PM confident Indian tourists will give priority to destinations with UPI services
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the use of technology is promoting transparency, reducing corruption and increasing inclusivity in society, especially the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) services.
The Prime Minister highlighted this as he was joined by the President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth in launching the UPI services in Sri Lanka and Mauritius.
Modi also launched the RuPay card services in Mauritius via video conferencing on 12 Feb 2024.
The PM underscored the India’s policy of ‘Neighborhood First’, saying “Our maritime vision is SAGAR i.e. Security and growth for all in the region. India does not see its development separately from its neighbors.”
He also expressed the confidence that connection with UPI will benefit Sri Lanka and Mauritius and digital transformation will get a boost, local economies will witness positive change and tourism will be promoted.
“I am confident that Indian tourists will give priority to destinations with UPI. People of Indian origin living in Sri Lanka and Mauritius and students studying there will also get special benefits from it.”
Modi expressed delight that after Nepal, Bhutan, Singapore and the UAE in the Gulf, the RuPay is now being launched from Mauritius in Africa.
People from Mauritius visiting India will use RuPay and reduce handling of hard currency. “The UPI and RuPay card system will enable real-time, cost-effective and convenient payments in our own currency,” he added.
“In the coming time, we can move towards cross-border remittances i.e. Person to Person (P2P) payment facility.”
The Prime Minister underlined that digital public infrastructure has brought about a revolutionary change in India, where the smallest of vendors in the remotest of villages are transacting via UPI and making digital payments.
Speaking about the convenience and speed of UPI transactions, the Prime Minister informed that more than 100 billion transactions, worth Rs.2 lakh crore, took place via UPI last year.
Further, the Prime Minister also mentioned making last-mile delivery through the GEM Trinity of bank accounts, Aadhar and mobile phones where Rs.34 lakh crores or US$400 billion has been transferred into the bank accounts of beneficiaries. Fiinews.com
