The Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Shaktikanta Das, on Monday, March 6, unveiled the ‘Har Payment Digital’ mission, on the occasion of the Digital Payments Awareness Week (DPAW) 2023. This initiative reflects the RBI's goal of enabling every individual in India to embrace digital payments, it said in a statement.
The DPAW will run from March 6-12, 2023, and is centred around the theme, ‘Digital Payment Apnao, Auron ko bhi Sikhao,’ or adopt digital payments and teach others to do the same.
Digital payments offer a range of benefits, including speed, convenience, safety, and security. While digital payment infrastructure has made digital payments available and accessible, the RBI aims to create more awareness to enhance adoption, the statement said.
While launching the Har Payment Digital mission, Das requested all stakeholders, including banks, non-banks, payment system operators, and digital payment users, to embrace online payments and spread awareness about their advantages. This would motivate individuals to become digital payment users, contributing to a wider adoption, the statement said.
Furthermore, as part of the Indian G20 presidency's ‘Jan Bhagidari’ events, the regional offices of the RBI will be organising awareness and outreach programmes during the DPAW 2023. Additionally, the bank and non-bank payment system operators will also be implementing similar initiatives.
The Reserve Bank has also announced the launch of the ‘75 Digital Villages’ programme, as part of the observation of 75 years of Indian Independence. As part of this initiative, payment system operators (PSOs) will adopt 75 villages nationwide and transform them into digital payment-enabled villages.
