Home › Circulars › RBI/2012-13/249

RBI Reiterates Equal Banking Access for Disabled Customers

No longer current — withdrawn, no replacement on file yet
Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2012-13/249 · issued 11 Oct 2012 · ~1 min read
Quick answerRBI reminds RRBs to ensure visually challenged and disabled persons get full banking access—cheques, ATMs, net banking, lockers, loans, credit cards—without discrimination, and to install ramps on all ATMs and make at least one-third of new ATMs talking ATMs with Braille keypads.

What changed

RBI reiterated existing instructions after complaints from the Office of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities that visually challenged persons faced hurdles with internet banking. It reminded RRBs to strictly follow earlier circulars from 2008 and 2009 on non-discriminatory service and accessible ATMs.

What it means for you

Banks must treat disabled customers as legally competent to contract and offer all products equally. Non-compliance could invite regulatory action. This reinforces that accessibility is not optional—ramps, talking ATMs, and Braille keypads are mandatory for new ATMs.

Historical instruction — do not use for current compliance. This is what was required at the time; it no longer reflects current RBI requirements. If no replacement rule is linked above, that only means none is recorded on our register yet — it does not prove no later applicable rule exists. Confirm on the official RBI source below.

What banks were required to do at the time

Who it affects

Regional Rural Banks, Visually challenged and disabled banking customers, ATM and digital banking operations teams

❓ Common questions

Regulatory timeline

Built from our lineage records — each fact carries its provenance; missing history simply is not shown (never guessed).

Does this circular apply only to RRBs?

Yes, the circular is specifically addressed to all Regional Rural Banks, but similar instructions apply to other banks via earlier RBI circulars.

What facilities must be offered without discrimination?

Cheque book facility including third-party cheques, ATM facility, net banking, locker facility, retail loans, and credit cards must be offered equally to visually challenged persons.

Are there specific ATM requirements?

Yes, all existing and future ATMs must have ramps, and at least one-third of new ATMs must be talking ATMs with Braille keypads.

📜 This document’s life story (1 recorded event, each backed by RBI’s own words)
Repealed by RBI/2025-26/100 — Consolidation of Regulations — Withdrawal of circulars (28 Nov 2025)
RBI’s words: “Official withdrawal register entry #1217: RPCD.No.RRB.BC.35/03.05.90/2012-13 — "Banking Facilities to Visually Challenged / Persons with Disabilities" dated October 11, 2012”
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2012-13/249 RPCD. No. RRB.BC. 35/03.05.90/2012-13 October 11, 2012 All Regional Rural Banks Dear Sir, Banking facilities to visually challenged / persons with disabilities Please refer to our Circular RPCD.CO.RRB.BC.No.13/03.05.33/2008-09 dated July 23, 2008 on the captioned subject advising that all banking facilities such as cheque book facility including third party cheques, ATM facility, Net banking facility, locker facility, retail loans, credit cards etc., are invariably offered to visually challenged persons without any discrimination as they are legally competent to contract. Further, please also refer to Circular RPCD.CO.RRB.BC.No.97/03.05.90-A/2008-09 dated April 21, 2009 advising banks to take necessary steps to provide all existing ATMs / future ATMs with ramps and to make at least one third of new ATMs installed as talking ATMs with Braille keypads. 2. It has been brought to our notice by Office of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities that visually challenged persons are facing problems in availing banking facilities like internet banking. RRBs are, therefore, advised to strictly adhere to instructions contained in the above circulars and extend all banking facilities to persons with blindness, low-vision and other disabilities. Yours faithfully, (C D Srinivasan) Chief General Manager
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2012-13/249 · issued 11 Oct 2012. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
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BankPulse Compliance Evidence Pack — generated 03 Aug 2026 · status cross-checked against RBI’s official withdrawal register (refreshed weekly).
Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=7624&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by our expert reviewer, CA Amit Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; is our own plain-English paraphrase, not RBI’s original wording.
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