BPCL launches voice-based LPG booking, payment facility
Premium- BPCL is the first company in India to offer its service to consumers after the RBI Governor announced the launch of UPI 123PAY last week.
State-owned Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) has partnered with UltraCash Technologies Pvt. Ltd. to become the first Indian company to offer sigital payment to non-internet users, for its cooking gas consumers to book their LPG cylinders.
UltraCash is a mobile payment application developed by UltraCash Technologies and authorised by the National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI).
BPCL launched a voice-based digital payment facility for its cooking gas consumers, who do not have smartphones or internet.
Customers who wish book their make the payment can do so through 'UPI 123PAY'. "With the introduction of this facility, around 4 crore consumers of BharatGas in rural India will stand to benefit," the company said in a statement.
BPCL is the first company in India to offer its service to consumers after the RBI Governor announced the launch of UPI 123PAY last week.
UPI '123PAY' is a three-step method to initiate and execute services for users which will work on simple phones.
It will allow customers to use feature phones for almost all transactions except scan and pay and it doesn't need an internet connection for transactions. Customers have to link their bank account with feature phones to use this facility.
The collaboration would allow BharatGas customers to call a common number 080-4516-3554 from a non-internet phone and book BharatGas cylinder for themselves or their friends in easy steps in a secured manner and also make payments.
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"This facility will bring the confidence of digital payments to our rural customers, who will now enjoy the same freedom and transparency, which was hitherto available to only smartphone users," it said.
"During the month preceding the launch, more than 13,000 Bharatgas customers transacted for more than ₹1 crore, which indicates that ₹100 crore worth transactions in next twelve months could be anticipated."
Santosh Kumar, Executive Director Incharge (LPG), BPCL said, "India still has a vast majority of feature phone users. Further, even in urban areas, many users are looking for fully secure ways of digital payments. With the Government of India also promoting the usage of LPG through schemes like Ujjwala Yojana, this facility will help in further penetrating into rural markets.
"Though this service can be used by all, it is primarily meant for non-feature phone users but ease and security of payments of UPI 123PAY will make it popular across all segments and users."
Vishal Lal, co-founder UltraCash, said, "This path-breaking initiative by RBI & NPCI, allows customers to pay and book in the simplest form of a voice call".
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