Singapore keen to catch up with China on digital payments

Just last week, I had an interesting conversation over dinner with a couple of my Lean In Singapore Women In Tech team members on the developments made in payments in the respective countries we hail from (one is from Australia, another from China, I'm from India).

We spoke of the massive leaps made in developing markets such as China, India and parts of Africa that have left developed countries far behind in how payments get done. My friend from China spoke about the exact thing that Singapore's PM Lee Hsien Loong stated in his National Day Rally speech on Sunday - that Chinese tourists would consider Singapore backward for still doing things the old way!

China has seen an astounding spread with cashless payments. To the extent that China has now reached a stage where the government has to remind merchants and payment providers that cash is still a valid payment option! 

#mobilepayment #cashlesspayment #China #India #Singapore #payments #Alipay

Understanding mental illness in India, and the rights of the mentally ill - Article for SHB Social Foundation

A few days ago, my fourteen year old daughter was watching a Hindi crime show on television. It showed a lady attempting suicide by jumping off a flyover, when she was stopped just in time by the detective, and she was warned, “Madam, what are you doing? Don’t you know attempting suicide is a criminal offence in India?”

For a moment, I couldn’t decide who looked more confused, the poor lady on the flyover or my daughter, who turned to me to ask why this was a criminal offence. All I could come up with as response was “I know it is a criminal offence, but I don’t really know why. Maybe that’s one way to discourage people from taking their own lives…?”. My response sounded lame, even to my ears. 

When I checked later, I found that while an attempted suicide is illegal in some other countries too, the intent is not to “punish” those who have attempted to take their own lives. Rather it is aimed at enabling the state to intervene so that it can assess the mental state of the person, based on which their treatment can be enforced. Someone who has attempted suicide typically does not (or is not supposed to) get arrested, jailed, and tried for the “crime”. However despite the noble intent of discouraging another suicide attempt, viewing an illness from a criminal lens has felt heartless and impractical. 

Therefore it was heartening to read about the Mental Healthcare Bill 2016, passed by the Indian Parliament this week that has decriminalized attempt to suicide and acknowledges that a person is suffering from mental illness at that time and will not be punished under the Indian Penal Code. The government shall have a duty to provide care, treatment and rehabilitation to a person having severe stress, and to reduce the risk of recurrence of attempt to commit suicide.

It is being hailed as a landmark and progressive bill that addresses many other crucial factors of mental illness in a patient-centric way and aimed at ensuring that the patient’s interest is safeguarded

• Definition of mental illness – as a substantial disorder of thinking, mood, perception, orientation or memory that grossly impairs judgment, behaviour, capacity to recognise reality or ability to meet the ordinary demands of life, and mental conditions associated with the abuse of alcohol and drugs. It does not include mental retardation which is a condition of arrested or incomplete development of mind of a person, specially characterised by subnormality of intelligence.
• Rights of persons with mental illness – The Bill addresses crucial aspects such as the right to access mental health care and treatment; free treatment for such persons if they are homeless or belong to Below Poverty Line. And right to confidentiality and to live with dignity and no discrimination on any basis including gender, sex, sexual orientation, religion, culture, caste, social or political beliefs, class or disability.
• Advance Directive – A person with mental illness shall have the right to make an advance directive that states how he/she wants to be treated for the illness and who his/her nominated representative shall be.
• Mental Health Authority – Set-up a Central Mental Health Authority at national-level and State Mental Health Authority in every State with which all mental health institutes and mental health practitioners including clinical psychologists, mental health nurses and psychiatric social workers will have to be registered.
• Mental Health treatment – specifics of the process and procedure to be followed for admission, treatment and discharge of mentally-ill individuals.

It is high time that India discusses its mental health issues, and the increased focus of the government on mental healthcare is encouraging. Per the findings from the recent National Mental Health Survey conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), at least 13.7 per cent of India’s population has various mental disorders; 10.6 per cent of them require immediate interventions.

The survey also points out that India’s urban areas are most affected with mental illness. And urban areas have a higher prevalence of schizophrenia, mood disorders and neurotic or stress-related disorders. This disturbing scenario could be due to fast-paced lifestyles, experiencing stress, complexities of living, a breakdown of support systems and challenges of economic instability. With continuing urbanisation, the burden is expected to rise and hence, there is a need for an urban specific mental health programme.

The survey also says that despite three out of four persons experiencing severe mental disorders, there are huge gaps in treatment. Apart from epilepsy, the treatment gap for all mental health disorders is more than 60 per cent.

Also, due to the stigma associated with mental disorders, nearly 80 per cent of those with mental disorders had not received any treatment despite being ill for over 12 months. Poor implementation of schemes under the National Mental Health Programme is largely responsible for this.

