Page 11 - NIS English 16-30 September, 2026

Cover Story
UPI TURNS 10

Cash coming out of wallets, coins being counted at the cash counter, and
lines at ATMs – all of this is now just an old memory for India. A QR code,

a scan, and a few seconds – this is the new language of transactions in the
country today. Ten years ago, in the month of August, A new digital payment
system was rolled out, which has today become the world’s largest real-time
payment system and an identity of India. This is the story of transformation
that has made life easier for everyone- from street vendors and small traders
to large businesses both across the country and around the world...

Rajkumari Devi from Muzaffarpur is Another woman, who
known as ‘Cycle Chachi’ (Bicycle Aunty). used to face difficulties
She makes pickles and sets out on her withdrawing cash from
bicycle to sell them. She recalls how the bank, is now delighted
people used to pay 40–50 rupees less, with the advent of UPI.
claiming they didn’t have exact change. She explains that earlier,
They would promise to pay the balance she had to stand in queues
later but would often forget. She says for up to two hours just
she used to make no profit back then, to withdraw money. There
but the arrival of UPI has changed that. were times when she would
Her business has grown since she started return home without the
accepting payments via UPI. UPI has cash. Now, thanks to UPI,
not only given new momentum to her she can easily conduct
business, but the convenience of digital transactions from the
payments has also made every transaction comfort of her home.
easy, fast, and secure.

his story is not just about Rajkumari Devi every corner of the country, making digital payments
from Muzaffarpur; there are lakhs of street an integral part of the daily lives of ordinary citizens.
vendors and small business owners across Highlighting UPI’s glorious journey, he stated that
Tthe country whose shop counters now every Indian can take pride in its achievements.
feature a QR code. This ground reality demonstrates In 2016, the National Payments Corporation
that UPI is not merely a technology but a story of the of India (NPCI) launched the ‘Unified Payments
self-respect and self-reliance of crores of Indians. Interface’ (UPI), which revolutionised financial trans-
The Prime Minister shared his thoughts as UPI actions in India. It enables instant money transfers
completed ten years. He noted that over the past using only a mobile number, a UPI ID, and a secure
decade, UPI has established a vast reach across PIN, eliminating the need to share account numbers

Sep 16-30, 2026 || NEW INDIA SAMACHAR 9