3 October 2026
The second phase of the 'Samagra 2026' programme of the State Backward Classes Development Corporation was inaugurated at the Parali convention centre, Palakkad.
Loans of various kinds worth Rs 100 crore were handed over to beneficiaries at the launch.
Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes Welfare Minister K. A. Tulasi inaugurated the programme.
The Minister said steps are moving ahead to arrange special post-matric hostel facilities for students of backward communities.
The hostels are proposed at district headquarters and in the State capital.
The Minister said the matter had been discussed with the Union Minister and with officials of the national corporation.
Loans distributed:
Rs 100 crore
Programme:
Samagra 2026, second phase
Why it matters for exams: The State Backward Classes Development Corporation and its loan programmes are standard Kerala PSC welfare-administration topics.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Post-matric hostel Post-matriculation hostel — A hostel for students continuing study after Class 10, run for students of notified communities.
3 October 2026
Wildlife Week is observed from October 2 to October 8 each year.
The district-level closing ceremony and prize distribution for Malappuram were held at the Government College, Malappuram.
The Social Forestry wing of the Kerala Forest Department organised the district programmes.
Divisional Forest Officer G. Dhanik Lal and Range Forest Officer P. K. Mujib Rahman addressed the gathering.
The stated aim of the week is to carry conservation messages to the general public.
Competitions for students were held across the district as part of the week.
Wildlife Week:
October 2 to October 8
Organising wing:
Social Forestry, Kerala Forest Department
Why it matters for exams: The dates of Wildlife Week and the wings of the Kerala Forest Department are repeatedly asked in environment sections.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Social Forestry Social Forestry wing — The wing of the Forest Department that works on tree planting and awareness outside reserved forests.
DFO Divisional Forest Officer — The officer in charge of a forest division.
4 October 2026
The Central University of Kerala at Kasaragod is holding a two-day seminar marking 150 years of Vande Mataram on October 6 and 7.
The seminar is organised with the Sahitya Akademi and the Akhil Bharatiya Sahitya Parishad, in the university library hall.
The keynote address is listed for Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh pracharak J. Nandakumar.
The student organisations SFI, NSUI and MSF submitted written objections to Vice-Chancellor Siddhi P. Alagoor.
The student leaders said they had no objection to marking the anniversary itself.
Governor Rajendra Arlekar is listed to visit the campus on October 7.
Seminar dates:
October 6 and 7, 2026
Anniversary:
150 years of Vande Mataram
Why it matters for exams: The 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram and the identity of the Central University of Kerala are both likely one-mark questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Sahitya Akademi Sahitya Akademi — India's national academy of letters, which promotes writing in the recognised Indian languages.
3 October 2026
Kerala BJP State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar handed a proposal to Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu seeking a feasibility study for a Sabarimala airport.
The site proposed is the Kodumon Estate in Pathanamthitta district, of about 3,000 acres.
The Kodumon land is government-assigned land leased to the Plantation Corporation for rubber.
The proposal asks for a detailed examination in consultation with the State government under the Centre's greenfield airports policy.
Pilgrims now land at Kochi or Thiruvananthapuram and travel by road to Sabarimala.
Kodumon came back into discussion after the High Court quashed the land acquisition notification for the Cheruvally site.
Proposed site:
Kodumon Estate, Pathanamthitta district
Area:
about 3,000 acres
Why it matters for exams: Greenfield airport proposals, the districts they fall in and the policy route they take are standard geography and economy questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Greenfield airport Greenfield airport — An airport built on a fresh site rather than by expanding an existing one.
4 October 2026
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) replaced E. N. Suresh Babu as its Palakkad district secretary.
V. Chenthamarakshan was named the new district secretary.
The change was made at an extended meeting of the party's Palakkad district committee.
The decision was taken on Sunday, October 4.
Suresh Babu said he had stepped down citing personal reasons.
The district secretary is the senior-most office bearer of the party in a district.
Outgoing secretary:
E. N. Suresh Babu
New secretary:
V. Chenthamarakshan
Why it matters for exams: Changes in the district leadership of major Kerala parties are routinely asked in State-level general awareness papers.
Kerala PSC
Background
The department that developed these parks has been renamed: the Kerala Government has renamed the Electronics and Information Technology Department as the Department of Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence and Future Technologies, through a Government Order issued on October 3, following the decision of the Council of Ministers on September 30. The department has over the years played a key role in developing Kerala's IT ecosystem, including Technopark, Infopark and Cyberpark. The renaming expands its mandate to cover emerging technology sectors and next-generation digital capabilities. The three parks themselves are the permanent fact an aspirant is asked about: Technopark, Infopark and Cyberpark remain the State's government-promoted technology parks whatever the department is called.
New name of the department:
Department of Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence and Future Technologies
Former name:
Electronics and Information Technology Department
Technology parks developed:
Technopark, Infopark and Cyberpark
Government Order issued on:
October 3
Why it matters for exams: The names of Kerala's government technology parks are a standing question, and the department's new name is the kind of renaming a paper asks about the following year.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Government Order GO — A written order of a State government that puts a decision into effect.
