A Nandan Nilekani-led task force on an Aadhaar-enabled unified payment infrastructure has suggested setting up of 1 million interoperable micro-ATMs across the country, which will be operated by business correspondents. The appointment of business correspondents will ensure that social sector schemes' benefit reach the beneficiaries in about 600,000 villages.
A micro-ATM is a small machine; it connects to the banks server through the banking correspondent's mobile phone.
The task force, headed by Nandan Nilekani, chairman of the Unique Identity Authority of India (UIDAI), submitted the final report to the union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday. 
"Aadhaar-enabled e-payment system would help not only in ensuring the timely payments directly to the intended beneficiaries but would also help in reducing the time taken, transaction costs and the leakages among others," DNA quoted Mukherjee as saying.
For setting up this network of million micro-ATMs, the report said that a last mile transaction fee of 3.14 per cent with a cap of Rs 20 per transaction be paid by Government to banks. According to the report, the mini-ATMs can be used for balance query, deposits, withdrawals and remittances.
The task force also suggested that all payments of Government above Rs 1,000 should be made or received electronically over a period of time.
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