New Delhi:-  Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that India and France have agreed to use the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in the European country, opening up a huge new market for Indian innovation.

Prime Minister Modi addresses the Indian community at La Seine Musical, a performing arts center on an island in the Seine River, saying Indian tourists will soon be able to pay in rupees in UPI from the top of the Eiffel Tower. said he would.

“An agreement has been reached in France to use Indian UPI … UPI will be launched from the Eiffel Tower and Indian tourists will be able to pay in rupees via UPI inside the Eiffel Tower,” said the Prime Minister.

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In 2022, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the umbrella organization providing UPI services, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the French fast and secure online payment system Lyra. 

In 2023, UPI and Singapore-based PayNow signed an agreement to allow users from both countries to conduct cross-border transactions. The United Arab Emirates, Bhutan, and Nepal have already introduced their UPI payment system.

NPCI International is in talks to expand its UPI services in the United States, European countries, and Western Asia. Shouting 'Modi, Modi' and 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', Modi also said that within weeks or months, a statue of the great Tamil philosopher Thiruvalluvar would be erected in Cergy Prefecture.

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Prime Minister Modi said France has decided to give five-year long-term visas to students pursuing master's degrees in France. The Prime Minister also called on the Indian community to invest heavily in the country as it is rapidly on the road to becoming a developed country. 

"Today every rating agency says India is a bright spot. You are investing in India now. Now is the time. Those who invest early will benefit," Modi said. rice field.

Modi also recalled personal ties with France that go back at least 40 years when he became the first member of the Alliance Francaise Center in Ahmedabad in 1981. "My connection with France is very old and can never be forgotten. About 40 years ago, the French Cultural Center was established in Ahmedabad, Gujarat and the first members of that center speak to you today." said the prime minister.

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Modi said India is the mother of democracy and diversity. "That's our greatest strength. India has over 100 of her languages ​​and 1,000 of her dialects. More than 32,000 newspapers are published in these languages ​​every day," he said. 

France is now ready to use the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) in the European country as said by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi which will be more effective and more beneficial for India in the Global market.