BETTIAH, India—A beggar in the eastern Indian state of Bihar strolled through a train station one recent weekday, toting a metal pail for cash and a tablet computer with a QR code stuck on the back.
Raju Prasad began accepting donations via mobile-payment apps a few months ago. The 42-year-old said his takings have almost doubled to about 300 rupees a day—that is roughly $4, and more than the average daily wage for a farm laborer in Bihar, India’s poorest state. Many travelers now zap over 5 or 10 rupees with a few taps on their smartphones instead of digging out their wallets.
