9942 - IDFC Bank partners with Govt. of Andhra Pradesh for Direct Benefit Transfer through Aadhaar-enabled Interoperable Micro ATMs - New Kerala

IDFC Bank partners with Govt. of Andhra Pradesh for Direct Benefit Transfer through Aadhaar-enabled Interoperable Micro ATMs

• 05-05-2016

Mumbai/Vijayawada, May 5 : IDFC Bank has partnered the government of Andhra Pradesh, Krishna District, to enable Direct Benefit Transfer through interoperable AEPS (Aadhaar Enabled Payment System) Micro ATMs that are within easy reach of citizens in every village

The partnership is the first to demonstrate the implementation of JAM based transfers (technology-enabled transfer of benefits using the Prime Minister Jan Dhan Yojana + Aadhaar + Mobile Number).

It also makes IDFC Bank the first to deliver Direct Benefit Transfer like social security pensions, and in coming days, others schemes like scholarships, LPG subsidies, MGNREGA benefits etc., through an interoperable AEPS Micro ATM model, at scale, in a district, in a concentrated manner. IDFC Bank will soon implement this model for the public distribution system (PDS) as well, making PDS payments cashless, thereby taking cashless digital banking in rural India to the next level.

The first interoperable social security pension was drawn through an IDFC Bank AEPS Micro ATM on May 1 at Ganapavaram, Mylavaram mandal by Shri Samdipaamu Guravayya in Krishna district. Nearly 32,000 pensioners will be using the IDFC Bank Micro ATM infrastructure to access their benefits in coming days. Over time, the concentrated coverage of banking services at a village level offered by IDFC Bank is expected to touch the lives of 46 lakh citizens in Krishna district alone.

The banks Micro ATM is owned and operated by women members of the self help groups (SHGs) approved for financial support by the government of Andhra Pradesh. IDFC Bank along with the Krishna district administration, has identified, trained, assessed and certified SHG members as individual Banking Correspondents (BCs). For some members, a Micro ATM ownership is the start of a new livelihood micro enterprise, while for others - it means the addition of a new revenue stream. An IDFC Micro ATM agent will cater to customers at Panchayat offices (in the first few days of every month) and later from their respective residences/work areas. These Micro ATMs offer all basic banking services to customers of any bank including deposits, withdrawals and transfers.

Citizens of Krishna district can now draw their entitlements in their neighbourhood itself, by transacting on any of the 500 Micro ATMs deployed by IDFC Bank across villages.

Dr. Rajiv Lall, Founder MD CEO of IDFC Bank, said, The Krishna district initiative is a milestone in last mile financial access, made possible through the intervention of technology. It emphasizes the benefits of JAM in reducing leakages, efficient targeting of beneficiaries and delivery of state welfare schemes based on biometric authentication. The initiative is also expected to encourage women entrepreneurship in local communities. It underlines IDFC Banks objective of being a private bank with a public purpose.

Speaking on the occasion, Babu. A, District Collector of Krishna, said, Krishna District has become the first district to initiate Direct Benefit Transfers, starting with pensions, through interoperable AEPS Micro ATMs at scale, run by SHG members in villages. We realized that citizens spend a lot of time and money on travelling to draw their benefits from bank branches and ATMs that are located at a distance from their residence.

The governments aim is to provide easy access to banking services, while also bringing in transparency and preventing leakages. We believe digital rural banking will address these concerns. IDFC Banks innovative and interoperable Micro ATM enables citizens to draw benefits in the vicinity of their homes at all times. It not only saves them time, money and effort; they can now stagger withdrawals, drawing smaller amounts, as the facility is close at hand. We are pleased that IDFC Bank shares our vision and has joined us in our journey to deepen financial access in the state like never before, he added.

9269 - Doctors - The Hindu

CHITTOOR, January 17, 2016

SGB launches micro ATM services

• STAFF REPORTER

The Saptagiri Grameena Bank (SGB), sponsored by Indian Bank, on Saturday launched the micro ATM services in all its 179 branches in Chittoor and Krishna districts, distributing the equipment to as many as 281 business correspondents appointed by the bank.

Launching the Micro ATM service at the SBG’s main branch at Chittoor, bank chairman B. Suribabu said that optimal utilisation of the Micro ATM services would galvanise the rural banking sector and pave the way for effective services to the customers in rural areas.

