Despite the proliferation of digital payments over the past few years, many people still do not use digital payments for everyday transactions. To bridge this gap, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das on Monday launched a mission dubbed “Har Payment Digital” as part of Digital Payment Awareness Week (DPAW) 2023 to make every citizen a user of digital payments.

The theme of the awareness week is “Adopt Digital Payments and Teach others also”.

“The use of digital payments in India has grown exponentially over the past few years. Citizens of the country embrace digital payments for speed, convenience, and security. However, a significant portion of the population remains unaware of digital payments, or despite knowing it, they are not using them,” the central bank said in a statement.

In an RBI survey, 42% of the 90,000 respondents said they had used digital payments; 35% said they were not users but were aware of digital payments, while 23% were unaware.

Considering the benefits of digital payments to the country, the RBI said there is a need to raise awareness and further increase the use of digital payments. Hence, the RBI is observing a targeted campaign every year – DPAW – as part of its ongoing efforts to raise financial awareness.

The central bank will launch the “Har Payment Digital” (HPD) mission, which will run until Vision 2025, to convert non-users into users of digital payments. The theme of Vision 2025 is “E- Payments for Everyone, Anywhere, Anytime”.

Starting this week, RBI will work with other stakeholders in the banking and payment systems in a multi-modal campaign covering print, television, radio and social media around the theme “Adopt Digital Payments and Teach others also”.

Through the campaign, the central bank said, digital payment users, will be encouraged to teach non-users the ease of use, security and convenience of digital payments to fulfil the mission that every citizen is a digital payment user.

The RBI has planned various activities to deepen the reach of digital payments in the country.

Among other things, the RBI regional offices will conduct the “Jan Bhagidari”, or Mass People Engagement Programme, to raise mass awareness of mission and campaign themes and encourage the adoption of digital payments. In addition, the payment system operator will also take 75 villages across the country and transform them into villages supporting digital payments. These villages will be distinct from those in the areas covered by the Digital Banking Unit (DBU), Expanding and Deepening Digital Payment Ecosystem (EDDPE), and the Aspirational District Programme.

The central bank also intends to work with appropriate agencies to disseminate the message on the theme of the “Digital Payment Apnao, Auron ko Bhi Sikhao” campaign to villages across the country by sharing videos and teaching villagers how to use digital payments quickly and safely, conveniently and use digital payment.