3 October 2026
The State has decided in principle to set up 'Kerala Desks' in Dubai, London, New York, Singapore and Tokyo.
The desks will run on a 'cooperative, no-cost model' with recognised organisations of non-resident Keralites, with no extra burden on the State exchequer.
A State Industries department order of September 30 sanctions them under the 100-day action plan of the new government.
The desks will build ties with Keralite business persons and investors abroad and pass pre-qualified investment leads to the Invest Keralam Cell in KSIDC.
The order says the aim is to shift diaspora engagement from remittances to investment.
Cities:
Dubai, London, New York, Singapore, Tokyo
Model:
Cooperative, no-cost
Order date:
September 30, 2026
Why it matters for exams: A fresh State order on diaspora-led investment, linked to the KSIDC single-window system, is a likely Kerala PSC and governance question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
KSIDC Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation — The State's industrial promotion agency whose Invest Keralam Cell runs the single-window mechanism.
NoRK Non-Resident Keralite — A Keralite living and working outside the State or country.
3 October 2026
The State government has renamed the Electronics and Information Technology department as the Department of Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence and Future Technologies.
The Cabinet took the decision at its meeting on September 30, and the order was issued on Saturday, October 3.
The change follows the Governor's policy address for 2026, which announced a repositioning of the department.
The new name widens the mandate beyond IT and electronics to AI, deep-tech and start-ups.
Reforms under way include the Kerala State Digital Technology Mission, The Future Corporation and Semicon Keralam.
Old name:
Electronics and Information Technology department
Cabinet meeting:
September 30, 2026
Order issued:
October 3, 2026
Why it matters for exams: Renaming of a State department after a Cabinet decision and a Governor's address is a clean governance fact for Kerala PSC.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Policy address Governor's policy address — The Governor's speech to the Assembly that sets out the government's policies for the year.
3 October 2026
On October 3 the Health Minister said there is no general medicine crisis and that government hospitals have sufficient stock.
The Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited (KMSCL) buys medicines from manufacturers through tenders and distributes them from its warehouses to government hospitals.
An October 3 analysis in The New Indian Express says the problem is better seen as a disruption in procurement, re-tendering and distribution than as a total shortage.
It notes that shortages are being reported particularly at certain stages of the distribution system, and that district-level health officials have said the more significant shortages are at KMSCL warehouses.
Medicines named as affected include paracetamol, aspirin and certain antibiotics.
The analysis also notes that the Minister had earlier said a number of medicines were in short supply, before later saying there is no general crisis.
Procurement agency:
KMSCL
Date of Minister's statement:
October 3, 2026
Why it matters for exams: KMSCL's role in public-sector drug procurement and the tender-to-warehouse supply chain is a standard health-administration topic.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
KMSCL Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited — The State agency that procures and distributes medicines and supplies to government hospitals.
3 October 2026
Thiruvananthapuram International Airport will get direct Air India Express services to Riyadh and Bahrain from October 27, 2026, and bookings are open.
The Riyadh flight will operate three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
The Bahrain flight will operate twice a week, on Thursdays and Saturdays.
Air India Express already flies daily to Dammam, and Gulf Air flies daily to Bahrain from the airport.
The airport has more than 250 weekly air traffic movements to the Gulf, the airport said in a statement on Saturday.
Start date:
October 27, 2026
Riyadh flights:
3 a week (Tue, Thu, Sat)
Bahrain flights:
2 a week (Thu, Sat)
Why it matters for exams: New air links from the State capital are a recurring Kerala PSC theme on transport and the Gulf diaspora.
Kerala PSCUPSC
2 October 2026
The State will launch an IT Parks Affiliation Scheme on October 6 to link IT companies working outside the major IT parks to a State-level technology ecosystem.
Firms outside the government-owned IT parks can also use the benefits offered by the parks, and an affiliation portal is already open for registration.
The Kerala Tech Brand will be unveiled at Technopark Phase-I, Thiruvananthapuram, by Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty.
The brand aims to bring companies, co-working spaces and private technology infrastructure into one connected ecosystem.
