Govt wants all bank accounts internet-enabled by March 31

The Union ministry of electronics and information technology wants all bank accounts to be internet-enabled by March 31 after seeing the ‘phenomenal success’ of the Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) app, government sources said.

A third of all bank accounts aren’t linked to the internet yet. “The IT ministry is looking to ensure all citizens have means to access digital payments,” a government source told HT.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the BHIM app on December 31st and since government data shows that the app has seen at least 17.2 million downloads and amassed a transaction volume of Rs 958 crore with Rs 595 crore coming in the month of February.

“The ministry is calling a meeting with all banks post Holi to streamline any issues with online payments and make sure that the 31st March deadline is also met,” the source explained.

He also said that the government has come to know that several debit cards that have already been printed had not been distributed.

“The government also wants all the printed debit cards to be issued as soon as possible so that citizens have easier access to their money,” he explained, adding that the government was working on a massive multimedia campaign to encourage people to shift over to digital payments. The 100,000 common service centres that were launched would also aid the campaign.