These are just some of the survey findings, and if you are interested, please do study the survey findings at http://indianmhs.nimhans.ac.in/Documents/reports/Summary.pdf .
Both the survey and the bill cover many critical aspects to do with gaining insights on the various aspects of the illness and its incidence, and its treatment and care. It is important that we understand these and also appreciate that passing the law is but one step. What is also needed is that we as a society – our caregivers, police, family, educational institutions, workplaces, etc. – are sensitised to the illness, to the rights of the mentally ill, and to taking timely action for their care and treatment.

This article was originally written for SHB Social Foundation 

Cashless India - Seeing the vision for financial inclusion come true - Part 1 (Article published on Let's Talk Payments)

The move toward a cashless India is important for several reasons. What are some of the initiatives taking place in the background that will make cashless a reality for India?

“Cashless” India has become quite the buzzword over the past fortnight since the demonetization move was announced. The move toward a cashless India is important for several reasons. India is one of the most cash-intensive economies in the world, and the heavy dependence on cash has several pitfalls for the Indian economy. The much talked-about pitfall has been the existence and growth of a “black” economy, where large chunks of money in the Indian economy are neither accounted for nor taxed. A heavy cash dependence has also meant that despite large budgetary sanctions through many decades of planning and five-year plans, the intended money has not reached the intended beneficiaries. Cash dependence also costs the Reserve Bank of India and commercial banks a huge expense annually just in currency operational costs.

Making India cashless is not an easy objective to meet. It has been almost a decade since I have been tracking the mobile payments space, and occasionally blogging and presenting on new developments in this space. In September 2014 I wrote of an imagined world where we can catch the sight of payments made via the mobile phone to be as commonplace as the cash (or card) used today to make payments. I imagined a world where riding on the promise of speed, convenience and efficiency, large sections of the population would:

• With a few simple taps on the mobile screen, pay utility bills or their children's school fees, make cash gifts...even settle IOUs between friends or split restaurant bills.  

• By just one wave of the mobile, get in and out of public buses and trains.

• By a swipe of the mobile, pay for groceries at the supermarket, or the hairdresser at the neighbourhood salon, or for the daily coffee dose at their favourite cafe.

But my imagination met many roadblocks as when and how this would reach critical mass in India was unclear. While the mobile phone had become an omnipresent feature for most of the country, having it replace cash looked not only distant but also difficult as there was little or no impetus for payers (consumers) to move away from cash or to adopt mobile payments. Nor was there a reason for for the payees (merchants) who face cost and technology barriers to move away from accepting cash.

In November of 2016, as I look at this space again, my attention is drawn to some key initiatives taking place in India that point to us being on the cusp of making mobile payments a greater reality. These initiatives can take us toward a cashless India. And I think the recent demonetization move has made many Indians - on the payer and payee side - rethink their dependence on cash. And despite the downside of demonetization, it can act as a huge catalyst to bring about change.

To set the context for cashless India, I’d like to first highlight the evolution of India Stack. India Stack is a fascinating concept conceived around 2012 when the Central government realised that it cannot deliver citizen services on its own efficiently. What it strives to be in terms of objectives and scale is unseen in India and perhaps anywhere in the world. With India Stack, we will have the largest Application Programming Interface (API) enabled technology platform that allows massive and transparent data exchange and stronger collaboration between the government, private companies, entrepreneurs, and the general public.   

India Stack is built on four layers (and each layer has a specific underlying technology that makes it possible):

1. Presence-less layer: where a universal biometric digital identity allows people to participate in any service from anywhere in the country (Aadhaar authentication and eKYC)
2. Paper-less layer: where digital records move with an individual’s digital identity eliminating paper records (eSign and Digilocker)
3. Cashless layer: where a single interface to all the country’s bank accounts and wallets democratises payments (Unified Payments Interface)
4. Consent layer: which allows data to move freely and securely to democratise the market for data (consent architecture)

The fundamental layer underneath all of these layers is “JAM”, an acronym coined for the trio of elements that India Stack will use. JAM stands for Jan Dhan Yojna (envisages universal access to banking facilities with at least one basic banking account for every household in India), Aadhaar (Unique Identification for all residents of India) and Mobile smartphones, all of which have seen rapid adoption in India.

Let’s now focus on the Cashless layer.

The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) forms the core of the cashless layer of India Stack. In April 2016, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the umbrella organisation for all retail payments systems in India launched UPI as the next generation online and mobile payments solution. UPI is an advanced version of IMPS (Immediate  Payment Service) that was launched in 2010 offering an instant, 24X7 tool to transfer money instantly within banks across India through mobile, internet and ATM.