A project to set up a prefabricated IT building of 2 lakh square feet at Technopark Phase-III will also be launched.
Launch:
October 6, 2026
Venue:
Technopark Phase-I
Prefab IT building:
2 lakh square feet
Why it matters for exams: A new scheme with a launch date, venue and named minister is a typical Kerala PSC current-affairs question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
3 October 2026
The Chief Minister performed the groundbreaking of HiLITE Cyber Tower, a Rs 600-crore Grade A IT hub at Cyberpark in Kozhikode.
The tower, built by the HiLITE Group, covers 2.5 acres with a built-up area of nine lakh square feet.
It is expected to create more than 10,000 direct IT jobs and strengthen Kozhikode as an IT destination.
It is meant for multinational corporations, high-growth start-ups and research and development centres.
The project is scheduled for completion within two years.
Investment:
Rs 600-crore
Built-up area:
Nine lakh square feet
Direct IT jobs:
More than 10,000
Why it matters for exams: Large IT projects at Cyberpark Kozhikode and their job targets are common Kerala PSC economy and geography questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
1 October 2026
The State government is preparing a Bill to regulate treatment costs in private hospitals, Health Minister K. Muraleedharan said.
A four-member committee headed by the Principal Secretary (Health) will draft the recommendations.
The other members are the Director of Medical Education, the Director of Health Services and the Managing Director of the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd (KMSCL).
It will examine charges for medicines, diagnostic tests, room rent and procedures, and whether private hospitals can buy medicines through KMSCL.
Proposed measures include telling patients the expected cost before treatment and showing every item and its charge in the bill.
Extending government-sponsored health insurance to more private hospitals will also be examined.
Committee size:
Four
Committee chair:
Principal Secretary (Health)
Health Minister:
K. Muraleedharan
Why it matters for exams: Health governance and State legislation on private-sector charges are standard Kerala PSC polity and health current-affairs topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
KMSCL Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd — The State agency that procures medicines and equipment for government health facilities.
1 October 2026
Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan said a comprehensive law giving legal guarantees to senior citizens will soon be brought before the State Assembly.
He was inaugurating the State-level International Day of Older Persons celebrations in Thiruvananthapuram on October 1.
The draft Bill is being prepared by the new Department for Senior Citizens and will soon be published.
There will be a register of senior citizens and a caregivers' course to build a workforce for elderly care.
The Chief Minister said older people are projected to make up nearly 38 per cent of Kerala's population by 2036, against a projected national average of 19 per cent.
Projected elderly share by 2036, Kerala:
Nearly 38 per cent
Projected national average:
19 per cent
Occasion:
International Day of Older Persons
Why it matters for exams: New welfare legislation and the Department for Senior Citizens are likely Kerala PSC polity and social-justice questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
The Kerala High Court has held that Section 100 of the Patents Act, 1970 takes in the Government's entitlement to use a patented invention to manufacture a medicine and sell it on a non-commercial basis to a needy patient; this is the provision that ruling rests on.
Section 100 is headed 'Power of Central Government to use inventions for purposes of Government'.
It allows the Central Government, and any person authorised in writing by it, to use the invention for the purposes of Government at any time after an application for a patent has been filed or a patent has been granted.
Where the invention had already been recorded, tested or tried by or for the Government before the priority date, that use may be made free of any royalty or other remuneration to the patentee.
Otherwise the terms are agreed with the patentee, or in default of agreement are determined by the High Court on a reference under section 103, and the patentee is paid not more than adequate remuneration in the circumstances of each case.
The Government must notify the patentee as soon as practicable, except in case of national emergency or other circumstances of extreme urgency or for noncommercial use.
The same section, in subsection (6), adds the right to sell, on a non-commercial basis, the goods made in exercise of that right.
The Kerala High Court read 'purposes of Government' as taking in the State's duty to improve public health under Article 47 of the Constitution of India.
