Today Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched e-RUPI — the government’s digital payment solution meant to ensure delivery of welfare services, which, for now, will be used to push vaccination efforts. The platform will go live for the first time at a Covid vaccination centre in Mumbai.
Developed by National Payments Corporation of India, e-RUPI is a cashless and contact-less instrument that’s based on QR code or SMS-based e-Voucher, which is delivered to the cellphones of beneficiaries. This can be redeemed directly with the service provider.
“In the beginning, it will be applicable on health beneficiaries. People who want to take vaccines from private centres, by paying… if someone wants to help around 100 poor people with the vaccination, they can give e-RUPI voucher to them so the money is used only for that purpose,” the Prime Minister said in his address this evening.
“Over time, more facilities will be added to this platform… like helping in health facilities, donating food,” he added.
In a statement, the government had said that e-Rupi can be used for delivering services under schemes meant for providing “drugs and nutritional support under the mother and child welfare schemes, TB eradication programmes, drugs and diagnostics under schemes like Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, fertilizer subsidies etc”.
“Even the private sector can leverage these digital vouchers as part of their employee welfare and corporate social responsibility programmes,” the statement read.
