Since demonetisation, people have increasingly been relying on online payments and mobile wallets. While the tech-savvy younger generation is happy to take all payments online, what about the older generation? How are they coping with the new-age mumbo-jumbo?
While some of them are grappling with the idea of making payments online or through apps, several of them are excited about the transition from cash to e-payments.
While paying Rs 20 for peanuts via Paytm, Rajesh Mishra, a retired PSU employee who lives in Shakti Khand, Indirapuram, said he had been using the app for most payments and found it quite convenient. “Many of my friends have requested me to teach them how to use the app,” he added. "It's surprisingly easy."
Surinder Chadha, a 61-year-old who recently started making e-payments, said he was always on the lookout for vendors who would accept e-cash. “It’s just a matter of a few swipes,” said Chadha.
While there are several who have adapted to the "new way of life", there are those who are on board but are yet to start the journey.
Ram Prakash Nirmal, a 68-year-old Indirapuram resident, is one of them. He got his son to teach him how to use Paytm for making online payments. “I have the app installed on my phone but I am yet to use it,” said Nirmal.
Then there is a category of people that has rejected its viability and are sceptical about it.
Speaking about e-wallets, Brijpal Singh, a retired bank employee, said, “These are private companies, not banks, that are carrying out hefty financial transactions," he said. "These platforms are ever hardly secure."
According to sources at Paytm, the initial capacity of the e-wallet is Rs 10,000, which can be further extended to Rs 1,00,000 over a period of three to five days. The limit can be upgraded to Rs 1,00,000 through the "Know Your Customer (KYC)" process, in which a Paytm employee from the nearest centre collects the customer’s ID and address proof.