According to the NPCI website, One97 Communications, Paytm’s parent company, in partnership with four banks, has five handles to continue UPI transactions.

Paytm Payments Bank will cease operations by March 15, as now ordered by the RBI India’s National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has approved a third-party app license for Paytm, allowing business users to access UPI even after March 15.

According to the NPCI website, One97 Communications, Paytm’s parent company, in partnership with four banks, has five handles to continue UPI transactions.

NPCI on Paytm

NPCI approved @paytm and UPI processes @ptyes for Paytm in association with Yes Bank. @pthdfc with HDFC bank and @ptsbi with State Bank of India as partners, but these two handles are not immediately active, Business Standard reported.

In addition to these handles, the company’s existing handle @paytm is also among the five handles that paytm users can continue to use from now on.

Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, State Bank of India and Yes Bank will act as partner banks for Paytm, as announced by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in a statement.

Paytm has been advised to complete migration for all existing handles and mandates, where necessary, to new banks offering payment systems at the earliest, the NPCI said.

Paytm previously conducted all UPI transactions through Paytm Payments Bank (PPBL), which has been banned by the Reserve Bank of India from accepting deposits, credit transactions or recharges in customer accounts after March 15.

Paytm UPI payments declined in the month of February compared to January. It processed 1.41 billion monthly transactions of Rs 1.65 trillion in February, compared to 1.57 billion transactions of Rs 1.93 trillion in January, according to NPCI data.

RBI on Paytm Payments Bank

While NPCI is likely to grant a third-party application provider (TPAP) license to Paytm, the chances of an extension by the March 15 deadline set by the RBI for Paytm Payments Bank to cease operations are very slim .

“After March 15, 2024, no further deposits, credit transactions or recharges will be allowed on customer accounts, prepaid instruments, wallets, FASTags, National Common Mobility Cards, etc,” RBI said in its older release.

Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma resigns

Paytm’s parent company One97 Communications earlier announced that it has withdrawn its nominee from the Paytm Payments Bank Board and Vijay Shekhar Sharma has also resigned as part-time non-executive chairman. Today, Paytm shares will be in focus.According to the reports, Paytm Payments Bank has reconstituted its board.

The government has announced an investigation into how sustainable the BBC license fee will be in the future.

If you watch or record broadcast TV programmes, you must have a TV licence, either by purchase or given free to those receiving pension benefits and aged 75 or over.

All forms of transmission include using the BBC iPlayer on a smart television, laptops and tablets.

The license fee had been frozen at £159 for the past two years and the government has announced that it will rise by £10.50 to £169.50 from April 2024.

However, this is a lower amount as the planned increase next year was around £15.

The license fee pays for TV, radio and online programs and services, including iPlayer, Radio 1, CBeebies and the World Service.

It also funds the Welsh TV channel S4C and local TV channels.

It is reportedly worth more than £3 billion to the BBC.

What will the assessment do?

The government said there are “challenges around the sustainability of the current license fee funding model” as fewer people take advantage of the license fee and watch television.

It also believes that enforcement of people who fail to pay the fee is “increasingly disproportionate in a modern public broadcasting system”.

The review will be led by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), which will gather evidence from stakeholders and establish a panel of experts to assist with the findings.

The report, which will look at making the BBC more commercial, alternative funding models and how the corporation could transition, will inform the Charter Review and report in autumn 2024.

What are the alternative options?

Alternatives to the license fee could be a broadband levy, advertising or a subscription model.

A subscription model, as used by streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+, which have already announced price increases, has long been promoted as an alternative to the license fee.

For Netflix's most expensive ad-free service, the price in Britain will rise to £17.99 per month (£215.88 per year). The basic plan increases by £1 per month to £7.99 per month.

Disney+ also recently announced a major restructuring of its subscriptions, introducing an ad-supported tier in the UK from November 1.

All existing Disney+ customers have been automatically moved to the top tier premium subscription package, priced at £10.99 per month or £109.90 per year, unless they actively switch to another subscription.

Apple TV+ currently costs £8.99 per month, after a £2 increase from £6.99 per month.

Currently the BBC has no commercial breaks on its domestic TV channels and its website is ad-free.

Amid a diplomatic row with India, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu said on Saturday that while the island is small, it does not give other countries permission to “bully us”.