“The Aadhaar-linked micro ATMs will provide highly reliable service, enabling the customers both to draw and deposit money irrespective of their accounts with any bank,” he said. SGB Chief Manager B.N. Nageswara Rao and Regional Manager N. Manikam Setty said that in the coming days, the Aadhaar-linked micro ATMs would play a vital role in the rural banking sector.

8370 - HDFC Bank to roll out ‘micro-ATMs’ across India - TNN

HDFC Bank to roll out ‘micro-ATMs’ across India

Partha Sinha, TNN | Jul 25, 2015, 04.57AM IST

MUMBAI: HDFC Bank is rolling out handheld machines across India that could work just like ATMs through which customers in rural areas, where setting up full-fledged ATM kiosks is proving to be commercially unviable, can carry out most banking transactions.

Launched less than a year ago, currently through about 1,550 such 'micro ATMs' the bank sees transactions aggregating about Rs 1 crore a month in rural areas. Going forward, these machines could be used in the rural areas for payment to pensioners and direct benefit transfers under MGNREGA, and in the urban areas to ease pressure on bank officers in branches that are crowded with customers, said Vikas Pandey, head-strategic projects, HDFC Bank.

Similar to swipe machines used for debit and credit cards payment at malls, shops, restaurants and other merchant establishments, micro-ATMs are capable of even biometric verifications using Aadhaar, including instant e-KYC for customers. "After an Aadhaar number is fed into the machine and biometric (verification) is done for the same Aadhaar number, it's connected to the UIDAI server which almost instantaneously verifies and gives out the results for KYC," the HDFC Bank official said.

The e-KYC is in addition to cash withdrawal and deposit, account statement, disbursement of preapproved loans and several other banking transactions that these micro-ATMs are capable of carrying out. For example, in some villages in Punjab, bank's customers are informed of a prefixed time and location (usually the gurdwara in the locality) where they could carry out banking transactions on micro-ATMs, bank officials said. Now the bank is in the process of integrating pension payments for the Tamil Nadu government, which will use biometric verification for added security, Pandey said.

The bank sees transactions worth about Rs 1 crore a month in rural areas through about 1,550 such 'micro ATMs'.

3471 - Aadhaar’s next mission: Simplify visas? - Deccan Chronicle

Aadhaar’s next mission: Simplify visas?

DC | 30th Jun 2013

Bengaluru: Nandan Nilekani’s big idea, the Aadhaar number, is gaining both adherents and “allies” as the numbers of people with a unique identity grow rapidly – some 800,000 to a million people are enrolling for the UID daily.

After various departments of the Indian government have hitched on the Aadhaar for ‘know your customer’ requirements and, increasingly, transactions, foreign embassies are now exploring the possibility of using the Aadhaar number to simplify their visa processes. 

Nilekani, who mentioned the development during a during a talk at IIM-B on Saturday, said that the UID Authority had had “preliminary discussions” with some embassies, but hastened to add that the Aadhaar only authenticates identity but is not proof of citizenship.

“They (consulates) can look up the Aadhaar number, since they require verification of one's identity. However, it is only an idea at this stage, and I can't comment much about it.”

UID to enable p2p money transfer

S. Raghotham | DC

After enabling the government’s direct transfer of benefits scheme, the Aadhaar number will next enable individuals to transfer money to other individuals on mobile phones. Unique Identity Authority of India chairman Nandan Nilekani told Deccan Chronicle on the sidelines of a conference in the city that he expects the service to start in September. 

Delivering the industry keynote at the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) conference on ‘Grand Successes and Failures in IT’ at IIM-Bangalore on Saturday, Nilekani acknowledged that there were many challenges in getting the project off the ground, that there had been errors in execution and, consequently, learnings. 

“The first question was: can you do a billion+ people? We have cracked that. We have cracked the technology for that, the business model is done. The trick was to evolve a simple, minimalistic, non-threatening design”, Nilekani said, adding that execution, nonetheless, could have been better.

“We have a huge backlog of enrolments for which cards have to be sent out, the UID law is yet to be passed by Parliament, and we have to make it sustainable and irreversible. But we are on the right track.”

