PIB News Today for UPSC: 1 November 2026 (Tax Devolution, BIMSTEC Exercise, New IAF Chief)

1. Centre Releases Extra Tax Devolution Instalment of ₹1,09,019 Crore to States

Key points

• The Finance Ministry said the advance release is meant to help States before the festive season, speed up capital spending and fund development and welfare expenditure.
• Uttar Pradesh gets the largest share at ₹19,208 crore, followed by Bihar (₹10,845 crore), Madhya Pradesh (₹8,010 crore), West Bengal (₹7,866 crore) and Maharashtra (₹7,022 crore).
• Goa (₹398 crore) and Sikkim (₹365 crore) receive the smallest amounts, because each State’s share follows the Finance Commission’s formula of population, area, income distance and other criteria.
• The release does not change any State’s total entitlement for the year; it only brings forward money that States would have received in later months.

How tax devolution works

• Under Article 270, taxes collected by the Union, except cesses and surcharges, form a divisible pool that is shared with the States.
• The Finance Commission, set up every five years under Article 280, recommends both the States’ share of this pool and how it is divided among them.
• The States’ share has been 41% of the divisible pool since the 15th Finance Commission, which reduced it from 42% after Jammu and Kashmir became a Union Territory.
• Devolution is untied money, so States decide how to spend it, unlike grants for centrally sponsored schemes that come with conditions.

Why it matters

• States carry out most public capital spending in India, so early cash flow can push up investment in roads, irrigation and urban services.
• States often complain that a rising share of Union revenue now comes from cesses and surcharges, which they do not share, so the effective transfer is below 41%.

Read more on GSMitra: UPSC Prelims Current Affairs 31 October 2026

Source: PIB release 2330997

2. First BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise Held in the Bay of Bengal

Key points

• It is the first maritime security exercise held under the BIMSTEC banner, under the slogan ‘Shared Seas, Shared Security and Shared Prosperity’.
• It builds on the 6th BIMSTEC Summit, whose theme was ‘BIMSTEC: Prosperous, Resilient and Open’, and on the grouping’s call for ‘Translating Vision to Action’.
• The exercise aims to improve interoperability, maritime domain awareness and coordination, and to share best practices among member navies and agencies.
• The Andaman and Nicobar Command, India’s first integrated tri-service command, is central to the exercise because it sits astride key sea lanes into the Malacca Strait.

Why it matters

• The Bay of Bengal links South and South-East Asia and carries trade and energy flows, but it also faces piracy, illegal fishing, trafficking and frequent cyclones.
• BIMSTEC has mostly worked on trade and connectivity, so a security exercise shows the grouping taking on a practical defence and disaster-response role.
• For India, the exercise supports the Neighbourhood First and Act East policies and its role as a first responder in the region.
• Landlocked Nepal and Bhutan joining shows that the exercise is about shared regional security, including humanitarian assistance and search and rescue, and not only naval power.

Read more on GSMitra: UPSC Prelims Current Affairs 31 October 2026

Source: PIB release 2330850

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

Key points

• An NDA alumnus, he was commissioned in the fighter stream on 6 December 1986 and has over 3,500 hours of flying on the Mirage-2000, MiG variants, Jaguar and transport aircraft.
• He is an experimental test pilot and worked on the Initial and Final Operational Clearance of the LCA Tejas Mk-I and on the Jaguar and MiG-27 upgrades.
• He was Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee during Operation Sindoor, and served as Vice Chief of the Air Staff before this appointment.

Why it matters

• The new chief takes over when the IAF’s fighter squadron strength is well below the sanctioned 42, so restoring combat numbers through Tejas and other inductions is the main task.
• His joint-staff background fits the push towards integrated theatre commands across the three services.

Source: PIB release 2330846

4. Delhi Records Its Lowest October Average AQI in Eight Years at 166

What the data show

• From January to October 2026, Delhi had 220 ‘Good to Moderate’ days (AQI below 200), the highest since 2018 except for the lockdown year 2020.
• Average PM2.5 for 1 January to 29 October was 69 µg/m³, down from 93 µg/m³ in 2018, though still well above the national annual standard of 40 µg/m³.
• PM10 averaged 171 µg/m³, slightly higher than 166 µg/m³ in 2025, which shows that dust from roads and construction remains a problem.

Stubble management review

• A CAQM team reviewed paddy straw management in Sangrur, Patiala and Malerkotla districts of Punjab on 31 October, including hotspot villages.
• It inspected in-situ machines such as super seeders and an ex-situ unit in Malerkotla that will burn about 17,000 tonnes of paddy straw a year in its boiler.

Source: PIB release 2331032 · PIB release 2331055

5. Customs Duty Exemption on Cotton Imports Extended to 31 December 2026

Key points

• The Textiles Ministry said the move keeps cotton available at competitive prices for spinning mills, garment makers and MSMEs in the textile chain.
• It is also meant to meet the demand for specialised cottons, such as extra-long staple varieties, that Indian farms do not grow in enough quantity.
• The Government said it must balance the needs of the textile industry with the interests of domestic cotton farmers, who prefer duty protection when prices fall.

Why it matters

• Textiles are among India’s largest employers, and costly raw cotton makes Indian yarn and garments less competitive than those from Bangladesh and Vietnam.
• The two-month window covers the start of the new kharif cotton arrivals, when farmers watch whether imports pull market prices below the MSP.

Source: PIB release 2330823

6. People’s Plan Campaign 2026-27 Workshop Links Atmanirbhar Panchayats to the New PM VGSY

Key points

• PM VGSY, approved by the Union Cabinet, aims to integrate Centre and State schemes on a common digital platform and to ensure timely Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs).
• The Minister said Panchayats must raise their Own Source Revenue to qualify for performance grants, instead of depending only on transfers.
• The PPC, run since 2018 under the slogan ‘Sabki Yojana, Sabka Vikas’, began this year’s round on 2 October 2026 with Gram Sabha meetings to prepare plans.
• The Ministry signed an MoU with Convergence Energy Services Limited, an EESL subsidiary, to set up EV charging and battery swapping stations on Panchayat land.

Why it matters

• Most Gram Panchayats raise very little of their own revenue, so their plans depend on grants and they have limited real autonomy.
• Leasing Panchayat land for EV charging is one way to create a steady local income while supporting clean transport.

Source: PIB release 2330751

7. Last Date for National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Applications Extended to 15 November

Key points

• NMMSS gives one lakh fresh scholarships a year to Class IX students from economically weaker sections, renewed up to Class XII on academic performance.
• Each student receives ₹12,000 a year through Direct Benefit Transfer if studying in a government, government-aided or local body school.
• To sit the State-level selection test, a student needs at least 55% marks in Class VII, with 5 points relaxation for SC and ST students.

Source: PIB release 2330936