Government’s digital transactions awareness campaign extended by a month

New Delhi, Jan 12 (IANS) The Union government on Thursday extended its digital transactions awareness campaign by a month and asked all higher educational institutions to expeditiously complete the process of turning their campuses totally cashless.

Christened Vittiya Saksharta Abhiyan (VISAKA) and launched by the Human Resource Development ministry on December 12, the month-long campaign involved the participation of major knowledge institutions like the IITs, NITs, IIITs, and central universities and colleges with students, faculty and staff playing the role of transforming their immediate day to day living environment into a cashless mode.

Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar in letters to the heads of higher education institutions, informed extending the VISAKA till February 12 and urged them to publicise and promote the campaign.

While the campaign has attracted over two lakh students as volunteers, Javadekar lamented that only about 1,000 institutions registered for the drive.

"It is time now for all others to actively lead and participate in the programme, he wrote, urging the institutions to publicise the campaign and encourage as many students as possible to join as volunteers.

He also asked them to complete the process of "complete conversion of campuses into digital payment system" and directed that the progress in the regard be reported through the Digital Monitoring System.