New Delhi, November 7, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Saturday dismissed social media messages claiming that new cheque books with updated security standards would be introduced from January 1, 2027, calling the claims factually incorrect and misleading.
In a post on X, the central bank said it had taken note of messages suggesting that the standard cheque books currently used under the Cheque Truncation System (CTS) would be changed from December 31, 2026.
The messages claimed that cheque books featuring updated security standards would come into effect from January 1, 2027.
“RBI is not introducing any such measures with regard to the CTS cheque books,” the central bank clarified, urging the public to rely only on information issued through its official channels.
Separately, the RBI has proposed stricter documentation requirements for agricultural loans and changes to priority sector lending (PSL) calculations under its draft Reserve Bank of India (Priority Sector Lending – Targets and Classification) Directions, 2026. The central bank has invited comments on the draft until November 26.
Under the proposed norms, banks would be required to maintain details such as the location of cultivated land, crops grown and hypothecation of crops, wherever applicable, while verifying gold-backed agricultural loans.
The RBI has also proposed that sanctioned loan amounts be determined on the basis of the applicable scale of finance and an assessment of credit requirements for agricultural activities, rather than solely on the type or value of collateral.
Banks would also have to maintain records of officials’ field visits to monitor the end use of loans.
For landless agricultural labourers and sharecroppers who do not possess land records or lease deeds, banks would need to maintain alternative verifiable documents to establish their eligibility for priority sector lending classification.
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