With the year 2025 slated to terminate in a couple of days, several new financial rules are expected to kick in in the upcoming year of 2026. These rules, to come into effect from January 1, 2026, will have a direct impact on the common man. The changes to come into effect in 2026 pertain to UPI, PM Kisan, government employee salaries, and Aadhaar-PAN linking rules. Changes will be occurring in the following realm:
- PM Kisan: To be able to receive benefits under the PM Kisan scheme, farmers will now require a unique Kisan ID. This change is aimed at ensuring that more eligible farmers receive benefits under this scheme, along with identifying fraudulent beneficiaries.
- 8th Pay Commission: The much-awaited 8th Pay Commission is going to be implemented across the country from January 1st. In what comes as a notable development, the salaries and pensions of central government employees and pensioners will increase significantly. The arrears of the eligible employees will be paid later.
- UPI: With an intention to curb cyber fraud, the UPI rules, along with other digital payments made through bank accounts, will undergo significant change. Importantly, mobile SIM verification rules will become stricter to prevent cybercrimes.
- Aadhaar-PAN Linking: With the last date to link Aadhaar and PAN being December 31, 2025, Indian citizens in possession of these cards are required to link them. In case the cards are not linked by December 31st, their PAN number will become inactive from January 1, 2026.
Other changes that will be effective from January 1st include the following:
New prices for LPG gas cylinders, PNG, CNG, and ATF (aviation fuel) will be released on January 1st. Notably, prices of LPG gas cylinders, PNG, CNG, and ATF are revised every month as required. The new prices come into effect on the 1st of each month and remain valid for the entire month. Moreover, several automobile companies are also considering increasing the prices of their vehicles from January 1, 2026.
