Insurance & finance news

₹25,000 · Yearly limit for self and family premiums

Explainer: How the health insurance tax deduction works under the new Income-tax Act

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.

20 October 2026 · Sources: Income Tax Department – Section 126, Income-tax Act 2025, Taxgarden – Section 80D guide, Taxgarden – Old vs new section mapping

5.54% · Retail (CPI) inflation in September 2026

Retail inflation rises to 5.54% in September as food prices climb

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.

15 October 2026 · Sources: Business Today, The Statesman, Upstox (RBI MPC October 2026 highlights)

5.54% · Retail (CPI) inflation in September 2026

Retail inflation rises to 5.54% in September, food inflation at 7.74%

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.

15 October 2026 · Sources: MoSPI press release: CPI for September 2026, Business Today, Outlook Business (PTI)

5.50% · RBI repo rate after 25 bps hike on 7 Oct 2026

Banks raise repo-linked lending rates by 0.25% after RBI hike; floating-rate EMIs may rise

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%.

10 October 2026 · Sources: Reserve Bank of India – MPC resolution, Oct 2026, Business Standard, Free Press Journal

5.50% · New repo rate after a 25 bps increase on 7 Oct 2026

RBI raises repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.5%, first increase since February 2023

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.

8 October 2026 · 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

RBI raises repo rate by 25 bps to 5.5%, its first hike since February 2023

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.

8 October 2026 · Sources: Reserve Bank of India – MPC resolution, 5–7 Oct 2026, Business Standard, The Week, Business Today

TEST — How the RBI repo rate affects home-loan EMIs

Test finance draft: a plain-language explainer on how repo rate changes reach floating-rate loan EMIs and deposits.

4 October 2026 · Sources: Reserve Bank of India