From bank, tax and FASTag to WhatsApp… know what all changed from March 1, how much will be the impact on the pocket

New Delhi: With the departure of February, March has arrived, and the new month is beginning with many important changes. These changes can directly affect your pocket, bank account and daily expenses. From gas cylinder prices to tax returns, banking rules and mobile apps – many rules have changed since March 1. In such a situation, it is important to know what effect these changes will have on your life.

Gas cylinder becomes expensive

New prices of LPG are released on the first of every month. This time the price of 19 kg commercial LPG cylinder has been increased. Now this cylinder will be available in Delhi for Rs 1768.50, which was earlier Rs 1740.50. That means businessmen will now have to pay Rs 28 more. It may also have an indirect impact on the domestic budget.

Last chance to improve income tax return

If you have made any mistake while filing the income tax return of the last financial year, there is still a chance to correct it. You can file revised ITR till 31st March. However, for this you may have to pay a late fee of Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000. Therefore, it would be better to improve in time.

Strict action on fake investment calls

A major step has been taken to stop frauds related to the stock market. Now investment related calls will be made only from numbers starting with ‘1600’. Be cautious if you receive investment advice from a generic 10 digit mobile number. This could be a fraud call.

New rules of WhatsApp-Telegram

The ‘SIM-binding’ rule has come into effect from March 1. This means that if the SIM card with which you have created the account is not in your phone then the app will not work. This means that now to use apps like WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal, it is necessary to have the same SIM in the phone.

Relief to Fastag users

Some relief has been given in the KYV process related to Fastag. Now the problem of updating vehicle information again and again will be reduced. Also, Fastag sub-wallet facility will also be started in some digital wallets from March 3, 2026, which will make payments easier.

changes in banking rules

Many government banks have changed the method of calculating minimum balance. Now the balance will be decided on the basis of Average Monthly Balance (AMB). This may provide some relief to the customers from the penalty, especially those who do not have the same amount in their account every day.

Banks will remain closed for 18 days in March

According to the list of holidays of the Reserve Bank of India, banks will remain closed for a total of 18 days in different states in March 2026. This includes weekly holidays, second and fourth Saturdays along with various festivals. However, despite March 31 being Mahavir Jayanti, government banks will remain open so that the important work of the last day of the financial year can be completed.

Railway’s UTS app closed

Railways has decided to shut down the UTS app from March 1. Now passengers will not be able to book unreserved tickets, platform tickets and season tickets through this app. For this, Railways has advised to use ‘Railvan’ app, which has already been launched.