RBI Update – Payments Infrastructure Development Fund – Extension of Scheme and Enhancements

To provide impetus to deployment of acceptance infrastructure, the following enhancements are being made to the Scheme:

• The beneficiaries identified as part of the PM Vishwakarma Scheme, across the country, shall be included as merchants for deployment under the PIDF Scheme. All eligible installations since the inception of the PM Vishwakarma Scheme, i.e., September 17, 2023, may prefer claims under the PIDF Scheme.
• The PIDF Scheme presently subsidises deployment of acceptance infrastructure based on category of device – physical or digital. It has been decided to enable other contemporary devices, viz., (i) Soundbox devices – providing instant audio payment confirmation along with payment acceptance by “scan & pay” and Near Field Communication (NFC), and (ii) Aadhaar-enabled biometric devices – certified biometric scanner devices facilitating Aadhaar authentication for acceptance of payment by merchant through BHIM Aadhaar Pay, would be eligible for subsidy under the Scheme, for installations made from October 01, 2023 onwards.
• The amount of subsidy for devices deployed in special focus areas, viz., North Eastern States, Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, is increased from 75% to 90% of the total cost, irrespective of the type of device, for installations made from October 01, 2023 onwards.

Link – https://rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=12584&Mode=0