LessCash techniques at India’s Kumbh Melas

          In the next one year, India will be hosting two mega gatherings of mankind. In a span of 45-60 days, a couple of crores will descend on Nashik  for Nashik Kumbh Mela  and Ujjain for Ujjain Kumbh Mela 

          These are gatherings which take place every 12 years depending on astrological readings.     The preparations for these gatherings commence 5-6 years prior to the main event.

          The main driver’s are the respective coordination committees appointed by State Government’s.

          The online marketing for these mega events has kicked off.  Overall, though the online marketing programs, an incremental 10% of the devotees’ numbers is expected.

Q: What is Kumbh Mela?

Ans:    Kumbh Mela is the largest spiritual gathering in the world where millions of devotees takes a holy dip in the sacred water.

It is believed that the river water during the Mela period transform into sanctity spots filled with primordial amrita at the historic moment of the Maha Kumbh Mela.

The pilgrims flocking the Mela area revel in the once in a lifetime chance to bathe in the spirit of holiness, auspiciousness and salvation.

Q: Where is Kumbh Mela celebrated in India?

Ans: Kumbh Mela is celebrated in 4 religious towns on the banks of holy rivers:-

1. Haridwar in Uttarakhand where the holy Ganga River enters the plains from the mighty Himalayas.
2. The sacred Prayag (confluence) in Allahabad of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati
3. On the banks of Ksipra River at Ujjain Kumbh Mela in Madhya Pradesh.
4. On the banks of Godavari River at Nashik Kumbh Mela in Madhya Pradesh

In each town, the  Kumbh Mela comes in every 12 years. Each town’s celebration is based on particular zodiacal positions of the Sun, the Moon, and Jupiter, the holiest time occurring at the exact moment these zodiacal conditions are fulfilled.

Q: Significance of Nashik Kumbh Mela

Ans: Both Shaiva and Vaishnava Sadhus used to take the holy dip in Trimbakeshwar, until 1838, when a clash between them led to bloodshed. Subsequently, the Peshwa ruler requested Shaiva sadhus to perform rituals at Trimbakeshwar and Vaishnavs to move downstream to Ramakunda in Nashik Kumbh Mela.

Q: Catchment of Nashik Kumbh Mela

Ans: The whole of West India and visitors from abroad

Q: Significance of Ujjain Kumbh Mela

Ans:    The Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga situated here is the only Jyotirlinga which is facing towards South. One of the 12 Jyotirlingas in India, the lingam at the Mahakala is believed to be swayambhu (born of itself) deriving currents of power shakti) from within itself as against the other images and lingams which are ritually established and invested with mantra-shakti.

Q: Catchment of Ujjain Kumbh Mela

Ans: The whole of North India and visitors from India

Q: Primary NGO @ Nashik Kumbh Mela

Ans: Nashik Kumbh Mela Innovation Center

Q: Primary NGO @ Ujjain Kumbh Mela

Ans: No major visible NGO however Nashik Kumbh Mela Innovation Center and Infosys are expected to lead from the front

Opportunities for LessCash tools at these Kumbh Melas’

This is in continuation of my earlier posts

Post 1 - TRIMBAKESHWAR, NASHIK KUMBH MELA 2015 – WILL THIS BE THE GAME CHANGER FOR EPAYMENTS?

Post 2 - Ideas to transform Nashik Kumbh Mela Kumbh Mela into LessCash Mela

Post 3 - Kumbh Mela 2015 @ Nashik-Why there should be no ATMs in the Mela Area

Post 4 - Cashless Payments for Simhastha Kumbh Mela - Nashik-Trimbakeshwar 2015. Who will bell the cat?

Q: Who can spearhead LessCash techniques in the upcoming Kumbh Mela’s?

Ans: Banks Vs PPI (Pre-paid Instruemnt) companies

PPIs companies are better placed to spearhead the LessCash techniques in the upcoming Kumbh Mela’s

4  reasons:-

01)  PPI companies can focus on their specialisation.

02) PPI companies can scale up the technology quickly.

03) PPI companies can rapidly penetrate the sellers club.

04) PPI companies can roll out new products quickly.

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Brief definition of Pre-paid Payment Instruments:

 Pre-paid payment instruments are payment instruments that facilitate purchase of goods and services, including funds transfer, against the value stored on such instruments. The value stored on such instruments represents the value paid for by the holders by cash, by debit to a bank account, or by credit card.

The pre-paid instruments can be issued as smart cards, magnetic stripe cards, internet accounts, internet wallets, mobile accounts, mobile wallets, paper vouchers and any such instrument which can be used to access the pre-paid amount (collectively called Prepaid Payment Instruments hereafter).

