‘I WISHED I HAD INVESTED IN AN E-WALLET APP’

Actor Minissha Lamba says she used online payment systems to deal with demonetisation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demonetisation move has evoked all sorts of reactions. Actor Minissha Lamba says her initial reaction to the move was “shock”. “Soon after, I wished I had invested in an e-wallet app, because the whole situation changed overnight. We were required to use an app to make things smooth and convenient for everyone,” says the actor.

Minissha says she is an avid user of debit and credit cards. “That is why demonetisation hasn’t changed my life a lot, because I used to pay mostly by cards,” she adds. But that doesn’t mean she hasn’t succumbed to the trend. “I do have an e-wallet to make smaller payments, such as for groceries. My e-wallet has been convenient, especially when I’ve wanted to buy something off roadside stalls. It’s nice to see and hear my sabziwala (vegetable seller) talking about having an e-wallet of his own. And when he tells me that I can now transfer the money for groceries directly into his account, I just smile,” says Minissha.

While the actor admits that she doesn’t understand finance well, she still says e-wallet should prove useful in the long term. “The long-term impact of e-wallets should be good. It has made life easier, because everyone has to open a bank account now. While it was a move that ended up benefitting a particular kind of business overnight, we will see its long-term impact in a few years. But there is no doubt that e-wallets have made life convenient for a lot of people who use smartphones, including people in smaller cities,” she says.