1. Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit Assumes Charge as 29th Chief of the Air Staff
Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit has officially taken charge as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) of the Indian Air Force (IAF), succeeding Air Chief Marshal V.R. Chaudhari. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy and a qualified flying instructor with over 3,300 hours of flying experience on fighter and trainer aircraft, Air Chief Marshal Dixit previously served as Deputy Chief of Air Staff and Vice Chief of Air Staff. His tenure focuses on expediting indigenous fighter jet procurements (LCA Tejas Mk-1A and Mk-2), strengthening air defense integration, and operationalizing theater commands.
๐ฏ Key Exam Prelims Pointers:
- Indian Air Force: Established on October 8, 1932 as the Royal Indian Air Force; Motto: "Nabhaแธฅ Sprลaแน Dฤซptam" (Touch the Sky with Glory), taken from the 11th Chapter of the Bhagavad Gita.
- Supreme Commander: Under Article 53(2) of the Indian Constitution, the Supreme Command of the Defence Forces of the Union is vested in the President of India.
- Tenure of Service Chiefs: Chief of Air Staff serves for 3 years or until attaining 62 years of age, whichever is earlier.
2. Gross GST Revenue for October 2026 Surges to โน2,31,290 Crore
India's Gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections for October 2026 recorded a robust surge, touching an all-time high of โน2,31,290 crore. Driven by nationwide festival consumption, tighter digital invoice matching by CBIC, and robust industrial turnover, domestic transactions grew by 11.2% year-on-year, reinforcing the country's solid fiscal consolidation trajectory.
๐ฏ Key Exam Prelims Pointers:
- Constitutional Basis: GST was implemented on July 1, 2017 via the 101st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2016.
- GST Council: Governed under Article 279A, chaired by the Union Finance Minister with state finance ministers as members.
3. Digi Yatra Kicks Off International Passenger Trials Across 7 Major Airports
The Ministry of Civil Aviation formally inaugurated international passenger biometric screening trials under the 'Digi Yatra' initiative across seven major international airports, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. The facial-recognition-based platform eliminates physical boarding passes and passport queues at e-gates, saving up to 25 minutes per overseas passenger.
๐ฏ Key Exam Prelims Pointers:
- Digi Yatra Foundation: A non-profit company under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013, established in 2019 to implement decentralized Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) for flyers.
- Data Privacy: Built on decentralized storage where passenger biometrics are stored locally on the user's smartphone, not on a central server.
4. Bihar Museum in Patna Ranked 9th Globally & No. 1 in Asia in World's 100 Best Museums
The Bihar Museum, situated in Patna, achieved prestigious international acclaim by securing the 9th rank in the 'World's 100 Best Museums 2026' list published by Germany-based international cultural travel guide Worth a Journey. It was also ranked as the Number 1 Museum in Asia, lauded for its state-of-the-art curation of ancient Magadha, Mauryan, and Gupta heritage alongside Japanese architectural design.
๐ฏ Key Exam Prelims Pointers:
- Bihar Museum: Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki and inaugurated in 2015; houses the famous Didarganj Yakshi statue.
5. India Hosts Inaugural BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise in Bay of Bengal
Warships, naval boarding teams, and maritime patrol aircraft from BIMSTEC member states (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand) converged in the Bay of Bengal for the first-ever BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise, focusing on anti-piracy, illegal fishing interdiction, and humanitarian search and rescue.
๐ฏ Key Exam Prelims Pointers:
- BIMSTEC: Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, established via the 1997 Bangkok Declaration; Permanent Secretariat: Dhaka, Bangladesh.
๐ Daily Current Affairs MCQ Challenge
Q. Who has been appointed as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) of the Indian Air Force?
A) Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari
B) Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit
C) Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh
D) Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria
Click to View Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: B) Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit
Explanation: Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit took charge as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff of India on November 1, 2026, taking over command to lead modernization and theater command integration of the Indian Air Force.
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