Nagpur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on said the ‘DigiDhan’ movement was not only about curbing corruption, but also about giving a voice to the poor.
He also launched two schemes, giving a further push to the Centre’s efforts to create a less-cash system, on the 126th birth anniversary of social justice crusader B.R. Ambedkar.
Mr Modi, who paid tribute to Ambedkar at Deekshabhoomi, where the dalit icon had embraced Buddhism, linked the new schemes with his vision of social justice and financial empowerment.
“We have been working towards a digital India for quite some time. DigiDhan is one of the initiatives which will become ‘niji dhan’ (personal wealth) of the poor. It will become the voice of the poor,” he told a public meeting here.
“The DigiDhan movement is a safai abhiyan (cleanliness movement). It is to fight the menace of corruption,” he said.
The Prime Minister launched the BHIM-Aadhaar Pay app, a biometric-based payment system which will make payment through thumb impression a reality.
He also launched incentive schemes for the BHIM — cashback and referral bonus — with an outlay of Rs 495 crore for a period of six months.
Seeking to rope in youngsters to promote cashless transactions, Modi said for every person introduced to the BHIM app, one will get a cashback of Rs 10. “If you refer 20 persons a day, you can earn Rs 200,” he said.
Under the referral bonus scheme, both the existing users who refer BHIM and new users who adopt it would get a cash bonus which will be credited directly to their bank account.
Under the cashback scheme, the merchants will get a cashback on every transaction on BHIM.
Both the schemes will be administered by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and implemented by the National Payments Corporation of India.
