Visakhapatnam: Now, the denizens of the port city can scan the quick response (QR) barcode with their mobiles and pay for the LPG, electric bills, and civic body services and at tourist locations too.
Moreover, the state government is considering mandating digital acceptance through amendments to the AP Shop and Establishments Act to ensure more and more people opt for the digital payment platform.
As facilitating swiping machines at the payment points or the delivery boys carrying and using them were not proving out to be convenient, there were not many takers as expected for the digital payment initiatives.
The ‘Scan and Pay’ feature enables merchants to accept electronic payments without the need for an EDC or a POS machine. Any bank card holder can use this feature. The facility is being extended under Vizag Digital Dhan Sankalp (VDDS) project, an initiative of the Andhra Pradesh government in association with Visa to develop Visakhapatnam into India’s first “less–cash” city.
The digital payment services with QR code is covering property and water tax at Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), bus services run by Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC), iconic tourist locations at Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (VUDA), and utility services of Eastern Power Distribution Company of AP Ltd (EPDCL).
“Shopping malls and big shops are actively participating in the digital payment initiative as obvious, but the small and micro-merchants, street market vendors and education institutions are being left out as many of them are not ready to invest in the swiping machines.
Hence, the QR could resolve the issues. Digitization of payments will help re-imagining a smarter nation driven by the synergy between citizens and the state and roll out superior citizen experience rooted in transparency.” said TR Ramachandran, Group Country Manager, Visa, India & South Asia.
