🗞️ Why in News Alongside today’s deep dives on the inaugural BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise, the J&K and Ladakh High Court striking down the water usage charge on hydropower and the ₹1,09,019 crore additional tax devolution to the States, the 1 November 2026 roundup covers Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit taking over as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff, the extension of the customs duty exemption on cotton imports, EPFO’s 74th Foundation Day and a new Director General for the Geological Survey of India. Also in the news: the Kerala High Court on the Vizhinjam erosion study, NVS-03’s first orbit manoeuvre and the State formation days of 1 November, 70 years after the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 took effect.

Ashutosh Dixit Takes Over as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff

Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit assumed charge as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff on 31 October 2026, the Ministry of Defence said. He succeeds Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, who superannuated on the same day after 42 years of service.

  • Career: commissioned into the Fighter Stream of the Indian Air Force on 6 December 1986, he has over 3,500 hours of flying experience and is a Qualified Flying Instructor and Experimental Test Pilot, PIB said.
  • Commands and staff posts: he commanded Central Air Command as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief and later served as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee during Operation Sindoor. Just before taking over, he was the Vice Chief of the Air Staff.

📌 Facts Corner

  • Chief of the Air Staff: Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, the 29th, from 31 October 2026.
  • Predecessor: Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, superannuated on 31 October 2026 after 42 years of service.

Cotton Imports: Customs Duty Exemption Extended to 31 December 2026

The Government has extended the existing customs duty exemption on cotton imports until 31 December 2026, the Ministry of Textiles said on 31 October 2026. The Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, notified the extension through Notification No. 35/2026-Customs dated 30 October 2026.

  • The change: the exemption, available until 31 October 2026, now runs two months longer, to 31 December 2026.
  • The aim: to augment the availability of cotton for the domestic textile sector at competitive prices, support domestic manufacturing, meet specialised cotton requirements and support value addition across the textile and apparel value chain, PIB said.
  • The balance: “The Government of India remains conscious of the need to balance the requirements of the textile industry with the interests of domestic cotton farmers,” the Ministry said.

📌 Facts Corner

  • Cotton import duty exemption: extended to 31 December 2026 by Notification No. 35/2026-Customs of 30 October 2026 (Department of Revenue).
  • Earlier end date: 31 October 2026.

EPFO Turns 74: WhatsApp Services and Automatic Settlement of Small Inoperative Accounts

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) marked its 74th Foundation Day on 1 November 2026 at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi, PIB said.

  • Scale: the Central Provident Fund Commissioner said EPFO serves about 8 crore contributory members and 85 lakh pensioners and safeguards a retirement corpus of nearly ₹32 lakh crore. He traced its journey “from the founding commitment of 1952”.
  • Faster claims: the average claim settlement time fell to 2.57 days in October 2026, PIB said, crediting EPFO’s technology upgrade, CITES 2.01.
  • On WhatsApp: EPF subscribers will be able to see their PF balance, latest five transactions and passbook information through EPFO’s verified WhatsApp service.
  • Small dormant balances: subscribers with Aadhaar-verified inoperative EPF accounts holding up to ₹1,000 will not have to file individual claims; EPFO will settle them automatically after identity and bank-account checks. About one lakh accounts involving ₹5 crore are expected to benefit.

📌 Facts Corner

  • EPFO: 74th Foundation Day on 1 November 2026; about 8 crore contributory members, 85 lakh pensioners, corpus of nearly ₹32 lakh crore.
  • Auto-settlement: Aadhaar-verified inoperative accounts with balances up to ₹1,000; about one lakh accounts, ₹5 crore.

Geological Survey of India Gets Its 55th Director General

Dinesh Vitthalrao Ganvir has assumed charge as the 55th Director General of the Geological Survey of India (GSI), an attached office of the Ministry of Mines, PIB reported on 1 November 2026.

  • Background: he joined the GSI on 1 July 1994 and was previously Additional Director General and Head of Department, Central Region, Nagpur.
  • Record cited: PIB credits him with “spearheading a five fold jump in investigations for critical and strategic minerals”. It lists 359 Geological Reports and 377 Geological Memorandums, of which 202 blocks pertained to critical minerals and 40 have been auctioned.
  • Priority: to intensify exploration for critical and strategic minerals and to deliver auction-ready mineral blocks.

📌 Facts Corner

  • GSI: attached office of the Ministry of Mines; Dinesh Vitthalrao Ganvir is its 55th Director General.
  • Critical minerals: 202 of the blocks covered by GSI’s reports and memorandums pertained to critical minerals; 40 auctioned.

Today’s Deep Dives in Brief

  • BIMSTEC at sea (30 October to 3 November 2026): the inaugural BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise is being held with Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, and ends on 3 November; PIB highlighted the role of the Andaman and Nicobar Command, “India’s first integrated tri-service command”.
  • Hydropower and Entry 53 (judgment of 29 October 2026): the J&K and Ladakh High Court held that the “water use charge” under the 2010 law was in substance a tax on the generation of electricity, which Entry 53 of List II does not allow: it covers the consumption or sale of electricity, not its generation.
  • Tax devolution (31 October 2026): the Union Government released an additional instalment of tax devolution of ₹1,09,019 crore to the States, over and above the regular monthly devolution and the second such instalment this financial year, ahead of the festive season and to help States speed up capital spending.

