NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant on Tuesday appreciated the steps being taken by the State Government to promote digital payment after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clarion call to go for ‘cashless economy’ post-demonetisation.
“The State has connected 95 per cent of its population with Aadhaar and now the drive should be there to connect all those with bank accounts,” he said while reviewing the initiatives along with senior officials taken by the State Government in this regard.He also suggested the Government to adopt Andhra Pradesh’s way to provide internet and Wi-Fi facility through electricity poles.
The CEO also assured for all kind of help from the Centre in this regard and underlined role of bank officials in encouraging digital payment mode not only across the nation but also in Jharkhand. “Pragya Centres and businessmen are the key along with bank officials. If they promote the cashless drive, then common people would automatically come into it. I acknowledge the steps taken by the Government like reduction of VAT on e-POS machines and mobile phones costing less than Rs 5000. This shows its sincerity towards the drive,” said Amitabh Kant and suggested to upgrade all PDS dealers as banking correspondents.
Amitabh Kant also gave a glimpse of the steps coming in this direction by referring to incentives and prizes announced by the Centre recently. He also said that extent of cashless economy would be defining state of development of any State.
later in a meeting with Kant, Chief Minister Raghubar Das also assured that the State would be made a leader of cashless economy by March next year.
“Jharkhand is to become number-1 cashless state of the country. 29 blocks will be made cashless and the Government looks forward to make the State cashless by March, 2017. Ration is being delivered on cashless mode. Workers will be paid through banks. Mass level bank accounts are being opened by conducting camps,” said the CM.
Also present on the occasion was Development Commissioner Amit Khare who counted steps like direct benefit transfer in the field of scholarship, all kinds of social pensions, MGNREGA payments etc directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. “We have also provided e-POS machines to 20,000 PDS shops out of 23,000 shops and planning to cover all by March, 2017. 800 petrol pumps across the State are using the cashless mode,” said Khare.
He also added that 793 mobile towers of the State are being equipped with wi-fi facility in order to improve connectivity and 1400 out of 4000 panchayats have been given optical fiber connectivity.
Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Sudhir Tripathi, Principal Secretary to the CM Sanjay Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary (labour) SKG Rahate, IT Secretary Sunil Kumar Barnwal and Education Secretary Aradhana Patnaik were present in the meeting.