In a transformative attempt to weed out black money and corruption from public life, the Government of India has constituted a Committee of Officers to enable 100 percent conversion of Government – Citizen Transactions to the digital platform.
The Committee, under the leadership of NITI Aayog CEO Mr. Amitabh Kant, will identify and operationalize in the earliest possible time frame user-friendly digital payment options in all sectors of the economy. This is integral part of the Governments strategy to transform India into a cashless economy.
The aim of the committee is to identify various digital payment systems appropriate to different sectors of the economy and coordinate efforts to make them accessible and user-friendly. The committee will also identify and access infrastructural and bottlenecks affecting the access and utility of digital payment options.
To achieve expeditious movement into the cashless, digital payments economy across all States and sectors, it will engage regularly with Central Ministries, regulators, State governments, district administration, local bodies, trade and industry associations etc. to promote rapid adoption of digital payment systems. The attempt is to establish and monitor an implementation framework with strict timelines to ensure that nearly 80 per cent of the transaction in India moves to the digital-only platform. The committee will also attempt to estimate costs involved in various digital payments options and oversee implementation of measures to make such transaction between Government and Citizens cheaper than cash transaction.
The Committee led by NITI Aayog will also implement an action plan on advocacy, awareness and handholding efforts among public, micro enterprises and other stakeholders. That apart, it will organize training and capacity building of various states/UTs, Ministries/Departments of the Government of India, representatives of States/UTs, Trade and Industry Bodies as well as other stakeholders.
Members of the Committee of Officers for driving a digital payments economy in India include Secretary, Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance; Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology; Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion; Secretary, Department of Investment and public Asset Management; MD & CEO, National Payments Corporation of India, Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, Chairman, National Highways Authority of India, Adviser, NITI Aayog.