VIJAYAWADA: Fisheries Minister Seediri Appalaraju said on Tuesday that the state’s partnership with Paytm will help digitize the Aqua Hubs and their retailer network to promote financial inclusion in the unorganised sector.
Paytm would enable the consumers to make digital payments seamlessly at the Aqua Hubs and retail outlets in the state.
The state fisheries department signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with One97 Communications Ltd (OCL) that owns the brand Paytm, to provide Paytm PoS devices at the state’s Aqua Hubs and retail outlets under the Fish Andhra scheme.
The AP government is setting up 100 Aqua Hubs to promote the sale of all aqua and marine products in the coastal state.
The minister said the blue economy is among the largely untapped sectors in the state and has enormous potential for growth. With Fish Andhra, AP aimed to not just increase production but also consumption of marine products. Fish Andhra is a first of its kind concept to promote fish trade activity in AP and the digital services would help not only the vendors but also the public.
Commissioner to the fisheries department, Kanna Babu said AP’s partnership with Paytm will give a boost to the Digital India campaign as its technology is leveraged by the Fish Andhrainitiative at these Aqua Hubs and retail outlets. Digitizing the fisheries sector will ensure that more and more people from this sector are brought into the mainstream economy, he said.
He said Fish Andhra will not only ensure the availability of fresh fish and fish products with nutritional value to increase consumption but it will also provide employment to many. Abhay Sharma, CBO of Payments at Paytm, said they were proud to partner with the AP government.
