Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, has an economic firestorm on his hands following his decision to ban the 500 and 1,000 rupee notes. In his monthly address on Sunday, Modi took his ambitions further with a call for a cashless society.

印度总理纳伦德拉·莫迪因决定禁止500及1000卢比纸币流通而引起了轩然大波。在其周日的月发布会上莫迪更进一步表明了其野心——致力于打造一个无现金的社会。

According to a translation by Reuters, Modi said, “I want to tell my small merchant brothers and sisters, this is the chance for you to enter the digital world.”

据路透社报道，莫迪曾说：“我想告诉那些小商贩们，这是你们进入数字世界的一次机会。”

The ban has removed 80 percent of the country’s currency from circulation and brought commerce to a virtual standstill. But rather than backing up, it appears that Modi is doubling down. “We can gradually move from a less-cash society to a cashless society,” he told listeners.

该项禁令使得百分之八十的国有货币不再流通，并且导致了贸易虚拟停滞。但是莫迪不仅没有回头的意愿反而变本加厉起来。他这样对听众说道：“我们可以逐渐从一个少量现金流通的社会过度成为一个无现金的社会。”

He admitted that “a 100 percent cashless society is not possible,” right now, but emphasized that he wants to set the wheels in motion.

他承认现在“打造一个百分之百无现金的社会是不可能的”，但是却强调说他正试图开启这项工作。

Credit Suisse estimates that 90 percent of transactions in India are conducted in cash. Not only would a move towards a cashless society be a tough logistical hurdle but a cultural one as well. There isn’t really a strong install base for digital payment methods in India and people aren’t familiar with how to use them. Modi urged younger people who understand technology to teach the less-savvy.

据瑞士信贷估计，百分之九十在印度的交易是通过现金实现的。打造无现金社会的举动不仅是对于物流的阻碍，同样也是对于文化的阻碍。印度的电子支付系统并没有一个稳健的根基，印度人民也并不熟悉如何操作该系统。莫迪也不断敦促那些懂点科技的年轻人去教那些在该领域不怎么灵敏的人如何操作。

While it seems likely that a move towards a cashless society would be an extremely long-term project, Modi has demonstrated his willingness to make bold decisions with immediately negative consequences. Even if dramatic measures are taken, digital payments bring a host of problems of their own—security breaches, privacy concerns and virtual black markets to name a few.

尽管该项举措看上去将会是一个极端长远的项目且短期内带来了许多负面影响，但莫迪还是展现出将这个大胆的决定贯彻下去的意愿。尽管已经采取了大量措施，数字支付系统还是带来了诸多问题——安全漏洞、隐私问题虚拟黑市等等。