Digitising progress tracking for catchment restoration under the Meg-ARISE Project
Enabling real-time monitoring of €32M catchment interventions in Meghalaya
Supporting Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) in promoting adoption of digital payments under Digidhan Mission
Research at a Glance
The Digidhan Mission, launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in June 2017, plays a pivotal role in expanding India’s digital payment ecosystem. To strengthen this mission, CDFI deployed dedicated resources at MeitY to provide strategic advisory support, policy inputs, technical expertise, and execution assistance across multiple initiatives aimed at accelerating digital payment adoption nationwide.
The engagement covered several critical areas, including monitoring infrastructure readiness, target allocation, biller onboarding, incentive scheme design, and financial literacy promotion through mass outreach programmes.
19,633
MN+
billers onboarded on Bharat BillPay System by FY 2020–21, up from 129 in FY 2018–19.
1.2
MN+
crore citizens reached through the DigiVAARTA digital payment literacy campaign.
Enabling policy, technology, and outreach for India’s digital payment revolution.
Under this engagement, CDFI’s team contributed to a series of high-impact initiatives supporting MeitY’s goal of promoting digital payments:
- EPR Portal: Designed and deployed a web-based platform to monitor digital payment enablement across central ministries, state departments, and Bharat BillPay (BBPS) participants.
- Target Allocation and Monitoring: Supported MeitY in setting and tracking annual digital transaction and merchant acquisition targets for public and private sector banks, while coordinating with ministries and states to expand digital acceptance points.
- Incentive Scheme Implementation: Worked closely with MeitY, RBI, banks, and NIC to design and automate processes for the MDR Reimbursement Scheme, including data processing, due diligence, and fund disbursement.
- DigiVAARTA Campaign: Executed a nationwide digital payments awareness drive that engaged over 1.2 crore citizens through SMS, mobile apps, and outbound dialler campaigns.
Impact Analysis of MDR Scheme: Conducted an analytical study to assess the effectiveness of subsidising MDR charges for low-value transactions (≤ ₹2,000), helping MeitY understand adoption trends and design improved incentive models for digital payment expansion.
Who can benefit from this study?
Government Ministries and Regulators
Can use these insights to enhance policy frameworks, strengthen coordination, and scale digital payment infrastructure across India.
Banks and Fintech Stakeholders
Can leverage findings to optimise incentive schemes, improve transaction monitoring systems, and drive higher merchant and consumer participation in digital payments.
