October 2026 has ushered in a cluster of regulatory shifts that will affect vehicle owners, digital payment users, bank customers, LPG households and National Pension System subscribers. The most visible local change is the strict “No PUC, No Fuel” rule now being enforced across Delhi and the wider National Capital Region, while parallel national measures on UPI merchant fees, SBI ATM limits, LPG subsidy eligibility and NPS charges take effect in the same month. From October 1, any vehicle without a valid Pollution Under Control certificate is barred from receiving petrol, diesel or CNG at fuel stations throughout Delhi-NCR. The Commission for Air Quality Management issued the direction under its Direction 101, requiring coordinated action by state governments and enforcement agencies. In Delhi alone the drive covers all 500 fuel stations already equipped with Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras; across the wider NCR the network is expanding to more than 1,000 pumps.

Cameras scan number plates, cross-check PUC status on official databases and trigger voice alerts or denial of fuel when a certificate is missing or expired. Officials have described the enforcement as operating in “mission mode,” with transport department teams and police support deployed at pumps and border points. The rule applies to petrol, diesel, CNG and LPG vehicles alike. Non-compliance can also attract a fine of up to ₹10,000 under existing motor vehicle provisions. Authorities introduced the measure to curb vehicular emissions ahead of the winter pollution season, when air quality in the region routinely deteriorates. Petrol pump dealers have flagged operational challenges, noting that fuel is an essential commodity and that staff are not statutory enforcement officers, yet the directive remains in force. Motorists have been advised to renew expired certificates promptly; applications for new PUC certificates rose sharply in the days preceding the deadline.

A second major change arrives on October 15 for India’s Unified Payments Interface. Merchants will begin paying a 0.4 per cent Merchant Discount Rate on person-to-merchant UPI transactions above ₹2,000. The fee is capped at ₹300 for any single transaction of ₹75,000 or more, so even a ₹1 lakh payment incurs only the maximum ₹300 rather than ₹400. Certain essential categories—railways, telecom, insurance and fuel—attract only a flat ₹5 fee on transactions above the ₹2,000 threshold. Small merchants who receive up to ₹1 lakh a month through UPI QR codes into their bank accounts remain fully exempt. Person-to-person transfers and the overwhelming majority of everyday merchant payments below ₹2,000 continue without any charge. The National Payments Corporation of India and the Finance Ministry have both stated that ordinary users will not pay the MDR and that merchants are prohibited from passing the cost on to customers as a surcharge. Officials estimate that only about 4 per cent of person-to-merchant UPI transactions will attract the new fee, leaving 96 per cent of the volume unaffected.

Also Read: Delhi-NCR Vehicle Owners Face Fuel Restrictions Without Valid PUC Certificates From October 1

The framework ends more than six years of zero-MDR UPI for larger merchants and is intended to generate sustainable revenue for banks and payment service providers to invest in infrastructure, cybersecurity and customer service. State Bank of India has simultaneously tightened free ATM privileges for its salary package account holders. Effective October 1, these customers are entitled to only five free transactions per month at other banks’ ATMs and Automated Deposit-cum-Withdrawal Machines, down from the previous ten. Both financial withdrawals and non-financial services such as balance enquiries and mini-statements count toward the limit. Once the free quota is exhausted, the bank charges ₹23 plus GST for each cash withdrawal and ₹11 plus GST for each non-financial transaction. The revised limit applies uniformly across all centres and all salary package variants. Basic Savings Bank Deposit account holders continue to receive four free cash withdrawals a month; additional withdrawals attract ₹15 plus GST.

Transactions at SBI’s own ATMs remain unchanged for salary customers, who still enjoy ten free monthly transactions at the bank’s network. Digital banking services continue to be free without restriction. The change primarily affects customers who frequently use non-SBI ATMs. Domestic LPG consumers face a new eligibility condition for subsidised refills. From October 1, biometric Aadhaar authentication is mandatory to book cylinders at the regulated retail selling price that includes the government subsidy. Households that have already completed the process—nearly 90 per cent of the 274 million active domestic connections as of mid-September—experience no disruption. Those who have not authenticated can still obtain LPG, but only at the full market price and usually in smaller 5 kg or 10 kg cylinders, subject to local availability with oil marketing companies. The requirement is intended to prevent diversion of subsidised cylinders to commercial use and to ensure that the implicit subsidy, currently around ₹210 per 14.2 kg cylinder, reaches only verified domestic consumers.

Authentication can be completed at distributor showrooms, doorstep camps or through oil company mobile apps. Once completed, subsidised booking is restored. Finally, the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority has revised the charge structure that Points of Presence may levy on National Pension System and NPS Lite subscribers. From October 1, a one-time onboarding charge of ₹200 applies for each Permanent Retirement Account Number opened through a PoP; a reduced ₹100 fee may apply for fully digital, non-face-to-face onboarding. The ₹200 amount is recovered in four quarterly instalments of ₹50 through cancellation of units rather than as a single deduction. In addition, an annual charge of 0.20 per cent of assets under management is levied on active accounts and adjusted through the net asset value on a quarterly basis.

Dormant accounts are exempt from the annual charge. Subscribers who open accounts exclusively through e-NPS and continue contributing via e-NPS or D-Remit avoid the PoP fees altogether. The revised structure replaces earlier circulars and aims to standardise compensation for distribution channels while protecting smaller and dormant accounts. Collectively these October changes tighten environmental compliance in the pollution-stressed National Capital Region, introduce limited cost recovery for large digital payments and pension distribution, and refine access rules for subsidised fuel and banking services. Everyday retail users of UPI, most LPG households that have already authenticated, and customers who rely primarily on their own bank’s ATMs or digital channels remain largely unaffected.

Also Read: Trump Reveals Political Prisoner Releases Were Discussed During Recent Meeting With Xi Jinping