RS Prasad said Rs 1,500 crore worth transactions have been done using BHIM app

Union Information and Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday informed Parliament that BHIM, a mobile app to make digital payments, has been downloaded by close to two crore people, and transactions worth Rs 1,500 have been made so far.

BHIM or Bharat Interface for Money app for mobile-based transactions was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 14, 2017, the 126th birth anniversary of Dr Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar to boost the digital payments revolution.

The IT Minister said more than 2 crore people have been trained by common service centres on digital payments. "There have been close to 50 lakh transactions only on the BHIM app worth Rs 1,500 crore," he said while responding to a reference made on it by SP member Jaya Bachchan during the Zero Hour in the House.

While congratulating the government for its intention to move towards digital and cashless payments, Bachchan said inadequte infrastructure was hampering digital payments. Emphasising that demonetisation caused "confusion and hardship" to people in the country, she called it an improperly planned move.