PUBLISHED BY: GREATFUTURE INFO  In Brief:[ Unified Payments Interface Continues to Remain Free for Peer to Peer Transactions and 96% of Merchant Transactions] ,New Delhi, September 15,    Sep 15, New Delhi:  The new Unified Payments Interface (UPI) framework introduced has no impact on any person to person transactions. UPI will continue to remain completely free for all person-to-person transactions, irrespective of the amount transferred. Payments to merchants up to Rupees 2,000, along with transactions covered under the zero-Merchant Discount Rate or MDR framework for small merchants, will also remain free. Consequently, approximately 96% of all P2M transactions will remain unaffected. MDR will apply only to specified merchant transactions above Rupees 2,000. It is clarified that MDR is neither a tax nor a charge collected by the Government or NPCI. It is distributed among payment ecosystem participants, including banks and payment application providers, to suppor...

PUBLISHED BY: GREATFUTURE INFO IN BRIEF:: [Ministry of External Affairs has said that several issues came during the discussion between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during their meeting on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi.] ,NSD Delhi, September 15,    Ministry of External Affairs has said that several issues came during the discussion between  Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during their meeting on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi. Addressing the media in New Delhi , External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that during the meeting,  Prime Minister  referred to India's concerns and underlined that both sides should show sensitivity to each other's core concerns. He added that the concerns should be  be guided by the three mutuals which are  mutual respect, mutual interest, and mutual sensitivity. In reply to a question on  the at...

PUBLISHED BY: GREATFUTURE INFO  IN Brief :  The United States and Iran are disputing each other’s accounts over an attack on the Panama-flagged oil tanker El Gaia off the coast of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz. NSD Delhi, September 15,    The United States and Iran are disputing each other’s accounts over an attack on the Panama-flagged oil tanker El Gaia off the coast of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz.  Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, in a statement carried by Iranian media, says the tanker hit naval mine while trying to pass through what they call a restricted area south of the Strait. The IRGC says the vessel caught fire and was engulfed in flames. It said warnings had previously been issued about the dangers of using what it described as an “illegal passage.” However, the US Central Command has rejected this account. CENTCOM says the tanker was first hit by an Iranian missile last month and rendered inoperable and that it was struck again by an Iranian drone ...

PUBLISHED BY : GREATFUTURE INFO  In Brief :  The government has announced that banks cannot impose any charges on Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions of up to 2,000 rupees. NSD Delhi, September 15,    The government has announced that banks cannot impose any charges on Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions of up to 2,000 rupees. According to a government gazette notification no charges can be imposed on such 2,000 rupees payments made through RuPay-powered debit cards either. The notification said no bank or system provider can impose any direct or indirect charge on a person making or receiving payments through these modes. The Finance Ministry notified the changes under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act to clarify the rules around charges on UPI transactions. The notification specifically categorised RuPay-powered debit cards and UPI transactions of up to 2,000 rupees as "electronic modes of payment". Last month, the government clarified that...

PUBLISHED BY :-GREAFUTURE INFO  September 14, New Delhi:  Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Vice Chief of the Air Staff, inaugurated the first Indian Air Force Dronathon-2026 at the Pokhran Field Firing Range, Jaisalmer, today. The inaugural ceremony was attended by senior functionaries of MoD, HQ IDS and representatives from Indian Army, and BSF. Dronathon-2026 is an IAF initiative aimed at engaging directly with the Indian unmanned systems industry and assessing emerging technologies under realistic operational conditions. The three-day event, planned from 14 to 16 September 2026, brings together over 20 leading defence companies, start-ups MSMEs, DPSUs and innovators from India's rapidly evolving unmanned systems ecosystem. The IAF views unmanned systems as an important complement to manned aviation providing commanders with additional options to enhance the reach, persistence responsiveness and flexibility of air operations During the Dronathon, participating compani...

PUBLISHED BY : GREATFUTURE INFO  September 14, New Delhi:  Ministry of Power has accorded approval for the export of power, for 18 hours a day (00:00 hours to 18:00 hours) to Nepal Electricity Authority from 13 September 2026 to 31 December, 2026. Approval has been given for upto 600MW of export through Muzaffarpur - Dhalkebar 400 kV D/c line and upto 54 MW through Tanakpur - Mahendranagar 132 kV S/c line. The quantum of power to be exported from January 2027, will be reviewed in December,2026. The recent floods have caused significant damage to hydropower infrastructure in Nepal, reducing its domestic power generation capacity and creating an additional requirement for electricity. The approval will help Nepal meet its power requirements during this difficult period and further strengthen the close and longstanding energy cooperation between India and Nepal. India remains committed to supporting Nepal and strengthening bilateral cooperation in the energy sector. S...