On a recent afternoon in central New Delhi, two trans women sit on the side of a road amid a crush of traffic and the incessant blaring of car horns, one checking her smartphone to see how much money she'd earned from begging that day.

Anjali, 28, who said she did not feel comfortable sharing her last name because of discrimination she has endured, and her friend, Sonia Sarkar, 45, met on the streets of the Indian capital.

Managing money online is familiar to many around the world, and it's becoming increasingly widespread in India as more people use digital apps and QR codes for small transactions, including giving money to people who beg on the streets. 

The country has experienced a boom in digital transactions in the last 12 years, with online payments growing 90-fold in that time. India now accounts for 46 per cent of such payments worldwide, according to its Financial Services Department.

That digital boom has also benefited people like Anjali and Sonia, who earn money through more precarious means. Partly because it's a more convenient way for people to give if they don't have cash, and also because the women themselves feel they and their money are safer if they aren't carrying cash.

Online payments provide 'a sense of dignity'

Anjali ran away from home at the age of 13 after she came out as trans and was shunned by her family. She started begging on the streets of New Delhi to earn enough money for rent and food. 

"I have been begging for more than a decade now, and every day is filled with humiliation, taunts and abuses from almost every person who comes across us," said Anjali as she applied lipstick to Sonia.

"However, digital transactions are proving helpful by ending discrimination to some extent. Now, I show my QR code on the phone, and if someone wants to give it, they scan it without asking any questions, and the money gets transferred instantly to my bank account."

The convenience factor comes from the country's push to digitalize banking and payment transactions.

In 2016, the Indian government suddenly withdrew from circulation all 500 and 1,000 rupee banknotes (roughly equivalent to $10 and $20 Cdn notes, respectively) — a process known as demonetization.

The government said it was an effort to crack down on corruption, tax evasion and the illicit economy, but it also resulted in increased use of the digital money transfer platform launched by the central bank and banking industry earlier that year. 

During the pandemic, even more people made the switch, including Anjali, who says COVID-19 was what prompted her to start using digital transactions on her smartphone. 

"People were paranoid after the pandemic," she said. "It impacted me badly as people stopped carrying cash due to fear of contracting the virus."

Anjali says most of the 300 to 350 rupees (about $5 to $6 Cdn) she earns daily comes from people who give money digitally. She says it's been a blessing for those who must resort to begging, because people don't need to carry cash to give.

"Now, a sense of dignity has prevailed with online payments," she said. "And people can't give excuses for not carrying money."

QR codes safer than cash

Along with the sense of dignity, she says, is a feeling that for people like her, the QR codes are safer.

In 2014, India's Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling that transgender people have the right to self-identify as men, women or a "third gender." This established legal protections and made many eligible for welfare and social benefits, but in many parts of the country, transgender people are still marginalized and shunned. 

Anjali recalls being robbed on the street in broad daylight a few years ago when a group of men attacked her, tore her clothes and beat her while people stood and watched. 

"I was crying for help, but no one came to rescue me," she said. "It still gives me chills. 

She says the men took her sling bag that contained all her money. Something she's glad can no longer happen now that she uses a QR code to earn money through begging. 

"Digital transactions have given me a kind of mental peace in case I am attacked again, as we are not considered humans in this country," she said.

"At least my hard-earned money will be safe."

Limited labour opportunities

According to the first-ever study on the rights of transgender people in India released in 2017 by the National Human Rights Commission, 96 per cent of transgender people in the country are excluded from the traditional labour force.

Instead, they often take low-income jobs, or rely on begging, singing or dancing at events and weddings or engaging in sex work.

"People don't want to hire a trans person, even for menial jobs that don't require any skills," said Anjali's friend, Sonia. 

Becoming a teacher was her childhood dream, and she has applied for a variety of jobs, but says she's been refused due to her gender identity. Sonia left home after experiencing discrimination from her family, and now says she has no option but to beg in order to support herself and a friend she thinks of as a brother.

"Who would enjoy begging? I also had dreams, but nothing for us, so we beg to live," she said tearfully. 

"Why are we treated inhumanely? Aren't we the children of the same God? Behind this makeup is a sad and grieving person."

Barriers to bank accounts

In 2015, following the Supreme Court ruling, the Reserve Bank of India directed banks nationwide to provide the third gender option on forms to encourage transgender people to open bank accounts and benefit from financial services.

But just a few years later, it became clear that transgender people were still experiencing problems accessing banking. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian government announced that each transgender person would receive a direct transfer of 1,500 rupees (about $25 Cdn). In 2021, India's Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment said only 5,711 of the estimated 488,000 transgender population had received the money. 

Advocates say that's likely because many transgender people don't have bank accounts and often lack documents needed to open one. 

Getting identification with their preferred name and gender requires having an existing ID with a given name and assigned gender, but due to stigma and fear, advocates say transgender people often leave their homes without those documents.

Unlike Anjali, Sonia doesn't have her own bank account, so she does not get to keep all of the approximately 350 to 400 rupees (about $6 or $6.50 Cdn) she earns daily. 

She says she tried to open an account once, but didn't have the right ID forms and found it intimidating to deal with the discrimination and stigma she faced when dealing with banks. 

"The process seemed like climbing a mountain with no guidance. So, I gave up," she said.

Instead, Sonia uses QR codes belonging to friends and acquaintances who charge her a commission. Despite that, she says she's happy with the new technology and keeps the QR code handy on her smartphone. 

"In this digital era, one has to be on one's toes at any cost," she said of staying caught up with new technologies. "Otherwise, it will endanger my survival."