payment address. A user can also change the bank account linked with BHIM applications services currently on BHIM application to send and receive money, scan, pay, transactions history, profile, bank account and request balance.
Besides, the government has also initiated incentive scheme for promotion of digital payments namely BHIM cashback scheme for individuals, BHIM incentive scheme for merchants, BHIM Aadhaar Merchant Incentive Scheme and Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) waiver for the debit card, BHIM UPI, Aadhaar Pay transactions less than or equal to `2,000 in value. Due to the efforts made by the government, a total of `2,060 crore worth of digital transactions have been achieved across the country during the last financial year 2017-18.
In so far as the ULBs are concerned, the MHUA has been advising the States to take steps for promotion of digital payment transactions in ULBs, Municipal officials said. Based on the request of the Central government, the MAUD asked Director of Municipal Administration (DMA), Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and ULB commissioners to take necessary action to instruct ULBs, public utilities to adopt digital transactions through BHIM mobile applications and aim to above them by August 15, officials added.