# France accepts UPI; Indian tourists can use Rupees.
RNS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour by French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday. This is France’s highest award.
“A warm gesture embodying the spirit of Indo-French partnership. PM Narendra Modi conferred with the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, the highest award in France by President Emmanuel Macron,” the Ministry of External Affairs said on Twitter.
PM, Modi is on two day official visit to France; he is the Guest of Honour in French National Day (Bastille Day) celebrations.
Today, PM Modi attended the parade as the Guest of Honour. A tri-services Indian armed forces contingent participated in it, including IAF aircraft. French National Day, or Bastille Day, is special in French consciousness. This day commemorates the Storming of the Bastille Prison in 1789 during the French Revolution. Bastille Day Parade is the highlight of the Bastille Day Celebrations.
Modi will conduct delegation-level meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron in the evening.
He will also meet with CEOs of Indian and French enterprises and famous French figures. The French President will host the State Banquet at the world-famous Louvre Museum tonight.
In a historic move, India and France decided to utilise the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in the European country. This occurs during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day trip to Paris.
PM Modi stated that Indian tourists will soon be allowed to use UPI to make Rupee payments. He was speaking to the Indian community at La Seine Musicale, a performing arts complex on an island in the Seine River.
“An agreement has been reached in France for the usage of India’s UPI…”It will begin with the Eiffel Tower, and now Indian tourists will be able to make payments in Rupees, via UPI, in the Eiffel Tower,” Prime Minister Modi remarked.
In 2022, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which provides UPI services, inked an MoU with France’s secure online payment system, Lyra.
PM Modi also revealed that France has chosen to allow students studying a master’s degree in France on long-term five-year visas.
