Modi's digital payment push is struggling to take off in rural India: Audit

An internal NCPI-commissioned study shows that adoption of BHIM and BHIM-Aadhaar are being hindered by implementation and design issues

The Narendra Modi government’s pet digital payment projects – the mobile money transfer application BHIM and the Aadhaar-based merchant payment system BHIM-Aadhaar – will need rejigging and a more thoughtful implementation process if rural mass adoption is to be achieved.

An internal study commissioned by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), a public sector bank-controlled entity involved in floating and managing the payment system, has revealed that poor awareness and a flawed user experience has resulted in a high number of rural users “who have either deleted the application or are inactive”.

In the months after demonetisation, the Centre has embarked