04 November 2026 | English | FREE Current Affairs PDF

Today’s Highlight: The Bengaluru to Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper Express was flagged off, gross GST collections rose 23 per cent to over Rs 2.31 lakh crore in October 2026, and P V Sindhu won the Hylo Open Super 500. Train launches, tax collection figures and sports titles like these are regularly asked in Banking, SSC and TNPSC exams.

News in One Liner – 04 November 2026

Appointments and Resignation

Air Marshal Mehtab Singh Deswal Heads Eastern Air Command

Air Marshal Mehtab Singh Deswal assumed the appointment of Air Officer Commanding in Chief of the Eastern Air Command of the Indian Air Force on 1 November 2026. He was commissioned as a fighter pilot on 14 June 1989 and has flying experience of over 3,200 hours. He earlier served as Air Attaché at the Embassy of India in Pakistan.

Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia Named Vice Chief of Air Staff

Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia was appointed Vice Chief of the Air Staff from 1 November 2026. He takes over from Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, who was to take over as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff on 31 October 2026. Walia was earlier the Air Officer Commanding in Chief of the Eastern Air Command.

Dinesh Vitthalrao Ganvir Is 55th Director General of Geological Survey

Dinesh Vitthalrao Ganvir assumed charge as the 55th Director General of the Geological Survey of India, an attached office of the Ministry of Mines. He joined the Survey on 1 July 1994 and has a career of more than 32 years. His priorities include intensifying exploration for critical and strategic minerals.

PIB News

Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper Express Flagged Off

Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw flagged off the Bengaluru to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper Express on 1 November 2026. The train will run six days a week, leaving Bengaluru at 19:45 hours and reaching Mumbai at 11:55 hours the next day. It will run via Anantapur, Guntakal, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Solapur, Pune and Kalyan.

Digi Yatra Begins International Passenger Trials at Seven Airports

Digi Yatra has started trials for international passengers at seven airports, scheduled from November to December 2026. Eligible Indian nationals with e-passports can use it on select Air India and IndiGo international flights. The platform has over 26.5 million users and has enabled more than 110 million journeys across 39 domestic airports.

Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation Marks 74th Foundation Day

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation celebrated its 74th Foundation Day on 1 November 2026 at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi. It launched a verified WhatsApp service and automatic settlement of Aadhaar-verified inoperative accounts with balances up to Rs 1,000. The average claim settlement time fell to 2.57 days in October 2026.

Kendriya Grihmantri Dakshata Padak 2026 Awarded to 490 Personnel

The Kendriya Grihmantri Dakshata Padak has been awarded to 490 personnel for the year 2026 from States, Union Territories, Central Armed Police Forces and Central Police Organisations. The medal was instituted through a Ministry of Home Affairs notification dated 1 February 2024. It is announced on 31 October every year, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Seven Nations Begin First Maritime Security Exercise in Bay of Bengal

The inaugural Maritime Security Exercise of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation is being conducted from 30 October to 3 November 2026. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand are taking part. The exercise highlights the Andaman and Nicobar Command, India’s first integrated tri-service command.

Vice-President Inaugurates National Organ Transplant Games 2026

Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan inaugurated the National Organ Transplant Games 2026 at Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi, on 1 November 2026 and called organ donation a Mahadaan. He said one deceased organ donor can save up to eight lives. A total of 570 transplant recipients and donors performing Tadasana together set a world record.

President Murmu Graces Hirak Jayanti in Kurukshetra

President Droupadi Murmu graced the Hirak Jayanti celebration at Kurukshetra on 1 November 2026, held in the 60th year of the formation of Haryana. She noted that Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao was launched from Panipat in January 2015. She welcomed the rise in the gender ratio at birth in 2025 compared with 2014.

Industry News

GST Collection Rises 23 Per Cent to Rs 2.31 Lakh Crore

Gross Goods and Services Tax collections rose 23 per cent year on year to over Rs 2.31 lakh crore in October 2026. It was second only to the record of about Rs 2.43 lakh crore in April. Domestic sales gave over Rs 1.59 lakh crore, imports gave Rs 72,246 crore and net collections after refunds were over Rs 2.03 lakh crore.

Financial News

SEBI Steps Up Measures Against Online Financial Fraud

Securities and Exchange Board of India Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey said in Kolkata that the regulator is working with Google to introduce verified badges on the Google Play Store for genuine SEBI-related apps. SEBI has started a WhatsApp channel on investor awareness in eleven languages and developed an artificial intelligence-based tool named Sudarshan. The number of investors from West Bengal in the securities market has crossed 90 lakh.

Reserve Bank of India Central Board Holds 625th Meeting

The 625th meeting of the Central Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank of India was held in Mumbai on 30 October 2026 under Governor Sanjay Malhotra. The Board took the Integrity Pledge as part of Vigilance Awareness Week 2026. It also reviewed the activities of the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation.

National & State News

Northern Bullet Train Corridor Approved Linking Delhi and Guwahati

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the Northern Bullet Train Corridor connecting Delhi to Guwahati via Siliguri, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in Varanasi. The corridor will cover about 1,500 km and cut the present 20-hour Delhi to Siliguri journey to six hours. Key stations include Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Prayagraj and Patna.

World News

UN Peacekeeping Mission in Western Sahara Ends After 35 Years

The 35-year-old United Nations peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara will end because the Security Council failed to renew its mandate, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on 1 November 2026. The mission, MINURSO, has been in place since a UN-brokered ceasefire in 1991. From 1 November it enters its liquidation phase.

Sports News

Pusarla Venkata Sindhu Wins Hylo Open Super 500 Title

Pusarla Venkata Sindhu beat Denmark’s Line Hojmark Kjærsfeldt 21 to 12 and 21 to 14 in 39 minutes to win the Hylo Open Super 500, her second title of the season. The win earned her 9,200 ranking points, strengthening her bid to qualify for the season-ending Badminton World Federation World Tour Finals. Earlier this year she won the Japan Open.

Important Days

World Cities Day 2026 Focuses on Adequate Housing for All

World Cities Day is observed on 31 October each year and was first celebrated in 2014. The 2026 theme is Regenerating the City: Adequate Housing for All, with the global observance set for Fuzhou, China. According to the 2026 concept note, up to 3.4 billion people lack access to adequate housing, secure tenure, basic services or affordable living conditions.

International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2 November as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists through resolution A/RES/68/163. The date commemorates the assassination of two French journalists in Mali on 2 November 2013. Since 1993, more than 1,700 journalists have been killed, and in nine out of ten cases the killers go unpunished.