In the catastrophic Nepal floods, India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is finding a new role.
Not as a payment option for Indian tourists, but as a channel for Indians to contribute to the country’s disaster relief efforts.
Nepal’s devastating flash floods death toll rose to 1,127 on Wednesday, while 4,858 people remain missing, as rescuers race to locate survivors and recover bodies on eight day after the Himalayan disaster.
As per the Nepal Police, 348 bodies were recovered from Chitwan, 217 from Nawalparasi East, 190 from Nawalparasi West and 155 from Nuwakot while another 66 bodies were recovered from Gorkha, 59 from Dhading, 45 from Rasuwa and 38 from Tanahu.
Role of UPI in Nepal Floods:
The Embassy of Nepal in India has urged the Indian who are unable to make the payments to the Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund through designated QR codes to update UPI International.
It has asked the people in India to make contributions to PM Disaster Relief Fund to switch on UPI International on their UPI or banking apps before making the payment.
“Friends and well-wishers in India who are encountering difficulty while contributing to the Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund of the Government of Nepal by scanning the designated QR codes are kindly requested to activate ‘UPI International’ in their UPI/banking application before proceeding with the payment,” the embassy said in a post on X.
The appeal comes after deadly flash floods near the Nepal-Tibet border disrupted communications and affected parts of Nepal.
