PANAJI
Anup Prabhu Verlekar, a chartered financial planner (CFP), said, "Everyone goes to sub-registrar office for registration of deeds. Such an important office doesn't even have a swipe machine. The staff there generates a challan and then people have to go a branch of State Bank of India (SBI) to make the payment. Then, they have to go back to the sub-registrar's office to show that the payment has been done."
Such round-about ways of making payments have made life really difficult for people in Goa
. A banker, who didn't wish to be named, said, "Very often government departments come up with a website and tell us to provide them a payment gateway. However, their websites are not in sync with banking requirements. A lot of integration between government and banks is required for this to happen, which is not happening."
What is really surprising is that government departments don't even have a swipe machine for debit/credit card transactions. Paresh Thaly, managing partner, Thaly TVS, said, "There are no swipe machines at RTOs (Regional Transport Offices). Whenever we go to RTOs for payment of road-tax, it has to be in cash."
Interestingly, the transport department has a provision for e-registration of automobiles, wherein a dealer can register online for purchasing a car or a bike and also make payment of road tax online. Even though road tax can be paid online, RTOs don't have swipe machines, which shows half-heartedness on part of the transport department.
Prabhu Verlekar continued, "You have to register online to get a labour license. After registering, you take a print out, but you can't make payment. You get a challan and you then make payment at an SBI branch."
If registration for a government service can be done online, even payment of fees should be possible online. It will not only result in cashless transactions, but it will also help people in saving a lot of time.
Dr Jagannath (Desh) Prabhudessai, president of the Goa unit of CREDAI (Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Association of India), said, "The government has not succeeded in making cashless modes of transaction available at its own departments even one year after demonetisation. Several post offices don't have swipe machines. Similarly, people are using cash to pay house tax in panchayats."
The only silver lining is that people in several parts of Goa are paying their electricity bills and water bills online. In certain municipalities, even house-tax can be paid online. But, overall, government departments in Goa are yet to become cash-less.
What is really surprising is that government departments don't even have a swipe machine for debit/credit card transactions. Paresh Thaly, managing partner, Thaly TVS, said, "There are no swipe machines at RTOs (Regional Transport Offices). Whenever we go to RTOs for payment of road-tax, it has to be in cash."
Interestingly, the transport department has a provision for e-registration of automobiles, wherein a dealer can register online for purchasing a car or a bike and also make payment of road tax online. Even though road tax can be paid online, RTOs don't have swipe machines, which shows half-heartedness on part of the transport department.
Prabhu Verlekar continued, "You have to register online to get a labour license. After registering, you take a print out, but you can't make payment. You get a challan and you then make payment at an SBI branch."
If registration for a government service can be done online, even payment of fees should be possible online. It will not only result in cashless transactions, but it will also help people in saving a lot of time.
Dr Jagannath (Desh) Prabhudessai, president of the Goa unit of CREDAI (Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Association of India), said, "The government has not succeeded in making cashless modes of transaction available at its own departments even one year after demonetisation. Several post offices don't have swipe machines. Similarly, people are using cash to pay house tax in panchayats."
The only silver lining is that people in several parts of Goa are paying their electricity bills and water bills online. In certain municipalities, even house-tax can be paid online. But, overall, government departments in Goa are yet to become cash-less.
