It is simplistic, and often delusional, to seek quick technological fixes for complex social, economic and organisational challenges.

Still, the prospects held out for making life easier for millions because of the rapid spread of mobile phones (150m, at last count) are exciting - especially when you compare that figure with some other numbers. India’s largest bank has about 10,000 branches. The post office network has over 100,000 offices. And the country has some 15m people who own and use credit cards. In short, there is no network of any kind that can count up to 150m, or anything remotely approaching that number.