NDA Current Affairs Quiz: 8 October 2026

The correct answer is Paradip, Odisha. The Indian Coast Guard conducted the 12th edition of the National Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise in the sea off Paradip on 8 October 2026, and the Paradip Port Authority along with the Odisha state administration took part in it. Option A, Kochi, is wrong: Kerala was not the setting for this edition, even though the Coast Guard keeps assets on the western seaboard. Option C, Visakhapatnam, is wrong: although it is a major port on the eastern coast, the drill named here was held off the Odisha coast and not off Andhra Pradesh. Option D, Mormugao in Goa, is wrong for the same reason, since the exercise was an eastern seaboard event. The rescue scenario itself placed the imagined aircraft crash close to Paradip Port, which fixes the location firmly.

The correct answer is Air Force Station Hindan, Ghaziabad. The force completed 94 years of service on 8 October 2026 and held its ceremonial Air Force Day parade at Hindan, where the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, reviewed the parade in the presence of the Army and Navy chiefs, former air chiefs and other senior officers. Option B, Palam, is wrong: no part of this year’s ceremony was held there, although Palam has hosted the parade in earlier years, which is exactly why it works as a distractor. Option C, Chandigarh, is wrong because the station finds no mention in the account of the day. Option D, Prayagraj, is also wrong. The only other place named for this year is Namo Ghat in Varanasi, and that is for a separate aerial display on 25 October 2026, not for the parade itself. So the parade venue is Hindan and the later flypast venue is Varanasi.

The correct answer is about USD 9 billion. The minister described this as the current size of the space economy and said it could reach USD 45 to 46 billion over the next 8 to 10 years if the present momentum continues, crediting the expansion to the opening of the sector and the entry of a wider set of stakeholders. Option D is the trap: USD 45 billion is the projected figure for 8 to 10 years out, not the present one, and papers often ask candidates to tell the two apart. Options A and C are invented values placed between the real numbers. A useful companion point is that the opening of the sector has let young engineers find work at home in private startups such as Skyroot instead of going abroad, which is the brain-drain argument the minister was making to the students.

The correct answer is Leveraging Technology to Strengthen SAR Preparedness and Maritime Safety. That was the theme chosen for the 12th National Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise off Paradip, and it was borne out on the day by the demonstration of a Remotely Operated Vehicle and by the stress placed on a faster, technology-enabled and seamlessly coordinated rescue framework. Options A, C and D are plausible-sounding maritime slogans but none of them was the theme of this exercise. The exercise was held under the National Maritime Search and Rescue Board, was reviewed by Coast Guard Director General Paramesh Sivamani, and brought together maritime and aeronautical agencies to show operational readiness, interoperability and a coordinated answer to mass rescue operations at sea. Aspirants should link the edition, the theme and the venue together, since examiners usually test the three as a set.

The correct answer is Indian Air Force: Infallible, Impervious and Precise, rendered in Hindi as achook, abhedya and sateek. The air chief explained that the three words are not a tagline but a statement of the force’s strength and resolve, matching its promise to guard the country’s skies with precision, resilience and operational excellence. Option A is invented for this question and was not the theme. Option C is wrong because “Touch the Sky with Glory” is the motto of the Indian Air Force, a permanent motto rather than a theme chosen for one year, so candidates must keep the two apart. Option D mixes in Aatmanirbharta, which the air chief did describe as the guiding principle for building capability, but that was a point in his speech and not the theme of the day. Only option B names the theme announced for this anniversary.

The correct answer is 100 GW by 2047. The minister referred to this target together with the opening of the nuclear sector to private participation, and described nuclear power as an important clean-energy source for future requirements, among them the demand created by artificial intelligence and data centres. Options A, B and D pair plausible capacity figures with plausible years, which is exactly how such questions are built, so both halves of the answer must be remembered. The year 2047 matters because it marks a century of independence and is the horizon for several national targets, so a candidate who recalls the year can often reason to the right option. The capacity figure of 100 GW should be stored alongside the space economy numbers from the same address.

The correct answer is 32 observers from 30 countries. Their presence at the exercise off Paradip was treated as a notable step towards stronger cooperation between nations on rescue at sea, because it allowed an exchange of working practices, improved the ability of different forces to operate together, and underlined that India is relied upon as a search and rescue partner in its region. Options A, C and D give figures that were not reported for this edition. Candidates should also remember what was deployed alongside the observers: fifteen Coast Guard ships, three Dornier aircraft, three Advanced Light Helicopters, one Chetak helicopter, an Air Force C-130J and a Mi-17, two Navy ships, and a range of civil, state and shore-based units. The drill rehearsed a mass rescue after a passenger aircraft carrying 228 persons was taken to have ditched at sea.

The correct answer is 18 Squadron 'Flying Bullets', which was not among the units honoured. Five unit citations were presented at the investiture ceremony that followed the parade, and they went to 24 Squadron 'The Hawks', 110 Helicopter Unit 'The Vanguards', 200 Squadron 'Skanda', 2402 Squadron 'Vajra' and the Electronic Warfare Range. Options A, B and D therefore all appear on that list and cannot be the answer. The citation list is a favourite with paper setters because it mixes a fighter squadron, a helicopter unit, a flight unit and a ground establishment, so a candidate who remembers only aircraft names gets caught. Alongside the citations, individual air warriors were given medals for gallantry and for distinguished service at the same ceremony, which is a separate set of awards from the unit citations.

The correct answer is the National Supercomputing Mission, which the minister did not name in this address. The initiatives he cited as creating capability in emerging fields were the Deep Ocean Mission, the Quantum Mission, artificial intelligence, cyber security and the Anusandhan National Research Foundation, so options A, B and C all appear on that list. On the Deep Ocean Mission he said India is only beginning to explore the scientific and economic potential of its oceans, including resources that remain largely unexamined. In biotechnology he separately pointed to a framework built around biotechnology for economy, environment and employment, the world’s first DNA vaccine against COVID-19 and the Genome India initiative. Chandrayaan-3 was his example of running a sophisticated mission at remarkably low cost.

The correct answer is Group Captain Manish Sharma, who led the Air Force Day Parade at Hindan. Option A is the commonest trap: Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, the Chief of the Air Staff, reviewed the parade and delivered the address, and reviewing a parade is a different role from commanding it. The reviewing officer takes the salute; the parade commander marches the contingents. Option C is wrong because the Chief of the Army Staff attended as a guest, along with the Chief of the Naval Staff, former chiefs of the air staff and other senior military officers and civilians. Option D is wrong as the Chief of Defence Staff is not named in connection with the parade at all. Remember the pairing for the exam: parade reviewed by the air chief, parade commanded by a group captain.