Hon’ble Chief Minister Pawan Chamling participated in the meeting of the Committee of Chief Ministers
New Delhi, 29 December: Sri
Pawan Chamling, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Sikkim, yesterday, participated in the
meeting of the Committee of Chief Ministers to examine and implement measures
to implement digital payment systems.
The Committee, headed by Sri Chandrababu Naidu, Hon’ble Chief Minister,
Andhra Pradesh, was constituted with the approval of Hon’ble Prime Minister,
Sri Narendra Modi, on November 30, 2016, and besides Sri Chamling, also comprises
of the Hon’ble Chief Ministers of Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Puducherry, Vice Chairman, Niti Aayog, Dr Arvind Panagariya and independent
experts like Sri Nandan Nilekani. The terms of reference of the Committee are
to identify the global best practices for implementing an economy based
primarily on digital payments, identify and outline measures for rapid
expansion and adoption of the system of digital payments, evolve an action plan
to reach out to the public at large with the objective of creating awareness to
switchover to digital economy, and prepare a roadmap for the administrative
machineries in States to facilitate adoption of digital modes of financial
transactions.
The
Committee, in its meeting, deliberated on various aspects, such as the global
experience with implementing digital payment systems; the options available within
India to reach out to the people who have smartphones, those who do not have
smartphones but possess feature phones, and people who do not have access to
mobile phones of any kind; the issues
relating to cyber-security and prevention of fraud; the strategies to bring about attitudinal
changes among people, with a view to shift them from cash to digital
payments; connectivity and data
infrastructure related aspects.
Sri
Chamling, in his remarks to the Committee stressed primarily on two
aspects: first, he emphasized the need
to spread awareness among people, particularly in the rural areas, of the
technologies available for digital payments and the advantages of ‘going
digital’; and, on the dire need to improve the internet and broadband connectivity,
especially in States like Sikkim, where agencies of the Central Government,
despite large investments having been made, have not been able to provide even
basic connectivity in the rural and urban areas. Sri Chamling underlined the role of grassroot
level institutions like Gram Sabhas, Gram Panchayats and Nagar Panchayats, in
taking up information, communication and
education (ICE) efforts among people living within their respective areas, to
disseminate information on the modalities and benefits of digital
payments. He asked the Central
Government to assist the grassroot level institutions with financial support in
carrying out awareness creation of digital payment systems. Sri Chamling, in his written comments to the
Committee, also gave his detailed views on the techno-economic aspects of
shifting from cash to digital payments, besides informing the Committee of the
substantial work already done in Sikkim in this regard.
The
Committee agreed to compile the views of its members and submit a report on its
work to the Hon’ble Prime Minister, by the first week of January, 2017.
Category: National Sikkim Government
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