16 October 2026
The Kerala State Elderly Commission held a sitting at the Collectorate Conference Hall and considered 17 complaints from senior citizens of Kottayam and Idukki districts.
Commission Chairman Adv. K. Somaprasad said most of the complaints involve family disputes.
He said some cases are of children who obtained money from their parents after promising care and then stopped visiting or supporting them.
Anyone can approach the Commission about problems faced by senior citizens, and the Commission also takes up cases on its own on the basis of media reports.
The Chairman said the formation of a department for elderly affairs would make intervention on senior citizens' issues more effective.
Commission Member Prof. Lopez Mathew also took part. Complaints may be sent in person or by email to ksec.ewd@kerala.gov.in.
Complaints considered:
17
Districts covered:
Kottayam and Idukki
Chairman:
Adv. K. Somaprasad
Why it matters for exams: State commissions and their powers of suo motu action are a standing Kerala PSC and UPSC governance topic.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Suo motu On its own motion — A body acting on its own without waiting for a formal complaint.
16 October 2026
A meeting chaired by the District Collector at the Alappuzha Collectorate directed National Highway and Water Authority officials to take urgent steps so that drinking water supply in panchayats of the Aroor-Cherthala region is not disrupted by highway construction.
Highway work and the restoration of water pipelines are to be completed quickly at Aroor, Ezhupunna Kodamthuruth and Kuthiyathode.
Officials said supply may have to be halted temporarily at Cherthala South, Mararikulam North, Kanjikuzhy and Muhamma so that construction can be finished; on those days tanker lorries must ensure drinking water for residents.
Interconnection work on pipelines at Muhamma and Cherthala is to be completed on schedule.
Encroachments and shops on both sides of the highway at Vandanam, Haripad and Thottappally are to be cleared, and task forces assessing accident risk are to be made more active and submit reports.
Where highway work is complete, underpasses, bus bays and U-turn facilities will be provided for pedestrians, and follow-up action was sought on the sanctioned underpass in the Kayamkulam and Kalarcode stretch. ADM C. Premji took part.
Region:
Aroor-Cherthala
Panchayats where supply may be stopped:
Cherthala South, Mararikulam North, Kanjikuzhy, Muhamma
Why it matters for exams: District-level coordination between the National Highways Authority and the Kerala Water Authority is a model answer for questions on NH 66 widening.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
ADM Additional District Magistrate — The officer next to the District Collector in a Kerala district administration.
16 October 2026
Kollam District Panchayat has invited applications for its 'Nibodhitha' scheme, which prepares Scheduled Caste candidates for competitive examinations.
Anyone from a Scheduled Caste community who has passed SSLC or holds a higher qualification, is interested in employment and appears on the Gram Sabha list may apply.
Applications must reach the District Scheduled Caste Development Office on the third floor of Kollam Civil Station by 5 pm on October 31.
Caste certificate, income certificate, proof of educational qualification, ration card and Aadhaar card must be attached.
Forms are available at the District Panchayat, the District Scheduled Caste Development Office and the Block Scheduled Caste Development Office.
Residents of corporation and municipality areas should not apply. Details are available on 0474-2794996.
Scheme:
Nibodhitha
Last date:
October 31, 5 pm
Minimum qualification:
SSLC
Why it matters for exams: Local self-government schemes for Scheduled Caste candidates are frequently asked in Kerala PSC welfare questions.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Gram Sabha Village assembly — The assembly of all voters in a panchayat ward, which approves beneficiary lists.
16 October 2026
The Centre for Development of Imaging Technology, C-DIT, Thiruvananthapuram, has invited applications for vacant seats in media courses beginning this month.
The courses are the Diploma in Digital Media Production, and an integrated set made up of the Diploma in Digital Videography, the Certificate Course in Videography and the Certificate Course in Digital Still Photography.
Candidates should contact the Communication Courses Division of C-DIT before October 25.
The phone numbers given are 9961491540 and 8547720167.
Details are available at mediastudies.cdit.org.
C-DIT is the State agency that also provides design and technical support for Kerala government websites.
Last date to contact:
October 25
Website:
mediastudies.cdit.org
Why it matters for exams: C-DIT is one of the Kerala government institutions whose full form and role are asked directly in PSC papers.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
C-DIT Centre for Development of Imaging Technology — A Kerala government body for media technology, training and e-governance support.