Council of Ministers — The body of ministers that takes collective decisions for a government.
Background
The district is in the news because the Kerala High Court has appointed a retired judge of the High Court as Observer to oversee the selection of Melsanthis at the Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha temple and the Malikappuram temple, which the Pathanamthitta district administration serves through its own Sabarimala orders and notifications. Pathanamthitta is the thirteenth revenue district of the State of Kerala. It was formed with effect from the 1st November, 1982, with headquarters at Pathanamthitta. It is bounded on the East by the State of Tamil Nadu, on the North by Changanassery and Kanjirappally Taluks of Kottayam District and Peerumade Taluk of Idukki District, on the South by Kunnathur, Pathanapuram and Kottarakkara Taluks of Kollam District and on the West by Chengannur, Mavelikkara and Kuttanad Taluks of Alappuzha District. The district nestles its head on the slopes of the Western Ghats and stretches to the low-lying rice fields bordering Alappuzha District.
Rank among revenue districts:
Thirteenth
Formed with effect from:
1st November, 1982
Headquarters:
Pathanamthitta
Eastern boundary:
the State of Tamil Nadu
Why it matters for exams: District formation dates and boundaries are asked directly in Kerala PSC papers, and Sabarimala's district is the commonest place question about Pathanamthitta.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Revenue district — The unit of State revenue administration headed by a District Collector.
Melsanthi — The chief priest of a temple under the Devaswom administration.
Background
The district is in the news as the Kerala government has invited tenders for infrastructure development at the Palakkad Smart City, the Integrated Manufacturing Cluster being developed in the Puthussery Central and Kannambra areas as part of the Kochi-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor; the first-phase package is estimated at Rs. 1,100 crore and is targeted for completion within four years, and implementation is coordinated by the Kerala Industrial Corridor Development Corporation Ltd (KICDC), a special purpose vehicle formed jointly by the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust and the Government of Kerala with equal equity participation. Palakkad is one of the fourteen districts of Kerala and has no coastal line. The district opens the state to the rest of the country through the Palakkad Gap with a width of 32 to 40 Kms. The present Palakkad district, as an administrative unit, was formed on the first of January 1957. The district is one of the main granaries of Kerala and its economy is primarily agricultural, and it is also the land of Palmyrahs. It consists of 2 revenue divisions, 6 taluks and 157 revenue Villages, with 13 block panchayats and 88 village panchayats, and the District headquarters is at Palakkad Town.
Formed as an administrative unit on:
the first of January 1957
Width of the Palakkad Gap:
32 to 40 Kms
Local bodies:
13 block panchayats and 88 village panchayats
Revenue divisions, taluks and villages:
2 revenue divisions, 6 taluks and 157 revenue Villages
District headquarters:
Palakkad Town
Why it matters for exams: The Palakkad Gap, the district's formation date and its 'granary of Kerala' tag are recurring one-mark questions, and the industrial corridor project makes the district current.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Integrated Manufacturing Cluster IMC — A planned industrial area with its own roads, power, water and effluent systems built before factories arrive.
Special purpose vehicle SPV — A company formed only to carry out one project.
Background
The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority is the body that carries India Meteorological Department weather warnings to the districts of Kerala and coordinates the State's response. State Disaster Management Authorities are statutory bodies constituted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 (Central Act 53 of 2005). Kerala State Disaster Management Authority is a statutory non-autonomous body under the Chairmanship of the Chief Minister of Kerala. The first KSDMA was constituted vide S.R.O No. 395/2007 dated 4th May 2007, and the present composition of KSDMA is notified vide S.R.O No. 583/2013 dated 17th July 2013. Vide Section 3 of the Kerala State Disaster Management Rules (KSDMR), 2007 the authority is composed of ten (10) members, chaired by Chief Minister and convened by Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management. The Chief Secretary is the Chief Executive Officer of KSDMA vide Section 14 (4) of the DM Act, 2005. Its office is at Observatory Hills, Vikas Bhavan P.O, Thiruvananthapuram.
Constituting law:
Disaster Management Act, 2005 (Central Act 53 of 2005)
First constituted:
S.R.O No. 395/2007 dated 4th May 2007
Present composition notified by:
S.R.O No. 583/2013 dated 17th July 2013
Number of members:
ten (10)
Office:
Observatory Hills, Vikas Bhavan P.O, Thiruvananthapuram
Why it matters for exams: Every alert season raises the same examinable question: which law creates the State authority, who chairs it and who is its chief executive.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
S.R.O Statutory Rules and Orders — The numbering used for rules and notifications issued under a law.
Non-autonomous body — A body created by law but functioning within the government rather than independently of it.
