2 October 2026
Kerala is launching 'Nirmalam - Puthuyuga Shuchithwa Keralam', a five-year waste management campaign run by the Local Self Government Department with the Suchitwa Mission.
The state-level inauguration is to be held at the Sunny Convention Centre at North Paravur in Ernakulam on 2 October 2026, with Chief Minister V D Satheesan formally launching the campaign.
The target is to make the State completely waste-free by 30 March 2031, marked as Zero Waste Day.
In the short-term phase, from 2 October 2026 to 2 October 2027, bio-waste processing is to be set up in 30 per cent of households and institutions, 20 per cent of bulk waste generators are to segregate waste at source, 100 local bodies are to be raised to full bio-waste treatment capacity and 40 per cent of sanitary waste is to be processed scientifically with two new plants.
The medium-term phase, from 2 October 2027 to 5 June 2030, is to extend bio-waste processing to 70 per cent of households and institutions, upgrade 500 local bodies and put four sanitary waste plants into operation.
The long-term phase, from 5 June 2030 to 30 March 2031, is to achieve 100 per cent bio-waste processing, 100 per cent collection and scientific management of inorganic waste, and recycling plants for plastic, glass, e-waste, textile and paper.
The plan includes 12 RDF plants and a 500 TPD waste-to-energy plant in Kochi.
Local Self Government Minister K M Shaji announced the campaign at a press conference at the Secretariat.
Target date for a waste-free Kerala:
30 March 2031
Short-term household target:
30 per cent
RDF plants planned:
12
Kochi waste-to-energy plant:
500 TPD
Why it matters for exams: A newly launched flagship State campaign with a named scheme, a dated target and a clear implementing department is standard one-mark material for Kerala PSC.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
RDF Refuse Derived Fuel — Fuel made from the combustible part of non-recyclable waste, burnt in industrial kilns or power plants.
TPD Tonnes Per Day — The amount of waste a plant can handle in a day.
1 October 2026
The transfer of the Mangaluru railway area from the Palakkad division of Southern Railway to the Mysuru division of South Western Railway took effect on 1 October 2026.
The Railway Board issued the notification on 21 August 2026, and operational control shifted to Mysuru on 30 September.
The new zonal boundary is at km 872.900 on the Shoranur Junction-Mangaluru Central section, and the jurisdiction transferred extends up to and including Ullal in Dakshina Kannada district.
Mangaluru Central, Mangaluru Junction, the goods shed and the marshalling yard move to the Mysuru division.
The interchange between the two zones has been shifted from Padil to Ullal, and Thokur is now the interchange between the Konkan Railway and the Mysuru division.
After the change, Palakkad division's limit on that line is around Ullal, about 35 km from Kasaragod on the Kerala side of the Netravathi river; the division had earlier lost the Coimbatore section to the newly created Salem division in 2007.
Chief Minister V D Satheesan urged the Centre to reconsider the decision, saying the transferred area accounts for more than 90 per cent of the Palakkad division's freight revenue, estimated at around Rs 650 crore, and more than half of its total revenue of about Rs 1,650 crore.
Effective date:
1 October 2026
New zonal boundary:
km 872.900, Shoranur Junction-Mangaluru Central section
Palakkad division total revenue:
about Rs 1,650 crore
Why it matters for exams: Railway zones and divisions are repeat map-and-institution questions, and this change redraws a boundary that runs through Kerala.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Marshalling yard Marshalling yard — A railway yard where goods wagons are sorted and made up into trains.
1 October 2026
A Division Bench of Justice Sathish Ninan and Justice P Krishna Kumar declared a wife the exclusive owner of a residential property registered in the joint names of the spouses but paid for entirely with money given by her father.
The judgment was delivered in Raslin v. Kurudankandi Shameer and connected cases, Mat. Appeal 581/2022, reported as 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 540.
The Court held that Section 14 of the Family Courts Act, 1984 lets a family court receive evidence that would otherwise be barred by Section 92 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, so the actual consideration paid can be looked into beyond what the sale deed records.
Where a third party provides the funds for the benefit of one spouse, ownership follows the actual financial contribution and not the names in the deed.
The Court added that the discretion under Section 14 must be exercised with care, testing the reliability of such evidence against the facts and circumstances.
