Challenges in Including India’s Rural heartland In Digitization

The adani electricity bill payment online is an easy chore in urban India where access to the internet, technological infrastructures are in abundance. Any financial transaction is now through the QR code payments, UPI or any other popular digital modes. The high customer engagement and with the report of “Digital India-Technology To Transform A Connection Nation” states that internet users will increase by 40 % by 2023 and the rate of increase with the smartphone users will primarily double as well. But this is confined to the tech-savvy, urban quantum where the customers are highly inclined to the digital modes of payment.

But to pay gas bill online is a new, overwhelming thing for the rural people as they are inherently inclined towards the cash bill payment. Any transaction through cash is deemed to have a high influence on the rural people as it comes with simpler ways to pay. it also doesn’t depend on external factors such as internet connection, battery extinguishes on the smartphones or the server issues associated with the payment applications. Also, the payment through the cash modes defines secure and immediate payment confirmation. Hence more people in the rural part are highly dependant on the cash for any financial transaction.

The other reason for less adoption of digital payments from the rural heartland is the unavailability of the robust infrastructure. Digital awareness is scarce in rural places where the internet connection is very low and the affordability of the smartphones for accessing the overwhelming payment mobile application is too technical for simple people. To create the requires awareness, the Government has provided the Digishala, a 24/7 channel that runs for creating digital awareness among the villagers. But only a handful of people are aware of the government Initiative. Hence there is a need to reach these programs to the villagers to equip them to pay landline bills through the digital modes of payments.

Before digitizing the rural heartland, the provision of basic utilities such as electricity, water is paramount. With regard to this, Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi implemented SAUBHAGYA yojana that aids in providing continuous Electricity Supply to the remotest village in India. But the colossal challenge is that there is no proper infrastructure for collecting the electricity bills from these places. The collection units are located several km away from the rural places and hence Water bill payment or any other bill payment is a cumbersome task that requires time and effort and many have to sacrifice a day’s wage for the continuity of the utilities.

The innovations in India was booming and XPay.Life provided a perfect solution for the problem arising in the rural counterparts of India. It has come up with the Mobile Van, which will visit remote villages wherever there is high footfall, for eg: Weekly markets or fares. These Mobile Vans are equipped with the ATP kiosk, mini-ATMs, and a vending machine. This facilitates multi-utility bill payment like tata docomo broadband postpaid bill payment by accepting cash a digital payment mode. The mini-ATMs are also facilitating cash disbursal and taking the banking facility to the rural regions. The Led Tv on the van displays the government schemes and programs that aid in creating digital awareness in these untapped regions. Also, the vending machine dispenses free sanitary pads and condoms after each transaction.

Also, PoS machines that are third party handheld device that facilitates tata sky recharge or any other bill payment using the cash, debit/credit card. Hence the bill payment is possible through the digital payment modes and thus taking the digital payment solutions to the remotest village in India.