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Tanya Balsara pledges to help 8.8 million Indians with vision loss go digital
MUMBAI: What began as one woman’s personal transformation has blossomed into a nationwide movement. Tanya Balsara, herself visually impaired, inaugurated her 16th computer training centre in Jodhpur last week, bringing her vision of universal digital literacy for blind Indians one step closer to reality.
“Nothing is more enabling, empowering and liberating than computer literacy for the blind,” Balsara declared at the 14th convocation ceremony. “Once you’re computer literate, you’re almost as active as a person with eyesight.”
Her words carry weight. Having personally taught 300 blind students and helped them secure public sector jobs, Balsara knows first-hand how technology can level the playing field. Now, she’s asking everyone to spread the word to India’s 8.8 million visually impaired citizens.
The centres, operating under Madison Resource Foundation (the CSR arm of Madison World), span from Gujarat to Jharkhand. Six facilities dot Gujarat alone, whilst others serve communities in Katni, Narmadapuram, Gaya, and beyond. All offer free computer education alongside English language training, personality development and accessibility testing.
At the convocation, chief guest Preetham Sunkavally exemplified what’s possible. The IIM Ahmedabad graduate told students not to “make a big thing” of their disability. “Set your mind on some goals and pursue them relentlessly,” he urged.
Madison World chairman Sam Balsara, called computer literacy “the most liberating and beneficial act” anyone could offer the blind. Having witnessed his daughter Tanya’s transformation, he’s committed Madison’s resources to the cause.
The message is simple: in today’s digital age, blindness need not be a barrier. With the right tools and training, anything is possible.
eNews
PNB partners Kiwi to launch credit-enabled UPI for users
Targets 180 million customers; RuPay card offers 0.5 per cent to 1.5 per cent cashback
MUMBAI: Swipe, tap, or scan credit is quietly slipping into the rhythm of everyday payments, and Punjab National Bank wants in on the action. The state-run lender has partnered with Kiwi to roll out credit-enabled UPI payments for its 180 million customers, marking a significant push to blend traditional banking with India’s fast-evolving digital payments ecosystem.
At the centre of the collaboration is the launch of the PNB Kiwi Credit Card on the RuPay network. The card is designed with a digital-first approach, offering fully online onboarding and seamless integration with UPI, allowing users to transact via scan-and-pay while accessing credit.
The offering also brings in a rewards layer, with cashback ranging from 0.5 per cent to 1.5 per cent on online transactions, positioning the product as both a convenience play and a spending incentive.
The move comes as UPI continues to dominate India’s digital payments landscape, increasingly blurring the lines between debit-led transactions and credit access. For PNB, which operates over 10,000 branches around 60 per cent in semi-urban and rural areas, the partnership signals a targeted effort to extend formal credit to segments that have traditionally remained underserved.
The collaboration also reflects a broader industry shift, where banks and fintech platforms are converging to embed credit directly into payment flows, reducing friction while expanding access.
With RuPay credit cards gaining traction and UPI evolving beyond peer-to-peer transfers, the PNB–Kiwi tie-up positions both players at the intersection of scale, accessibility, and the next phase of digital finance in India.
