Laxmikant Parsekar has appeal people in Goa to go cashless. (File Photo)
Bowing down to public sentiments, Goa government has today clarified that those businesses not going cashless by December 31 this year will not be penalised or punished per say.
Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar was allaying fears that traders, hawkers and vendors who are not able to shift to cashless options in their businesses need not worry if they fail to do so by year-end.
"To go cashless is an appeal. I am clarifying again. We have said that we are not going to be cent per cent cashless," he said.
Goa can do it as the state is having high literacy rate and also percolation of Information Technology is higher, Mr Parsekar said.
"But that does not mean that the state will become cashless by December 31. We will not be acting against the shopkeepers or hawkers who fail to implement the cashless concept," the Chief Minister clarified.
"But we appeal to the people that there should be maximum use of point of sale machines and also use of mobile software. We should try. There will be no compulsion from government side," he said.
"No one should misunderstand the concept," the chief minister said pointing out that some people were trying to earn political mileage from the issue.
"Central government has high expectation from a state like Goa. Goa can do it but that does not mean we will be troubling people to go cashless," he added.