BEST General Manager, Lokesh Chandra, proclaimed that in the last two months, over 31,000 electricity consumers in Mumbai have switched to digital payments, with their aggregate numbers rising to over 6.6 lakh on Thursday, highlighted a report by the Times of India.
He elaborated that this number is 63% of the aggregate consumer base in the city and that a paperless, e-payment method is great for the environment. Chandra added that they offer a Rs 120 discount yearly which is Rs 10 a month to those in Mumbai who choose e-bills. They have received an overwhelming response and over 31,000 have chosen this method, he said.
Chandra mentioned, in the near future, BEST customers can visit any SBI branch to pay either by cash or cheque. With the push they are giving to digital payments, customers receive a discount of 0.25% of the total bill, with a maximum of Rs 500 for making online payments. This comprises miBEST app, Net banking, credit card, debit card, Paytm, BHIM, Google Pay, Amazon Pay or on https://www.bestundertaking.net//
Apart from this, there are also special initiative schemes for those who frequently pay online whilst also choosing e-bills for at least a year. They will be rewarded by drawing lottery, and winners will receive alluring rewards, with the winners' list to be announced this month, he said.
In addition to being environmentally friendly, the initiative enables reliable time-based bill receipts to consumers. Almost 40% of customers that are majorly in the slum areas are a challenge since it could take time to switch them to digital mode of payments, the authority is hoping to convince them too.
According to the report, the body incurs expenditure with Rs 7.66 per paper bill a month, thus a Rs 10 discount a bill is equivalent to a loss of Rs 2.44 per bill, which comes up to Rs 3 cr loss yearly for all customers. Chandra, however, said that that the body is willing to incur the loss for the paperless system since it helps save trees.
Also Read: Residents Of Maharashtra Could Lose 2.5-2.9 Years Of Life Expectancy Due To Air Pollution: Study
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