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By:

Sumit Ranjan Das

21 August 2024 at 4:08:59 pm

UPI Must Stay Free

AI Generated Image Yesterday, I went to my neighbourhood shop to buy aloo chop and vegetable chop to eat with muri. I reached for my phone to pay by UPI, as I do for almost everything. The shopkeeper stopped me. “This is the last time we’ll accept UPI. From tomorrow, CASH ONLY.” I didn’t argue or explain that payments up to Rs. 2,000 remain free. It would have been a waste of breath. So I let it go, but I kept thinking about it on the walk home because I think I know what he was afraid of....

UPI Must Stay Free

AI Generated Image Yesterday, I went to my neighbourhood shop to buy aloo chop and vegetable chop to eat with muri. I reached for my phone to pay by UPI, as I do for almost everything. The shopkeeper stopped me. “This is the last time we’ll accept UPI. From tomorrow, CASH ONLY.” I didn’t argue or explain that payments up to Rs. 2,000 remain free. It would have been a waste of breath. So I let it go, but I kept thinking about it on the walk home because I think I know what he was afraid of. Picture a vegetable vendor with a pushcart at the corner of your lane. Call him Ramesh. He studied up to Class 8. Two years ago, he put a QR code on his cart because someone told him one thing: “Bhaiya, UPI is free. The money comes straight to your bank.” That one sentence did more for Digital India than any seminar. No card machine, no fee, no paperwork. Now tell Ramesh that a Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) may apply to specified transactions above Rs. 2,000, subject to exemptions. He won’t argue. He will put up a board: CASH ONLY. MDR is the fee a merchant pays to accept a digital payment, and UPI has been free for merchants since 2020. The new framework proposes a fee of 0.4 per cent on specified merchant transactions above Rs. 2,000, with a cap of Rs. 300 on transactions above Rs. 75,000. Payments up to Rs. 2,000 remain free. Person-to-person transfers are not covered, and under the announced plan, customers are not charged directly. On a Rs. 10,000 merchant payment, the merchant would pay Rs. 40. Small merchants receiving less than Rs. 1,00,000 a month through UPI were proposed to be exempt. One report adds that the committee was reportedly considering exempting businesses with annual turnover of up to Rs. 40 lakh. On October 13, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) said the fee, due to be implemented on October 15, would be introduced immediately after Diwali, on a date to be notified separately. The decision merley postpones the fee. Consider Ramesh again. Suppose he sells Rs. 5,000 worth of vegetables a day, mostly through payments of Rs. 30 to Rs. 300. That amounts to around Rs. 1,50,000 a month, or roughly Rs. 18 lakh a year. Every one of his payments is below Rs. 2,000, so under the proposal, they remain free. But his monthly receipts exceed Rs. 1 lakh, which means he cannot simply assume that the small-merchant exemption covers him. Who will tell him? Who will explain it in Bengali, Hindi or Maithili, at his cart, in two minutes? A vendor who cannot understand the rules will choose the option that feels safest: cash. Cash is not the enemy. But for a small merchant, it also means hunting for change and losing customers who do not have it, facing the risk of theft, loss and counterfeit notes, spending time counting, storing and depositing money, and having fewer digital records to show a bank when seeking credit. “Free” does not mean UPI costs nothing to run. Security, fraud control, banking systems and customer support all require money. In March 2025, the Union Cabinet approved an incentive of Rs. 1,500 crore for low-value BHIM UPI merchant transactions for the financial year 2024–25. Genuine welfare must never be treated as a piggy bank. Every rupee, whether spent on welfare or infrastructure, should deliver greater value. Five measures would help keep UPI simple. First, person-to-person UPI transfers must remain free. Sending money to family should never come with an unexpected charge. Second, protection for small merchants must be straightforward. Thela-walas, tea stalls and kirana shops need one clear exemption, not five clever ones. Third, UPI must be funded transparently. The government and relevant institutions should publish what it costs to run the system, how much public money supports it, how much any proposed fee collects and what results follow. Fourth, the rules must be explained in local languages. A one-page notice or a short voice message through a payment app would reach Ramesh faster than a 20-page circular. Finally, the impact must be measured before any fee is extended. Changes in small-merchant acceptance and transaction volumes should guide the next step. India did not build UPI by making it clever. It built it by making it simple and free. (The writer is a Cost and Management Accountant and founder of TaxoDas. Views personal.)

