Students of higher education institutions may soon earn academic credits for project work by volunteering to be agents of India’s attempted transformation into a digital, cashless economy.
This is one of the stated aims of the government three weeks after demonetisation, with the Centre making it clear that a cashless economy combats black money and ensures tax compliance.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development wants students from 36,000 higher education institutions — including the IITs, NITs, IIITs, IISERs, central universities and colleges — to be the agency for educating their neighbourhoods to take to cashless transactions that can be tracked.
“Directors of all institutions should ensure that the necessary credit in academics for project work is given to the student volunteers of Vittiya Saksharta Abhiyan,” says a note circulated for the attempted turn to a digital economy.
An official said this referred to projects related to socially productive work, but added its success would require institutes — which are autonomous — to take the initiative.
These institutions are also expected to turn to cashless mode in their day-to-day transactions.
“To begin with, all the knowledge institutions would themselves convert to full digital mode for receipt and payments of fees, wages, etc.,” says the note.
“The staff and faculty of all educational institutions will endeavour to turn fully digital themselves, educate their spouses and children, give pocket money to their grown up children only in digital mode and pay servants' wages in the most convenient digital mode...”
Student volunteers should educate the neighbourhood, pay fees and canteen expenses in digital mode and persuade parents, neighbours and servants to transact digitally.
