The BHIM app, which is a digital payments application which uses the Unified Payments Interface has received 2 crore (20 million) downloads, Ravi Shankar Prasad, the Minister of Electronics and Information Technology told Parliament, earlier this week. This was during Zero Hour, and he added that there have been close to 50 lakh (5 million) transactions on the BHIM App, worth Rs 1500 crores (around $235.75 million at current rates). This statement comes a week after the NPCI had announced that the BHIM App had received 16 million downloads. The NPCI owns and operates BHIM, and perhaps the Minister just rounded off 16 to 20, or BHIM got 4 million more downloads, which is indicative of a hockey-stick growth, because it took almost seven months for it to hit the 16 million mark. Some data points suggest otherwise, though. For example: A KPCB report which was released in May 2017, and lists Indiastack.org and the government of India as sources of information for this, said that the BHIM application received "17MM+ downloads within 2 months of launch (2/17)". Maybe KPCB didn't have the correct information, because how could the BHIM app have 17 million downloads in February, and 16 million now? Total number of downloads can't reduce. The NPCI said by March 20th March 2017 that the BHIM app had received 19.16 million downloads. That's a very specific number. But then the NPCI statement from July 24th said 16 million by end of June. How can the BHIM app have less downloads on July 24th…
