# Congress alleges UPI fee setup, government bars charges only up to Rs 2,000 2026-09-15T09:17:56+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 6 independent outlets Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday accused the Modi government of paving the way for fees on UPI transactions above Rs 2,000, saying this would ultimately hit consumers and amounted to surrendering to American pressure. Banks and payment providers cannot charge for transactions up to Rs 2,000 or RuPay debit card payments, according to a September 14 gazette notification issued under the amended Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007. The government said the amendment is an enabling provision and that the NPCI-led steering committee will decide on any Merchant Discount Rate. Congress leaders argued the cap could be changed and that MDR on merchants above Rs 2,000 would be passed on as higher prices. The amendment bill was passed in the Monsoon Session ending August 13, 2026. The NPCI steering committee is yet to decide on MDR rates. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Congress leaders frame the notification as a surrender to US pressure and a hidden tax on consumers, citing the Rs 2,000 cap as a first step. The government and neutral reports present it as a clarification that keeps small UPI transactions free and an enabling provision for future MDR, to be decided by NPCI. Each side overstates: Congress treats the enabling provision as an immediate fee, while the government downplays the legal change that removes the blanket zero-MDR guarantee. The core factual gap is whether MDR will be imposed and at what rate. The NPCI steering committee's decision on MDR rates will determine the actual impact on merchants and consumers. ## Coverage - telanganatoday.com (government critical) led with Congress accusations as primary news, framed as attack on government - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (government critical) led with Rahul Gandhi's criticism and surrender accusation, not government statement - thehindu.com (government critical) led with Rahul Gandhi's US pressure claim, framed around opposition attack - timesnownews.com (government critical) led with Congress attack headline, focused on Gandhi's criticism - m.economictimes.com (neutral report) led with government announcement as the story, framed as clarification - hindustantimes.com (neutral report) led with Rahul Gandhi accusation but balanced with government explanation box Tags: Narendra Modi, NPCI, Payment and Settlement Systems Act, Rahul Gandhi, UPI Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/congress-attacks-modi-government-over-upi-transaction-fee-notification/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/congress-attacks-modi-government-over-upi-transaction-fee-notification/#story-in-brief