UPI today powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application of any participating bank. Mobile payments is at the core of UPI and with the massive adoption of mobile phones in India across all strata of society, this makes it most viable to achieve critical mass and succeed. UPI supports both Push (Pay request to send money using virtual address) and Pull (Collect request) financial transactions. Built on top of UPI and equipped with multiple Indian language interfaces, many new products and services have been and will be introduced in India. Here’s a peek into some of the products and services:

APBS and AEPS

APBS (Aadhaar Payments Bridge System) is a system that facilitates transfer of all welfare scheme payments to beneficiary residents' Aadhaar Enabled Bank Account (AEBA). APBS will function as a push transaction. AEPS (Aadhaar Enabled Payment System) is a system that leverages Aadhaar online authentication and enables AEBAs to be operated in anytime-anywhere banking mode by the marginalized and financially excluded segments of society through microATMs. AEPS will function as a pull transaction. The success of AEPS rests on the availability of large number of Micro ATM’s and ATM’s equipped with biometric authentication facilities. As the banking and ATM network is limited in India, newer forms of banks and Business Correspondents (BCs) are expected to step in to service the population (more on this in the next blogpost).

APBS and AEPS will play a huge role in disbursements of government entitlements like NREGA, Handicapped, Old Age Pension, Student scholarship, etc. of any central or state government bodies. This is a big step toward reducing corruption and ensuring intended money reaches the intended beneficiary.

RuPay

This is a new card payment system launched by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), offering a domestic, multilateral system which will allow all Indian banks and financial institutions in India to participate in electronic payments. As it is an cheaper alternative to the more expensive Mastercard and Visa card networks, it is expected to be a hit with merchants, especially the smaller and medium-sized merchants.

*99#

Banking customers who do not have a smartphone or are challenged with usage of smartphone can avail this service by dialing *99# on their mobile phone and transact through an interactive menu displayed on the mobile screen.

Bharat Bill Payment System

BBPS (Bharat Bill Payment System) will function as a tiered structure for operating the bill payment system in the country under a single brand. National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) will function as the authorized body, which will be responsible for setting business standards, rules and procedures for technical and business requirements for all the participants.

These are just some of the products and services coming from the India Stack that will propel India toward a less cash dependent and a more transparent economy. Many of them have already been rolled out, and are being phased out. As the technology platform provided by India Stack is an open-data initiative and is supported by an open API policy, it paves the way for many enterprises, entrepreneurs and government bodies to collaborate for building cashless services on top of Aadhaar, Jan Dhan and Mobile. This is a huge development for India and is set to change the way the country conducts its financial transactions. More critically, it will change way India’s yet untapped bottom of the pyramid will conduct its financial transactions as the adoption barriers reduce. We all are and will be consumers of this cashless layer - be it as merchants, business owners, beneficiaries of welfare schemes

While the technology platform provides a vast canvas, there are other components too that are critical to make mobile payments and cashless India reach critical mass and to accelerate financial inclusion. Let’s take a look at some of the revolutionary changes taking place in the banking system in India in the next blogpost. 

This article was also published on Let's Talk Payments

https://letstalkpayments.com/cashless-india-seeing-the-vision-for-financial-inclusion-come-true-part-1/

Not Just Bengaluru, Not Just India: Women Deserve Every Street In The World - Article pubslihed on Womens Web

Women have every right to be out in any public space in the world, whether in Bengaluru or any other city. 

Women are molested in public in Bengaluru, in mass. Bengaluru’s posh Brigade Street earns the shameful moniker as the ‘Grope Street’ for the largest numbers of groping per square foot. Supposed legislators of the country make more shameful statements that make you wonder if he lives in India or in Taliban country.

But that’s not all. A glance at the comments below the YouTube videos covering this legislator’s statements or news articles covering the New Year’s Eve incidents reveals that some people – both men and women – are stating similar things as that legislator. “If women go out at night, what else do they expect”, “Why do they wear western clothes and invite attention?” “If they drink and go out at night, aren’t they only asking for it!” 

The same night in Bengaluru a woman returning from work walked the short distance from the where auto-rickshaw dropped her to her house. She was caught by two men on that short walk home and she was molested.

On the one hand, we all need to raise awareness on this issue. Groping is not acceptable. Molestation is not acceptable. Rape is not acceptable. The more we talk about it – in the mainstream media, social media, in our workplaces, homes, schools and colleges, on the streets, everywhere – the more that will get understood.

However, I do not want India or any city or town or street to be branded as the ‘rape capital’ or ‘molestation town’ or ‘grope street’ of the world.

