Business
Star Health Hit with ₹49 Crore GST Notice from Tax Authorities
The authorities allege that the company did not pay GST on specific transactions related to coinsurance. The alleged violations also encompass the failure to disclose these transactions in statutory filings and the lack of invoice issuance for such services. According to an exchange filing, the specified violations consist of the following: non-payment of GST on coinsurance transactions, non-disclosure of these transactions in the statutory returns filed over time, and the absence of invoices for coinsurance services.
In Haryana, Star Health’s office received five tax demand orders totaling Rs 4.9 crore, issued by the Additional Commissioner of GST and Central Excise in Gurugram. Additionally, the Delhi office has been served four orders amounting to Rs 4.7 crore, while the Maharashtra zonal office faces the highest demand of Rs 19.4 crore through five orders issued by the GST authorities in Mumbai East, Andheri East, and Mumbai South-West. In Tamil Nadu, five orders totaling Rs 16.2 crore have been issued from the Chennai North GST office. The Telangana office also received five tax demand orders, amounting to Rs 3.8 crore, whereas the Karnataka office has one order demanding Rs 12.8 lakh.
Star Health has indicated that, based on legal counsel advice, it plans to contest these tax demands through an appeal or writ petition and will take necessary legal actions to address the situation. Meanwhile, last month, the company announced the expansion of its Home Health Care services to 100 locations across India. Launched in July 2023, this initiative now serves 85 percent of Star Health Insurance’s customers, offering cashless medical care at their doorstep.
Business
Egg Prices Rise in Bengaluru as New Year Nears
Egg prices in Bengaluru have increased sharply. The rate, which was ₹5 per egg a month ago, has now touched ₹7. The city is also facing a shortage in supply. Traders say that demand for eggs rises in December due to Christmas, New Year celebrations, and higher non-vegetarian consumption during winter.

Supply from Tamil Nadu has also reduced, causing further pressure on local markets. According to the Karnataka Poultry Traders Association, Bengaluru needs about 1.10 crore eggs daily, but there is a shortage of nearly 30–40 lakh eggs.
Last year’s bird flu outbreak also affected poultry farms, leading to lower production this season.
Goa has seen a similar trend. Egg prices there have increased to ₹90 per dozen, and further hikes are expected in the third week of December. Reports suggest that rates may stay high until early 2026.
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Goa depends heavily on neighboring states for its supply — around 80% from Karnataka and the rest from Maharashtra. Meanwhile, gold prices too have shown an upward trend.
Business
MRPL Wins Fourth Consecutive Best Refining Innovation Award at ETM 2025
Hyderabad, October 28, 2025:
Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL), a subsidiary of ONGC and a leading Category-I Miniratna Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, has achieved yet another milestone. The company has won the Innovation Award 2024-25 for Best Innovation in Research & Development in Refining Technology at the 28th Energy Technology Meet (ETM 2025) held in Hyderabad.
This marks MRPL’s fourth consecutive victory at these prestigious national awards, reaffirming its position as a pioneer in indigenous innovation within India’s refining sector.
The award recognizes MRPL’s breakthrough “Gradual Olefins and Aromatic Technology (GOAT)”, an advanced Crude-to-Chemicals process developed entirely by the company’s in-house R&D team. The GOAT technology demonstrates India’s growing capability to transform crude oil directly into high-value petrochemicals, thereby improving energy efficiency, cutting carbon emissions, and contributing to the nation’s sustainable refining goals.

The award was presented by Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Hon’ble Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas, in the presence of Shri Pankaj Jain, Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas. The ceremony was organized by the Centre for High Technology (CHT) at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC).
Receiving the award on behalf of MRPL were Shri Nandakumar V. Pillai (Director – Refinery), along with Chief Managers Shri Karthick R. and Shri S. Nirmal Ganesh from MRPL’s Innovation Centre.
The 28th Energy Technology Meet, themed “Green Energy Horizons: Advancing Sustainable Refining & Energy Innovation,” serves as India’s leading platform for sharing advancements in refining and clean energy technologies. Organized by CHT under the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, ETM 2025 brings together refiners, petrochemical producers, technology providers, equipment manufacturers, and service companies from India and abroad to discuss sustainable and low-carbon pathways for the energy sector.
The three-day event, held from October 28 to 30, 2025, focuses on innovations driving India’s energy transition and circular economy efforts.
Speaking after receiving the award, Shri Nandakumar V. Pillai said,
“MRPL has always been a frontrunner in adopting and developing advanced technologies. Our Innovation Centre is not only creating but also implementing breakthrough technologies like GOAT — a futuristic Crude-to-Chemicals process that many in the global refining industry are still aspiring to achieve. Winning this recognition for the fourth consecutive year reflects our team’s commitment, creativity, and technical excellence. I congratulate our Innovation Centre team and wish them continued success in future innovations.”
Business
RBI Keeps Repo Rate Unchanged at 5.5% in October Policy Review
New Delhi: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to keep the key policy interest rate unchanged at 5.5% for the second consecutive review. The decision was announced by RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra after the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting on Wednesday.

The MPC voted unanimously to maintain the repo rate at 5.5% with a neutral stance. Governor Malhotra said the central bank took the step due to uncertainties over tariffs, even as inflation remains under control.
Retail inflation has stayed below 4% since February this year. It eased to a six-year low of 2.07% in August, helped by lower food prices and a favourable base effect.
The October policy comes at a time when the recent cut in Goods and Services Tax (GST) is expected to support domestic demand.
This is the fourth bi-monthly monetary policy review of the current financial year.
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