The pre-paid payment instruments that can be issued in India are classified under three categories viz. (i) Closed system payment instruments (ii) Semi-closed system payment instruments and (iii) Open system payment instruments.

  List of Authorised eWallet Companies in India

Airtel M Commerce Services Ltd.	Pre-paid payment instruments known as Stored Value Card Wallet (SCW) ‘Airtel Money’
Atom Technologies Limited	Pre-paid payment instruments known as ‘Atom Wallet’ and ‘Aquapay’
Citrus Payment Solutions Pvt. Ltd.	Pre-paid payment instruments known as ‘Citrus Cash’
DigitSecure India Private Limited	Pre-paid payment instruments e-wallet known as ‘HotRemit'
Edenred (India) Private Limited – nee Accor Services Pvt. Ltd.	Meal and gift paper vouchers, meal and cafeteria cards, gift cards. The products are mainly under the brand name ‘Ticket/Ticket Restaurant/Ticket Compliments’
Eko India Financial Services Private Limited	Pre-paid payment instruments
FX Mart Pvt. Ltd.	Pre-paid payment instruments known as ‘FX Money’
GI Technology Private Limited	Pre-paid payment instruments Card known as 'I Cash'
Idea Mobile Commerce Services Ltd.	Pre-paid payment instruments known as ‘Idea Money’
India Transact Services Limited,	Pre-paid payment instruments known as ‘Ongo’
Itz Cash Card Ltd.	Pre-paid payment instruments known as ‘Pay on web’, ‘Mobile Wallet’ and ‘Itz Cash BSNL trust Card’
MMP Mobi Wallet Payment Systems Limited	Pre-paid payment instruments known as ‘mRupee’
Mpurse Services Pvt. Ltd.	Pre-paid payment instruments known as ‘mpurse wallet’
Muthoot Vehicle & Asset Finance Ltd.	Pre-paid payment instruments e-wallet known as ‘Muthoot Money’ and m-wallet known as ‘Muthoot wallet’
My Mobile Payments Limited	Pre-paid payment instruments known as ‘Money-on-Mobile'
One97 Communications Ltd.	Mobile based Pre-paid payment instruments m- Wallet known as ‘Paytm wallet’
One Mobikwik Systems Private Limited	Prepaid Payment Instruments known as ‘Mobikwik Wallet’
Oxigen Services (India) Pvt. Ltd.	Pre-paid payment instruments known as ‘Oxigen Wallets’
PayMate India Pvt. Limited	Pre-paid payment instruments known as ‘Paymate Wallet’
Pay Point India Network Private Limited	Pre-paid payment instruments known as 'Pay Pointz'
Premium eBusiness Ventures Private Limited	Pre-paid payment instruments
Pyro Telecommunications Ltd.	Pre-paid payment instruments m-wallet known as ‘SpeedPay’
QwikCilver Solutions Pvt. Ltd.	Pre-paid payment instruments co-branded gift card known as ‘Issued by QwikCilver’
Reliance Payment Solution Limited	Pre-paid payment instruments known as ‘Jio Money’
Smart Payment Solutions Pvt. Ltd.	Pre-paid payment instruments known as ‘PayCash’
Sodexo SVC India Pvt. Ltd	Paper based vouches known as Meal, Catering, Gift Gold, Gift Exclusive and Gift Advantage. Electronic based vouchers, gift passes known as Meal Card, Premium E Gift Exclusive E gift and Say Rewards
Spice Digital Ltd	Pre-paid payment instruments
Tech Mahindra Limited (Transfer of authorisation from erstwhile CanvasM Technologies Ltd.)	Pre-paid payment instruments (m-wallet) known as ‘MoboMoney’
Transaction Analysts (India) Private Ltd.	Pre-paid payment instruments known as ‘Transaction Assured’
UAE Exchange & Financial Services Ltd.	Pre-paid payment instruments m-wallet known as ‘X-Pay
UTI Infrastructure Technology and Services Ltd.	Pre-paid payment instruments known as National Common Mobility Card (NCMC)
Vodafone m-pesa Limited (Transfer of authorisation of erstwhile Mobile Commerce Solutions Ltd.)	Pre-paid payment instruments known as ‘Vodafone M-pesa’
Y-Cash Software Solutions Private Limited	Pre-paid payment instruments m-wallet known as ‘Y-Pay Cash’
ZipCash Card Services Pvt. Ltd.	Pre-paid payment instruments known as 'ZipCash Coupons'

Q: Usage mode’s of eWallets’

Ans:  Offline i.e physical card mode. Online i.e Mobile APPS, Internet

 Q: Milestones for eWallets companies

Ans: a) Establish Sellers Base

b) Address connectivity issues

c) Auto switch from offline mode to online mode as and when the network is available

d) Robust grievance handling mechanism

e) Quick Process to transfer from Sellers eWallet account to bank account or cash payout

HDFC Bank offers Chillr – The new APP for Instant LessCash Transactions

IMPS ecosystem enables HDFC Bank to offer “Chillr APP” for Instant LessCash Transfers.

