A year since note ban, railways chug into digital junction

Around 30-50 million passengers in the reserved category have switched over to digital payments

A little more than a year since demonetisation and the consequent push for digital payments by the government, Indian Railways seems to have benefitted substantially.

Online purchases of reserved railway tickets have climbed from 58 per cent in November 2016 to over 70 per cent now. About 30-50 million passengers in the reserved category have switched over to the digital mode of payments.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the demonetisation of old Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes, sucking out 86 per cent of the currency in circulation. One of the stated aims of the note ban was promoting