The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the central bank of the country, has unveiled plans to bring all bank branches under the cheque truncation system (CTS) clearing mechanism.

The CTS was introduced by RBI in 2010 to facilitate cheque clearance process. Currently, it covers around 150,000 branches across three cheque processing grids, with 18,000 locations still outside the arrangement.

RBI seeks to bring all these remaining branches under the CTS clearing mechanism by September this year to streamline settlement of cheques.

All the erstwhile 1,219 non-CTS clearing houses have already migrated to CTS.

The central bank is expected to issue separate operational guidelines on the matter within a month.

Separately, RBI has also proposed establishing a 24×7 Helpline for Digital Payment Services, which will address grievances and help in building user confidence.

In a statement on developmental and regulatory policies, RBI said: “The major payment system operators would be required to facilitate setting-up of a centralised industry-wide 24×7 helpline for addressing customer queries in respect of various digital payment products and give information on available grievance redress mechanisms by September 2021.

“Going forward, the facility of registering and resolving the customer complaints through the helpline shall be considered.”

Additionally, the RBI will also issue new guidelines on outsourcing for operators and participants of authorised payment systems in a bid to reduce risks and ensure code of conduct compliance.