21 October 2026
The Kerala Information and Public Relations Department announced the schedule for the change of Governor.
Governor-designate Om Prakash Mathur will be sworn in at the Lok Bhavan auditorium, Thiruvananthapuram, at 12.30 pm on 23 October.
Before that, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar will present the Kerala Puraskarams for 2025 at Lok Bhavan at 11 am on 22 October.
The awards are given in three categories: Kerala Jyothi, Kerala Prabha and Kerala Sree. Chief Minister V D Satheesan will preside.
The Chief Minister will lead the reception for Mathur at the technical area of Thiruvananthapuram airport at 6.55 pm, and Arlekar will be given a farewell at 8.15 pm at the same venue.
Swearing-in:
23 October, 12.30 pm
Venue:
Lok Bhavan auditorium, Thiruvananthapuram
Award categories:
3
Why it matters for exams: The Governor of Kerala is a standing question in Kerala PSC and UPSC papers, and the Kerala Puraskaram categories are frequently asked.
Kerala PSCUPSC
21 October 2026
Ernakulam District Panchayat has launched 'Poshakamritham', a scheme against malnutrition and anaemia among children in tribal settlements.
District Panchayat president K G Radhakrishnan inaugurated it at Thera Unnathi in Kuttampuzha grama panchayat.
The district panchayat set aside six lakh rupees from its own fund for 2026-27.
In the first phase about 300 children in 15 tribal settlements of Kuttampuzha and Vengoor panchayats benefit; the focus is on children up to 12 years.
A mobile medical unit will visit the settlements, and monthly food kits with raisins, almonds, groundnuts and dates will be delivered through Maveli Stores and Triveni supermarkets.
Allocation:
6 lakh rupees
Settlements:
15
Children (first phase):
about 300
Why it matters for exams: Local body schemes for tribal health and nutrition are asked in Kerala PSC papers on decentralised planning and welfare.
Kerala PSCUPSC
21 October 2026
Kudumbashree is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its gender activities.
The occasion marks 20 years of its self-learning process on the status of women.
Gender Resource Centres are leading programmes from 10 to 31 October on the theme '20 years – from self-learning to intervention'.
Neighbourhood groups (ayalkoottams) will hold gender discussions, with awareness sessions on women's legal rights, child safety, cyber safety, anti-drug awareness, economic independence, mental health and domestic violence.
Opinion walls will be set up at the Gender Resource Centres, and resource persons in gender work will be honoured.
Programme period:
10 to 31 October
Years of gender work:
20
Why it matters for exams: Kudumbashree, Kerala's poverty eradication and women's empowerment mission, is a regular Kerala PSC topic.
Kerala PSCUPSC
21 October 2026
Applications for the State Literacy Mission's Higher Secondary and Class 10 equivalency courses can be made with a fine of 50 rupees until 24 October.
The Higher Secondary course is open to those who passed Class 10 or failed Higher Secondary earlier; the minimum age is 22 years.
The Class 10 course is open to those who passed Class 7, failed Class 10 or left studies between Classes 7 and 10; applicants must have completed 17 years, and there is no upper age limit.
The fee is 2600 rupees for Higher Secondary (registration 300, course fee 2300) and 1950 rupees for Class 10 (registration 100, course fee 1850); Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and differently-abled learners pay only the registration fee.
The Class 4 and Class 7 equivalency courses are free. The Class 10 course runs ten months and Higher Secondary two years.
Last date with fine:
24 October
Higher Secondary fee:
2600 rupees
Class 10 fee:
1950 rupees
Minimum age, Higher Secondary:
22
Why it matters for exams: Kerala's literacy and continuing education programmes, run by the State Literacy Mission Authority, are a common Kerala PSC topic.
Kerala PSCUPSC
21 October 2026
A vistadome AC coach is being attached to the Madurai–Guruvayur Express from 22 October, described as Kerala's first.
The coach has large glass windows for panoramic views on the Kollam–Punalur–Sengottai route.
The stretch includes the scenic Sengottai–Punalur ghat section of the Western Ghats, through the Sengottai gap between Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
The basic fare is 515 rupees and the end-to-end fare is 1,875 rupees.
Southern Railway has allotted the coach on a trial basis.
Start:
22 October
Basic fare:
515 rupees
End-to-end fare:
1,875 rupees
Why it matters for exams: Railway firsts in Kerala and the Western Ghats passes such as the Sengottai gap are asked in Kerala PSC geography and current affairs.
Kerala PSCUPSC
20 October 2026
The State government is to recommend to the Centre a new corridor between Kottayam and Kochi linking National Highways 183 and 66.
The route would pass through Kumarakom, Vechur and Vaikom and join the Angamaly–Kundannoor bypass near the Thripunithura market.
It is planned as an elevated road to avoid damage to farmland and the environment and keep natural drainage unobstructed.
A State recommendation is required before the road can be taken into the national highway network; the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will then send a study team.