Asked whether he still worried that the UID project may fall through, given its scale – it’s the world’s largest identity project – he quoted former US President Ronald Reagan’s quip on the US’ fiscal deficit in the 1980s, “I am not worried about it. It’s big enough to take care of itself”. 

Nilekani also spoke about other Aadhaar-based applications in the works: a system of Micro-ATMs that wo­uld be accessible to rural populations; personal ‘digital vaults’, based on the Aadhaar digital ID in the Cloud, in which people could store their credit histories, health histories, deg­ree certificates and other digital assets and release them securely to service providers when they need to; and, perhaps, mobility and choice for people in terms of where they access public services – for insta­nce,  today, one has to go to a particular PDS shop to get rations, but with Aadhaar, if one PDS shop does not provide good service, people can go to another. 

States: 

Karnataka

2669 - A look at the six most asked questions on UID ET Bureau

A look at the six most asked questions on UID

ET Bureau Jul 21, 2012, 10.55AM IST

For more than 4 years, the 12-digit number called Aadhaar has generated more debate than action.

But now that 18 crore Indians do have this number and 42 crore more should have it by April 2013, it's time to focus more on what the number will—and can—really do.

For, it is the utility of the card that will make all the struggle in its implementation worthwhile—or worthless.

Here's a look at the six most asked questions on UID

1) What is Aadhaar authentication ? Is an individual's right of privacy ensured?

Aadhaar authentication is a process through which the number, along with other attributes (demographics , biometrics or One-Time Pin), is submitted to UIDAI's Central Identities Data Repository (CIDR) for verification ; the CIDR verifies whether the data submitted matches the data available in CIDR and responds with a "yes/no" . No personal identity information is returned as part of the response.

2) When do I need to authenticate?

Service providers, such as the government for PDS and NREGA or banks, are expected to link Aadhaar authentication to their services. Residents would need to authenticate either at the time of subscribing to the service or at the time of availing service delivery . Then no one else can avail the benefits meant for a particular resident.

3) How will children be captured in the database?

No biometrics for children below 5 years; their UID will be processed on the basis of demographic information and photograph linked with their parents' UID. Once they are five years old, they need to be re-enrolled with biometrics of 10 fingers, iris and pho tograph. Biometrics will be updated once they turn 15.

4) What about biometrics of the differently-abled and people with no finger prints or those without fingers?

Biometric standards prescribed will ensure that these groups are not excluded. In the case of people without hands/ fingers only photo will be used for identity determination and there will be markers to determine uniqueness.

5) How will an Aadhaar-enabled bank account help a resident who already has a bank account?

The resident can link existing bank account to Adhaar as disbursement of social security benefits like pensions, scholarships or MGNREGS wages would only be through Aadhaar-enabled accounts .

UIDAI is working with states and central ministries to designate Aadhaar-enabled accounts for disbursal of all social security benefits. The individual would be able to access Aadhaar enabled bank account through a low-cost micro-ATM network which will have large geographical reach. Instant payments through biometric authentication and mobile payments will also be enabled in the future for such accounts.

6) What are micro-ATMs ? How will they work in the Aadhaar system?

Micro-ATMs are biometric authentication enabled hand-held device (also known as a Point of Transaction terminal). They will primarily allow the following functions: cash withdrawal, cash deposit, balance enquiry and remittances . These devices will be operated by business correspondents (BCs) appointed by banks.

The physical currency would be handled by this BC and not a machine like a regular ATM. All transactions will require online biometric authentication with the UIDAI authentication server in order to be processed.

2475 - State plans subsidy for UID-linked micro-ATMs - DNA

State plans subsidy for UID-linked micro-ATMs

Published: Thursday, Mar 22, 2012, 8:00 IST 

By Dhaval Kulkarni | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA

In order to give a boost to financial inclusion, the state government is mulling providing a transaction-based subsidy for last mile business correspondents (BCs), who provide unique identification card (UID)-linked biometric micro-ATM services in rural areas. It is firming up such a scheme with UID officials and banks, said a senior government official involved in the exercise. The state is toying with “various options” in this regard, like a subsidy on the first 500 or 1,000 transactions by BCs or a date-based system. A task force under Unique Identification Authority of India chairman Nandan Nilekani has mooted the use of micro-ATMs to disburse cash subsidies and benefits under government schemes, apart from recommending setting up a network of 10 lakh micro-ATMs operated by BCs across the country. Stating that the transaction-based subsidy would be better than a capital-based one, to incentivise the last mile BCs, the official said the state was planning to rope in the 5,000 common service centres, apart from the SANGRAM centres set up by the rural development department to serve as BCs.

