NEW DELHI: All payments by private FM Radio operators can be made in according to the current practice of paying through demand draft etc, until 31 March 2017.

The new directive posted on the Information and Broadcasting Ministry website thus amends the Ministry’s instructions of 26 December 2016 that all payments will be made online via bharatkosh.gov.in from I January 2017.

In the new directive, the Ministry has said that all payments will have to be through electronic mode from 1 April 2017 and no physical form of payment would be accepted.

In the note of 26 December, the Ministry had said this had been done under the Digital India programme of the government.

This will apply to Non-refundable One Time Entry Fee (NOTEF), licence fee, late payment fee, and Non-refundable One Time Migration fee.

Only payments will be via credit or debit orders, net banking or other modes of electronic payment. A copy of payments made via bharatkosh.gov.in will be sent to the FM Cell.

Details and a guide on how this will work is given on the website at https://bharatkosh.gov.in/Static/Template/UserguideBharatkosh.pdf.

Also read: All payments for FM Radio channels to go digital from New Year