Mobile retailers association call off protest against UPI MDR

The All India Mobile Retailers Association (AIMRA) and the All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF) on Wednesday called off their proposed ‘No UPI Day’ protest on October 2, after a trade delegation met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, officials said on Wednesday.

The mobile retailers association had earlier announced the ‘No UPI Day’ protest on October 2 against the proposed 0.4 per cent Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on UPI transactions above $2,000, saying the charge would put additional burden on small retailers.  The delegation, led by BJP MP and CAIT secretary general Praveen Khandelwal and AIMRA founder chairman Kailash Lakhyani, submitted a joint representation, seeking deferment of the proposed MDR, a phased implementation and changes in the threshold for its applicability, according to an official statement.

The trade bodies also sought exemption of merchant-to-merchant (M2M) transactions from the MDR, and the constitution of an expert committee to examine the concerns of the retail and distribution sector. The delegation proposed that instead of an immediate 0.40 per cent MDR, the charge be introduced at 0.20 per cent in 2026-27 and increased by 0.05 percentage points annually until it reaches 0.40 per cent.