Sourced daily articles on insurance and personal finance in India — what changed and what it means for you. Written in our own words from official and trusted sources; no commissions, no ads.
27 Oct 2026 · Counter-booked train tickets to carry accident insurance
Passengers who buy reserved tickets at railway station counters must get the same accident insurance that online bookers can already opt for, the Supreme Court has directed.
· Sources: Business Standard, Outlook Money, Angel One (news report), Angel One (IRCTC insurance explainer)
₹25,000 · Yearly limit for self and family premiums
The deduction once known as Section 80D is now Section 126 of the Income-tax Act, 2025, with limits of ₹25,000 or ₹50,000 depending on age.
· Sources: Income Tax Department – Section 126, Income-tax Act 2025, Taxgarden – Section 80D guide, Taxgarden – Old vs new section mapping
8 Oct 2026 · GST Council recommends ITC on health and life insurance
The 57th GST Council meeting on 8 October recommended removing the block on input tax credit for health and life insurance, a change that mainly concerns group policies employers buy for staff.
· Sources: PIB (Ministry of Finance): Recommendations of the 57th Meeting of the GST Council, Business Standard, The Week
19 Oct 2026 · Three new LIC plans go on sale
In a stock-exchange disclosure on 12 October, Life Insurance Corporation of India said two individual health plans and one deferred annuity plan will go on sale from 19 October 2026.
· Sources: Kalkine Media (report on LIC Regulation 30 filing to BSE/NSE), PSU Connect, ScanX, Business Standard (LIC Cancer Cover launch, 2017), Business Standard (GST on individual policies)
5.54% · Retail (CPI) inflation in September 2026
Official data released on 12 October show consumer price inflation rose from 4.83% in August, with food inflation at 7.74% and onion prices more than doubling over the year.
· Sources: Business Today, The Statesman, Upstox (RBI MPC October 2026 highlights)
19 Oct 2026 · LIC's two new health plans go on sale
Life Insurance Corporation of India has announced two new individual health plans and a revised deferred annuity plan, with sales opening on 19 October 2026.
· Sources: LIC of India launch release, as reproduced by Metro Vaartha, The Economic Times (via inkl), PSU Connect
5.54% · Retail (CPI) inflation in September 2026
Consumer price inflation climbed from 4.83% in August to 5.54% in September 2026, led by vegetables such as onion, according to data released on 12 October.
· Sources: MoSPI press release: CPI for September 2026, Business Today, Outlook Business (PTI)
1 Jan 2027 · Earliest start date IRDAI is considering for commission caps
An IRDAI member says the regulator may bring in its proposed caps on distributor commissions as early as January, with comments open until 25 October.
· Sources: Insurance Journal (Bloomberg), Business Today
5.50% · RBI repo rate after 25 bps hike on 7 Oct 2026
Punjab National Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Indian Bank and others have raised their external benchmark lending rates following RBI's repo rate increase to 5.50%.
· Sources: Reserve Bank of India – MPC resolution, Oct 2026, Business Standard, Free Press Journal
10% · Proposed co-pay on retail health inpatient claims
Non-life insurers have discussed a mandatory 10% co-payment on inpatient claims in retail health policies, but the proposal needs IRDAI approval and has not been finalised.
· Sources: Business Standard, News Karnataka (citing NDTV Profit), OfficeNewz (citing The Times of India)
5.50% · New repo rate after a 25 bps increase on 7 Oct 2026
The Monetary Policy Committee raised the repo rate to 5.50% on 7 October 2026 and changed its stance to 'calibrated tightening' as inflation rose.
· Sources: Resolution of the Monetary Policy Committee, October 5–7, 2026 (RBI text, as reproduced by The Indian Awaaz), The Week, Business Standard
5.5% · RBI repo rate after 25 bps hike on 7 Oct 2026
The Monetary Policy Committee raised the repo rate to 5.5% and changed its stance to 'calibrated tightening', citing inflation risks from oil prices and weather.
· Sources: Reserve Bank of India – MPC resolution, 5–7 Oct 2026, Business Standard, The Week, Business Today
17 October 2026 · New last date for comments on Public Insurance Registry
The insurance regulator has extended the deadline for feedback on its proposed Public Insurance Registry, a shared digital layer for policy, claims and grievance data.
· Sources: TaxGuru (summary of IRDAI press release dated 30 Sep 2026), Business Standard
IRDAI's draft would reintroduce caps on sales commissions and insurers' expenses. Comments are open until 25 October 2026, and brokers have pushed back.
· Sources: Business Standard, Business Standard, Business Today, MediaNama, Mint (Deepti Bhaskaran, Substack)
Choosing a hospital room above your policy's limit can reduce the payout on much of your bill, but IRDAI rules protect some charges.
· Sources: Business Standard, Ditto (Joinditto)
Test finance draft: a plain-language explainer on how repo rate changes reach floating-rate loan EMIs and deposits.
· Sources: Reserve Bank of India
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