Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched BHIM —an app that can be used by citizens for making digital transactions and payments.
BHIM stands for Bharat Interface for money. Bharat interface for money (BHIM) is a UPI based payment solution. This helps people to send or receive money digitally. Users don’t need to enter lengthy details like bank account number etc.
Apart from an app the interface can be accessed using USSD from any phone including feature phones. To use this service users need to dial *99# from any kind of mobile phone. It will also not require internet to access this payment interface using USSD.
Currently, the app is available on Android play store. It enables its users to make all forms of cashless payments using various digital modes, including debit/credit cards, unstructured supplementary service data (USSD), unified payments interface (UPI) and Aadhaar-enabled payment system (AEPS).
The app is part of an aggressive effort by the government to promote a less-cash economy after the 8 November demonetisation of high-value banknotes, which caused a widespread cash crunch.
“Now your thumbprint has become your identity, bank and business. We are further working on this idea and in next two weeks another major announcement will be made,” Modi added.
“Be it a smartphone or feature phone of Rs 1,000-1,200, BHIM app can be used. There is no need to have Internet connectivity. One only needs a thumb. There was a time when an illiterate was called ‘angutha chchap’. Now, time has changed. Your thumb is your bank now. It has become your identity now,” PM said at the event
He dedicated the new app to Dr B.R. Ambedkar and said: “The mantra of Dr Ambedkar was to work for the uplift of the poor. And the biggest power of technology is that it can empower the poor.”