2405 - What the Aadhaar payment pipe offers - The Hindu

BANGALORE, February 26, 2012

DEEPA KURUP

Simple, yet complex: A high-level task force has laid out a blueprint for a single-platform e-payment gateway linked to and enabled by Aadhaar. — File photo: K. Murali Kumar

Authentication pilots show two per cent ‘false rejects', 8 to 12 seconds response time

Weeks before the Union Budget, a high-level task force on ‘Aadhaar-Enabled Unified Payment Infrastructure', on Thursday, submitted a report laying out a blueprint for a single-platform e-payment gateway to facilitate the transfer of subsidies and payments for various government schemes. This solution, to be linked to and enabled by Aadhaar, is to provide a standard platform for various government institutions so that they can make payments in an automated manner.

An interoperable network of 10 lakh Business Correspondents, who were conceived as the magic wand to address the objective of financial inclusion, is to use the combined infrastructure of banks and India Post, across the 2.25 lakh gram panchayats in the country.

Widely perceived as a precursor to the introduction of cash transfers or direct subsidies, this payment gateway will be implemented by the National Payments Corporation of India, an outfit promoted by leading Indian banks. Another significant component of this proposal is the Unique Identification Authority of India's (UIDAI's) own MicroATM, currently being piloted in rural Jharkhand for the disbursement of wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

AUTOMATING PAYMENTS

So what does implementing this single-platform payment system involve in terms of technology? The process envisaged, though challenging, is basic. It proposes that a government e-payments gateway be set up, implemented by the Controller General of Accounts. This means that the process of transferring funds from the Finance Ministry to various departments, both for Direct Transfer of Subsidies and Electronic Benefit Transfers, will be automated.

To put it simply, the government department will send an encrypted file containing the Aadhaar number and the payment amount to the accredited bank. This is then processed through an interoperable (across banks) Aadhaar Payments Bridge. This bridge sends the information to the National Payments Corporation of India, which interfaces with accredited banks (each Aadhaar number is mapped to beneficiaries' accounts at the backend of this system).

Speaking to The Hindu, deputy director-general, UIDAI, A.P. Singh said such a system would not be tough to implement because “there's very little new stuff”. “Basically, Aadhaar provides the glue to piece existing technologies together. And it simplifies processes, like opening a bank account,” he said.

He pointed out that out of the 200 million enrolments, in its first phase, 84 per cent residents opted to open an Aadhaar-linked bank account. 

The bridge, he points out, is a simple intervention, where a simple file can be created and uploaded with just the payment amount and the Aadhaar number. “These capabilities are worked out at the NPCI level, and the entire system provides end-to-end visibility, and ensures there is no duplication.”

While this simple single-platform system does not involve either biometrics or authentication, the flagship features of the Aadhaar project, what is being envisaged outside this software layer may be a little more complex. Though the proof-of-concept reports on the pilots in Jharkhand are yet to be made public, Mr. Singh emphasised that it has been “a success”. The false rejection rate, he pegs at around two per cent, which will be “further brought down to 1.2 per cent”. This counters claims by critics who have argued that fingerprint authentication will be a challenge in rural India. “To improve this factor, we are also working out a way for residents to test their best finger,” he added.

Operating on a basic mobile network, Mr. Singh says, the turnaround time to obtain a yes/no authentication message (from the central UIDAI servers) is between eight to 12 seconds. Currently these MicroATMs — which is a basic Point of Sale terminal with a biometric reader — cost around Rs. 10,000-12,000. From March onwards, this pilot will be rolled out in many more districts across the country, he added.

CHALLENGES

Getting the ball rolling on this system will require all government departments and institutions to fully digitise all their payment sanction processes. 

This itself will be a huge task, a senior official from the Department of Information Technology told The Hindu, adding that the process is already on in several departments.