            NPCIs IMPS (Immediate Payment Service) has spawned a new breed of entrepreneurs. These new breeds of entrepreneurs are focusing on the USP of IMPS to promote Safe CashLess transactions.

            The latest launch is the “Chillr” Mobile App by HDFC Bank.

            “Chillr”, has been developed by a Kerala startup company with the same name i.e “Chillr”. This startup company is a subsidiary of MobWE Wirless.  

            The ‘Chillr” is currently available for HDFC Bank customers only.  It is being promoted as a LessCash transaction tool amongst friends. In the coming months, merchants too will be onboarded on the “Chillr” platform.

            As it is merchants holding accounts in HDFC Bank can straight away receive funds through the “Chillr” APP. Just the sender has to add the merchants’ phone number in his/her smart phone. The funds transfer can commence straight away. However such a mode is not viable for a large number of transactions in the merchants’ bank accounts due to accounting norms. Merchants require each credit entry to be tagged to a receipt, which enable easy reconciliation.

            The channel for the funds transfer is NPCIs IMPS channel. This carrier agnostic funds transfer channel eliminates the need for expensive charges too. As IMPS works 24*7, 365 days a year, there is no fear of delayed settlement. A dispute resolution mechanism too is in place.

            Read the complete FAQs here

            The only prerequisite is that the receiver too should have a bank account. The bank account need not be in HDFC Bank but in any Bank which is on IMPS network.

              "Chillr", can be a great tool in Nashik Kumbh Mela 2015 to promote LessCash transactions. The only obstacle could be issues with network connectivity. 

             

           

              

Ideas to transform Nasik Kumbh Mela into LessCash Mela

What is a Mela?

In India, Mela denotes gathering of mankind to celebrate an auspicious occasion.

The largest gathering of mankind happens at the Kumbh Melas’.

This year a dedicated group of people have come together to change the face of Kumbh Mela.

The focus is on technology to make Nasik Kumbh Mela 2015 a safer, invigorating experience for the visitors as well as the Government.

The local administration with assistance by State Government plays a major role in setting up the infrastructure.

Broadly the following is the thought processes to encourage the migration from Cash Transactions to LessCash Transactions.

The aim is LessCash Transactions, as the CashLess mode is a distant dream.

Sr No	Idea	Brief Approach
01)	Mobile Wallet – Aggregator mode	a)    Merchants are on boarded onto  a Mobile Wallet b)   Buyers complete the electronic transaction through a OTP (One Time Password) Prerequisite: Smart Phone, Balance in the mobile wallet Mobile Wallet funding: Online or through cash at designated outlets Reverse sweep facility is preferred
02)	POS Mode	All mela visitors will not have smartphones, however a majority are expected to have Debit Cards. Hence, the mela visitors should have a choice of electronic payment modes.
03)	Low transaction costs	There should be minimal/nil transactions costs for the merchants as well as the buyers. The visitors profile will be skewed towards middle-class and lower middle class people, The transaction value will range will be between INR1 to INR10,000/- The average transaction value will be INR2000/- Any transaction cost will discourage merchants as well as buyers to opt for the electronic payment model.
	Increase the pool of Merchants	Success of Electronic Transactions depends on a large pool of Merchants willing to accept electronic payments. The types of merchants in the Mela area will be Pujaris, shopkeepers selling puja items, food stalls, lodges, transport operators, parking operators etc Atleast 50% of the merchants in the Mela Area should be willing to adopt electronic payments. This would encourage the buyers to opt for electronic payments.
	Shift in Mindset	Electronic payments means the credits will reflect in the merchants bank accounts. The current mindset is FOR cash transactions rather than CashLess transactions, as the benefits of cash transactions for merchants are more compared with CashLess transactions. As the nature of the mela is temporary in nature, the majority of the merchants would not prefer to either open bank accounts or accounts with bill aggregators. Strategies must be in place to convert merchants to the Electronic Payment channel.
	Addons	Vehicle tracker Mela Insurance-Group Insurance model Water ATMs Loyalty points 10 seconds advertisements on smartphones Person tracker

Credits to Nitin Gaikwad and Gnana Sudhakar