Several rule changes take effect this month, touching drivers, shoppers, bank customers and cooking gas users.
The government plans a public awareness campaign in October and an upgrade of PUC centres in November. The rule is not nationwide. On September 26, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced that vehicles without a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) will not get fuel from October 1, 2026. The campaign will cover all 500 fuel stations equipped with number plate recognition systems. Reports say a Commission for Air Quality Management direction applies the system across the wider National Capital Region from October 1. Non-BS-VI vehicles from outside Delhi are to be barred from entering the city from 1 November.
Merchant associations have also warned that the cost could be passed on to buyers. The Supreme Court has issued notices to the Centre, the Reserve Bank of India and NPCI on a challenge to the fee, but refused an interim stay. Domestic LPG customers must complete biometric Aadhaar authentication to get subsidised cylinders, and those who have already done so need not repeat it.
A 0.4% merchant discount rate (MDR) will apply to UPI merchant payments above Rs 2,000 from October 15, ending a zero-MDR policy that has run for six years. The charge is capped at Rs 300 per transaction for amounts above Rs 75,000. Person-to-person transfers stay free, as do merchant payments up to Rs 2,000. The government says about 96% of person-to-merchant transactions will be unaffected, though business groups say costs could rise. From October 1, SBI Salary Package Account holders get five free transactions a month at other banks’ ATMs, down from ten. New NPS charges also begin, including a one-time Rs 200 per PRAN and a recurring 0.20% of assets under management. The RBI’s policy decision is due on 7 October.