Moreover, New Year’s Eve is not the only time when women are molested. As I wrote on my blog in March 2015, women in India face varying degrees of molestation anywhere, anytime. Whatever possible, whenever possible, however possible, men want a piece of it…anything for a feel of a woman’s flesh.

Women do not need to be out at New Year’s Eve, drunk or not drunk, to be groped or molested or raped. They could just be going to school or college or work and it could happen. Or it could happen in their home.

Many people watched the movie “Pink” and raved about it as a movie that everyone should watch and show their daughters and sons. However, how many of the same people think differently when an incident like Bengaluru takes place – that if a woman is out in the night on New Year’s Eve, what she was wearing – jeans and T-shirt, or skirt or dress, or saree or salwar suit – determines if she deserved to be molested? How many think that what she drank – whether it had alcoholic content or whether it was just fruit juice or tea or coffee- determines if she deserved it or not? How many think the time she is out – day or night, before 12 AM or after 12 AM – determines if she asked for it.

What is shocking about the statement of ministers who say that “this happens routinely” (“aisa hota hai”) is that it may just be echoing the minds of many who think women “ask for it”. These are minds that think the primary responsibility of women staying safe should lie with women – so basically, they should stay at home, or if they do step outside, they should be accompanied by a male member – NOT a boyfriend (as by that too, she is “asking for it” as boyfriends are a western concept?), but husband or another male family member. And they should dress “appropriately”.

But guess what – when individuals molest women or when mobs strike, that male person accompanying the woman cannot do anything. For that matter, even 1500 police can’t do anything when it is happening. After the incident, police are unable to catch the molesters, even though some of them may have their faces shown in the CCTV coverage.

And what about the women who are groped and molested just going about their daily work or studies? Nothing wrong with their clothes, but surely they must have given some kind of a “look” that invited groping and molestation?

We need media to cover this with greater insight

I titled my blogpost in 2015 as the Great Indian disease; knowing well that this does not happen only in India, I wrote about what I and many women face(d) in India. The intent is to ensure that people’s mind sets start changing among men and women. The intent is that people take molestation and rape seriously. The intent is that women start talking about the difficulties and insecurities they face with their body – because by talking about it, they will raise awareness. And hopefully people will not judge them as having “invited” a molestation, or “asked for it”.

This Singapore newspaper clip is of two Malaysian ladies who were molested at a party on New Year’s Eve at Sentosa. But in Singapore, men and women and girls and boys are safely traveling by public transport on a daily basis, or flocking to the streets in huge numbers for festive celebrations without groping incidents.

The same newspaper in Singapore has posted news of men who are sentenced to years of jail and caning for groping a woman’s breast, or a yoga instructor touching a woman’s upper thigh, or any kind molestation. Interestingly, in every news report, the picture displayed in the news is that of the molester and not of the victim. Each time the news is posted on the crime and on the criminal getting caught and sentenced, I believe it deters other criminals.

Women all over the world face the brunt of the show of power among men – through kidnapping and rape, molestation and violence. And it’s not okay anywhere in the world.

I feel sad when in so many forums outside India (not just by mainstream international media), incidents that take place against women in India get mileage. In addition to Indian mainstream media covering the Bengaluru molestation incident, the New York Times, The Guardian, Straits Times are among many who have covered this incident. As they cover other such incidents that occur in India. And each time, those living outside India and in India believe every woman in India has been or will be raped, or every woman who steps into any part of the country is a target of molestation.

One just needs to take a look at the comments in the local news, or discussions among locals to understand the extent to which India gets branded as the worst place for any woman. Which is not the case. India is a wonderful country with ample opportunity for women who shine and rise. Albeit just as in many places around the world, it is sad that the women in public spaces here too need to keep one eye (often both eyes and a sharp object at hand) on their whereabouts to ensure there is no untoward advance made toward them.

So dear Indian and international media, if you could please do away with the monikers and labels you are so enthusiastically doling out. Covering these incidents through sensational headlines and labels do catch eyeballs and are great click-baits for you. But please figure out how to balance out your news.
There is a lot to be done to ensure women can rightfully claim public spaces. That is why I support movements like #WhyLoiter where women are encouraged to step into and “loiter” in public spaces in large numbers to make it safer for them to be in them. We don’t need to be at home to stay safe; rather, more of us need to be out to ensure we are making it safer for ourselves and for other women in public spaces.

It is movements like these and many others, and conversations at home and in workplaces, in schools and in colleges, on a regular basis that will help change the mind set and establish a common understanding that women have a natural right to be safe in public spaces.

This article was also published on Women's Web