BHIM—short form of Bharat Interface for Money—was recently launched by Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. The launch of the app was a symbol of India moving towards digitalization and opting for going cashless. It is typically a new version of USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) and UPI (Unified Payment Interface).
At the time of the launch, PM Modi claimed that BHIM will be one of the biggest wonders of the world in the near future. But this does not seem to be the case. Listed as free on the Play Store by Google, it seems to be other way rounds. BHIM is not exactly ‘free’.
Many users around the country said that after downloading the app, an amount of Rs 1.50 was being deducted from their balance in the smartphone. On top of this, after downloading BHIM, users have to face the complex and time-consuming process of answering various technical questions.
After downloading the app, the interface sends a number to verify on the smartphone through SMS. As soon as the message is received, an amount of Rs 1.50 is deducted from the mobile balance. Some of the users have also confirmed about deduction of money even when the verification number is not received. This is not how ‘free’ is defined!!!
Well, the government and the PM have to find a solution on this as soon as possible. Because the app, that is claimed to be the next big thing in the world, cannot have such basic fault in it.
