📷 Image Credits: Moneycontrol
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the State Bank of India (SBI) have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to revolutionize and streamline digital payment services for Indian migrant workers. This significant development comes as a boon for the nation, especially during these challenging times. The integration of SBI’s payment gateway, SBIePay, with the eMigrate portal is aimed at offering an additional digital payment facility for Indian migrant workers, recruiting agents, and other users of the portal.\nThe agreement underscores the commitment to further facilitate and enhance the safe and legal migration of Indian migrant workers. Launched in 2014, the eMigrate portal has played a crucial role in digitizing and bringing transparency to the emigration process for Indian workers heading to countries where emigration checks are required. The portal acts as a connection point for foreign employers, registered recruiting agents, and insurance companies issuing the Pravasi Bhartiya Bima Yojna, ensuring a smooth, secure, and legal migration process.\nThe MoU was formalized by Bramha Kumar, Joint Secretary (Overseas Employment and Protector General of Emigrants) from the MEA, and Neelesh Dwivedi, General Manager (NW-I) from SBI, at the Sushma Swaraj Bhawan in New Delhi. The primary objective of this agreement is to introduce an additional digital payment service of the SBI through the payment gateway called SBIePay specifically for Indian migrant workers and recruiting agents using the eMigrate portal. This new service is set to launch after the successful integration of SBIePay with the eMigrate portal, allowing for hassle-free payments of various emigration-related fees.\nThe implementation of this digital payment service will enable users to make transactions with zero transaction charges using UPI, credit/debit cards, and NEFT through net banking of all Indian banks. This initiative not only simplifies the payment process but also reflects the commitment to ensuring the safety and legality of Indian migrant workers during their migration journey. Overall, the partnership between MEA and SBI signifies a step towards fostering a more efficient and secure ecosystem for migrant workers using the eMigrate portal.
