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
