Fact Check: Will banks withdraw free services from January 20 2023?

New Delhi, Jan 03: A video of a new bulletin which speaks about change in banking rules has gone viral on the social media.

In the video the anchor is heard speaking about additional charges which would be levied on self-cheques and internet banking and other services as well. The clip has been shared very widely and the claim is that these rules would come into effect from January 20 onwards.

A reverse image search led to a post which carried this video. This video was uploaded on a Facebook page on December 20 2018. We also found a YouTube video on a channel called The Message. The video was uploaded on YouTube on January 7 2018.

OneIndia also came across a tweet by Rajiv Kumar, the former finance secretary. In his tweet dated January 10 2018, he debunks these rumours on the additional bank charges.

No proposal by Banks to discontinue free services from 20th January. Pure Rumours. Pl Ignore , advises Indian Banking Association clarifying that rumours in section of social media are baseless and no such blanket removal.@finmin@pmoindia@PIB@ ANI, he said in his tweet.

He also shared another tweet with a press release from the Chief Executive of the Indian Banks' Association. The press release while clarifying the rumours said, 'there are reports in some segments of the social media based on misinformed communications that all free services of public sector banks will be ceased by January 20 2018. It is clarified by the IBA that these rumours are baseless and false. The public should be careful and should not get misled by such messages, the Indian Banks' Association had also clarified.

It is also important to note here that the Reserve Bank of India had revised several rules which requires the banks to renew their locker agreements with customers by January 1. There are changes that have been made to the National Pension Scheme (NPS) and credit card rewards. However no rules as mentioned in the video which claims that free services of banks would be removed is false and misleading. Moreover the video that is in circulation is from 2018 and not recent.