Dept of Telecoms conducts workshop for telecos on digital payments

The Department of Telecoms (DoT) has conducted a workshop for Telecom Service Providers and Internet Service providers as part of the Centre's plan to increase digital transactions.

Conducted as part of the Digidhan mission on Monday, the workshop was attended by circle CEOs of major telecom players, including Airtel, Vodafone, Idea and Reliance.

It was organised under the leadership of Controller of Communication Accounts (Karnataka) A Gnanashekaran.

It was made clear at the session that the CCA will coordinate with various stakeholders, including banks and the UIDAI, to help telecos,  customers and retailers address issues relating to digital payments and build trust in the digital mode.

Joint CCA Arulmathi S suggested that the industry players introduce campaigns, workshops and payment apps, as well as put up hoardings, to familiarise the digital mode to the larger public.

Deputy CCA Dr Rashmi stressed on the role telecos can play in creating a "more inclusive digital ecosystem in the country".
 
"The Centre plans to conduct about 2,500 crore transactions for 2017-2018 by March 31. Of this, 563 crore transactions have been assigned to DoT," A N Thammaiah, senior accounts officer, told DH.

"In the workshop, we briefed the telecos to encourage consumers and retailers to prefer the digital mode. 30-40% of the transactions are already digital. We hope to bring the numbers up," he said.

A related communique released by Arulmathi said that in order to hit the Rs 563-crore target, there needs to be "better promotion and awareness at the ground level, mainly in the retailer to customer segment".