Driving India-Maldives: Returning home after a five-day high-profile state visit to China, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu said on Saturday that although his island nation is small, it does not allow other countries to “bully” us amid a diplomatic row with India.

The diplomatic row with India broke out following derogatory social media posts by three of its ministers against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“We may be small, but this does not give them the license to bully us,” Muizzu, considered a pro-China leader, said without naming a country.

“Although we have small islands in this ocean, we have a huge exclusive economic zone of 900,000 square kilometers. The Maldives is one of the countries with the largest share of this ocean,” he told the media upon his arrival from China after the state visit, the first after taking office in November last year.

“This ocean does not belong to any specific country. This (Indian) Ocean also belongs to all the countries in it,” he said, in an apparent jab at India.

“We are not in anyone's backyard. We are an independent and sovereign state,” he told the Maldives Sun Online portal.

During his visit to China, Muizzu held talks with President Xi Jinping, after which the two countries signed twenty agreements.

“The two sides agree to continue to strongly support each other in safeguarding their respective core interests,” said a joint statement at the end of Muizzu's talks with top Chinese leaders.

“China strongly supports the Maldives in upholding its national sovereignty, independence and national dignity, respects and supports the Maldives' exploration of a development path appropriate to national conditions, and firmly opposes external interference in the internal affairs of the Maldives,” the statement said. said, without referring to any country.

In his media briefing in Male, Muizzu said China has allocated US$130 million in aid to his country.

Muizzu said most of the $130 million in aid will be spent on road redevelopment in Male, where mayoral elections were held on Saturday. In a setback for Muizzu, the pro-India opposition Maldivian Democratic Party won a landslide victory in Male's mayoral election.

Muizzu was the former mayor of the capital before being elected president last November.

“That's about $130 million in subsidies. This is spent on development projects. The biggest expenditure will go towards developing Male's roads,” he told local news portal Sun Online.

Also, Chinese Ambassador to the Maldives Wang Lixin said that the Maldives will receive support for more development projects from Beijing if it joins President Xi's initiatives.

Wang, who accompanied Muizzu on his visit to China, said there are three key factors for the strong relations between the Maldives and China.

“The first and most important factor is mutual political trust. The second factor is to strengthen the linkage of President Xi's initiatives and President Muizzu's national development strategy. And with this linkage, I believe we can decide on more projects that will benefit the Maldivian people,” she said.

Wang said the third is to follow the principle of comprehensive consultation, joint construction and shared benefits. “I think that with these three key factors we will have a very fruitful and sustainable cooperation in the future,” she said.

“During this visit, the two Heads of State announced that our bilateral relations have been elevated to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. This will provide a strong political guarantee for future cooperation between the two countries,” Sun Online said, quoting her interview.

Muizzu's visit to China was marred by the diplomatic row with India over derogatory comments made by its ministers against Prime Minister Modi and the publication of a report by the EU Election Observation Mission to the Maldives which said the ruling Progressive Party coalition of the Maldives (PPM) and the People's National Congress (PNC) incited anti-India sentiments and attempted to spread disinformation during the 2023 presidential election, in which Muizzu won.

The EU report cast a shadow over Muizzu's presidential election last November, when he joined the PPM led by former pro-China President Abdullah Yameen, who is currently serving a prison sentence for corruption.

During Muizzu's visit to Beijing, the two countries signed a US$50 million agreement to develop an integrated tourism zone in Hulhumale, in addition to building 30,000 social housing units in Rasmale.

China will also provide subsidies for the development of a 100-bed tertiary hospital in Vilimale,” the report said.

The Indian-built Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) in Male is considered the largest in the country.

The 300-bed hospital was built by India in 1992, well before China established its presence on the island with infrastructure projects. The IGMH was renovated in 2018 with Indian assistance with the addition of more diagnostic and treatment facilities.

During Muizzu's visit to China, the two countries also signed an agreement to allow the Maldives' national airline, Maldivian, to operate domestic flights in China.

(Only the headline was reworked by India.com staff. The copy is from an agency feed)

A young child who drove a toy car to King Charles during his visit to a church service in Sandringham appeared to have his first brush with the law – after an officer jokingly handed him a fake parking ticket.

The royal, 75, couldn’t contain his laughter as he spotted little Oliver Ward sailing with his brother William near St Mary Magdalene Church.

