RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das on Tuesday launched a new service, which will enable over 40 crore feature phone users to undertake digital payments in a secure way. The service christened UPI (unified payments interface) ‘123PAY’ is a three-step method to initiate and execute services for users which will work on simple phones which do not have an internet connection.
Das said, as of now, the multifaceted features of UPI are mostly available only on smartphones, which excludes people from the lower rung of the society from an economic perspective, especially in the rural areas, from accessing the popular service, even though the smartphone prices are going down.
He said, the UPI volumes have touched to Rs 76 lakh crore in FY22 so far, as against Rs 41 lakh crore in FY21, and added that the day is not far when the overall volumes will touch Rs 100 lakh crore.
There are an estimated 40 crore mobile phone users who possess feature phones.
At present, UPI services are available for such users through the USSD-based services, but the same has been found to be cumbersome and all the mobile operators do not allow such services, Deputy Governor T Rabi Shankar said.
Feature phone users will now be able to undertake a host of transactions based on four technology alternatives. They include calling an IVR (interactive voice response) number, app functionality in feature phones, missed call-based approach and also proximity sound-based payments, the RBI said.
Such users can initiate payments to friends and family, pay utility bills, recharge the FAST Tags of their vehicles, pay mobile bills and also allow users to check account balances, it said, adding customers will also be able to link bank accounts, set or change UPI PINs.
A 24×7 helpline for digital payments was also launched by Das on Tuesday, which has also been set up by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
The helpline christened ‘Digisaathi’ will assist the callers/users with all their queries on digital payments via website and chatbot.
Users can visit www.digisaathi.info or call on 14431 and 1800 891 3333 from their phones for their queries on digital payments and grievances.
News Related-
National Technology Day: Narendra Modi pays tributes to scientists on Pokhran tests anniversary
-
After PM Modi inaugurated Kashi Vishwanath Dham Corridor, peak-day number of pilgrims tripled, says report
-
JIPMAT 2022: Check application process and application fee here
-
Rajasthan violence: 22-year-old man stabbed to death in Bhilwara, internet services suspended
-
CBI crackdown on NGOs over foreign donations: How the FCRA passed by Indira Gandhi has been amended over the years
-
India logs 2,897 new COVID-19 cases, up 26.61% from yesterday; 54 die in last 24 hours
-
Char Dham Yatra: Uttarakhand government increases daily cap on pilgrims
-
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann trolled for mispronouncing Harvard University as 'Hayward'
-
Will welcome Raj Thackeray to Ayodhya, pray to Lord Rama to give him wisdom to work for his betterment: BJP MP Lallu Singh
-
Kerala Lottery 2022: Akshaya AK-548 lottery result to be declared at 3 pm, first prize Rs 70 lakh
-
Madhya Pradesh: Two sisters end up almost marrying each other's groom due to power cut in Ujjain
-
Bangla Academy honours poet Mamata Banerjee; 'insulted' author returns award in protest
-
Cyclone Asani update: Red alert in Andhra Pradesh as cyclonic storm changes direction; NDRF teams deployed in state
-
Ahead of the rains, Mumbai Airport completes runway maintenance work
OTHER NEWS
A fuel station in Gangtok. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons New Delhi: Petrol and diesel prices remained unchanged for over a month at a stretch with no change in rates on ... Read more »
Veteran Congress leader and former union minister Pandit Sukh Ram. ANI Shimla: Veteran Congress leader and former Union minister Pandit Sukh Ram has passed away, his grandson said. He was ... Read more »
Representational image. AFP Technology today is an integral part of our daily lives, and considering its contribution to economic growth, the celebration of National Technology Day seems fairly obvious and significant. ... Read more »
Teacher was ad-hoc, suspended: Sharda University tells UGC over question comparing Hindutva, fascism
Representative Image: ANI Noida: Sharda University on Tuesday sent a detailed report to the University Grants Commission which had sought its explanation over an “objectionable” question in an internal examination ... Read more »
File image of Rahul Gandhi. ANI New Delhi: Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday condoled the demise of Shiv Kumar Sharma and said music has lost a maestro who ... Read more »
Representative Image: ANI Varanasi: The hearing on changing the court commissioner appointed to conduct a video survey of the Shringar Gauri temple-Gyanvapi mosque complex here remained inconclusive on Tuesday and ... Read more »
Mehbooba Mufti: ANI Anantnag: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and People’s Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday hit out at the BJP-led Central government after L-G Manoj Sinha ... Read more »
File image of Yasin Malik. News18 New Delhi: Separatist leader from Jammu and Kashmir Yasin Malik pleaded guilty before the NIA court on Tuesday in a terror funding case. Recently ... Read more »
Cyclone Asani – ANI Vizag: All flights from Visakhapatnam have been cancelled due to cyclone Asani, said Visakhapatnam International Airport Director Srinivas on Tuesday. “All flights cancelled for today in ... Read more »
Representative Image: ANI New Delhi: After getting a complaint from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday conducted a nationwide operation at about 40 locations ... Read more »
Representational image. AP New Delhi: The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) on Tuesday said it will provide up to USD 19.3 million (about Rs 149 crore) to Bharat Biotech ... Read more »
