Both banks have informed their customers about the changes through official notifications.

HDFC Bank has announced new charges for credit card users, especially for transactions involving online gaming, digital wallets, and utility payments.

If a customer spends more than Rs 10,000 in a month on online skill-based gaming platforms such as Dream11, Rummy Culture, Junglee Games, or MPL, a 1 per cent fee will be charged on the total monthly spend in this category.

The charge will be capped at Rs 4,999 per month. Additionally, no reward points will be given on such gaming transactions.

Similarly, if a customer loads more than Rs 10,000 in a month into third-party wallets like PayTM, Mobikwik, Freecharge, or Ola Money using their HDFC credit card, a 1 per cent charge will apply to the entire amount.

This fee will also be capped at Rs 4,999 per month.

For utility payments, if the total spending goes beyond Rs 50,000 in a month, a 1 per cent charge will be added, again with a monthly cap of Rs 4,999.

However, HDFC Bank has clarified that insurance payments will not be treated as utility payments, so no extra charge will be applied in such cases.

The bank has also revised maximum charges for rent, fuel, and education transactions. The upper limit for charges in these categories will now be Rs 4,999 per transaction.

The 1 per cent fee on rent payments will remain unchanged. Fuel transactions above Rs 15,000 will be charged 1 per cent, while education payments made directly through official college or school websites or their card machines will not be charged.

ICICI Bank has also made changes in several service charges. The fee for depositing cash, cheques, or for DD (demand draft) and PO (pay order) transactions has been changed.

Now, customers will be charged Rs 2 per Rs 1,000, with a minimum fee of Rs 50 and a maximum of Rs 15,000.

Earlier, the bank charged Rs 50 for amounts up to Rs 10,000 and Rs 5 per Rs 1,000 beyond that.

ATM usage fees have also gone up. After three free ATM transactions at other bank ATMs, ICICI will now charge Rs 23 for financial transactions and Rs 8.5 for non-financial ones.

Previously, the financial transaction fee was Rs 21. For ICICI Bank’s own ATMs, regular savings account holders will now pay Rs 23 for each financial transaction beyond the first five in a month, up from Rs 21 earlier.

Additionally, the annual fee for ICICI Bank debit cards has increased from Rs 200 to Rs 300. The fee for a replacement debit card has also gone up from Rs 200 to Rs 300.(IANS)

According to the CGA data, the Central government collected Rs 30.36 lakh crore as revenue from both tax and non-tax receipts, which works out to 98.3 per cent of the revised Budget Estimates (RE).

The Central government’s expenditure during 2024-25 was Rs 46.56 lakh crore or 98.7 per cent of the RE.

The capital expenditure on building physical infrastructure, such as ports, highways, and railways, was Rs 10.52 lakh crore, up from Rs 9.49 lakh crore in the previous year. This reflects the government’s investment in bid ticket projects to spur growth and create more jobs.

The Centre’s fiscal deficit for 2023-24 was 5.63 per cent of the GDP. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has fixed a glide path of lowering the fiscal deficit to 4.4 per cent for 2025-26.

A declining fiscal deficit reflects the strengthening of the fundamentals of the economy and paves the way for growth with price stability. It leads to a reduction in borrowing by the government, thus leaving more funds in the banking sector for lending to corporates and consumers, which leads to higher economic growth.

Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday approved its highest ever dividend of a staggering Rs 2.69 lakh crore to the Narendra Modi government.

The dividend payout is a robust 27.4 per cent increase over the corresponding figure of Rs 2.1 lakh crore for the previous year.

The record dividend will help to keep the fiscal deficit in check while enabling the Finance Ministry to continue with its expenditure on big infrastructure projects to spur growth and social welfare schemes to uplift the poor in 2025-26.(IANS)

SRINAGAR, MAY 16 – In line with the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah’s Public Outreach Programme Raabita, Minister for Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare and Education, Sakeena Itoo met scores of public delegations and individuals at Civil Secretariat here today.

During the interactions, the Minister patiently listened to a wide range of public grievances, developmental issues and other concerns raised by the visiting delegations.

These delegations, hailing from various districts and constituencies, raised matters pertaining to road connectivity, healthcare facilities, water supply and social welfare schemes before the Minister and sought timely redressal of the same.

Interacting with the public delegations, Sakeena highlighted that Raabita reflects the continued commitment of our government to public welfare and responsive governance. “These Public Outreach engagements are essential for bridging gap between the government and the people”, the Minister stated. She added that such engagements provide a unique platform to public to raise their genuine issues and concerns with the government.

The Minister further reaffirmed the dedication of Government towards public welfare, adding that the public voices are being heard and acted upon during the present government.

Sakeena further assured the visiting delegations that their genuine concerns would be promptly taken up for immediate redressal.

Meanwhile, MLA Pampore, Justice (Retd) Hasnain Masoodi also met the Minister and apprised her of various public issues pertaining to Pampore constituency.

SRINAGAR, MAY 16 – Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today listened to grievances and issues of public at the Chief Minister’s Outreach Office, Raabita in Srinagar.

The programme witnessed participation of several public delegations, representatives and individuals from diverse sectors who apprised the Chief Minister of various pressing problems and concerns requiring his attention.

Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani was also present during the outreach programme.

Among the prominent delegations was one representing the residents of Saderkoot Payeen, Ajas area Bandipora, seeking the Chief Minister’s intervention for the expeditious disbursement of compensation to Wular land dwellers affected by developmental works. Another delegation raised the matter of delayed release of withheld recommendations for Class IV posts, urging the CM for immediate redressal.

A deputation of Junior Anesthesia Assistants from the Health & Medical Education Department urged the finalization of the long-pending selection process.

