As India prepares for the third phase of the world’s largest vaccination drive making it available for everyone above 18 years, PayNearby, India’s leading branchless banking and digital payments network, has rolled out plans to leverage its wide distribution network to assist citizens in enrolling for the vaccination program. Over 15 lakh PayNearby retail touchpoints across more than 17,500 PIN codes will be leveraged to create community awareness around the program and assist citizens to overcome tech and language barriers, and seamlessly register themselves on the CoWIN app. This step is in sync with the government’s efforts to immunize the country at an accelerated pace.  
 
It is important for everyone to get vaccinated to fight the pandemic. For vaccinations in the age group of 18-44, the government has prohibited walk-ins at the vaccination centres and made registrations on CoWIN portal or the Aarogya Setu app mandatory from 1 May 2021. However, most of the population, especially across semi-urban and rural India are not tech-savvy enough to register themselves successfully on smartphones or website. Additionally, they are also inhibited by language barriers which can hinder the registration process.  

To combat this challenge, PayNearby has introduced a CoWIN registration module within its trade app, that will enable PayNearby Digital Pradhans to seamlessly assist local communities to register for the vaccination process. The single click, easy access to CoWIN app from within the PayNearby app at all retail stores in the country will not only help create momentum for the program but will also solve citizen’s language and tech barriers. The module will include content that drives home the message around the importance of immunization to eradicate coronavirus and will help create large scale community awareness for the program. With this initiative, PayNearby aims to register 10 crore citizens, especially across semi-urban and rural India.  

Speaking on the initiative, Anand Kumar Bajaj, Founder, MD & CEO, PayNearby said, “As India fights the worst-ever pandemic wave, PayNearby is committed to doing our humble bit to ensure every citizen in the country is vaccinated at the earliest. Flattening the COVID-19 curve eventually rests on judicious vaccination deployment and we are dedicated to accelerating this process through our Digital Pradhan network.  

Assisted registrations and pre-scheduling of appointments at retail stores will prevent flocking at immunization centres and help people observe adequate social distancing norms which is critical at this juncture to put a check on the virus spreading any further.”  

About PayNearby:  
Founded by Anand Kumar Bajaj, Subhash Kumar, Yashwant Lodha & Rajesh Jha in April 2016, PayNearby is a fintech company creating technology and distribution network to reach financial/non-financial services to India and Bharat. PayNearby empowers retail shop owners to offer digital services to local communities, thereby boosting digital financial inclusion. Retailer services are focused on Agent Banking, Digital payments, microSavings, microInsurance, Loan enablement among others.