Visa, Andhra Pradesh government digital payment project to benefit over 90% of Vizag citizens

10/09/2017

India’s first and largest government digital payment initiative now extended to electricity, municipal taxes, transport and tourism payments

 

Visa, the global leader in digital payments technology and the Government of Andhra Pradesh, today announced the e-transformation of large state-owned service providers for digital payments under the Vizag Digital Dhan Sankalp (VDDS) project is now accessible to over 90 percent¹ of the city’s two million strong population. Aimed at better service delivery and creating an inclusive society, the digital payment enabled services include 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). Digitisation of various other payments like those to educational institutions, small and micro merchants, and street market vendors is underway as the state government is considering mandating digital acceptance through amendments to the AP Shop and Establishments Act. 

The big push towards e-payment of citizen-services dwells on the vision of ‘Vizag less–cash city’ initiative underway between Visa and the State Government of Andhra Pradesh that aims to offer efficient services through better adoption of digitization across the masses. Also for the first time, citizens in the state would be able to use their contactless cards to conduct digital payments for services such as transport and tourism. 

Shri Lokesh Nara – Hon’ IT Minister, Panchayati Raj and Rural Development, Government of Andhra Pradesh said, “Having set the benchmark as the first state in India to embark on digitization of government services on such a large scale, we have further raised the bar by extending the project to cover electricity, municipal taxes, transport and tourism payments. Millions of citizens will benefit through this initiative on a daily basis while we continue to transform public service delivery through digital payments in the state. Digitization of transactions will lead to a reduction of costs and improved convenience for all stakeholders involved, as we continue to realise our vision of making Vizag, India’s first less–cash city and the FinTech Valley of India. Key to our mission will be working closely with citizens, and the industry ecosystem to tap innovative and meaningful digital experiences and deliver better value to citizens.”

TR Ramachandran, Group Country Manager, Visa, India & South Asia, said, “Digital transformation of payments will improve public service delivery by infusing more efficiency and transparency into the system. Today, what citizens want is a new type of experience: one that is frictionless, seamless and we are excited at the role that contactless technology such as Visa payWave cards can play in enabling citizens across the state. 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.”

The Vizag Digital Dhan Sankalp project is an initiative spearheaded by the Government of Andhra Pradesh and Visa, to develop Visakhapatnam into India’s first “less–cash” city. The project was facilitated through active participation by various banking and technology partners including Andhra Bank, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, Billdesk and Verifone. The program focuses on driving the digitization for a range of key use cases determined to significantly payment digitisation. Aimed at driving access, awareness and adoption of digital payments, the program focuses on changing consumer behaviour to increase the adoption of digital payments that will serve as the foundation for Vizag to emerge as India’s Fintech Valley. 

Given their wide reach, recurring nature of transactions and low ticket sizes, e-payments of citizen-centric services are expected to drive mass adoption of digital payments; especially, among first-time users. 

 

¹ Estimated impact basis public data around consumer base of enabled services 

 

About State Government of Andhra Pradesh and Visa less–cash initiative

The Vizag Digital Dhan Sankalp project is an initiative spearheaded by the Government of Andhra Pradesh and Visa, to develop Visakhapatnam into India’s first “less–cash” city. Visa and bank partners will focus on driving the digitization for a range of key use cases determined to significantly boost the rates of cashless payments. The initiative will aim to drive access, awareness and adoption of payments focusing on underserved merchant and consumer segments, such as small merchants and women, to educate them on the benefits of digital payments. This program is designed to enable open loop, widely scalable and non–proprietary payment solutions across state organizations to assist them in the adoption of digital payment mechanisms, and lead to cost reduction. The less cash Vizag initiative aims to transform Visakhapatnam into the FinTech Valley of India, and to serve as a dynamic example of a digitized city, on a global scale. 

About Fintech Valley Vizag

The Fintech Valley Vizag created by APEITA, Government of Andhra Pradesh, is a self-sustainable, global fintech ecosystem that focuses on converging finance and technology, to create large avenues of growth through industry enablers, world-class infrastructure, entrepreneurship and innovation. Visit http://www.fintechvalleyvizag.com for more information. Interact with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

About Visa Inc.

Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of connected commerce on any device, and a driving force behind the dream of a cashless future for everyone, everywhere.  As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit usa.visa.com/aboutvisa, visacorporate.tumblr.com and @VisaNews