NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears set to pass on the baton of promoting digital money from bureaucrats to party MPs. Apparently unimpressed by the performance of the NITI Aayog in promoting cashless transactions, the Prime Minister has asked BJP MPs to hit the road and initiate a people’s movement for promoting cashless transactions.
The Prime Minister wants MPs to hold rallies and roadshows in their constituencies to promote digital economy. “The MPs have been asked to hold camps and meetings with the traders, including shopkeepers. The Prime Minister is convinced that the stage has come for a big push for a public movement on cashless economy.
The Ministry of Information and Technology has been asked to coordinate with the BJP MPs. The ministry has to provide the technological and other required support system to help the MPs in spreading the expanse of the cashless economy,” said a BJP leader.
The campaign by BJP MPs will begin in the first week of April. “The MPs have been asked by the Prime Minister to target the traders to accept and download the BHIM App. Once the shopkeepers start accepting BHIM transactions, people will also join in,” added the BJP leader.
While the BHIM App was launched with much fanfare, there is disappointment within the government that the initial euphoria has subsided.
“The BHIM app has registered 1.9 million downloads, which is far behind other wallets such as Paytm, and others have more than a 50 million user base each. BJP MPs in coordination with the Central government and with assistance from the party-ruled state governments can give a major fillip to promotion of digital transactions, which have suffered a little slow down due to the increased remonetisation,” said the BJP leader.
After the November 8 announcement of demonetisation by the Prime Minister, the NITI Aayog had come out with Digidhan Vyapar Yojna and Lucky Grahak Yojna to promote cashless economy. “The NITI Aayog has almost covered 100 districts under the two schemes.
But this is not the mandate of the NITI Aayog. We do not have the wherewithal to achieve the scale of cashless transactions which the Prime Minister desires,” said a NITI Aayog official.