States »SoutPosted at: May 10 2021 1:28PM

IIT-Madras to develop voice based solutions in vernacular languages to boost digital money transactions in India

Chennai, May 10 (UNI) Researchers at the Indian Institute of

Technology-Madras (IIT-M) will collaborate with members of the

Mobile Payment Forum of India (MPFI) to develop voice-based

solutions, especially in multiple vernacular languages for digital

money transactions in the country.

This will provide a phenomenal platform not only for the increased

adoption of digital payments in India but for research opportunities

as well, a release from IIT-M said today.

At present, there are more than 100 million active UPI users every

month in India, as per the Union Government's statistics.

The release said these initiatives are being taken up by MPFI towards

bringing 500 million active users on to the UPI payment platforms by

2025.

The Union Government in the last budget, had allocated Rs.1,500 crore

to help drive the adoption of digital payments in the country.

The MPFI is working to identify innovation across three levels, Human

behaviour and adoption, Technology (design and safeguards), and policy

(a data-centric view), to propel India over the next decade.

Dr.Gaurav Raina, Faculty, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT-M,

is the Chairman of MPFI, which is a joint initiative of the Institute for

Development and Research in Banking Technology, Hyderabad and

Rural Technology Business Incubator, IIT-Madras.

Taken up in 2006, the MPFI’s mission is to enable mobile payments and

mobile financial services by everyone.

Elaborating about the importance of digital transactions during this pandemic

period, Dr Gaurav Raina said “digital and mobile payments, and in particular

contactless payments, are important not just from an efficiency point of view,

but also to mitigate the risk against COVID-19."

It provides a great opportunity to help yourself and also the ecosystem, he

added.

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