Provision:
Section 100
Heading of the section:
Power of Central Government to use inventions for purposes of Government
Payment standard:
not more than adequate remuneration
Forum in default of agreement:
High Court
Constitutional provision read in:
Article 47
Why it matters for exams: Government use of a patent under Section 100 is the provision behind a live Kerala High Court ruling on drug prices, and it is regularly set against compulsory licensing in prelims and mains.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
patentee holder of a patent — The person or company in whose name a patent stands on the register.
priority date priority date of a claim — The date from which a claim in a patent application counts, normally the date the first application was filed.
Article 47 Article 47 of the Constitution of India — A Directive Principle under which the State is to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living and improve public health.
Background
Velloor in Kottayam has been put forward as the site for Kerala's proposed All India Institute of Medical Sciences, on land held by Kerala Paper Products Limited, which is why the company is in the news.
The plant began as a newsprint factory of the Hindustan Paper Corporation and ran as Hindustan Newsprint Limited, a central public sector undertaking, until it stopped functioning in 2019.
It was started in 1982 on 700 acres leased by the State government, and it used to produce 300 tonnes of pulp daily from bamboo reed and eucalyptus.
The Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation, KINFRA, quoted Rs 146 crore for the company in the sale that followed proceedings before the National Company Law Tribunal, and acquired it on behalf of the State government.
The mill reopened as Kerala Paper Products Limited and can turn out 42 GSM and 45 GSM newsprints, notebooks and writing and printing paper.
Of the 692 acres the company holds at Velloor, 164.82 acres have been handed over to Kerala Rubber Limited and 227.18 acres are the land being considered for the AIIMS.
The township stands on the bank of the Muvattupuzha river, 56 km from Cochin airport and close to Piravom Road railway station.
Location:
Velloor
Land held at Velloor:
692 acres
Land handed to Kerala Rubber Limited:
164.82 acres
Earlier name:
Hindustan Newsprint Limited
Land leased for the mill:
700 acres
Newsprint grades:
42 GSM and 45 GSM
KINFRA's bid for the company:
Rs 146 crore
Area considered for the AIIMS:
227.18 acres
Why it matters for exams: A central public sector undertaking that became a State company, and whose land is now offered for an AIIMS, is standard Kerala PSC ground on industry and public undertakings.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
KINFRA Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation — The State agency that builds and runs industrial parks and estates in Kerala.
NCLT National Company Law Tribunal — The tribunal that decides company law matters, including the insolvency proceedings in which a company can be put up for sale.
GSM grams per square metre — The measure of a paper's weight, by which newsprint and writing paper grades are named.
AIIMS All India Institute of Medical Sciences — A central medical institute set up by the Union government, of which Kerala has none yet.
Background
Hook: KSEB's peak-hour power purchase and the talk of power cuts keep Idukki's hydro projects in focus.
Idukki was created on 26 January 1972 and lies in the Western Ghats.
The district administration says it is geographically known for mountainous hills and dense forests.
More than half of the district is covered by forests, and it has the lowest population density in Kerala.
It is the second largest district in area and is known as the spice garden of Kerala.
About 66% of the State's power needs come from the hydroelectric projects in Idukki.
Rank by area:
Second largest district
Hydro share of State power:
About 66%
Nickname:
Spice garden of Kerala
Why it matters for exams: District profile facts such as nicknames, rank by area and power share are staple Kerala PSC questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Western Ghats Mountain range along India's west coast — The mountain chain that runs along Kerala's eastern edge.
Background
Hook: KSEB is drawing peak-hour power from outside the State, which puts its own Idukki dam in focus.
The Idukki arch dam is built on the Periyar River.
It stands between two mountains, Kuravanmala (839 m) and Kurathimala (925 m).
It is described as 168.91 m (554 ft) tall and as one of the highest arch dams in Asia.
Technically it is a concrete double curvature parabolic thin arch dam.
The dam was constructed by and is owned by the Kerala State Electricity Board and supports a 780 MW hydroelectric power station.
River:
Periyar
Height:
168.91 m (554 ft)
Hills either side:
Kuravanmala (839 m) and Kurathimala (925 m)
Power station:
780 MW
Why it matters for exams: Dam height, river and ownership are common Kerala PSC and UPSC geography facts.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Arch dam — A curved dam that carries water pressure into the valley walls.