Digital Payments Grievance Helpline 14442 to Come Up Soon

The government is working to set-up a toll free phone number 14442 for grievance redressal of customers related to digital payments.

The Ministry of Electronics and IT along with National Payments Corporation of India is working on a mechanism to provide a common number 14442, where customers of all digital payments platform, including mobile wallets, Unified Payments Interface and BHIM, will be able to register their complaint, according to official sources.

"The Department of Telecom has allocated 14442 to NPCI for setting up its grievance redressal mechanism for customers of all digital payments. The guidelines are in process," an official source said.

The government's efforts to curb black money in the country has pushed digital transaction on various platforms by up to 8,800 percent.

Digital payments on UPI platform have grown from Rs. 3,721 till November 8, 2016 to Rs. 3.31 lakh as on May 17, 2017.

Similarly, transaction on mobile wallets have grown by 104 percent, Aadhaar enabled payments system by 390 percent and Rupay debit card transactions by 270 percent during the same period.

Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) launched on December 30, 2016 has been downloaded by over 2 crore people and total transaction value on it have crossed Rs. 1,406 crores.

At present, digital wallet companies offer helpline numbers but customers on social media have expressed dissatisfaction with the existing facility.

There are no helpline or grievance redressal mechanism in case customer faces any issue on BHIM application.

"The draft grievances redressal rules will be placed before public for their views before guidelines are firmed up," the source said.

The government has been running a toll free number 14444 with IT industry body Nasscom but it is only limited to creating awareness about the digital payments and not for grievances redressal.