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�Demonetization paved way for cashless transaction�

By Correspondent

SHILLONG, Feb 7 - A daylong DigiDhan Mela was held today here at the State Central Library in which Union Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain said demonetization paved the way for migration to cashless transaction.

�Demonetization, announced by the Prime Minister of India to fight black money and corruption, has paved the way for a new revolution in which paper currency was replaced by digital transactions,� he said during the event.

Gohain also emphasized on the need to educate the masses on how to use mobile phones for making purchases and also to promote digital payment methods to encourage consumers and merchants to increasingly shift to digital modes of payment.

Stating that the transition to digital modes of payment is a challenge, Gohain said that it is not impossible to do so as even illiterate people have learnt to use the electronic voting machines and mobile phones over the years. The Union Minister added that the challenge before the region is to overcome the network connectivity and also creating awareness to handle such transactions.

�The Central government is trying to overcome these challenges and various programmes, such as the DigiDhan Melas, are being held to create the awareness,� he said.

Emphasising on the benefits, Gohain said that apart from transparency, digital transaction would help curb black money and leakages from government schemes would be reduced.

Ampareen Lyngdoh, Minister in-charge Information Technology, said in her address that the mela will go a long way in establishing a digital payment eco-system in the State which will lead to a less-cash society.

Lamenting the poor network connectivity in the State, Lyngdoh stressed on having more telecom towers and equipment to increase coverage and also urged the BSNL and private sector players to come forward in this endeavor.

The Mela was organized by the State Information Technology and Communication Department in collaboration with NITI Aayog and Ministry of Electronics and IT.

During the programme, Gohain launched the BSNL Mobicash, an e-wallet application, and distributed prizes to the winners of various competition held during the day.

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