UP cong president Ajay Rai
He said small shopkeepers, street vendors and taxi operators routinely accept payments through QR codes and questioned how they would absorb additional transaction costs when their incomes had not increased proportionately. Rai claimed that crores of lamps were lit across the country and said videos showing children collecting leftover oil from the lamps reflected the economic hardship faced by poor families. He linked the issue to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday celebrations, alleging that large amounts of money were being spent on festivities while people in flood-affected areas were struggling for food, water and medicines.
Lucknow: UP Congress president Ajay Rai on Friday alleged that Centre’s move to impose charges on UPI payments would burden small traders, taxi operators and other sections that have increasingly shifted to QR-code-based digital transactions.