All news

October 2026

• 8Oct

  GST57th GST Council: arrest power to go, prosecution threshold ₹5 crore, automatic refunds and wider input tax credit recommended

  Prosecution: ₹1 crore → ₹5 croreRelief

  The GST Council, in its 57th meeting on 8 October 2026, recommended omitting the arrest power in section 69 of the CGST Act, raising the prosecution threshold from ₹1 crore to ₹5 crore and cutting the general penalty from ₹25,000 to ₹10,000. It also recommended system-sanctioned refunds, refund of credit on capital goods and input services, a shorter list of blocked credits and a simpler registration for small e-commerce sellers. None of it is law yet: each item needs a circular, notification or amendment.

• 8Oct

  LicencesGovernment approves cap on margins of non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs at 30% of MRP; NPPA to notify after DGHS expert committee finalises the list

  Margin cap: 30% of MRPRelief

  The Government has approved a cap on the margins charged in the supply and sale of non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs, limiting them to 30% of the Maximum Retail Price, according to a Department of Pharmaceuticals release of 8 October 2026. An expert committee under the Directorate General of Health Services will finalise the list of medicines, after which NPPA will take a decision and issue the notification. Manufacturers of these drugs will be required to maintain their current production levels.

• 7Oct

  InsolvencyNCLT approves 107 resolution plans in July–September 2026, its highest in any quarter; 335 plan applications pending or reserved on 30 September

  107 plans approved in Q2

  The National Company Law Tribunal approved 107 resolution plans in the second quarter of FY 2026–27, which it says is the highest in any quarter since its inception, with an aggregate approved plan value of more than ₹11,000 crore. As on 30 September 2026, 294 resolution plans were pending for approval and orders were reserved in a further 41. The Tribunal is working with 48 Members against a sanctioned strength of 62.

• 7Oct

  LabourESIC revises constitution and functioning of Medical Boards under section 37 of the Code on Social Security, 2020: Fixed Medical Board to meet at least once a month

  Board at least once every monthRule change

  ESIC has issued revised arrangements, with immediate effect, for the Medical Boards that examine and assess Insured Persons under section 37 of the Code on Social Security, 2020. A Fixed Medical Board is ordinarily to meet at least once every month, a Rotational Peripatetic Medical Board will sit at different ESIC/ESIS Hospitals as required, and the Special Medical Board for occupational disease cases continues at designated centres.

• 7Oct

  CustomsScreen protectors for smartphones added to the Compulsory Registration Order, 2021 from 1 April 2027: CBIC Instruction 20/2026-Customs

  IS 19348:2025 from 1 April 2027Action needed

  CBIC has asked all Customs field formations to take note of MeitY’s Gazette Notification S.O. 5190(E) dated 21 September 2026, which adds “Screen Protectors for smartphones” at Sl. No. 66 of the Schedule to the Electronics and Information Technology Goods (Requirement for Compulsory Registration) Order, 2021. The Order applies to these goods, for conformity with IS 19348:2025, with effect from 1 April 2027.

• 7Oct

  SEBISEBI sets the ISIN cap for privately placed debt at seventeen maturing in a financial year, with extra ISINs above ₹15,000 crore: Circular HO/17/11/24(8)2026-DDHS-POD1/I/23125/2026

  17 ISINs a financial yearRule change

  SEBI has replaced paras 1.1 to 1.3 of the ISIN provisions of its NCS Master Circular to increase the maximum number of ISINs maturing in a financial year for debt securities issued on private placement basis. An issuer is now allowed seventeen ISINs maturing in any financial year: twelve for plain vanilla debt and five for structured, market linked, floating rate, zero coupon and Tier II instruments, plus six more for section 54EC capital gains bonds. The change took effect immediately on 7 October 2026.

