Now Reading: Traders in Maharashtra, MP call for No UPI Day on October 2
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Traders in Maharashtra, MP call for No UPI Day on October 2
Traders across Maharashtra will observe 'No UPI Day' on October 2, Gandhi Jayanti, protesting the government's decision to impose a 0.4% Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on UPI transactions above Rs 2,000. The…
Traders across Maharashtra will observe 'No UPI Day' on October 2, Gandhi Jayanti, protesting the government's decision to impose a 0.4% Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on UPI transactions above Rs 2,000. The Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (MCCIA) said 20,000 traders are expected to join the protest by covering UPI QR codes and accepting cash only.
The All India Mobile Retailers Association (AIMRA) has also announced the protest. AIMRA Vice President Tarvinder Singh said retailers will symbolically cover QR codes with black cloth. In a representation to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, AIMRA estimated the MDR will cause a monthly loss of Rs 2,000 to Rs 12,000 for small retailers processing Rs 5-30 lakh monthly via UPI, amounting to a burden of nearly Rs 500 crore per annum on small mobile retailers.
Earlier, traders in Madhya Pradesh observed a similar 'No UPI Day' on Wednesday. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) held a symbolic protest in Bhopal. Akshay Jain of the Indore Retail Garments Association warned that if the decision is not withdrawn before October 15, traders will immerse UPI QR code machines in water bodies. The government has clarified that customers will not be charged any fee.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Both livemint.com and hindustantimes.com report the same protest call neutrally, attributing demands and warnings directly to trader bodies. Neither outlet adopts a government-critical or pro-government stance, the coverage is uniform straight reporting. The key difference is detail: hindustantimes.com foregrounds AIMRA's financial estimates (Rs 500 crore annual burden) and the specific warning from Madhya Pradesh traders about immersing QR machines. The balanced reading is that the protest is sector-wide but government has not signalled a rollback. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a plea challenging the MDR imposition on Monday.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): livemint.com (neutral report), hindustantimes.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
