Politics · India Bureau
Indian mobile retailers plan UPI protest ahead of new merchant charges
Mobile phone retailers across India will observe October 2 as "No UPI Day" to oppose a newly-announced 0.4 per cent merchant discount rate on digital payments. The All India Mobile Retailers Association has called for the symbolic action on Gandhi Jayanti to voice concerns about the government's fee structure.
LSN India ·
The All India Mobile Retailers Association (AIMRA) has announced plans for a coordinated protest against fresh charges on Unified Payments Interface transactions, with retailers set to refuse UPI payments and cover QR codes with black cloth on October 2.
The action comes in response to the government's decision to impose a 0.4 per cent merchant discount rate (MDR) on UPI transfers exceeding Rs 2,000 from October 15. Person-to-person transactions and smaller payments have been exempted from the charges.
"The 'NO UPI DAY' on October 2, 2026, has been called to highlight the concerns of mobile retailers regarding the 0.4 per cent MDR applicable to eligible merchant UPI transactions," AIMRA Vice President and President for Delhi NCR region Tarvinder Singh said in a statement.
Retailers have submitted representations to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman outlining their objections to the fee structure. The protest is scheduled to coincide with Gandhi Jayanti, amplifying its symbolic significance. The move marks a significant pushback from the retail sector against the government's efforts to generate revenue from digital payment infrastructure.