India: No need to carry hard copies of DL, new norms for debit/credit cards from October 1

From no need to carry copies of driving licence, to health insurance to credit cards, there will be many changes in the rules for products and transactions impacting the daily lives of the people from October 1.

Here is all you need to know:

No need to carry hard copies of DL, RC from today

You will no longer need to carry the physical copy of your driving licence, registration certificate, permits, PUC and insurance documents of your vehicle, if you have the digital copies in the MParivahan or digilocker app on your smartphone.

New rules for debit and credit card

RBI's new rules for debit and credit cards will now allow their use for payments outside India only if requested by the card holder. Card users will now be able to register for 'opt-in' or 'opt-out' services, and spend limits for international transactions, online transactions as well as contactless card transactions.

Health insurance

Health insurance policies will now see a reduced list of illnesses excluded while including hitherto uncovered conditions, such as mental health, genetic diseases, apart from Covid-19. As the standardisation of new health insurance rules takes place, the prices for premiums will rise by 2-5 per cent.

'Best before date'

All non-packaged or loose sweets sold will carry a ‘best before’ date. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed the sweet shop owners to adhere to the protocol from 1 October.

TV sets may become more expensive

TV sets may become expensive as some components will attract 5 per cent import duty from October 1.

Also, remittances abroad will become expensive from October 1, as 5 per cent tax will be levied on foreign fund transfer of above Rs 7 lakh. Tax on foreign tour packages will be 5 per cent for any amount, and for other foreign remittances, the tax is only for above Rs 7 lakh. The Tax Collected at Source (TCS) regime kicks in from October 1 under which an e-commerce operator has to deduct 1 per cent tax on sale of goods and services. Accordingly, an e-commerce operator will deduct income tax at 1 per cent of the gross amount of sale of goods or services. There are changes on the cooking front too, as the FSSAI has banned blending of mustard oil with any other cooking oil from October 1. From October 1, LPG connection will not be free. Under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), the process of getting a gas connection for free is ending on September 30, 2020.