Budget should create a fund to boost digital infrastructure: Sandeep Ladda of PwC India

Improving the digital infrastructure and rationalising the charges on online transactions are two important steps the government should be taking in the upcoming Union Budget 2017 , said Sandeep Ladda, partner and national leader - technology and e-commerce at PricewaterhouseCoopers India in an interview with Firstpost.

He also said the government may have to set up a fund to boost digital infrastructure.

“One critical way would be by carving out a funds that is allocated towards making sure sure the PoS devices reach the cosnumers and the masses. The government has to create the digital infrastructure across the length and the breadth of the country, including in the remotest areas,” he said.

A State Bank of India report recently noted that the country at present has only 15.1 lakh point of sales machines, while in order to meet the demand arising from the digital push by the government, the requirement is another 20 lakh.

Apart from this, some of the charges that banks have for making transactions should be brought down, if not removed completely.

“There should be some level of rationlisation,” he said.

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