Bhubaneswar, Jan.10: Students from the Indira Gandhi National Open University's (Ignou) in Bhubaneswar have been roped in to educate people about cashless transactions, especially those belonging to the interior parts of the state.

The first batch of 100 students under the banner "e-Kranti volunteers" is already working as part of the financial literacy mission launched by the ministry of human resource development (MHRD).

In the first batch, 100 students were trained. The Bhubaneswar region of Ignou covers 24 districts and the training began on November 30, said an official.

"We have been entrusted with training 100 students in the region through this nationwide drive. Our students have been carrying out campaigns in Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Khurda, Jajpur and Nayagarh. They have been asked to visit homes in villages and sensitise people about the modern ways of payments using debit cards and e-wallets," said Ignou regional director, Bhubaneswar, Abhilash Nayak

"The students have been asked to collect a feedback form from the villagers which will be submitted to the MHRD," said Nayak.

The feedback form has queries about the bank accounts of the villagers and if they had been involved in cashless transactions before. The villagers have been invited to give suggestions.

The students were asked to create awareness about cashless transactions among at least 20 households.

The reason behind the selection of these students was their understanding of the local language and surroundings, said Nayak adding that they have tied up with the Union Bank.

"Our effort is to reach the doorstep of people and educate them in being comfortable in a digital environment," said Janaki Rath, a student. "During our interaction we found people were worried as they had no smart phones. They were surprised to know that they could make transactions using regular mobile phones," Janaki said.

"We told them how to use the cards for various transactions without the Internet," said student Pratibha Sahu.