For instance, in Karnataka, the Government implemented a pilot project for electronic transfer of MNREGA wages in Nelamangala taluk. This “largely successful” pilot programme involved making a database of all job card holders with their bank account numbers, entering digitally encrypted job details and wage lists to the MIS systems, which is then interfaced with a designated bank for cash transfer to beneficiaries.

In the pilot, out of 1,175 total transactions, 1,146 were conducted successfully, said P. Shivshankar, State director, MNREGA. However, the challenges, he conceded were considerable, right from getting beneficiaries to open bank accounts in the designated banks to validating existing data in the informatics system and prepping up the infrastructure requirements.

This task, in the case of the MNREGA financial management system was simpler because there has been an efficient informatics system in place for over three years now. In the case of many other schemes, particularly those run by State Governments across the country, setting up the infrastructure and automating the process will take some time.

While all this may be fine, the weakest link in the chain may well be its last link — the Business Correspondents who are expected to actually make payments to beneficiaries. With the experience with microfinance fresh in the mind, there are fears that this may well be the point of “leakage” that Aadhaar, with all its fanfare, is supposed to plug.

2400 - Aadhaar panel favours e-payment for all social safety net schemes - Hindu Business Line

Final report: The Finance Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, and the Union Agriculture Minister, Mr Sharad Pawar, hold copies of the Final Report of the Task Force on an Aadhaar-Enabled Unified Payment Infrastructure, presented to them by the UIDAI Chairman, Mr Nandan Nilekani (extreme right), in the Capital on Thursday. — Photo: Kamal Narang

Final report submitted to Finance Minister

NEW DELHI, FEB. 23: 

A network of a million interoperable micro ATMs to be operated by business correspondents should be set up across the country to ensure that the benefits of various social sector schemes reach the intended beneficiaries.

This has been suggested in the final report of the Task Force on Aadhaar enabled Unified Payment Infrastructure. Mr Nandan Nilekani, Chairman, UIDAI, submitted the final report to the Union Finance Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, here today.

The Aadhaar enabled e-payment system would help not only in ensuring the timely payments directly to the intended beneficiaries but would also help reduce the time taken, transaction costs and the leakages among others, Mr Mukherjee said after receiving the final report.

In order set up the network of million microATMs, the task force has recommended that a last mile transaction fee of 3.14 per cent with a cap of Rs 20 per transaction be paid by Government to banks for Government payments. The microATMs can be used for balance query, deposits, withdrawals and remittances.

In order to reduce the use of cash in the economy, the task force has also recommended that Government and Government-owned institutions accept electronic payments at all locations where they collect payments from citizens, without any additional surcharge.

Over a period of time, all payments of Government over the sum of Rs 1,000 should be made or received electronically, the task force report has suggested.

Mr Nilekani made a presentation highlighting the various recommendations made by the task force in its final report. He said that the beneficiaries of all social safety net programmes (MGNREGS, SSP, IAY) and recipients of direct subsidy transfer payments (LPG, Kerosene and Fertilisers) can greatly benefit by receiving their payments electronically, directly into accounts of their choice at their banks or post offices.

In the final report, the task force has suggested that India Post should accept Aadhaar as KYC for post office savings bank accounts and money orders.

India Post should look at deployment of microATMs in every post office. India Post should join interoperability networks and service customers of other banks, and allow own customers to use ATMs, microATMs installed by other banks.

PROOF OF IDENTITY

The task force has also suggested that the Reserve Bank of India may consider recognising the Aadhaar letter as proof of identity and proof of address for money transfer. The central bank should notify guidelines for interoperability of business correspondents.

The RBI should publish a policy in conjunction with the Government to formulate a plan and set targets for reducing the usage of cash in the Indian economy.

For banks, the task force has suggested that at least one microATM be deployed in every bank branch. Banks have been asked to deploy a network of one million business correspondents.

Today's meeting was attended among others by the Union Agriculture Minister, Mr Sharad Pawar; the Rural Development Minister, Mr Jairam Ramesh; the Consumer Affairs Minister of State (independent charge), Mr K.V. Thomas; and the Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers, Mr Srikant Jena.

krsrivats@thehindu.co.in

2399 - Nilekani team moots ATMs for payments via Aadhaar - Rediff

February 24, 2012 12:47 IST

Nandan Nilekani-led task force on an Aadhaar-enabled unified payment infrastructure has recommended setting up a network of one million interoperable micro-ATMs across the country.

