Lok Sabha Question No. 3505 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-12-20
Subject: Bank Charges on Digital Transactions
Ministry: FINANCE
Asked by: Tapir Gao

## 3505. SHRI TAPIR GAO:

Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the State  Bank  of  India  has  been  charging  an  amount  after  more  than  four  digital transactions for three years from the account holders of Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana as per the report of IIT Mumbai;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Reserve Bank of India has given permission to the SBI to charge the said amount and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government proposes to refund the amount charged from the account holders of Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF FINANCE

## DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3505

## ANSWERED ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2021/AGRAHAYANA 29, 1943 (SAKA)

## Bank Charges on Digital Transactions

## Answer

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE (DR BHAGWAT KARAD)

(a)  to  (e)  As  per  extant  guidelines  of  Reserve  Bank  of  India  (RBI),  Basic  Savings  Bank  Deposit Account  (BSBDA)  including  accounts  opened  under  Pradhan  Mantri  Jan  Dhan  Yojana  (PMJDY) provide following basic minimum facilities free of charge and without any requirement for maintaining minimum balance in the account:

- i. Deposit of cash at bank branch as well as ATMs/Cash Deposit Machines (CDMs).
- ii. Receipt/ credit of money through any electronic channel or by means of deposit /collection of cheques drawn by Central/State Government agencies and departments.
- iii. No limit on number and value of deposits that can be made in a month.
- iv. Minimum of four withdrawals in a month, including ATM withdrawals.
- v. ATM Card or ATM-cum-Debit Card

RBI  has  also  advised  that  Banks  would  be  free  to  evolve  requirements  including  pricing structure  for  additional  value-added  services  beyond  the  stipulated  basic  minimum  services  on reasonable and transparent basis and are to be applied in a non-discriminatory manner. The availment of such services are to made at the option of the customers.

State Bank of India has informed that they have levied charges only on the additional services demanded by the Jan-Dhan customers beyond the prescribed number of free services as mentioned above.

As  informed  by  the  bank,  they  have  charged  Rs.  174.65  crore  during  the  last  3  years (31.03.2018 to 14.09.2020) on digital transactions beyond the prescribed minimum number of free services as demanded by customers. As per CBDT guidelines dated 30.08.2020, Banks were advised to refund the charges collected, if any, on or after 01.01.2020 on transactions carried out using the electronic  modes  namely  RuPay  Debit  Card,  Unified  Payments  Interface  (UPI)  (BHIM-UPI);  and Unified Payments Interface Quick Response Code (UPI QR Code) (BHIM-UPI QR Code)) and not to impose charges on future transactions carried out through these modes. Accordingly, SBI has refunded Rs. 90.19 crore to the beneficiaries of PMJDY (recovered from 01.01.2020 till 14.09.2020) in line with these  guidelines  and  has  stopped  recovering  charges  on  transactions  through  these  modes  w.e.f 01.01.2020.

*****