In an important academic interaction, Professor Fayaz Ahmad Nika, Dean & Head of the School of Business at Central University of Kashmir, presented key findings from a study on the NRLM/UEED programmes, underlining their role in enhancing women’s empowerment and employment generation in the Ganderbal district.

The Jehlum Riverside House Rehabilitation Union from Habba Kadal Ganpatyar submitted a memorandum seeking allotment of land at Rakhi Aarth for the permanent rehabilitation of landless families displaced along the Jehlum river.

Likewise, a delegation from the Local Youth Coordination Committee, Chattabal, requested the construction of a playground in their area, emphasizing the need for sports infrastructure.

A deputation from the Sangarmal Traders Welfare Association called for the resolution of multiple pending issues affecting traders at the Sangarmal Shopping Complex.

Representatives of both private and cooperative Kerosene Oil Dealers, under their president, appealed for the restoration of kerosene supplies—particularly for horticulturists and agriculturists operating power-driven machinery.

Mechanical engineering graduates and engineers highlighted the need for assured career progression.

The Tempo Travelers Association, Srinagar, sought a temporary waiver of EMI payments on vehicles in light of the ongoing financial stress on transport operators.

Ms. Khair-ul-Nisa, Principal Advisor to the World Trade Center Association in New York and World Trade Center India, held a high-level discussion on major investment opportunities in Jammu and Kashmir and proposed the establishment of a World Trade Center in the region.

Academicians Prof. Hanief and Prof. Talat discussed the critical issue of NAAC accreditation for Islamia College and sought the government’s support in strengthening institutional standards.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah gave a patient hearing to all deputations and assured sympathetic consideration of their demands.

He reiterated his government’s unwavering commitment to participatory governance, inclusive development and responsive public administration.

“We remain committed to responsive governance and to addressing public concerns with sincerity and urgency,” Omar Abdullah said.

Among the notable transfers, Pandurang K Pole (IAS, 2004) and Vijay Kumar Bidhuri (IAS, 2005), both serving in Jammu and Kashmir, have been moved to Delhi. Nitesh Rajora (IAS, 2021) has been transferred from Jammu and Kashmir to Ladakh, while Choudhary Mohammad Yasin (IAS, 2015) has been shifted from Jammu and Kashmir to Puducherry.

In a reciprocal move, several officers from other regions have been posted to Jammu and Kashmir. Ashish Chandra Verma (IAS, 1994), Anil Kumar Singh (IAS, 1995), and Sanjeev M Gadkar (IAS, 2013) have been transferred from Delhi and Goa to the Union Territory. Additionally, Rishi Kumar (IAS, 2021) and Ananth Dwivedi (IAS, 2021) are among the newer batch officers posted to J&K.

The reshuffle also includes transfers between other Union Territories and states under the AGMUT cadre. Officers have been reassigned across Delhi, Mizoram, Puducherry, Goa, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Lakshadweep.

These transfers are part of a routine administrative restructuring and aim to ensure better governance and optimized utilization of senior civil services across the Union Territories.

Its service availability is also rapidly expanding ─ including to the remotest towns and villages. The company is working towards offering nationwide coverage and is well poised to cover every town and key rural area with 5G services by the end of March 2024.

In the last one year, alone, Airtel has demonstrated the power of 5G with a host of powerful use cases that will change the way customers lead their lives and do business. From India’s first live 5G network in Hyderabad to India’s first private 5G network at the BOSCH facility in Bengaluru to partnering with Mahindra & Mahindra to make its Chakan manufacturing facility, India’s first 5G enabled auto manufacturing unit, Airtel has been at the forefront of 5G innovation.

The new branches were digitally launched by the bank’s MD and CEO, Sashidhar Jagdishan. Senior bank officials from Madhya Pradesh were also present.

Commenting on the new branches, Arvind Vohra, Group Head – Retail Branch Banking, HDFC Bank, said: “We are committed to serve our customers through a combination of physical branch units and digital banking services. We will continue to open more branches in coming months, making quality banking products and services available across the country.”

The bank has opened 425 retail branches and four digital banking units in the current financial year. At the end of December 15, 2022, the bank’s distribution network comprised of 6,762 retail branches, four digital banking units, and 17,076 ATMs across 3,279 cities and towns.

HDFC Bank’s expanded distribution network is expected to support the growth across its businesses and will help the bank in serving its customers across the country.

In 2021, HDFC Bank had unveiled organizational changes under ‘Project Future Ready’ to power the next wave of growth. The bank continues to strengthen its execution muscle across three key areas including Business Verticals, Delivery Channels, and Technology/Digital. [KNT]

“Subsequently, we plan to increase the Jio 5G footprint month after month until by December of 2023, which is less than 18 months from today, to deliver Jio 5G to every town, every taluka and every tehsil of our country,” Ambani announced during the company’s 45th annual general meeting (AGM).

He said that Jio 5G will be the world’s largest and most advanced 5G network.

“Unlike other operators, Jio’s 5G network will be Standalone with zero dependency on 4G network. The three-fold advantage of Stand-Alone 5G architecture, largest and best mix of spectrum and Carrier Aggregation technology means that Jio 5G will be able to offer an unparalleled combination of coverage, capacity, quality and affordability,” Ambani said.

The billionaire industrialist noted that its telecom arm through the recent auction conducted by Department of Telecommunication (DoT) had acquired the largest and most appropriate mix of wireless spectrum for 5G which gives Jio 5G a distinct competitive advantage.

“We are working very closely with all leading smartphone OEMs and we have their commitment that they will support Jio’s True 5G in India,” he said.

“To build our pan-India True 5G network, we have committed a total investment of Rs 2 lakh crore. Jio has prepared an ambitious and the fastest ever 5G roll-out plan for a country of our size,” the RIL Chairman said.