The fourth installment of the PM-Kisan income support scheme due this month will be transferred only to Aadhar-authenticated bank accounts of the more than 50 million beneficiaries, officials said. This will be the first time since the launch of this scheme in February that the government insists on the mandatory condition of Aadhar seeding.

December 31 is the last date for State Bank of India (SBI) customers to apply for a free replacement of their "Magstripe" or magnetic stripe card to avail a new EMV (Europay, Mastercard, and Visa) chip and PIN-based card. Those holding the Magstripe cards need to apply at their home branch by December 31, the country's largest lender said in a post on Twitter.

To boost consumption, the government may increase the take-home salary by giving the option of reducing provident fund(PF) contribution, according to a report. Organized sector employees may soon be permitted to lower their PF contribution, which is currently 12% of the basic salary, the report said. The ministry has also decided not to corporatize the EPFO and Employees' State Insurance Corporation(ESIC), the report said.