16 October 2026
The Kerala Devaswom Recruitment Board will hold interviews and practical tests on October 26 for various posts under the Travancore Devaswom Board.
The tests will be held at the office of the Kerala Devaswom Recruitment Board.
Interviews for the posts of Assistant Press Manager, Assistant Machine Operator and Compositor cum Proof Reader will begin at 9 am.
For the post of Goldsmith, a practical test cum interview will begin at 1 pm.
Further information is available at www.kdrb.kerala.gov.in.
The notice was issued as press release PNX 4336/2026.
Date of selection:
October 26
Goldsmith test time:
1 pm
Why it matters for exams: The Kerala Devaswom Recruitment Board, and not the PSC, recruits for the Devaswom Boards, which is a standard exam distinction.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
KDRB Kerala Devaswom Recruitment Board — The body that recruits staff for Kerala's Devaswom Boards.
16 October 2026
The state-level closing ceremony of the Social Solidarity Fortnight, observed from October 2 to 15, was held at the Mahatma Ayyankali Hall in Thiruvananthapuram.
Minister for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes Welfare K.A. Thulasi said society must work together to end caste discrimination, malpractices and social hierarchy, and that legal measures must be backed by real public awareness.
She said pending applications in the department are to be cleared by December 31.
Special attention will go to road access in Idamalakudy, the distinct living conditions of the Cholanaikkar community in Nilambur, and travel and health issues in Attappadi.
Padma Shri Lakshmikuttyamma and Deputy Director Siddharth, who wrote the campaign slogan, were honoured at the function.
Trophies were given to model residential schools for last year's SSLC and Higher Secondary results, along with Higher Secondary merit awards and micro-credit loans from the Backward Classes Development Corporation. Vithura Grama Panchayat President S. Sindhu presided.
Fortnight observed:
October 2 to 15
Venue:
Mahatma Ayyankali Hall, Thiruvananthapuram
Deadline for pending applications:
December 31
Why it matters for exams: The tribal communities named here, and the fortnight itself, are regular Kerala PSC social justice questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Cholanaikkar A forest-dwelling community of the Nilambur hills — One of Kerala's most isolated tribal communities, living in the Nilambur forests.
16 October 2026
A Division Bench of Justice Sathish Ninan and Justice P. Krishna Kumar has upheld Section 69 of the Indian Succession Act, 1925, which automatically revokes a will when the testator marries.
The matter came up as a suo motu civil reference to examine the validity of Section 69, along with connected petitions.
The Bench held that the provision does not violate Article 14 or Article 15, is not manifestly arbitrary and does not curtail testamentary capacity.
Section 69 does not apply to wills made by Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and Jainas, because it is left out of Schedule III of the Act and Section 57 says marriage does not revoke a Hindu's will.
The Court said the object of Section 69 is to protect the new family, and that a Hindu wife already has a right to maintenance from her husband under Section 18(1) of the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, with no comparable obligation in Christian personal law.
It held that not extending a provision with a laudable object to Hindus does not by itself violate Article 14. The neutral citation is 2026:KER:77525.
Provision upheld:
Section 69, Indian Succession Act, 1925
Bench:
Justice Sathish Ninan and Justice P. Krishna Kumar
Citation:
2026:KER:77525
Why it matters for exams: Personal law classifications tested against Articles 14 and 15 are a core polity and judiciary topic.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Testator The person who makes a will — The maker of a will, whose death brings it into effect.
Suo motu reference A reference taken up by the court on its own — A matter the court itself places before a larger bench for decision.
Background
The procedure behind the State's own change of name sets out how a State is renamed under the Constitution.
The Union Cabinet approved changing the name of Kerala to Keralam, on a proposal considered in the Ministry of Home Affairs and concurred in by the Department of Legal Affairs and the Legislative Department of the Ministry of Law and Justice.
Parliament can alter the name of a State by law under Article 3 of the Constitution.
The proviso to Article 3 requires the President's recommendation before such a Bill is introduced, and a reference of the Bill to the legislature of the State concerned for its views.
After the Cabinet decision, the President was to refer the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 to the Kerala Legislative Assembly for its views, and the government would then seek the President's recommendation to introduce the Bill in Parliament.
The Kerala Legislative Assembly had passed a resolution asking the Centre to make the change, and the State government later asked for an amendment of the First Schedule of the Constitution.
Constitutional provision:
Article 3
Bill:
Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026
Schedule to be amended:
First Schedule
Why it matters for exams: Article 3 and the First Schedule are among the most frequently examined parts of the Constitution.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
First Schedule Schedule I of the Constitution — The schedule that lists the States and Union Territories and their territories.
Background
A senior citizens care Bill has just gone before the Kerala Assembly and been sent to a subject committee, and these are the numbers and the existing law behind it.
Kerala's population aged 60 and above is projected at 18.7 per cent, against 11.4 per cent nationally.
Population projections cited in the State's Elderly Budget expect that group to double, from 4.2 million in 2011 to 8.4 million by 2036.
Over the same period the working-age share is projected to fall from 62 per cent to 59.5 per cent, so a smaller working-age base will support a larger dependent one.
The Longitudinal Ageing Study in India, which covered over 31,000 people aged 60 and above, found 52 per cent of Kerala's elderly living with two or more chronic conditions, against 23 per cent nationally.
It also found 91 per cent of those diagnosed with hypertension in the State were receiving treatment.
The central Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act already lets parents who cannot support themselves claim maintenance from their children, and lets States set up old age homes.
Himachal Pradesh enacted its own law on the maintenance of parents and dependants, and Tamil Nadu has prescribed minimum standards for old age homes run by voluntary organisations.
Share aged 60 and above in Kerala:
18.7%
All-India share aged 60 and above:
11.4%
Projected growth of the 60-plus group:
4.2 million in 2011 to 8.4 million by 2036
Working-age share:
62% falling to a projected 59.5% by 2036
Elderly with two or more chronic conditions:
52% in Kerala against 23% nationally (LASI)
Why it matters for exams: Kerala's demographic transition and the central maintenance law are asked together whenever a question turns to ageing and social security.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
LASI Longitudinal Ageing Study in India — A large national survey of people aged 60 and above and their health.
Dependency burden Load of dependents on the working-age population — The ratio of those outside working age to those within it.
Background
Kerala Piravi falls at the start of November, and the nine years before the State was formed are what the day actually commemorates.
On 4 September 1947 the Maharaja of Travancore announced the move to establish a responsible Government, and a new Assembly called the Representative Body was to function as the Constituent Assembly, with 120 members elected on adult franchise.
That Assembly first sat on 20 March 1948 under President A. J. John, and the Travancore Interim Constitution Act promulgated on 24 March 1948 provided a Council of Ministers headed by a Prime Minister and responsible to the Assembly, with the Maharaja as Constitutional Head.
Pattom A. Thanu Pillai served as Prime Minister from 24 March 1948, and T. K. Narayana Pillai succeeded him in October that year.
Responsible Government in Cochin took form on 14 August 1947 with Panampilly Govinda Menon as its first Prime Minister, the Legislative Council was renamed the Legislative Assembly, and a popular Ministry headed by Ikkanda Warrier came to power on 20 September 1948.
The merger of Travancore and Cochin was realised on 1 July 1949, the Maharaja of Travancore became the Rajapramukh of the new Travancore-Cochin State, and its First Legislative Assembly was composed of 178 members drawn from the two legislatures.
T. K. Narayana Pillai became Chief Minister of the new State and T. M. Varghese its Speaker, and 71 bills were passed in 7 sessions.
Malabar, a district of Madras Province, stayed outside: it had 16 members in the First Madras Legislative Assembly, 20 in the Second, and 29 after the first general elections held under the Constitution of India.
Responsible government announced in Travancore:
4 September 1947
Responsible government in Cochin:
14 August 1947
Merger of Travancore and Cochin:
1 July 1949
Head of the merged State:
The Maharaja of Travancore, as Rajapramukh
First Travancore-Cochin Assembly:
178 members, 7 sessions, 71 bills
Malabar's members in the Madras Assembly:
16, then 20, then 29
Why it matters for exams: The merger date, the Rajapramukh and Malabar's position in Madras are the standard chain of questions on how Kerala came to be.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Rajapramukh Constitutional head of a Part B State — The title given to a former ruler who headed a State formed from princely territory.
Representative Body Travancore's constituent assembly — The 120-member elected Assembly meant to frame Travancore's own constitution.