• 7Oct

  SEBISEBI lets certain listed, regulated issuers skip the merchant banker for ₹10,000 face value privately placed debt rated AA- or above: Circular HO/17/11/24(7)2026-DDHS-POD1/I/23122/2026

  Rated AA- or aboveRelief

  SEBI has relaxed the rule that an issuer must appoint at least one merchant banker when it privately places debt securities or non-convertible redeemable preference shares at a face value of ₹10,000. An issuer may now go without a merchant banker if it meets five conditions together, covering its regulator, listing record, default history, the security offered and a rating of at least AA-. The change took effect immediately on 7 October 2026.

• 7Oct

  SEBISEBI makes a colour-coded Credit Risk-o-Meter mandatory in debt offer documents, advertisements and online bond platforms: Circular HO/17/11/22(1)2026-DDHS-POD1/I/23092/2026

  Six risk levels, AAA to DNew facility

  SEBI has introduced a Credit Risk-o-Meter, a colour-coded pictorial meter that maps credit ratings from AAA to D into six levels of credit risk. It becomes a mandatory part of offer documents, abridged prospectuses, private placement memoranda, all advertisements of issuers and Online Bond Platform Providers (OBPPs), and the web and mobile platforms of OBPPs. The circular comes into force after 45 days from its date of issuance, 7 October 2026.

• 7Oct

  FEMA & RBIRBI issues Credit Valuation Adjustment Framework Directions, 2026 for commercial banks, effective 1 April 2027; six amendment directions issued the same day

  From 1 April 2027Rule change

  RBI has issued the Reserve Bank of India (Commercial Banks – Credit Valuation Adjustment Framework) Directions, 2026, which set out how commercial banks must compute the capital charge for CVA risk on derivatives. The Directions come into effect from 1 April 2027. Six amendment directions were issued the same day: two take effect from 1 April 2027 and four, on exposures to qualifying central counterparties, from the date of issue.

• 7Oct

  FEMA & RBIRBI raises repo rate by 25 bps to 5.50%, changes stance to calibrated tightening; SDF 5.25%, MSF and Bank Rate 5.75% with immediate effect

  Repo rate 5.50%Rule change

  The Monetary Policy Committee, at its 63rd meeting on 5–7 October 2026, voted unanimously to increase the policy repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.50 per cent and changed the stance to calibrated tightening. The SDF rate stands at 5.25 per cent and the MSF rate and Bank Rate at 5.75 per cent, all with immediate effect. RBI projects real GDP growth of 7.1 per cent and CPI inflation of 5.2 per cent for 2026-27.

• 6Oct

  LabourCode on Social Security section 1(4) notification now covers the whole area of 31 Gujarat districts from 1 October 2026: ESIC circular on S.O. 5310(E)

  31 Gujarat districts, 1 Oct 2026Rule change

  ESIC has circulated Gazette notification S.O. 5310(E) dated 25 September 2026 of the Ministry of Labour & Employment, issued under section 1(4) of the Code on Social Security. It applies to the entire areas of 15 districts of Gujarat that were non-implemented and 16 that were partially implemented, with effect from 1 October 2026.

• 6Oct

  Foreign TradeCabinet approves Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority (ITLA) as an SPV; technical appraisal for central infrastructure projects of ₹500 crore or more

  Projects of ₹500 crore or moreNew facility

  The Union Cabinet on 6 October 2026 approved the setting up of a Special Purpose Vehicle, the Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority (ITLA), for research, planning, appraisal, monitoring and impact assessment in transportation and logistics. ITLA will prepare a National Transport Master Plan, technically appraise Government of India infrastructure projects costing ₹500 crore or more, and build a National Transport Data Repository using sources such as GSTN e-way bill, FASTag and Vahan. The release does not say when ITLA will start functioning.

• 6Oct

  Startup & MSMECabinet approves ₹10,000 crore Government commitment to SME Growth Fund for direct equity investment in small and medium enterprises

  ₹10,000 crore for SME equityNew facility

  The Union Cabinet on 6 October 2026 approved a Government of India commitment of ₹10,000 crore towards the SME Growth Fund (SGF), which is to provide growth equity capital to small and medium enterprises. The money goes to an Alternative Investment Fund set up under the SGF framework, and the majority allocation is to be made to small and medium manufacturing-focused enterprises. The release does not give eligibility conditions, a fund manager or a start date.

