What is BHIM App, how to use it, step wise guidance!

What is BHIM App, how to use it, step wise guidance!

The Central government is coming with one initiative after another to move towards digital economy. Even before demonetisation move, UnifiedPayment Interface (UPI) was brought in. Now it has become more popular among people as there are no charges on transactions made through UPI and it is instantaneous and available at any time of the day!

After November 8th announcement by the Prime Minister about demonetisation, mobile banking has been promoted, which has been made not only for smartphone holders but also for ordinary mobile by making it possible through USSD *99#. UPI app has been downloaded by large number of people and has been appreciated for its ease. Several e-wallets like Paytm, Mobikwik etc. also became more popular and even tea sellers and other street vendors started accepting payments through these means. There were huge demand for Point of Sale (POS) machines from large number of merchants and banks were not in a position to meet the demand. Moreover, there was another accusation on POS that somepercentage (around 2.5%) of money goes to companies like VISA or MASTERCARD for swiping the card.

In order to address this, the government came up with another initiative. According to government data, more 95% of population are having Aadhaar number. So the government used Aadhaar as the base for building another app. Aadhaar based Payment App was brought in on Good Governance Day, December 25th to make it more easier for merchants to receive money and make it easier for customers to pay money even in worst cases like they have forgotten to take both wallet and mobile phone. Through Aadhaar Payment app, one can pay money by using his finger prints! The merchant will have to buy a biometric reader to connect to his smart phone which would be a onetime cost of Rs. 2000.

To give highest strength for all these initiatives and make the payments in most simple terms, Prime Minister Modi has come up with the app called BHIM, which refers to Bharat Interface for Money and also he dedicated this app to Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar.

Some of the specialties of BHIM app are,

*.It is easier than UPI or any other digital transaction modes.
*.It uses the mobile number to access bank account linked with that particular number.
*.A single app can be linked with the account of any bank.
*.One can transfer money anytime on any day without any restrictions.
*.There are no charges on transactions made through BHIM app.

How to use BHIM app?

Follow the below steps to start transacting through BHIM app.

1.Download BHIM app from Playstore and open it.

1.Press ‘Next’ after reading the details about the app.

1.Then a page opens which says ‘Allow us to access’ where it will ask permission to access SMS and Phone State. Press ‘Let’s get started’.

1.Press ‘allow’ twice.

However, in case of dual sim phones, the app may ask you to choose the sim and if it doesn’t ask, then please select the desired sim in ‘sim selection’ through settings of the phone.

1.A verification code is sent to the mobile and the mobile would be verified automatically.

1.Then the app would ask you to register a passcode where you have to put an ATM pin like 4 digit passcode which would act as a key to the locker.

1.Confirm the passcode by the entering the same again.

1.Later, the app would ask to choose the bank. You will have to choose the bank with which you have an account which is linked with the mobile number.

1.Automatically the app would show the account number in thatbank and you will have to select the same.

1.If UPI has already been set for the same account then the app is ready for transfer of money. One can start transfer and receive money immediately by entering the mobile number of the customer or the UPI id.

1.The app will verify the receiver before sending the money whichis giving an added protection for whatever the money that you would be transferring.

1.Once it is verified, enter the amount and press pay and immediately money would be transferred from one account to another.

How ever, if the account is not already registered with UPI, then you will have to set a UPI pin of 6 digits which would be done though entering the card details and getting an One Time Password (OTP). The app is self explanatory and one has to feed whatever is asked for. Once UPI PIN and MPIN are set, the app would allow for payments or receipts. One can even  pay through using QR code by scanning through the app itself.

The size of the app has also been kept very smaller which would enable even a smartphone user with lesser internal memory to accommodate the app. Due to its simple User Interface and ease as well as secure way of money transfer, it is believed that the BHIM app would give strength of Bhim to the digital transactions