The Ministry of Urban Development has launched a Smart National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) model to enable seamless travel by different metros and other transportation systems across the country besides being used for shopping as well. The “EMV Open Loop Card with stored value” is an inter-operable mobility card that can be used across different transport systems in the country and which can also be used as a credit/debit card as well.

This Committee which worked on this card had representatives of National Informatics Centre (NIC), Centre for Development of Advance Computing (C-DAC), Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), National Payment Corporation of India (NCPI) and the Ministry of Finance.

The Urban Development Ministry has decided to task the National Payments Corporation of India with indigenous development and management of Clearing and Settlement of payments, Simulating Cards, Terminals and network, a support base of vendors for providing certified tools, cards, terminals and other services. This is in line with the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

Globally, there is no nationwide common card except in Singapore where in inter-operability is confined to city only. The Committee, hence, recommended EMV Open Loop Card with stored value for use across the country. The minister has also asked that states be informed of this initiative for taking appropriate action for integration of other systems with the new smart card.

Test Your Knowledge

Name the three major Urban Development Schemes launched by Prime Minister Modi on June 2015?