Representative Image: ANI Dehradun: Uttarakhand High Court directed the state’s home secretary to submit all the details related to the assault on a police horse named Shaktiman during a clash ... Read more »
File image of Bhupendra Yadav. Twitter @byadavbjp New Delhi: Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Tuesday said developed countries should take the lead in reducing carbon emissions drastically, as they ... Read more »
Aman Chopra Jodhpur: The Rajasthan High Court on Tuesday stayed the arrest of News18 journalist Aman Chopra, who was booked by the state police over a TV debate on the ... Read more »
Representational image: ANI Dehradun: The police have intensified inspections of railway and bus stations across Uttarakhand after a letter threatening to blow up six railway stations in the state was ... Read more »
Representative Image: ANI Srinagar: A special court here on Monday framed charges against eight persons, including a prominent Hurriyat leader, for selling Pakistani MBBS seats in Jammu and Kashmir to ... Read more »
Representational image. AFP The tier 1 examination for the posts of Administrative Officer (AO) and Finance and Accounts Officer, FAO is being held today, 10 May, by the Agricultural Scientists ... Read more »
File image of Azam Khan. ANI Prayagraj: Allahabad High Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan in a case related to wrongful possession of ... Read more »
Representative Image: ANI Kannauj: A government teacher in Uttar Pradesh was suspended for making inappropriate comments on social media against the district’s basic shiksha adhikari, an official said on Tuesday. ... Read more »
Representative photo. IIT Madras The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has found itself caught in a controversy as a Rs 10.5 crore scholarship for students from Economically Weaker Sections ... Read more »
Ashish Mishra: ANI Lucknow: In a latest development in Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, the Allahabad High Court on Monday granted two weeks’ time to the complainant to file his counter-affidavit ... Read more »
Representational image. News18 Kolkata: The autopsy report of BJYM activist Arjun Chourasia, conducted by Command Hospital here and submitted to Calcutta High Court on Tuesday, indicated his death was by ... Read more »
Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually address a gathering in Bharuch in Gujarat on 12 May to highlight 100 percent coverage of four government schemes in the district, officials ... Read more »
File image of Om Prakash Chautala. AFP. Former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala has cleared his classes 10 and 12 exams at the age of 87, according to several ... Read more »
Taj Mahal. Wikimedia Commons/Joel Godwin Lucknow: Hearing on the plea seeking a fact-finding inquiry into the history of the Taj Mahal filed in the Allahabad High Court was deferred to ... Read more »
Union Home Minister Amit Shah says he is confident AFSPA will soon be revoked from entire Assam – Twitter/@AmitShah Guwahati: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday while praising the ... Read more »
Representative photo. PTI Days after a Kerala girl died and 30 others were admitted after eating chicken shawarma, some places in the southern state are reporting cases of a new ... Read more »
Representative Image: ANI Kota: Eleven Punjab policemen including a DSP have been booked for allegedly abducting a 21-year-old Kota man in a drug case, police said on Tuesday. The man, ... Read more »
File image of Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren. News18 Ranchi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Tuesday said he has sought a four-week extension of time from the Election Commission ... Read more »
Cyclone Asani: 60 fishermen narrowly escape as 6 boats capsise in sea off Odisha coast – ANI Cyclone Asani is gradually moving closer to Odisha coast and to avoid any ... Read more »
Representational image . Reuters Responding to an escalating row over IndiGo not allowing a specially abled child to board one of its flights in Ranchi, CEO Ronojoy Dutta has said “flight ... Read more »
File image of Delhi's Akbar road. News18 New Delhi: Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta on Tuesday demanded New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) to change the names of half a dozen ... Read more »
Supreme Court of India: ANI The Supreme Court Tuesday asked the Centre to apprise it about the views on the issue of protection of interest of citizens till the colonial-era ... Read more »
Representative Image: ANI Meerut: A man was arrested here after a video of him spitting on the bread he was preparing at a wedding function went viral on social media, ... Read more »
Representative Image: ANI Hyderabad: A case against a District Congress Committee president in Telangana was registered for allegedly raping a 45-year-old woman here, police said on Tuesday. The woman, in ... Read more »
Representational image . Reuters Responding to an escalating row over IndiGo not allowing a differently-abled child to board one of its flights in Ranchi, CEO Ronojoy Dutta has said “flight safety ... Read more »
File image of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. News18 Pro-Khalistan group Sikh For Justice (SFJ) claimed responsibility for the Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) attack at Punjab Intelligence HQs on Monday night, as ... Read more »
File photo of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. PTI New Delhi: AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday termed the explosion in Mohali “a cowardly act” of those who want to ... Read more »
Image used for representational purposes/AFP Villages in India are custodians of rituals, some even regressive. However, a gram panchayat of Herwad village in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur aims to change that. It ... Read more »
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia – Twitter/@JM_Scindia New Delhi: The central government’s 12 ministries are currently trying to boost the indigenous demand for drone services and India will need approximately ... Read more »