NEW DELHI: Customers or petrol pump dealers will not have to bear any charges on digital payments for fuel purchases, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said, ending the fear that the levy could inconvenience customers and stall the transition towards cashless transactions.“The petrol pump transaction fee is a business model between the banks and oil marketing companies, which they will resolve,” Pradhan said in a statement.He referred to a government guideline of last year that prohibits merchants from passing on the charge to consumers who pay by card.Petrol pump dealers had threatened to stop accepting cards on fuel purchases after January 13 if card companies were to impose a transaction fee on them, arguing they don’t have enough margin to absorb the fee.Now it is upon the state oil companies such as Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum to absorb these charges or negotiate with the banks to partly share the burden.Before the demonetization in November, consumers used to pay the charges on digital payments levied by banks. Oil companies also had tie-ups with banks that helped waive these charges for the users of co-branded credit or debit cards.Petrol pumps have become a major ally in the government’s effort at pushing the country towards a less-cash economy. By quickly adopting digital wallets and fast expanding the use of credit and debit cards at most of its retail outlets, state oil companies have immensely pushed the government’s digital agenda while bringing convenience to customers.State oil companies already offer 0.75% discount on fuel purchases on digital payments, an incentive to customers to migrate from cash. This, along with the digital transaction fee, can potentially eat into the profits of oil companies.