Lord Krishna: Ancient Wisdom, Timeless Teacher

Writer: Asha Tripathi
Asha Tripathi
Aug 11, 2025
3 min read

Lord Krishna's birth is a reminder that divine intervention occurs to restore balance and justice in the world, particularly when evil prevails.

Krishna Janmashtami is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna. It is celebrated and observed on the eighth day (Ashtami) of the dark fortnight (Krishna Paksha) in Shravana Masa. This year it is observed on 15th August. On the preceding day of his birth, devotees fast and stay awake until midnight, the traditional hour of his birth. Then the image of Lord Krishna is bathed in water and milk, dressed in new clothes, placed in a small cradle decorated with leaves and flowers, and worshipped. Sweets are offered to the divine and then consumed as prasada (the god's leftovers, which carry his favour) by all the household members.


Significance of Krishna's birth

Restoration of dharma: His birth is a divine response to the decline of dharma and the rise of injustice and tyranny. It also signifies the triumph of righteousness over evil.


Guidance and wisdom: His teachings offer profound knowledge and wisdom on living a meaningful life, fulfilling one's duties, being detached from attachments, and thus achieving spiritual liberation.


Symbol of love and devotion: His mystical and mesmerising aura draws devotees towards his playfulness and teachings.


Relevance of his teachings in today's times: His teachings remain highly relevant to the current times because of the emphasis on duty, ethics, and personal growth. In a world that is often engulfed with stress, uncertainty, and dilemma, his insights offer great guidance on navigating life's complexities and finding inner peace.


Duty and action: Krishna emphasises performing one's duties without any attachment to the results. This phenomenon is incredibly relevant in the current time, where we are all in an 'in'-driven world, where stress is the sole outcome. He says that no one should run away from relationships, but developing a sense of detachment reduces the fear of failure and loss and builds excellence within. Maintaining healthy boundaries without hatred and indifference is very important. The core is to be in the world but not to be entangled in it.


Selflessness and Compassion: He highlights selfless service and compassion towards every creature. In a world characterised by self-interest, his teachings can be a powerful guide towards a more meaningful and fulfilled existence.


Mindfulness and presence: He emphasises living in the present moment, which is a tool to handle anxiety, depression, and fear. This enables us to cultivate inner peace, overcome fear, and make more conscious decisions.


Control of the mind: The mind can be our greatest and worst enemy. His teachings say that by learning to manage emotions, we can achieve peace, personal growth, and resilience.


Embracing change: He talked about the impermanence of life and the inevitability of challenges. Once we understand this truth, our approach towards life will change, which helps us to adapt to new situations and challenges with greater ease and acceptance.


Faith in a higher plan: When efforts don't give immediate results, we lose hope. He tells us to surrender our ego and have faith in divine timing. This is the secret to peace, dignity, liberation, and a blissful life.


Importance of wisdom and knowledge: He stresses the importance of seeking wisdom and knowledge. A deeper understanding of oneself and the world can lead to better decision-making and a structured life.


Finding purpose and direction: His teachings offer guidance on finding purpose in life, which is a need in today's modern world. It helps to get a clear direction and to set higher goals towards fulfilment. His emphasis on one's unique path instead of imitating others fosters authenticity and personal growth. Krishna is not just a figure of ancient times. He is a timeless guide. His life is filled with love, playfulness, sacrifices, wisdom, and knowledge that teach everyone to live with dignity and grace. His message of duty, devotion, and inner joy resonates with today's time and continues to inspire hearts across the world. In the end. Krishna is not just someone we worship. He is someone we awaken within Happy Krishna Janmashtami to everyone. May Lord Krishna bless all of us. May his teachings help us create a balanced, blissful life. Hare Krishna!

 

(The writer is a tutor based in Thane. Views personal.)

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