The husband was directed to vacate the property within three months, and the family court's monetary award of Rs 15,00,000 was modified.
Bench:
Justice Sathish Ninan and Justice P Krishna Kumar
Citation:
2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 540
Time given to vacate:
Three months
Why it matters for exams: The interplay of Section 14 of the Family Courts Act with Section 92 of the Evidence Act is a precise, quotable holding of the kind examiners like.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Sale deed Sale deed — The registered document that records a transfer of immovable property and the consideration paid.
1 October 2026
At the state-level observance of the International Day of Older Persons, Health Minister K Muraleedharan said 300 new 108 ambulances with ICU facilities will be put on the road within two weeks.
Special teams will visit the homes of bedridden patients for the detection of diseases, including cancer.
A comprehensive health care action plan for the elderly has been handed to Chief Minister V D Satheesan.
The Minister also spoke of steps to involve isolated older people in community development activities.
Transport Minister C P John said at the same function that the elderly are not a burden but a possibility within the silver economy, and that the government will implement plans for those whose income sources and physical capacity have reduced.
New 108 ambulances:
300, with ICU facilities
Timeline announced:
Within two weeks
Occasion:
International Day of Older Persons
Why it matters for exams: A dated, numbered commitment on emergency medical services, announced at a named international observance, is easy to frame as a one-mark question.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Silver economy Silver economy — The economic activity generated by the needs and spending of older people.
28 September 2026
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala inaugurated 'Toofan Thaddesham', the second phase of Kerala's anti-drug drive Operation Toofan, at Vengara in Malappuram district on 28 September 2026.
The phase is built on 1,034 Toofan Jagratha Samithis covering 941 grama panchayats, 87 municipalities and 6 corporations, with ward-level janasabhas in every ward.
The Home Minister described the drive as a people's movement run in association with the local self-government institutions.
Kerala Police, Kudumbashree members, ASHA workers, Haritha Karma Sena and local volunteers are to coordinate awareness and monitoring, and WhatsApp numbers have been provided for the public to report drug sales.
The first phase of Operation Toofan began on 2 June 2026; the Home Minister said 11,677 cases were registered and 12,584 arrests made in 117 days.
Local Self Government Minister K M Shaji and Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty took part, and Local Self Government Department Principal Director Divya S Iyer administered the pledge.
Toofan Jagratha Samithis:
1,034
Local bodies covered:
941 grama panchayats, 87 municipalities, 6 corporations
First phase start:
2 June 2026
Why it matters for exams: The numbers of grama panchayats, municipalities and corporations in Kerala, carried here as campaign coverage, are themselves a standing PSC fact.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Janasabha Janasabha — A ward-level assembly of residents convened by a local body.
Haritha Karma Sena Haritha Karma Sena — The women's enterprise groups that collect non-biodegradable waste door to door in Kerala.
26 September 2026
The Department of Cultural Affairs and Cinema announced new office-bearers for seven State cultural institutions.
Poet and writer Kalpetta Narayanan is the Chairman of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi, with writer and journalist M P Surendran as Secretary.
Singer and composer G Venugopal is the Chairman of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, with Hemanthkumar as Vice-Chairman and N V Pradeepkumar as Secretary.
Actor and film festival curator Ravindran heads the Kerala State Chalachitra Akademi, with actor Priyanka Nair as Vice-Chairperson.
Premkumar is the Chairman of the Kerala State Film Development Corporation, with Alleppey Ashraf as Vice-Chairman, and film producer M Ranjith chairs the Kerala Cultural Workers Welfare Fund Board.
Prakash Moorthy is the Chairman of the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi, with T R Udaya Kumar as Vice-Chairman, and Suresh Babu Elayavoor chairs the Kerala Folklore Akademi with Sreeraman Koyyon as Vice-Chairman.
Kerala Sahitya Akademi Chairman:
Kalpetta Narayanan
Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Chairman:
G Venugopal
Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Chairman:
Prakash Moorthy
Why it matters for exams: Heads of the State akademis are a recurring who-holds-what question in Kerala PSC general knowledge papers.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
KSFDC Kerala State Film Development Corporation — The State body that runs theatres and studios and supports film production in Kerala.
1 October 2026
Health Minister K Muraleedharan said the Trop T test, which identifies a heart attack early, will be made free for the Below Poverty Line category.
