31 October 2026
The Disaster Management Centre in Sri Lanka has put the damage from Cyclone Arnab's rains at 21,240 people from 5,768 families. They live in 136 Divisional Secretariat divisions spread over 18 districts. The count covers 23 October to the morning of 31 October. Three people died and six were injured. Eight houses were destroyed completely and 737 were damaged in part. Ratnapura district was hit hardest, with 10,051 people affected and one death. Puttalam district came next, with 6,900 people affected and two people reported missing. The cyclone itself crossed the coast of Andhra Pradesh in India, while Sri Lanka took its outer rain bands.
Districts affected:
18
Worst affected district:
Ratnapura
Deaths:
3
Period counted:
23 to 31 October 2026
Why it matters for exams: Gives the name Cyclone Arnab, the Indian coast it crossed (Andhra Pradesh), the Sri Lankan districts worst hit (Ratnapura and Puttalam) and the Disaster Management Centre as the counting body.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
DMC Disaster Management Centre — Sri Lanka's body that collects and publishes disaster damage figures.
Divisional Secretariat division Divisional Secretariat division — The administrative unit below a district in Sri Lanka.
31 October 2026
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya left Bandaranaike International Airport to attend the 2026 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, or CHOGM. She will lead the Sri Lankan delegation, and her visit runs from 31 October to 6 November. The Prime Minister's Media Division said she will meet Commonwealth leaders and join talks on matters of shared interest. The summit is being held in St John's, the capital of Antigua and Barbuda, from 1 to 4 November 2026. Its theme is "Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth". The Commonwealth has 56 member countries and is headed by Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey. Hosting rotates among member countries; Samoa held the previous meeting, in 2024.
Venue:
St John's, Antigua and Barbuda
Summit dates:
1 to 4 November 2026
Theme:
Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth
Commonwealth members:
56
Why it matters for exams: Fixes the host of CHOGM 2026 (St John's, Antigua and Barbuda), its theme, the Commonwealth's 56 members and Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey, and names Sri Lanka's Prime Minister.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
CHOGM Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting — The summit of Commonwealth leaders, normally held once in two years.
7 October 2026
Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Dr Anil Jayantha Fernando presented the 2027 Appropriation Bill to Sri Lanka's Parliament for its First Reading. The Bill sets government spending for 2027 at Rs. 4,992,773,388,000 and gives the government the authority to raise loans. The Committee on Parliamentary Business, chaired by Speaker Dr Jagath Wickramaratne, had fixed the timetable earlier. The Second Reading, which is the Budget Speech and budget proposals, is set for 12 November 2026. The Second Reading debate runs from 13 to 20 November, with the vote on 20 November. The Committee Stage debate is listed from 21 November to 14 December, with the Third Reading vote on 14 December. Parliament sits daily at 9.30 a.m. during the budget debate.
Estimated expenditure for 2027:
Rs. 4,992,773,388,000
First Reading:
7 October 2026
Budget Speech (Second Reading):
12 November 2026
Third Reading vote:
14 December 2026
Why it matters for exams: Names the Appropriation Bill route in Sri Lanka's Parliament, where the Second Reading is the Budget Speech, the Speaker who chairs the Committee on Parliamentary Business, and the 2027 spending figure.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Appropriation Bill Appropriation Bill — The Bill that authorises government spending for a financial year.
Committee on Parliamentary Business Committee on Parliamentary Business — The Sri Lankan parliamentary committee that fixes the order of business; the Speaker chairs it.
23 October 2026
Sri Lanka's National System Operator (NSO) has sent its preliminary report on the 17 October island-wide blackout to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL). It traces the start of the failure to the sudden disconnection of the first generating unit at the Norochcholai (Lakvijaya) Power Plant, though the root cause of that trip is still unknown. At about 11:43 a.m., 187 MW dropped out within 450 milliseconds, frequency fell to 48.75 Hz and the national grid collapsed within 4.1 seconds. All five stages of under-frequency load shedding cut 449.2 MW, or 39.6% of the 1,135 MW being generated. Hydro units at Victoria, Kotmale, Randenigala, Samanalawewa and Laxapana also shut down. Full transmission was restored in 5 hours 15 minutes. A detailed report will follow.
Blackout date:
17 October 2026
Capacity lost at start:
187 MW
Grid collapse time:
4.1 seconds
Full restoration:
5 hours 15 minutes
Why it matters for exams: Sri Lanka's power regulator PUCSL, its only coal plant at Norochcholai (Lakvijaya) and the Mahaweli hydro schemes such as Victoria and Kotmale are geography and economy facts.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
PUCSL Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka's regulator for the electricity sector.