• 5Oct

  CustomsNon-EDI Customs locations to authenticate Export Declaration Forms and forward them to the Authorised Dealer, preferably by official e-mail: CBIC Instruction 19/2026-Customs

  EDF mechanism from 1 Oct 2026Rule change

  CBIC has directed Commissioners of Customs to make sure that Export Declaration Forms (EDFs) furnished at Non-EDI Customs locations are authenticated and forwarded to the Authorised Dealer named in the form. The instruction follows the Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026, in effect from 1 October 2026, and asks that the mechanism be operational from the same date.

• 3Oct

  SEBINABKISAN lists India’s first WASH-focused social bond on NSE, raises ₹180 crore at 8.10% coupon

  ₹180 crore, 8.10%, 5 yearsNew facility

  NABKISAN Finance Limited, a NABARD subsidiary, listed a social bond dedicated exclusively to the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector on the National Stock Exchange on 1 October 2026. The issue was oversubscribed 1.8 times and raised ₹180 crore. The five-year bond carries a coupon of 8.10 per cent, matures in September 2031 and is rated CRISIL AAA (Stable) and CARE AAA (Stable).

• 2Oct

  Labour“Shram Samvad”: Labour Ministry’s 90-day outreach on the four Labour Codes reaches industrial clusters in Delhi, Haryana and Uttarakhand

  316 districts, 90 days

  The Ministry of Labour & Employment held district-level Shram Samvad programmes at Haridwar, Naraina (New Delhi) and Sonipat on 1 October 2026. The campaign, launched on 28 September 2026, runs for 90 days across 316 districts to explain applicability and employer compliance under the new Labour Codes.

• 1Oct

  CustomsImport permit is now a must for importing insecticides for non-insecticidal use

  Import permit is now a mustAction needed

  The Insecticides Third Amendment Rules, 2026 wrote the import-permit requirement into the Insecticides Rules, 1971. CBIC has asked customs officers to enforce it, and it names acrylonitrile.

• 1Oct

  Startup & MSMEGOBARdhan compressed biogas scheme launched: ₹23,731 crore outlay, capital assistance up to ₹2 crore per TPD and credit guarantee for MSME plants

  CBG price ₹2,110 per MMBtuNew facility

  GOBARdhan, the unified scheme for compressed biogas (CBG), was approved by the Union Cabinet on 6 August 2026 with an outlay of ₹23,731 crore for FY 2026-27 to FY 2035-36 and launched on 1 October 2026 with a Handbook and a Unified GOBARdhan Portal. It offers an administered CBG price of ₹2,110 per MMBtu, capital assistance and a credit guarantee for MSME projects.

• 1Oct

  LicencesSugar stock limits: dealers capped at 1,000 quintals and 15 days from 15 October to 30 November 2026; bulk consumers may hold 30 days’ stock using imported sugar

  Sugar dealers: 1,000 qtl, 15 daysRule change

  The Government has fixed the sugar dealers’ stock limit at 1,000 quintals and the holding period at 15 days from 15 October to 30 November 2026, with 2,000 quintals for Kolkata and its extended metropolitan areas and Assam. Separately, bulk consumers may hold 30 days’ stock instead of 15, but the extra quantity must come only from sugar imported under Advance Authorisation or TRQ.

• 1Oct

  GSTGross GST collection for September 2026 at ₹2,03,521 crore, up 14.7%; net revenue ₹1,76,520 crore after refunds of ₹27,001 crore

  ₹2,03,521 crore, up 14.7%

  Gross GST revenue for September 2026 was ₹2,03,521 crore against ₹1,77,365 crore in September 2025, a growth of 14.7%. Domestic revenue grew 10.1% and import revenue 25.9%. Refunds were ₹27,001 crore, 3.0% lower, leaving net revenue of ₹1,76,520 crore, up 18.1%. The figures are provisional.