Background
The Kerala High Court is hearing petitions on the constitution of the Kerala State Waqf Board. In an interim order it has held that the constitution of the Board prima facie appears to be not in conformity with Section 14 of the governing Act, has directed the Board not to exercise any major functions, incur capital expenditure or take policy decisions without the court's express permission, and has said that until further orders the Board is to function under the supervision of the Joint Secretary of the state government department dealing with Waqf matters. The permanent fact behind that case is the statute. The Kerala State Waqf Board is a statutory body established by the Government of Kerala under the Wakf Act, 1995. Its primary purpose is to manage, supervise, and ensure the proper administration of all registered Islamic religious and charitable endowments in the state, including mosques, madrassas, orphanages, and graveyards. The amending Bill of 2025 provided for the renaming of Waqf Act, 1995 as the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995 (UMEED), and for a broad-based composition of the Central Waqf Council and the State Waqf Boards, ensuring the representation of Muslim women and non-Muslims. The UMEED Act mandates that every State Waqf Board include two non-Muslim members and one Shia member.
Governing Act:
Wakf Act, 1995
Renamed by the 2025 amendment as:
Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995 (UMEED)
Provision on the Board's composition:
Section 14
Members the Act mandates:
two non-Muslim members and one Shia member
Why it matters for exams: The Act, its new name and the section that fixes a State Waqf Board's composition are the examinable core of the matter now before the High Court.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Waqf — Property permanently dedicated by a Muslim for a religious or charitable purpose.
UMEED Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995 — The name given to the Waqf Act, 1995 by the amending Bill of 2025.
Prima facie — On a first look at the material, before the issue is finally decided.
Background
Kerala has been through a deficient southwest monsoon: India Meteorological Department data for the period from 1st June to 17th September showed the State with a 28 per cent rainfall deficit, Wayanad with the highest shortfall at 54 per cent and Idukki at 47 per cent. The season whose shortfall is counted that way has a precisely defined beginning. The India Meteorological Department's guidelines for the onset of monsoon over Kerala say that if after 10th May, 60% of the available 14 stations enlisted report rainfall of 2.5 mm or more for two consecutive days, the onset over Kerala is declared on the 2nd day, provided two further criteria are in concurrence. The enlisted stations are Minicoy, Amini, Thiruvananthapuram, Punalur, Kollam, Allapuzha, Kottayam, Kochi, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Thalassery, Kannur, Kudulu and Mangalore. The second criterion is the wind field: over defined boxes north of the equator, the depth of westerlies should be maintained upto 600 hPa and the zonal wind speed should be of the order of 15 to 20 knots at 925 hPa. The third is Outgoing Longwave Radiation: the INSAT derived OLR value should be below 200 wm-2 over a defined box in the ocean west of Kerala. Southwest monsoon normally sets in over Kerala around 1st June, advances northwards usually in surges, and covers the entire country around 15th July.
Enlisted stations:
14
Share of stations required:
60%
Rainfall threshold:
2.5 mm or more for two consecutive days
OLR threshold:
below 200 wm-2
Normal onset over Kerala:
around 1st June
Why it matters for exams: Kerala is the one State whose name is written into a national weather declaration, and the station list and thresholds are asked as straight recall.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
OLR Outgoing Longwave Radiation — The heat radiation leaving the top of the atmosphere; a low value means thick cloud.
hPa hectopascal — The unit of air pressure used to name a height level in the atmosphere.
Westerlies — Winds blowing from the west, whose depth is one of the onset conditions.
Background
This standing fact is in the news because the 50th Vayalar Award was announced on 4 October 2026 for the novel 'Athreyakam' by the writer R Rajasree. The prize's full name is the Vayalar Ramavarma Memorial Literary Award, and it is instituted by the Vayalar Ramavarma Memorial Trust. The highest-scoring works are referred to a judging committee for the final selection, and the Trust accepted that committee's recommendation for the 50th award. It carries a cash prize of ₹1 lakh, a bronze sculpture by the sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman, and a citation. The winning work is chosen from original Malayalam literary works first published during the five years preceding the award year. The award is presented annually on October 27, the death anniversary of Vayalar Ramavarma. The 50th award is to be handed over at the Nishagandhi Auditorium in Thiruvananthapuram as the concluding event of the year-long 'Vayalar Year 2025-26' celebrations.
Full name of the award:
Vayalar Ramavarma Memorial Literary Award
Instituted by:
Vayalar Ramavarma Memorial Trust
Cash prize:
₹1 lakh
Sculptor of the bronze sculpture:
Kanayi Kunhiraman
Presented on:
October 27
Works considered:
original Malayalam literary works first published during the five years preceding the award year
Winner of the 50th award:
R Rajasree
Work awarded the 50th prize:
Athreyakam
Why it matters for exams: Malayalam literary awards are a standing Kerala PSC topic, and the body that gives the Vayalar Award, what the prize carries and the day it is presented are all asked.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Vayalar Ramavarma Memorial Trust — The trust that instituted the Vayalar Award; a judging committee makes the final selection and the Trust accepted its recommendation on the winner.
Vayalar Ramavarma — The writer the award is named after; it is presented on his death anniversary, October 27.
Nishagandhi Auditorium — The auditorium in Thiruvananthapuram where the 50th award is to be presented.