But it wasn’t all laughs as the photos showed the distressed driver being handed a yellow sheet of paper by a police officer.

Little Oliver bravely took the card as his parents – Simon and Georgina Ward – played along and looked shocked.

However, one incident with the police did not stop the young boys from heading out to meet the king, who grinned as he chatted with the brothers sitting in their dark green mini Land Rover.

And while Oliver was at the wheel, it appears the vehicle did indeed belong to his brother, with the license plate reading: WI44IAM.

Delighted well-wishers watched the adorable interaction.

The hot wheels will certainly have impressed the royal, who has owned several Land Rovers over the decades and his late father Prince Philip was particularly fond of the 4x4s.

The then Duke of Edinburgh had spent 16 years working on his custom-built Land Rover Defender TD5 130 chassis cab, which was used to carry his coffin during his funeral in April 2021.

Meanwhile, the monarch seemed in good spirits today, on his way to Sunday service at church.

His good mood comes after news that a BBC documentary showing the royal family behind the scenes of the king’s coronation attracted 897 complaints for being ‘overly positive’ about the monarchy.

Charles III: The Coronation Year was broadcast on BBC One on Boxing Day and left almost 900 viewers feeling that the tone was biased in favor of the royal institution.

Of the 2,665 complaints BBC Audience Services received about programs from December 18 to 31, 897 (a third) related to ‘bias in favor of the monarchy’ in the documentary.

The program was the only program to receive more than 100 Phase 1 complaints during the period.

The BBC summarized the complaint on their website, saying: ‘We received complaints from a number of viewers who felt the tone of the program was too positive.’

The complaints department dismissed the problems people had with the program, calling it a “one-off observational documentary covering a period of historical significance.”

The response said the BBC ‘seeks to reflect a range of views in its news and current affairs coverage of the monarchy’ and has ‘examined the structures and finances surrounding the Royal Family’ in other programmes.

The full response read: ‘Charles III: The Coronation Year is a one-off observational documentary covering a period of historical importance as the King took on new duties and prepared for this country’s first coronation in seventy years.

‘It has unique access and captures personal moments as the King adapts to his new role. Editorial control is retained by the BBC.

‘The BBC seeks to reflect a range of views in its news and current affairs coverage of the monarchy.

‘Earlier in 2023, when Panorama on BBC One documented the coronation, it examined the structures and finances surrounding the Royal Family and conducted a recently commissioned survey on attitudes towards the monarchy.

‘On Radio 4, the Today program had a debate on whether Britain needs a monarchy and The World This Weekend looked at its future.

“Overall, we have explored a range of perspectives on the monarchy, and we will continue to do so.”

The coronation documentary was made by Oxford Films and showed new footage of the King and Queen in preparation for the service at Westminster Abbey.

A smiling King Charles was seen rehearsing for his coronation in a shot from the BBC documentary charting his first year as king.

The moment when His Majesty’s suit can be seen peeking out from under his robes as he sits on the Coronation Chair in Westminster Abbey was featured in the 90-minute documentary Charles III: The Coronation Year.

The production team was given behind-the-scenes privilege during key moments of Charles and Camilla’s first year in office in and around Buckingham Palace.

It also included an interview with the Princess Royal and a film of the Wales family during rehearsals at the Abbey.

A self-styled ‘sovereign citizen’ filmed the moment she launched into a bizarre tirade after being stopped by police for a second time.

Chloe Fisher was stopped by Victorian officers after displaying fake number plates on her unregistered vehicle.

The incident marks the second time in a year that Ms Fisher has been stopped for not displaying the correct number plates after she was stopped near Gundagai, rural NSW, in January 2023.

Ms Fisher shared a video of the latest incident on YouTube, showing her calling officers “fraudulent”, calling someone “bald” and claiming there was no such thing as an Australian state.

In the video description, she admitted that she had been driving her vehicle unregistered for eight months and had just put the unofficial ‘Sovereign’ license plate again.

On this occasion, when she saw a patrol car on the highway flashing its lights at her, Mrs. Fisher kept driving.

“I don’t feel the need to stop, there’s no emergency, so I wave to him,” she said.

The officer drove alongside and shouted for her to stop.

“There’s no emergency, I don’t need any help,” Mrs. Fisher shouted.

“What’s the emergency?”

“You,” the officer replied.

When Ms Fisher finally stopped, she told the officer: ‘I thought you were on strike’.

