New Delhi, Sept. 16 -- Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday questioned the Narendra Modi government's decision to introduce a Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on select UPI transactions, alleging that the move came amid mounting pressure from the United States and could potentially help American card companies compete with India's widely used digital payments system.
Ramesh's attack came a day after the government announced that a 0.4 per cent MDR will be levied from October 15 on specified person-to-merchant UPI transactions above Rs 2,000, with the charge capped at Rs 300 for transactions of Rs 75,000 and above. The government has maintained that person-to-person transactions will remain free and tha...