KOCHI: Protesting the Central Government’s proposal to impose transaction fees on Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payments, the Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi (KVVES) staged statewide torchlight rallies, calling for an immediate withdrawal of the move. Demonstrations took place across all 14 Assembly Constituencies in Ernakulam district under the leadership of respective constituency presidents. KVVES leaders asserted that imposing levies on digital transactions will severely impact retail merchants and the general public alike, undermining the nation’s digital payment ecosystem.
In Ernakulam constituency, the torchlight procession was flagged off from Kaloor Market to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Regional Office by Ernakulam Constituency President M.C. Paulson. The subsequent public demonstration in front of the RBI office was presided over by Kaloor Unit President K.A. Nadirsha and inaugurated by M.C. Paulson, with District Working General Secretary Shajahan Abdul Khader delivering the keynote address. Key organizational leaders including Edward Fastus, Abdul Shukkoor, Pradeep Jose, Jaya Peter, Shakeela Suvardhan, and other unit representatives actively addressed the gathering.
