• Karang, a small lake island in Manipur, has become the country’s first cashless island.
• The Union ministry of electronics and information technology under its Digital India programme announced Karang as the first cashless island in India.
• Confirming it, deputy commissioner M Harekrishna of Bishnupur district said the island fulfilled the Centre’s necessary criteria.
• The Karang island is located in the middle of Loktak, the largest freshwater lake in Northeast India.
• The campaign was held from January 9 to 12.
• Karang Island Boat Association and Panthoibi Khoyol Standard Association extended help in holding campaigns on cashless transactions.
• “People here took pledge to contribute to the government’s vision of creating a cashless gram panchayat as no banking service available in the Island.
• “Now, most of the Karang families opt for cashless transactions.
• So far, 400 beneficiaries, 16 merchants, including six motor boat service providers, have registered themselves. We will be providing a card swipe machine within this month so that the island families can become 100% cashless society.
• Akodara, a village in Gujarat, had attained the unique status to be India’s first digital village in 2015.

Source:Hindustan Times