Also in the News

  • Kerala High Court sets aside the Kudale Committee report on Vizhinjam (30 October). Justice Harisankar V Menon set aside the study report of an expert committee headed by MD Kudale on coastal erosion allegedly caused by the construction of the Vizhinjam International Seaport, and directed that it should not be acted upon, Bar & Bench reported. The Court held the committee’s constitution flawed over conflicts of interest: Kudale had earlier served as an expert member of the technical sub-committee involved in developing the port project. It ordered the State to constitute a fresh, independent committee. The Court was not examining whether the committee’s scientific conclusions were correct. The petition (Nirmala Johny & ors v State of Kerala & ors) was filed by 128 residents of fishing villages within 20 km north of the port.
  • NVS-03: first orbit manoeuvre done (31 October). ISRO completed the satellite’s first orbit manoeuvre on 31 October 2026 at 16:48 hours, PIB said, after the GSLV-F18 launch from Sriharikota on 30 October. Further manoeuvres are planned to place it in its designated geosynchronous orbital slot at 111.75 East.
  • State formation days, and 70 years of the States Reorganisation Act (1 November). The Prime Minister greeted the people of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Haryana on their State Foundation Day, “the people of Keralam on the occasion of Keralappiravi”, Karnataka on Kannada Rajyotsava and Tamil Nadu on Tamil Nadu Day, PIB said. The days of Kerala, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh trace to the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (Act No. 37 of 1956), whose “appointed day” was 1 November 1956: from that day it formed the new States of Kerala, Mysore (whose formation Kannada Rajyotsava marks) and Madhya Pradesh. Today is that day’s 70th anniversary. Haryana came into being on 1 November 1966, the appointed day of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966. In Tamil Nadu, the Chief Minister announced on 18 July 2026 that the State will celebrate its formation on two days: 1 November, “the day Madras State was formed”, and 18 July, the day the Legislative Assembly passed the resolution to name it Tamil Nadu, The News Minute reported.

From earlier editions

UPSC Relevance

Paper Syllabus theme Today’s hook
GS1 Post-independence consolidation and reorganisation of States States Reorganisation Act, 1956; Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966
GS2 Federal structure; formation of new States The States formed on 1 November; tax devolution
GS2 Structure and functioning of the judiciary Kerala HC on the Vizhinjam committee; J&K and Ladakh HC on the water usage charge
GS2 Regional groupings BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise
GS3 Security forces and their mandate New Chief of the Air Staff; the Andaman and Nicobar Command
GS3 Effects of trade policy on industry and farmers Cotton import duty exemption
GS3 Social security and inclusive growth EPFO’s auto-settlement and WhatsApp services
GS3 Mineral resources; science and technology GSI and critical minerals; NVS-03 orbit raising

📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia

Prelims, statement-ready facts:

  • Air Chief: Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, 29th Chief of the Air Staff, from 31 October 2026; succeeds AP Singh.
  • Cotton: customs duty exemption on imports extended to 31 December 2026; Notification No. 35/2026-Customs, 30 October 2026.
  • EPFO: 74th Foundation Day, 1 November 2026; average claim settlement 2.57 days in October 2026.
  • GSI: an attached office of the Ministry of Mines; Dinesh Vitthalrao Ganvir is the 55th Director General.
  • NVS-03: first orbit manoeuvre on 31 October 2026; slot at 111.75 East.
  • States Reorganisation Act, 1956: Act No. 37 of 1956; appointed day 1 November 1956; formed, among others, the new States of Kerala, Mysore and Madhya Pradesh.
  • Haryana: formed on 1 November 1966 under the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966.

Prelims, the traps:

  • Mysore, not Karnataka: the 1956 Act formed the State of Mysore; Kannada Rajyotsava marks that formation.
  • Procedure, not science: the Kerala HC set aside the Kudale report over conflicts of interest, without ruling on its scientific conclusions.
  • Planned, not done: NVS-03 has completed its first manoeuvre; further manoeuvres to its slot are still planned.
  • Exemption extended, not new: the cotton exemption already existed until 31 October 2026.

Mains, arguments and keywords:

  • Linguistic reorganisation: 1 November as the day the 1956 Act redrew the map of the States.
  • Trade policy trade-off: cotton at competitive prices for the textile sector against the interests of domestic cotton farmers.
  • Social security delivery: automatic settlement and messaging services as ways to reach members without claims or office visits.
  • Expert bodies and conflict of interest: a study is only as credible as the independence of those who conduct it.

Interview, be ready for:

  • “Should India reorganise its States again?” Weigh language and identity against administrative efficiency and the cost of new capitals.

Sources: PIB, 31 October 2026 and PIB, 31 October 2026 (Air Chief); PIB, 31 October 2026 (cotton); PIB, 1 November 2026 (EPFO); PIB, 1 November 2026 (GSI); PIB, 1 November 2026 (NVS-03); PIB, 31 October 2026 (BIMSTEC); Law Chakra, 31 October 2026 and Bar & Bench, 31 October 2026 (J&K hydropower); PIB, 31 October 2026 (devolution); Bar & Bench, 30 October 2026 (Vizhinjam); PIB, 1 November 2026, PRIDs 2331090, 2331092, 2331095, 2331097, 2331098 and 2331099 (formation days); States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (Act No. 37 of 1956) and Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966 (Act No. 31 of 1966), bare texts; The News Minute, report of July 2026 (Tamil Nadu Day).

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