MEA and SBI sign MoU for digital payment services on eMigrate portal

SBI and MEA signs MoU

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the State Bank of India (SBI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to integrate SBI's payment gateway, SBIePay, with the eMigrate portal.

This integration aims to provide an additional digital payment service for Indian migrant workers, recruiting agents, and other users of the portal, officials announced on Saturday.

The agreement aims to "further facilitate and enhance the ambit of safe and legal migration of Indian migrant workers," according to a statement issued by the MEA. Launched in 2014, the eMigrate portal has been instrumental in making the emigration process online and transparent for Indian workers heading to countries where emigration checks are required. The portal connects foreign employers, registered recruiting agents, and insurance companies issuing the Pravasi Bhartiya Bima Yojna, facilitating seamless, safe, and legal migration.

The MEA statement highlighted that the portal also allows for the voluntary registration of emigrants with ECNR (Emigration Check Not Required) category passports seeking overseas employment.

The MoU was signed by Bramha Kumar, Joint Secretary (Overseas Employment and Protector General of Emigrants) from the MEA, and Neelesh Dwivedi, General Manager (NW-I) from SBI, at the Sushma Swaraj Bhawan in New Delhi.

"This MoU seeks to provide an additional digital payment service of the SBI through the payment gateway called SBIePay to Indian migrant workers, recruiting agents, and other users of the eMigrate portal," the statement said.

Officials mentioned that the service will become operational after the successful integration of SBIePay with the eMigrate portal. The implementation will allow for the payment of various emigration-related fees with zero transaction charges for payments made via UPI, credit/debit cards, and NEFT through net banking of all Indian banks.

"Signing of this MoU would further facilitate and enhance the ambit of safe and legal migration of Indian migrant workers," the statement added.

(With inputs from PTI)