National
Over 50% train tickets bought in cash: Survey
New Delhi, Sep 19 (IANS) Despite the government’s digital push, more than half of the train tickets in India are purchased in cash — thanks to the penalty on digital transactions, a survey revealed on Tuesday.
The findings said Indians still prefer the neighbourhood ticketing agent, who shun digital payments as they have to pay the bank charges themselves. It called for revisiting the rules and incentivising the agents.
The revelations are based on a countrywide survey of consumers and ticketing agents by RailYatri, a portal for railway related queries.
The survey found that while the larger agents have mechanisms for accepting digital payments their booking is nearly 100 per cent in cash.
“While consumers have increasingly shown an inclination towards digital payment, the travel agents still shun from accepting these. Much of it, according to them, is due to the outdated ticketing rules and penalty imposed on them,” it said.
“The study found that the unrealistic rule of imposing a cap on Payment Gateway (PG) charges at 0.7 per cent (for train ticket prices less than Rs 2,000) is completely out of tune with the average bank charges, which the agents have to pay.”
According to RailYatri, the typical PG charges vary between 1.5 per cent and 2 per cent depending on the provider, with most providers falling on the higher side.
“Agents, understandably, are unwilling to pay for the difference over 0.7 per cent to the payment banks from their own pocket,” it said.
“Any instance of charging above 0.7 per cent, even if the money is finally kept by the bank, exposes the agent to steep fines and penalties. Hence they prefer cash transactions.”
Pointing out the other reason the agents prefer cash transactions is that it leaves no trail. “Agents have seen the cost of train tickets increasing more than 80 per cent in the last five years and so have the cost of running their business.”
However, their commission on train tickets has been capped at Rs 20 and Rs 40 with no increase in the last many years.
“This has forced several agents to continue with cash payments as it allows them to charge without a trail of actual amount paid. The consumer, unfortunately is the biggest loser in this,” the survey said.
Manish Rathi, Co-founder and CEO of RailYatri, said nearly a crore train tickets every month are being booked in cash, adding that this doesn’t go well with the well intended and ambitious plan of the government to move the nation towards digitisation.
“However, the good news is that this can be quickly fixed by revisiting the rules. These agents are an integral part of small businesses ecosystem and the system needs to incentivise them to accept and look for customers who are willing to pay digitally – thus fulfilling the Digital India dream,” he said.
–IANS
aks/him/bg
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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