NSO National System Operator — The body that runs Sri Lanka's national electricity grid in real time.
Under-frequency load shedding UFLS — Automatic cutting of supply to some areas when grid frequency falls, to try to save the rest of the system.
31 October 2026
From 1 November, people in Sri Lanka must show a valid Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) for a set of key transactions, the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has said. The list covers opening a bank or financial institution account, getting a credit card, registering a business, registering land or title to land, building plan approval, registering a motor vehicle and renewing its licence. When shares of a company incorporated in Sri Lanka change hands, both buyer and seller need a TIN. The rule is issued under the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Act, No. 11 of 2026. A TIN is already mandatory for resident individuals aged 18 or above. A printout of the IRD e-Services check showing the NIC and TIN will be accepted in place of the certificate.
Effective from:
1 November 2026
Law:
Inland Revenue (Amendment) Act, No. 11 of 2026
Authority:
Inland Revenue Department (IRD)
Why it matters for exams: What TIN stands for, the Inland Revenue Department as Sri Lanka's tax authority and the Sri Lankan rupee are simple, frequently asked facts.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
TIN Taxpayer Identification Number — A unique number the tax department gives each taxpayer.
IRD Inland Revenue Department — Sri Lanka's department that collects income and other direct taxes.
NIC National Identity Card — Sri Lanka's national identity card number.
22 September 2026
On 22 September, Fitch Ratings raised Sri Lanka's Long-Term Issuer Default Rating from 'CCC+' to 'B-', with a stable outlook. The agency said the upgrade reflects macro-stabilisation policies backed by structural reforms, better fiscal and external accounts and a modest rebuilding of reserves. 'B-' is still speculative grade, below investment grade. Sri Lanka last held 'B-' in November 2020; it fell to 'RD' after the 2022 default and returned to 'CCC+' in December 2024. Fitch expects government debt to ease to 92.9% of GDP in 2026 from 96.7% in 2025. It sees gross official reserves at US$ 7.7 billion by end-2026, about 2.9 months of external payments, and growth of 4.1%.
New rating:
B- (from CCC+)
Outlook:
Stable
Debt forecast 2026:
92.9% of GDP
Reserves forecast end-2026:
US$ 7.7 billion
Why it matters for exams: The three global credit rating agencies (Fitch, Moody's, S&P), what investment grade means and Sri Lanka's 2022 default are frequent economy questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
IDR Issuer Default Rating — Fitch's rating of how likely a borrower is to default on its debt.
RD Restricted Default — Fitch's grade for a borrower that has defaulted on some obligations but not all.
Investment grade — Ratings of BBB- and above, seen as relatively safe for investors.
Background
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre lists eight properties inscribed on the World Heritage List for Sri Lanka: six cultural and two natural.
Cultural: Ancient City of Polonnaruwa, 1982; Ancient City of Sigiriya, 1982; Sacred City of Anuradhapura, 1982.
Cultural: Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications, 1988; Sacred City of Kandy, 1988; Rangiri Dambulla Cave Temple, 1991.
Natural: Sinharaja Forest Reserve, 1988; and Central Highlands of Sri Lanka, 2010.
The page records Sri Lanka's acceptance of the Convention on 6 June 1980.
Properties inscribed:
8
Cultural / Natural:
6 / 2
Latest inscription:
Central Highlands of Sri Lanka, 2010
Acceptance of the Convention:
6 June 1980
Why it matters for exams: World Heritage lists are a regular source of site-to-country matching and category (cultural or natural) questions, and the page's own site names are what candidates should know.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — Its World Heritage Centre keeps the World Heritage List.
Background
Sri Lanka's fresh inflation target agreement rests on a law passed a few years earlier, so the law is worth knowing on its own. The Central Bank of Sri Lanka Act, No. 16 of 2023 governs the central bank. Section 26 of that Act is the provision under which the government and the bank sign a Monetary Policy Framework Agreement. The agreement must be published in the Government Gazette; the 2026 one appeared in Gazette Extraordinary No. 2508/28. The target is written against quarterly headline inflation measured by the Colombo Consumer Price Index. It is reviewed every three years, or sooner in exceptional circumstances.
Governing Act:
Central Bank of Sri Lanka Act, No. 16 of 2023
Enabling section:
Section 26
Review cycle:
Every three years
Why it matters for exams: Carries the standing law behind the target: the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Act, No. 16 of 2023, its Section 26, the Gazette requirement and the three-year review cycle.
UPSCBank
In plain words
Gazette Extraordinary Government Gazette Extraordinary — A special issue of the official gazette used to publish urgent legal notices.