MANU/PIBU/0164/2017

Department/Board : Press Information Bureau

Date : 21.02.2017

Making Digital Payments a Mass Movement in India, Nearly 10 lakh citizens get reward money over Rs.153.5 crore for embracing Digital Payments

It has been 58 days since the launch of NITI Aayog's two incentive schemes - Lucky Grahak Yojana and Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana to promote digital payments and the public response has been quite encouraging.

The initiative to make Digital Payments a mass movement in India through the two schemes has made a headway across the country with more and more people adopting digital transactions.

According to the latest figures released by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which has been executing the schemes, nearly 10 lakh consumers and merchants have been disbursed over Rs. 153.5 crore as reward money till 20th February, 2017.

Highlights:

• Among the 9.8 lakh winners are more than 9.2 lakh consumers and 56,000 merchants.

• 120 consumers have won prize money worth Rs. 1 lakh each

• 4,000 merchants have won Rs. 50,000 prize money each

• Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi have emerged as the top five states/ Union Territory(s) with maximum number of winners

• Active participation was seen among females and males across regions

• Winners belong to diverse socio-economic backgrounds, from farmers, merchants, small entrepreneurs, professionals, housewives, students to retired persons.

• While majority of the winners are in the age group of 21 to 30, a significant number are also above 60 years of age.

• The diversity in age of winners is from 15 to 66 years, challenging the notion that the old find it difficult to embrace technology to adopt digital payments.