German minister Volker Wissing goes vegetable shopping, pays using 'impressive' UPI

Germany's Federal Minister for Digital and Transport, Volker Wissing who was the talk of the country on Sunday over his use of UPI has spoken to WION exclusively and lauded India's seamless adoption of digital technologies in everyday life. In an unconventional move during his visit to Bengaluru for the G20 digital economy ministers meet, Wissing decided to immerse himself in the local digital landscape by personally experiencing one of India's most popular digital systems – the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). Wissing was captured on camera using UPI to purchase vegetables at a local market, showcasing his curiosity to understand and appreciate the integration of digital technology into the daily lives of Indians.

Expressing his impressions, Wissing shared, "I was highly impressed to see how easy it is running in practice because I met the brains behind some days before. The impression I tend to see is how people accept this digital system in their everyday life and use it so easily." This hands-on experience allowed him to witness firsthand the seamless manner in which UPI operates, reaffirming its popularity and effectiveness within India's vast digital ecosystem.

One of India’s success story is digital infrastructure. UPI enables everybody to make transactions in seconds. Millions of Indians use it. Federal Minister for Digital and Transport @Wissing was able to experience the simplicity of UPI payments first hand and is very fascinated! pic.twitter.com/I57P8snF0C — German Embassy India (@GermanyinIndia) August 20, 2023

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Speaking about India's digital infrastructure, Wissing hailed the nation's remarkable progress in the digital sector. "India made a lot of progress in the digital sector. And I think this is due to the engagement of so many people," he stated. Calling India's progress "very interesting and very important", he said, "there are a lot of cooperations between Indian companies, and German companies in the sector. There will be a lot of fruitful results from this cooperation."

When asked to compare India's digital infrastructure to that of Germany, Wissing highlighted the common ground both nations share in their pursuit of digitalisation. He said, "Our countries are different but we all make the same approach towards digitalisation, we need digitalisation." He explained that during the G20 negotiations, discussions revolved around mutual learning and progress in the digital sector through collaboration. He said, "During the G 20 negotiations we discussed how we can learn from each other and how we can have more progress in the digital sector by cooperating and this is what makes me very optimistic towards the Indian and German digital dialogue."

He expressed his optimism about the prospects of a robust Indian-German digital dialogue, which he believes will foster innovation and advancements. Federal Minister Volker Wissing's unique engagement with India's digital landscape during the G20 digital economy ministers meet reflects a growing trend of global leaders recognising India's remarkable digital journey. Last year, at Delhi's famous Chandni Chowk, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock purchased a dupatta and paid using UPI.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.