Melinda French Gates scans Paytm QR code to pay for water at a Delhi village

Philanthropist and co-chair of Gates Foundation Melinda French Gates, who is currently in India for a visit, while interacting with villagers at a Delhi village used digital payment app Patym to make a purchase at a kirana or a local store. 

In a video tweet shared by Gates Foundation India, the 58-year-old billionaire can be seen holding a plastic bottle of mineral water in one hand and holding her phone in the other hand to scan Paytm’s QR code for payment at a shop in Garhi village of Delhi. 

French Gates, whose institution Gates Foundation has been actively working in India for years in the field of health and education, was in Garhi village to interact with the India Post Payments Bank customers and its elderly women pensioners. 

There is no doubt that India has been actively working on digital payment mediums, which has paved the way for extensive financial inclusion in the country. This was evident when foreign dignitaries visiting India used digital payment apps, like Paytm, to purchase things in the local markets and villages.  

Earlier this week, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also used Paytm to shop for traditional clothes in Chandni Chowk. Sharing a tweet on Baerbock’s experience, Philipp Ackermann, German ambassador to India, tweeted: “Packed & productive - a super exciting Day 1 of Minister @ABaerbock draws to a close. Great talks with @DrSJaishankar, an enriching visit to Sis Ganj Gurudwara followed by shopping with Shashi Bansal in Chandni Chowk and using Paytm to pay!” 

 Reacting to the tweet, Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma said that it was an experience of India's “world class digital payment infrastructure”. 

He tweeted, “Welcome all #G20 delegates and foreign dignitaries India and experience India's world class digital payment infrastructure, just #PaytmKaro.” 

UPI transactions in rural pockets 

According to the latest report shared by PayNearby, a branchless banking and digital network, assisted financial transactions across semi-urban and rural retail counters in India have grown 25 per cent and 14 per cent in value terms and volumes in 2022.  

The report noted that there is a significant growth in the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payments, which are availed by citizens through local retail counters like kirana stores, mobile recharge stores, medical shops, customer service points (CSPs), travel agents, etc. 

The report highlighted that UPI transactions saw a whopping 650 per cent and 500 per cent increase in value and volume across PayNearby retail counters, showing the growing adoption, behavourial shift towards UPI in villages and Tier II regions in the country.