Karnataka Government Launches mPayment Pilot

The Government of the Indian state of Karnataka in India has launched a pilot program, in which citizens will be able to pay electricity, water and mobile phone bills, property taxes and motoring fines via their mobile phone. Citizens can opt for an SMS- or IVR-based (Interactive Voice Response) service.
The initiative has been has been developed by the Department of e-governance, and was announced at a press conference last week by the Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, S. Suresh Kumar, who pointed out that almost every family, irrespective of their economic and social status, has a mobile phone.

The pilot is due to run for two to three months, after which, if all goes to plan, other services will be added.