VARANASI, Oct. 3 -- The Federation of All India Vyapar Mandal has demanded the withdrawal of the proposal to levy Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) charges on UPI digital payments, citing concerns over the additional financial burden on small traders and MSMEs. Federation secretary and spokesperson Somnath Vishwakarma said traders had recently submitted a memorandum to Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman opposing the proposal. "On Monday, we will submit a memorandum addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Our demand is that the government should defer this proposal and provide relief to traders, considering the current circumstances," he said. Bhupendra Singh Sobti, Uttar Pradesh president and assistant national general secretary of the federation, said UPI had played a key role in promoting digital payments across the country. Since demonetisation, UPI has become a popular mode of payment among small traders, large shopkeepers and MSME units. Federation state vice-president Ashok Jaiswal, secretary/spokesperson Somnath Vishwakarma and general secretary Jitendra Chaturvedi said the memorandum highlighted the government's efforts to promote digital payments and accelerate the national economy. They said imposing MDR charges on UPI could disrupt the digital payment ecosystem and place an additional financial burden on traders. Meanwhile, on October 2, 'No UPI Day' was observed following a nationwide call by the Bharatiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal to protest the proposed 0.40% MDR charge on UPI transactions. Traders in Sonbhadra displayed 'No UPI' posters at their establishments and accepted only cash payments, refusing online payments....