Congress launches signature campaign against UPI charges on payments above 2,000 rupees

Congress activists in Unnao ran a signature campaign on Thursday to protest against additional charges being imposed on UPI payments above 2,000 rupees. The campaign was conducted jointly under the aegis of the city Congress and the Congress Divyang Cell, with workers fanning out from small intersections to major crossroads across the town to register public opposition against what they termed the government's questionable policy.

Tanmay Srivastava, state general secretary and spokesperson of the Congress Divyang Cell, said traders are the backbone of the country's economy. In a statement during the signature drive, he asserted that it is not appropriate to impose an additional financial burden linked to the payment system on traders who are already grappling with inflation, electricity costs, rent, employee salaries and other rising expenses. He said the government should strengthen the digital payment system while also ensuring that the economic burden does not fall on small shopkeepers and traders.

Srivastava alleged that the government's policies are increasing economic pressure on the common people and the business community. He said the Congress will continue to raise its voice on the problems of traders, small shopkeepers and weaker sections of society.

He warned that if this system is not withdrawn within seven days, the Congress Divyang Cell will take to the streets to stage protest demonstrations and burn effigies of the government's policies.

City Congress president Faiz Farooqui demanded that the central government review the MDR system keeping in mind the interests of traders, and that small and medium traders be protected from any additional economic burden.

Several Congress workers were present during the campaign, including Naseem Khan, Imtiyaz, Shashwat Bajpai, Sarfaraz Gandhi, Shakeel Khan, Om Pande, Meesam Raza, Ashish Tripathi, Jyoti Arya and Arvind Soni. The event saw participation from activists who moved through the town collecting signatures from citizens to formally record their objections to the proposed charges on UPI transactions exceeding the 2,000-rupee threshold. The report was filed by Nishanath Pandey from Unnao.