Kottayam MP K Francis George said the Chief Minister and the Public Works Minister had assured him the recommendation would be sent soon.
Highways linked:
NH 183 and NH 66
Joins:
Angamaly–Kundannoor bypass
Why it matters for exams: National highway numbers passing through Kerala and the process for declaring a new national highway are asked in PSC and UPSC papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
20 October 2026
The cargo vessel MSV Jesus Heart sank off the Beypore coast late on 20 October.
It was carrying about 160 tonnes of construction material and goods from Beypore to Kavaratti in Lakshadweep.
All eight crew members were rescued and brought ashore at Beypore on the morning of 21 October.
The commercial tug Tug Resco 4 picked up the crew after a distress call, and the Indian Coast Guard brought them to Beypore Harbour.
The rescued crew were handed over to the Beypore Coastal Police for further inquiry.
Crew rescued:
8
Cargo:
about 160 tonnes
Route:
Beypore to Kavaratti
Why it matters for exams: Kerala's ports such as Beypore, the sea link to Lakshadweep and the Coast Guard's role are asked in PSC general knowledge.
Kerala PSCUPSC
21 October 2026
The Ernakulam Motor Vehicles Department and the police carried out joint vehicle checks across the district under Operation Toofan 2.0.
The checks were held on the direction of Deputy Inspector General of Police Yathish Chandra, from 4 am to 8 am.
159 violations were detected and fines of 8,06,500 rupees imposed.
About a hundred officers in squads checked vehicles at Karukutty in Angamaly, Karayamparamba, Perumbavoor, Aluva, Muvattupuzha, Koothattukulam and Neriamangalam.
Violations included driving without a licence, untaxed vehicles, vehicles without permits or insurance, illegal modifications, banned air horns and vehicles without a High Security Registration Plate (HSRP).
Violations:
159
Fines:
8,06,500 rupees
Officers deployed:
about 100
Why it matters for exams: State enforcement drives and road-safety terms such as HSRP appear in Kerala PSC current affairs.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
HSRP High Security Registration Plate — Tamper-proof number plate required on vehicles
21 October 2026
State Police Chief Ravada A. Chandrasekhar said all district police chiefs had been directed to conduct intelligence-based operations against spas suspected of illegal activities.
He said Kerala has around 800 spas and the licence conditions of every spa are being examined.
The move follows the Kovalam spa case, registered over the sexual exploitation of a 16-year-old girl from Andhra Pradesh; police have invoked provisions of the anti-human trafficking law.
A Special Investigation Team is probing the case, and a health inspector was arrested on 20 October.
The police chief said it would not be a one-time operation.
Spas in Kerala:
around 800
Why it matters for exams: Who heads Kerala Police and how anti-trafficking law is applied are current affairs topics for Kerala PSC.
Kerala PSCUPSC
20 October 2026
Minister for General Education and Minority Welfare N. Samsudheen said the Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar faction would have a nominee on the reconstituted State Waqf Board.
He held talks with the faction's leaders in Kozhikode, after which the faction called off the protests it had planned.
The government had dissolved the Waqf Board headed by K S Hamsa and appointed a new nine-member Board headed by M C Mayin Haji.
The Minister said groups left out of the Board would be considered for other bodies, such as minority welfare and Haj committees.
New Board members:
9
Chairman:
M C Mayin Haji
Why it matters for exams: State Waqf Boards are statutory bodies, and their composition is a polity and current affairs topic.
Kerala PSCUPSC
21 October 2026
The Wayanad Prakruthi Samrakshana Samithi has urged the Kerala government to abandon the proposed airstrip at Cheekkalloor (also spelt Cheekkallur) in Wayanad.
It said about 500 acres of paddy fields would be lost, and the land would have to be raised by 6.5 metres.
About 50 Adivasi families once displaced by the Karapuzha dam project could be displaced again.
The group warned that filling the Cherupuzha, which flows through the tract, would affect the Kabani river.
An earlier attempt to build the airstrip was halted more than a decade ago after protests.
Paddy land:
about 500 acres
Land to be raised:
6.5 metres
Adivasi families at risk:
about 50
Why it matters for exams: Wayanad's paddy wetlands, the Kabani river and the conservation of paddy land are recurring Kerala PSC environment topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
The Kerala Puraskarams, which the outgoing Governor is presenting this week, are the State government's highest honours for distinguished individuals.
They are given in three categories: Kerala Jyothi, the highest, followed by Kerala Prabha and Kerala Sree.
They are modelled on the pattern of the Padma awards.
Selection passes through three levels: a primary scrutiny committee at secretary level, a secondary scrutiny committee and the award committee.
The awards are announced on the eve of Keralappiravi. Raghava Warrier received the Kerala Jyothi for 2025, and M K Sanu had received it the previous year.
Categories:
3
Selection levels:
3
Why it matters for exams: Kerala's own civilian honours and their recipients are frequent Kerala PSC questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC