5 October 2026
The Kerala Legislature's own session page carries the notification summoning the Sixteenth Keralam Legislative Assembly to meet for its Second Session at 09.00 a.m. on Monday, 12th October, 2026.
The same page lists the calendar of the Second Session, the list of business, the questions and answers schedule, the papers laid on the table and the allotment of days for ministers to answer questions.
The First Session of the Sixteenth Assembly ran from 21-05-2026 to 01-07-2026 and had 12 sittings.
That First Session was prorogued on 01-07-2026, which is why a fresh summons is needed for the House to meet again.
Assembly:
Sixteenth Keralam Legislative Assembly
Session:
Second Session
Meets:
09.00 a.m., Monday, 12th October, 2026
First Session:
21-05-2026 to 01-07-2026, 12 sittings
Why it matters for exams: Session dates, the number of sittings and the terms summons and prorogation are standard Kerala PSC polity questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Prorogation Prorogation of a session — The formal ending of a session of the House, which does not dissolve the House itself.
List of Business List of Business of the House — The day's agenda of the Assembly, showing the items to be taken up in order.
5 October 2026
The Kerala Public Service Commission's extraordinary gazette dated 30/09/2026 carries Cat.No.151/2026 to Cat.No.161/2026, with 04-11-2026 as the last date to apply.
Cat.No.151/2026 is Draftsman Grade-II in the Kerala Ports service (Hydrographic Survey Wing).
Cat.No.153/2026 and Cat.No.154/2026 are Forest Boat Driver posts in the Forest and Wildlife Department, Part-I by direct recruitment and Part-II by transfer.
Cat.No.155/2026 is Higher Secondary School Teacher - Statistics, a Special Recruitment for Scheduled Tribes only.
Cat.No.156/2026 is Draftsman Grade-II / Town Planning Surveyor Grade-II, a Special Recruitment for SC/ST.
Cat.No.157/2026 and Cat.No.158/2026 are Higher Secondary School Teacher (Jr.) Arabic, NCA vacancies for SC and ST.
Cat.No.159/2026 is Police Constable Driver / Woman Police Constable Driver, an NCA vacancy.
Cat.No.152/2026, Cat.No.160/2026 and Cat.No.161/2026 are Peon/Watchman posts filled from among the part-time employees of KSFE Ltd.
Gazette date:
30/09/2026
Categories:
Cat.No.151/2026 to Cat.No.161/2026
Last date to apply:
04-11-2026
Why it matters for exams: Category numbers, departments and closing dates of live Kerala PSC notifications are directly useful to every Kerala PSC aspirant.
Kerala PSCSSC
In plain words
NCA Noting of Compensatory Appointment vacancy — A vacancy left unfilled from an earlier reserved turn and notified again for that community alone.
KSFE Kerala State Financial Enterprises Limited — A Kerala government company best known for running chitties across the State.
SR Special Recruitment — A recruitment reserved for a particular community to clear a backlog of unfilled reserved posts.
5 October 2026
Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas has directed the Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly to take appropriate steps in accordance with law, at the earliest and without undue delay, on the question of the disqualification of Pala MLA Mani C. Kappan.
The petition was filed by Dinesh Menon.
Kappan was convicted on 1 September by the Additional Metropolitan Magistrate, Borivali, in four cheque dishonour cases under the Negotiable Instruments Act.
The sentences were one year in three of the cases and six months in the fourth, adding up to three and a half years, with compensation of Rs 1.2 crore, Rs 1.70 crore, Rs 1.70 crore and Rs 70 lakh.
The Court referred to Article 192 of the Constitution as the mechanism for a question of the disqualification of a sitting member, and to Section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act.
The order was passed on 1 October 2026.
Judge:
Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas
Constituency:
Pala
Total sentence:
Three and a half years
Date of order:
1 October 2026
Why it matters for exams: Disqualification of a legislator under Article 192 and Section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act is a recurring polity question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Article 192 Article 192 of the Constitution of India — It lays down how a question about the disqualification of a sitting member of a State legislature is decided.
Section 8(3), RP Act Section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 — It disqualifies a person convicted and sentenced to imprisonment of not less than two years.
Negotiable Instruments Act Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 — The law that governs cheques and bills of exchange, including the offence of dishonour of a cheque.
5 October 2026
Environment Minister Sunny Joseph has said Kerala wants the final Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area notification confined to forest land, with inhabited areas, farmland and plantations completely excluded.
The current draft notification puts Kerala's ESA at 9,993.7 sq km, made up of 9,107 sq km of forest area and 886.7 sq km of non-forest area, already down from the 13,108 sq km of the Kasturirangan report.
Kerala has now asked that the 886.7 sq km of non-forest area be excluded as well, has proposed an extent of 8,590.69 sq km, and has asked that the villages covered be reduced from 131 to 98.
A cadastral map showing ESA boundaries at village level has now been prepared and awaits government approval before publication; it can be searched by place name but does not carry survey numbers.
The revised proposal leaves out the Cardamom Hill Reserve, inhabited areas and plantation regions.
Kasturirangan ESA for Kerala:
13,108 sq km
Current draft ESA:
9,993.7 sq km
Forest / non-forest split:
9,107 sq km and 886.7 sq km
Extent Kerala proposes:
8,590.69 sq km
Villages:
131 to be reduced to 98
Why it matters for exams: The Western Ghats ESA figures, the Kasturirangan report and the village count are asked in both Kerala PSC and UPSC environment papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ESA Ecologically Sensitive Area — An area notified by the Union environment ministry where certain activities are restricted to protect its ecology.
Cadastral map Cadastral map — A survey map that shows land parcels and boundaries village by village.
Kasturirangan report High Level Working Group on the Western Ghats — The 2013 report that recommended marking part of the Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive.
Cardamom Hill Reserve Cardamom Hill Reserve — A large tract of cardamom-growing hill land in Idukki district held under a special land tenure.
5 October 2026
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has ordered a vigilance enquiry into the Kerala State Transport Project contract for the development of the MC Road, saying he found substance in the complaint after examining it.
The contract was worth Rs 215 crore for 127 kilometres of road and went to the PATI-BEL Consortium.
The complaint was given by KPCC member Malayinkeezhu Venugopal.
A special team led by the Vigilance Director will carry out the enquiry.
Four vigilance enquiries were ordered in 2006 into the project, covering consultancy awarded to foreign firms, construction lapses, pricing for demolished property and payments for maintenance work.
A Comptroller and Auditor General report put wasteful expenditure and fraud connected with the project at Rs 92.7 crores.
Gyanesh Kumar, now the Chief Election Commissioner, was Kerala's Public Works Secretary in the period of the contract and was moved out of that post in November 2006.
Contract value:
Rs 215 crore
Road length:
127 kilometres
Contractor:
PATI-BEL Consortium
CAG figure:
Rs 92.7 crores
Why it matters for exams: The Kerala State Transport Project, the role of the Vigilance Directorate and CAG audit findings are standard Kerala PSC governance material.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
KSTP Kerala State Transport Project — A State road upgrading programme that rebuilt major Kerala highways including the MC Road.
MC Road Main Central Road — The inland highway running from Thiruvananthapuram to Angamaly through central Kerala.
CAG Comptroller and Auditor General of India — The constitutional auditor of the accounts of the Union and the States.
Vigilance Directorate Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, Kerala — The State agency that enquires into corruption by public servants in Kerala.
5 October 2026
A meeting of senior Health Department officials has proposed a vigilance mechanism inside the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited, the agency that buys medicines for government hospitals.
Health Minister K. Muraleedharan handed over the file carrying the proposal.
The proposed wing would have a police officer, a biomedical engineer, the chief pharmacist of the In-House Drug Bank at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College and a Health Department official.
It is meant to make procurement more transparent and to detect purchases of substandard medicines at inflated prices, quantities overstated on bills, inaccurate stock records and delayed payment of bills.
The file has been submitted and a decision on it is pending.
Kerala has separately moved to overhaul KMSCL procurement, with fresh tenders from October and blacklisting for suppliers of substandard drugs.
Agency:
Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited
Proposed members:
Four, including a police officer and a biomedical engineer
Status:
File submitted, decision pending
Why it matters for exams: KMSCL is the body an aspirant is asked to name as Kerala's drug procurement agency, and the oversight mechanism around it is live policy.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
KMSCL Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited — The State company that procures and distributes medicines and equipment for Kerala's government hospitals.
Blacklisting Blacklisting of a supplier — Barring a firm from future government tenders after its supply or conduct is found wanting.
5 October 2026
Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, speaking at Kasaragod on 3 October 2026, said the State is not in a position now to spend such a large amount of money on the Loka Kerala Sabha, the forum for Kerala's diaspora.
The Chief Minister's Office has said the Loka Kerala Sabha will be discontinued and that not a single rupee has been allocated for it.
The Kerala Cabinet had decided to dissolve the forum and to work out a new mechanism for expatriate welfare and investment.
All five editions of the Loka Kerala Sabha were held every two years between 2018 and 2026, inside the Kerala Legislative Assembly complex in Thiruvananthapuram.
The Speaker proposed instead bringing 70 distinguished Malayalis onto one platform when the Assembly marks its 70th anniversary in April 2027, and said the idea needs discussion at various levels.
He said the invitees could include artists, writers, cultural figures and prominent people from various fields.
Editions held:
Five, between 2018 and 2026
Assembly's 70th anniversary:
April 2027
Malayalis to be honoured:
70
Why it matters for exams: The Loka Kerala Sabha, its five editions and the Assembly's 70th anniversary year are the kind of Kerala-specific facts the PSC asks.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Loka Kerala Sabha Loka Kerala Sabha — A forum convened by the Kerala government bringing together Malayalis living outside the State and abroad.
Speaker Speaker of the Legislative Assembly — The presiding officer of the Assembly, elected by its members.
5 October 2026
The Kerala Public Service Commission's extraordinary gazette dated 31/08/2026 carries Cat.No.130/2026 to Cat.No.150/2026, with 07-10-2026 as the last date to apply.
Cat.No.146/2026 to Cat.No.150/2026 are Beat Forest Officer posts in the Forest and Wildlife Department.
Cat.No.139/2026 to Cat.No.142/2026 are Fire & Rescue Officer (Trainee) posts in the Fire and Rescue Services.
Cat.No.143/2026 is Assistant Prison Officer in Prisons and Correctional Services, and Cat.No.138/2026 is Police Constable (Band/Bugler/Drummer) in the Police Band Unit.
Cat.No.130/2026 is Artist in Information and Public Relations, and Cat.No.136/2026 is Conservation Officer in the State Archives Department.
Cat.No.132/2026 is Plumber by transfer in the Kerala Water Authority, while Cat.No.133/2026 and Cat.No.144/2026 are Laboratory Attender and Electrician in the Ground Water Department.
Gazette date:
31/08/2026
Categories:
Cat.No.130/2026 to Cat.No.150/2026
Last date to apply:
07-10-2026
Why it matters for exams: A closing date two days away is directly actionable, and the department behind each category number is itself asked in Kerala PSC papers.
Kerala PSCSSC
In plain words
Beat Forest Officer Beat Forest Officer — The frontline forest post in charge of a beat, the smallest unit of a forest range.
State Archives Department Kerala State Archives Department — The department that keeps Kerala's historical government records and manuscripts.
Background
Under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), foodgrain is distributed in Kerala mainly through the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Priority Households (PHH) categories.
An AAY family gets 35 kg of foodgrain a month, and a PHH member gets 5 kg a month at subsidised rates.
About 13,858 fair price shops operate across the State.
The Government of Kerala State Profile page carries these figures.
Fair price shops:
about 13,858
AAY entitlement:
35 kg per family per month
PHH entitlement:
5 kg per person per month
Why it matters for exams: PDS categories and entitlements are asked in both Kerala PSC and UPSC welfare questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
AAY Antyodaya Anna Yojana — The NFSA category for the poorest households.
Background
The State's urban population is about 1.59 crore, or 47.7 per cent of the total, while the rural population is about 1.74 crore (52.3 per cent).
Kerala is among the most urbanised States of India and also leads in the pace of urbanisation.
Ernakulam has the highest share of urban population among the districts, about 68 per cent.
The Government of Kerala State Profile page carries these figures.
Urban population share:
47.7 per cent
Urban population:
about 1.59 crore
Most urbanised district:
Ernakulam (about 68 per cent)
Why it matters for exams: Urban-rural population shares and district rankings are frequent Kerala PSC demography questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
The Thrissur District Administration records that Cochin was the first princely state to join the Indian Union willingly.
After independence, E. Ikkanda Warrier became the first Prime Minister of Cochin.
The first step towards the goal of Aikyakerala was taken with the integration of the Travancore and Cochin states in July 1949.
In 1949 the Travancore-Cochin state came into being by the merger of Cochin and Travancore, with Parur T. K. Narayana Pillai as its first chief minister.
Travancore-Cochin was in turn merged with the Malabar district of the Madras State.
The Government of India's 1 November 1956 States Reorganisation Act inaugurated a new state, Kerala, incorporating Travancore-Cochin, the Malabar District and the taluk of Kasargod, South Kanara.
Earlier, in 1946, the first popular Cabinet of Cochin took office, consisting of Panampilly Govinda Menon, C.R. Iyyunni, K. Ayyappan and T.K. Nair.
The Cochin State Praja Mandal, a political organisation that pressed for responsible government, took shape on 26 January 1941 under the leadership of V. R. Krishnan Ezhuthachan.
Kerala inaugurated:
1 November 1956, by the States Reorganisation Act
Territories merged:
Travancore-Cochin, Malabar District, and the taluk of Kasargod, South Kanara
First Prime Minister of Cochin:
E. Ikkanda Warrier
First chief minister of Travancore-Cochin:
Parur T. K. Narayana Pillai
Why it matters for exams: The territories merged to form Kerala and the first heads of government of Cochin and Travancore-Cochin are standard Kerala history questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Aikyakerala Aikyakerala — The movement for a single State uniting the Malayalam-speaking regions.
Praja Mandal Praja Mandal — A people's political organisation in a princely state demanding responsible government.
South Kanara South Kanara — A district of the former Madras Presidency from which the Kasargod taluk came to Kerala.
Background
The Thrissur District Administration records that Kodungalloor had the distinction of being the Primum Emporium India and the honour of having first given shelter to the Christians, the Jews and the Muslims.
The district's early history is the history of the Kulasekharas of Mahodayapuram, and from the twelfth century onwards it is the history of the rise and growth of the Perumpadappu Swarupam.
The Perumpadappu Moopil is referred to as the Kerala Chakravarthi in the Sivavilasam and some other works.
One of the landmarks in the history of the Perumpadappu Swarupam is the foundation of a new era called the Pudu Vaipu Era, traditionally believed to have commenced from the date on which the island of Vypeen was thrown from the sea.
In 1790 Raja Rama Varma, popularly known as Saktan Tampuran, ascended the throne of Cochin and reigned until 1805, although he had been at the helm of affairs since 1769.
Saktan Tampuran was mainly responsible for the destruction of the power of the feudal chieftains and the increase of royal power, and he put an end to the institution of the Yogiatirippad.
The Shakthan Thampuran Palace, also named Vadakkekara Palace, was reconstructed in Kerala-Dutch style in 1795 by Ramavarma Thampuran and is preserved by the Archaeological Department.
The palace has a two-storeyed main structure with a traditional Kerala style Nalukettu, and it was converted into a museum in 2005 by the State.
Saktan Tampuran's reign:
1790-1805
At the helm of affairs since:
1769
Palace reconstructed:
1795, in Kerala-Dutch style
Palace converted into a museum:
2005
Why it matters for exams: Saktan Thampuran, the Perumpadappu Swarupam and Kodungallur's place in trade history are recurring Kerala history questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Perumpadappu Swarupam Perumpadappu Swarupam — The ruling house of Cochin, whose head was called the Perumpadappu Moopil.
Nalukettu Nalukettu — A traditional Kerala house built around a central open courtyard.
Primum Emporium India Primum Emporium India — A Latin description meaning the first trading mart of India, applied to Kodungalloor.