Summary
The state’s e-Governance department to enable and implement this cashless and contactless platform for “leak-proof” payment
It will allow the state government to directly pay fees to colleges and institutes on behalf of scholarship beneficiaries
The Karnataka government’s e-Governance department has partnered with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and State Bank of India (SBI) for implementing a digital payment platform through which the government can directly pay fees to colleges on behalf of the beneficiaries of its scholarship programmes.
Digital payment platform e-RUPI will be used to ensure “leak-proof” payment of education fees for students eligible under the scholarship programmes of the Karnataka government.
As a part of this process, the Karnataka government will get e-vouchers delivered to the mobiles of eligible students. The voucher code can be received on a feature phone as well. The students will be able to redeem e-RUPI at the identified colleges or institutes for the intended purpose of fees payment, NCPI said in a press communique.
For redeeming e-RUPI, the identified institutes will scan the QR code or SMS string displayed by the students using an application or POS machine. This process will remove the requirement of any physical token delivery for the students to avail of the scholarship, the NCPI added in its communique.
“e-RUPI is indeed a very powerful tool for governments to use as it allows direct transfer of the benefits to the targeted beneficiary with safety and security. The instrument ensures that the beneficiary gets the benefit as per the guidelines of the scheme. Under this initiative, each transaction is mapped with the beneficiary and the institution ensuring that the e-voucher can be redeemed by the college where the student has enrolled,” DPAR (e-governance) additional chief secretary Rajiv Chawla said.
Karnataka has launched around 176 schemes from 35 departments of the state government on the direct benefit transfer platform.
Following the successful implementation of this pilot project, the state is examining the use of e-RUPI vouchers for other purposes, including the issuance of laptops to students and imparting skill development training.
“We believe e-RUPI is a revolutionary initiative in the direction of ensuring a convenient and leak-proof delivery of schemes. This is a win-win for both students and colleges. While students receive the voucher, they can redeem it only for payment of fees to colleges and institutes,” NPCI chief of products Kunal Kalawatia said.
Last updated on 29 Dec 2021
