I don't think adding a 0.5% surcharge to transactions over Rupees 2000 is "pound foolish". Most transactions are smaller, and someone has to pay to maintain the infrastructure. :shrug:

Also: just because money is being wasted on cause $X does not mean that there's more of it lying around to be wasted on cause $Y! You've got to draw the line somewhere!

One of the reasons why the fee is being considered is under the pressure of other payment providers who are loosing to UPI in Indian market. Its been believed to be one of the negotiation points by the US-India trade deals

Completely agree - not every public service has to be treated like a commercial business. Treat the payment backbone as a public infrastructure. We pushed banks to open branches in rural areas in India even if it was not "profitable" for them. Today, even Post Offices offer bank accounts in India. And while the BBC article pushes the propaganda that this will be a charge levied on big businesses, we know the reality is that it will be passed on to us consumers and our burden to bear.

And note that this is not being done to serve India's public interest, but under pressure from Trump - The hidden Trump factor in India’s proposed new UPI transaction levy - https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-econom... . India's Prime Minister Modi is happy to do it though, because like his US counterpart, he too subscribes to the anarcho-right political ideology of transferring wealth from the poor and the middle-class to the rich. Just like Trump's tariff "refunds" increased prices and leeched of billions from American citizens to the corporates, charges on UPI transactions can potentially do the same in India.

It's a bargain and exactly what governments are for. It's 70¢ per Indian. It's a payment highway and commerce is good.

edit: replied to comment was rephrased during reply.

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