The Indian Army and the UAE Land Forces have commenced the joint military exercise Mountain Guardian 2026 at Chaubatia in Uttarakhand. Scheduled from 5 to 18 October 2026, the two-week drill focuses on mountain warfare, tactical counter-insurgency operations, and enhancing bilateral defence cooperation.
Q1. Who has been named to succeed Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh as the Chief of the Air Staff on 31 October?
Answer: (A) Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit — Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, currently serving as the Vice-Chief of the Air Staff, will take over as the next Chief of the Air Staff following the superannuation of Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh.
Q2. Which Indian shooter was unanimously elected to represent South Asian athletes on the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Athletes Commission for the 2026–2030 term?
Answer: (B) Rajeshwari Kumari — Former Indian trap shooter and 2023 Asian Games silver medallist Rajeshwari Kumari was elected to the OCA Athletes Commission for the 2026–2030 tenure.
Q3. What is the total financial commitment approved by the Union Cabinet for setting up the SME Growth Fund (SGF)?
Answer: (B) ₹10,000 crore — The Union Cabinet approved a ₹10,000 crore commitment to set up the SME Growth Fund to provide direct equity and growth capital to high-potential manufacturing SMEs.
Q4. What is the name of the Indian Navy's first indigenous Fleet Support Ship (FSS-1) launched at Hindustan Shipyard Limited?
Answer: (B) Surya — Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched the Indian Navy's first indigenous Fleet Support Ship (FSS-1), named 'Surya', at Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), Visakhapatnam.
Q5. Which of the following statements regarding a Core Investment Company (CIC) under RBI guidelines is correct?
Answer: (B) At least 90% of net assets must be in group investments or loans — Under RBI regulations, a CIC must hold at least 90% of its net assets in investments or loans to group companies, with at least 60% specifically in equity shares of group firms.
Q6. What is the generation capacity of the Chamkharchhu-I Hydroelectric Project being jointly developed by Adani Power and Bhutan's DGPC?
Answer: (C) 770 MW — Adani Power and Druk Green Power Corporation (DGPC) entered into a shareholders agreement to develop the 770 MW Chamkharchhu-I run-of-river project in Zhemgang District, Bhutan.
Q7. For which contribution was Francis Halzen awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics?
Answer: (B) IceCube Neutrino Observatory and high-energy astrophysical neutrinos — Francis Halzen received the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole and discovering high-energy astrophysical neutrinos.
Q8. Whose 42-year-old national record in the 400m hurdles was broken by Vithya Ramraj at the 2026 Asian Games?
Answer: (C) P T Usha — Vithya Ramraj clocked 54.75 seconds at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026, breaking P T Usha's long-standing national record of 55.42 seconds set at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Q9. Who became the first Indian woman to win an individual gold medal in golf at the Asian Games?
Answer: (C) Pranavi Urs — Pranavi Urs of Karnataka made history by becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual golf gold medal at the Asian Games during the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Games.
Q10. Aman Sehrawat defeated Han Chong Song to claim a historic Asian Games gold medal in which wrestling weight division?
Answer: (A) 57kg freestyle — Aman Sehrawat won the gold medal in men's freestyle 57kg wrestling by defeating North Korea's Han Chong Song 11-7 at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Q11. Where was the 6th global celebration of World Cotton Day held in October 2026?
Answer: (B) Tashkent, Uzbekistan — The 6th global celebration of World Cotton Day was organized at the Hyatt Regency in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on 7 October 2026.
Q12. To what percentage has the World Bank upgraded India's GDP growth forecast for the Financial Year 2026-27?
Answer: (C) 7.1% — The World Bank raised India's GDP growth forecast for FY 2026-27 to 7.1%, up from its earlier estimate of 6.6% announced in April 2026.
Q13. What is the name of the joint military exercise commenced between India and the UAE at Chaubatia, Uttarakhand?
Answer: (C) Mountain Guardian — Exercise Mountain Guardian 2026 is a joint military exercise between India and the UAE held at the Foreign Training Node in Chaubatia, Uttarakhand.