He was inaugurating the World Heart Day celebration held at the AMCHSS auditorium of the Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute for Medical Science and Technology on 29 September 2026.
The aim is to ensure effective heart testing for ordinary people as well, and accurate results may be hard to obtain from an ECG and similar tests, the Minister said.
Medical camps organised by private hospitals are often beyond the reach of ordinary people, and the government will encourage medical camps for those at the lowest strata of society, he said.
The government will ensure the availability of medicines and will not allow anyone to take a commission in the name of medicine, the Minister said.
He added that the people had taken up Operation Thoofan, launched against drugs.
Institute Director Dr Sanjay Behari presided over the function.
Test to be made free:
Trop T test
Beneficiary group:
BPL category
Occasion:
World Heart Day celebration, AMCHSS auditorium, Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute for Medical Science and Technology
Announced by:
Health Minister K Muraleedharan
Date:
29 September 2026
Why it matters for exams: Which test a State makes free, for which group and on which occasion is standard Kerala PSC health-scheme material, and Operation Thoofan is a current State campaign name.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
BPL Below Poverty Line — The category for which the Trop T test is to be made free under this announcement.
ECG Electrocardiogram — The common heart test the Minister said may not always give an accurate result.
1 October 2026
Transport Minister C P John inaugurated the Veli-Kadinamkulam solar boat service on 30 September 2026.
The four-hour tourist trip starts at the Veli Tourism Village boat jetty, circles the Kadinamkulam backwater and returns to Veli.
Each boat carries 24 passengers.
The tourist package is priced at ₹400 for ages 11 and above, with half fare for ages 5 to 11 and free travel for children under 5.
Passengers per boat:
24
Tourist package fare (age 11+):
₹400
Trip duration:
4 hours
Why it matters for exams: Backwater tourism and clean-energy transport projects in Thiruvananthapuram district are recurring Kerala PSC topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
The Nirmalam campaign now being rolled out across Kerala is run by the Local Self Government Department with the Suchitwa Mission, so the standing sanitation machinery is worth knowing.
Suchitwa Keralam is a State-sponsored scheme under the Local Self Government Department that partly funds waste management projects implemented by grama panchayats and urban local bodies.
It covers solid waste processing plants and their modification, collection and transportation equipment, source-level treatment of biodegradable waste, septage treatment plants and institutional sewage treatment.
It also funds IEC activities including workshops, research and development and capacity building, and assistance to self-help groups and entrepreneurs working in waste management.
The Suchitwa Mission is the supporting institution and has empanelled service providers to help local governments set up source-level treatment.
The Haritha Karma Sena collects non-biodegradable waste door to door and, in urban areas, uses motorised and battery-operated vehicles.
Rural work under the scheme includes sanitary complexes and toilet reconstruction, while urban work includes construction and demolition waste plants and mechanised septage management.
Department:
Local Self Government Department
Supporting institution:
Suchitwa Mission
Why it matters for exams: Kerala PSC asks which department a sanitation scheme sits under and what the Haritha Karma Sena actually does.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
IEC Information, Education and Communication — Awareness work such as workshops and campaigns that goes with a government programme.
Septage Septage — The sludge and liquid pumped out of septic tanks, which needs separate treatment.
Background
The Managing Director of the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited is one of the four members of the panel the State has set up to draft a law on private hospital treatment costs, which makes the corporation itself worth knowing.
KMSCL was incorporated on 28 December 2007 and works under the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Kerala.
It is the central procurement agency for essential drugs and medical equipment for the State's public health institutions.
It procures drugs worth more than Rs 600 crores and supplies above 400 different types of medical equipment.
It serves over 1,300 public healthcare institutions in the State.
It runs the Karunya Community Pharmacies, which sell medicines at subsidised rates, and the KANIV 108 Ambulance Project for emergency medical and trauma care.
It is a fully government-owned company under the Companies Act, with divisions for essential drugs, equipment services, quality control and supply chain management.
Incorporated:
28 December 2007
Drug procurement:
more than Rs 600 crores
Institutions served:
over 1,300
Why it matters for exams: The year a State corporation was incorporated, its parent department and the schemes it runs are standard Kerala PSC institution questions.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
KMSCL Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited — Kerala's central agency for buying drugs and medical equipment for public health institutions.