The Odisha Government today launched the world’s first MissCall-based payment system, “MissCallPay”, at Odisha’s first-ever Fintech Festival, an initiative by the Odisha government to increase adoption of digital payments and growth of the fintech industry in the state and promote Bhubaneswar as the fintech hub of East India.
‘MissCallPay” solution is aimed at serving 90 million Indian mobile subscribers, who are still not on UPI. Users who find it challenging to use UPI apps on smartphones do so primarily due to digital illiteracy. MissCallPay enables any kind of payment by just giving a missed call, be it for an electricity bill, a gas bill, a merchant transaction at a store, a mobile recharge, or even a person-to-person payment.
MissCallPay enables any kind of payment by just giving a missed call, be it for an electricity bill, a gas bill, a merchant transaction at a store, a mobile recharge, or even a person-to-person payment.
MissCallPay runs on the newly launched UPI 123pay rails of NPCI and was unveiled by the RBI Governor to increase penetration of UPI-based digital payments into the hinterlands of India and is in line with the government’s objective of accelerated, inclusive, and resilient growth by enabling digital payments for all, so as to uplift the economy and weaker sections of our country by the means of financial inclusion.
In its very first debut, MissCallPay is providing services to three establishments in the state, the first being TP Western Odisha Distribution Limited (TPWODL), an initiative to provide convenient bill payment service to electricity subscribers in western Odisha.
The TPWODL is a joint venture between Tata Power Company Limited (Tata Power) and the Government of Odisha and is headquartered in Sambalpur.
Apart from the partnership with the TPWODL, MissCallPay is also a service provider to Mission Shakti, a project of the Odisha government that gives livelihood to 70 lakh women in the state in a self-help group setting that provides sensitive support structures to take the rural poor households out of poverty through capacity building, financial assistance, and self-reliant institutions. Further, MissCallPay has also enabled simple missed call-based payment by farmers to SFAC and NAFED and supported farmer-producer organisations for the procurement of seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, and farming equipment required during the on-going cropping season in Odisha.
The state has been a frontrunner in the country when it comes to launching initiatives for farmers.
The Odisha Government was one of the pioneers in forming the Odisha Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) Policy, 2018.
Currently, there are 500+ FPOs being promoted and supported under government policies and schemes, on the lines of which the central government has laid out a scheme for the formation and promotion of 10,000 FPOs, and now with MissCall, rural Odisha would be a pioneer of digital payment growth in the hinterlands of our country. Speaking for this world’s first-ever initiative, Mitesh Thakker, Founder and CEO of MissCallPay, said, “At MissCallPay, we are focused on leveraging technology to simplify UPI digital payments, particularly for our elders and digitally challenged users, and everyone in general can do digital payments by just giving a Miss Call.” He also added, “Launching this solution at the Odisha Fintech Festival with Odisha’s esteemed organisations like TPWODL, Mission Shakti, and 27 Farmer Producer Organisations is very welcoming and encouraging, as the State Government is very pro-active in doing innovative things for the benefit of people in Odisha.”