“Not now,” the officer replied.

When asked if she was registered to drive in Victoria, Ms Fisher said there were no Australian states, only ‘Terra Australis’.

After inspecting the vehicle, the officer told Ms. Fisher that her “Sovereign” license plates were counterfeit.

“Well, they’re private records, there’s nothing false about them,” she replied.

“What is not true is that Victoria Police have an ABN overseas, you are the fraudulent ones.”

After being told she will be issued a violation, Ms Fisher said: “That’s fine, I already have them.”

“Actually, I’m on YouTube because I went viral for this a year ago. So woo!’

“Unfortunately, you’re the ones doing that I’m in a hurry to catch up and there’s no emergency.”

When the officer ended the call, Ms. Fisher shouted, “Don’t worry, bald.”

Another police car pulled up and the officers conferred as Ms Fisher wandered towards the camera, claiming officers worked for a ‘fraudulent company’, before saying she was ‘so tired of being bothered’.

She also gave unflattering assessments of the officers’ personal appearance.

“You’re actually a very pathetic-looking police officer,” she said, accusing one officer of having bad teeth like a drug addict.

“Look at this guy, he needs to be on a diet,” she noted of another officer.

‘I’m a bit cheeky, but we are truth seekers. I’m looking for the truth, so I’m not going to lie to him and say, “F***, you have a great body.”

An officer administered a breath test to Ms Fisher before explaining that she had been issued violations for driving an unregistered vehicle and displaying license plates not issued for that vehicle.

‘Are you ready to be charged with crimes against humanity? Fraud? Genocide?’ Mrs Visser responded.

When the officer handed her the breach notice, Ms Fisher told him to “post” it, insisting she wanted “no contract.”

Ms Fisher tried to roll down the window but was too slow and the officer managed to slide the message into the vehicle.

“They got me,” she said to the camera. “I don’t want to touch it.”

After finding some loose paper, she used it as a makeshift glove and pushed the note out the window.

“You can’t drive away from here,” one of the officers shouted at Mrs. Fisher.

As the intrusion fluttered by, Ms. Fisher turned to the camera

“I’m just going to leave them (police) on the side of the road,” she said.

Checking her mirrors to make sure police were in pursuit, Ms Fisher insisted she “didn’t touch the message”.

“I didn’t touch it, I didn’t contract, it blew out my window and I drove away, and they drove away too,” she said.

‘(Let’s wait and see what happens.’)

• Unable to drive after attack on October 12
• Arrested by police on November 16 and subsequently charged
• Will appear in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on January 9

By Anna Harrington for the Australian Associated Press

Published: 6:50 AM EST, December 15, 2023 | Updated: 5:45 PM EST, December 15, 2023

Jilumol Mariet Thomas made history when she became the first woman without arms to obtain a driver’s license.

Passions and determination know no bounds and Jilumol Mariet Thomas is an example of that. The 32-year-old, who hails from Kerala, has now become the first Asian woman without arms to obtain a driver’s license. Thomas deftly uses her feet to drive and accelerate through her life.

After waiting for six long years, she finally got her driving license and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan himself was handed over to her in Palakkad.

Watch Jilumol Mariet Thomas Driving

The inspiring journey of Jilumol Mariet Thomas

Due to a congenital condition, Thomas was born without arms. However, her determination and determination to be able to drive spurred the direction to do so. With the help of the State Commission for Persons with Disabilities and a private company in Kochi that modified her car with disability-friendly modifications.

According to reports, Jilumol Mariet Thomas always dreamed of driving a car, especially after losing her parents, so she could be independent. She learned to drive at Mariya Driving School in Vaduthala and approached the Thodupuzha RTO in Idukki district to apply for a driving licence. The RTO officials rejected her plea following which she firmly approached the Kerala High Court.

After the court intervened, Thomas took part in a test and drove a modified car for the MVD officials. However, officials again refused to issue her permit. She then finally approached the State Commission for Persons with Disabilities. The Commission cited the example of Vikram Agnihotri from Indore, the first gunless man in India to get a driver’s license.

After this, she was finally able to receive the license this year. “Mobility was my biggest handicap and now I am excited because I got the license and overcame my biggest hurdle,” Thomas told news agency IANS. Thomas’ determination to apply for the license at all costs and not to give up after so many years. is an inspiration to many.