The ATMs will be operated by business correspondents. The task force, headed by the Chairman of Unique Identification Authority of India [ Images ], submitted its report to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee [ Images ] on Thursday.

The panel has suggested that in order to set-up this network quickly, a last-mile transaction fee of 3.14 per cent with a cap of Rs 20 a transaction be paid by government to banks for government payments.

This will also lead to positive network externalities such as reduction in leakages and help in achieving financial inclusion.

The panel's suggestions is significant as a road map for creation of Aadhaar-based payment mechanism for direct cash-transfer of subsidies and entitlements to the people under government schemes is likely to be announced in the Budget.

The report has stated that beneficiaries of social safety net programmes, including Mahatma Gandhi [ Images ] National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and recipients of direct subsidy transfer payments in the case of LPG, fertilisers and kerosene, can greatly benefit by receiving payments electronically - directly into bank or post office accounts.

It has stressed that the department of revenue notify the acceptance of electronic Aadhaar authentication as proof of identity and proof of address, on a par with document based verification in the Rules of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.

It wants the government and financial regulators to recognise electronic Aadhaar biometric authentication as equivalent to a physical signature.

The task force has recommended that over a period of time, all payments of government over Rs 1,000 should be made or received electronically. It has suggested adoption of Government e-Payments Gateway (CGA) to enable straight-through processing and release of funds from ministry of finance to the line ministries.

The Aadhaar account opening and authentication platform would provides electronic account opening capability along with real-time authentication of residents in the chain. Further, Aadhaar Payments Bridge - an interoperable system for transferring funds into accounts at banks and post offices on the basis of Aadhaar number - would be the next link in the mechanism suggested by the task force.

Next in the line would be the micro-ATM network through banks and India Post. Use of mobile banking is also suggested in the model to provide self-service banking capabilities.

The finance minister accepted the task force report in-principle and said that necessary steps would be taken to implement the recommendations.

2185 - Unique Identification Authority of India launches micro ATM for daily wagers with Aadhaar - Economic Times

PTI Jan 6, 2012, 06.07PM IST

RANCHI: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIADI) has launched a micro ATM device that would enable beneficiaries like MG-NREGA workers with Aadhaar to withdraw money near their doors through core banking system.

"The beneficiary has to put his finger and Aadhaar number in to the micro ATM wireless device and get the money within 8 to 9 seconds from a business correspondent after verification about the beneficiary having that much amount deposited in the bank account shown through a receipt by the device," UIADI Director General R S Sharma said here today.

With the device not carrying any money unlike the regular bank ATMs, the beneficiary would get the withdrawn amount from the business correspondent on the spot.

"The (about a foot-long) device functions through any SIM and wherever there is a mobile tower. The device will be with a bank-appointed business correspondent," he said.

The beneficiaries could choose their business correspondence to approach, he said adding the method would root out any role by middlemen.

Besides the MG-NREGA workers, other beneficiaries under old-age pension, scholarship or any other welfare schemes could also benefit from the device.

Praising Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda's keenness to cover the entire state under the new system, Sharma said Munda had told him that the state government would like to link all its socials security funds through the new system.

2184 - Job scheme wages through Aadhaar launched in Jharkhand - The Hindu

RANCHI, January 7, 2012

To overcome the delay in payment of wages to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) workers in Jharkhand, allegedly owing to administrative apathy, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has piloted a project in Jharkhand.

Under the project, online authentication and Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) in respect of MGNREGS was conducted in three blocks of three districts.

FIRST TIME IN INDIA

For the first time in India, the Ratu block of Ranchi district has implemented cash payments for the MGNEGRS workers by a biometric scan based on the UID. The banks have upgraded software and system to enable the payment.

At a press conference in Ratu on Friday, Ram Sevak Sharma, director-general, UIDAI, said: “A micro ATM device will be installed in every village so that the beneficiary can save time and money as we came to know through our research that travelling to any bank costs the beneficiary a day's wage. The AEPS will help to get payment on the same day when money is credited by the government.”

FREE ACCESS

“As the micro ATM will be connected online, the beneficiary may access his/her funds from any micro ATM from any village. This process will prevent rent-seeking and corruption, by giving the choice to the beneficiary,” he added.