22 October 2026
Heavy rain triggered minor landslips at two locations on the railway line between Thiruvananthapuram and Nagercoil. The locomotive of the Bilaspur-Tirunelveli Superfast Express derailed near Parasala at about 2.19 a.m. on Thursday. No injuries were reported. Train services connecting southern Keralam with Nagercoil and Kanniyakumari were disrupted.
Time of derailment:
2.19 a.m.
Landslip locations:
Two locations
Why it matters for exams: Rain-linked rail disruption on the Thiruvananthapuram-Nagercoil line is a standard disaster-management and infrastructure question.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Landslip Landslip — A small-scale downward movement of soil or rock on a slope.
Loco Locomotive — The engine that hauls a railway train.
22 October 2026
Heavy thunderstorms continued over several parts of Keralam under the influence of a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal. The India Meteorological Department issued an orange alert for four districts, warning of intense thunderstorms. The remaining districts were placed under a yellow alert for heavy rain over the next 24 hours. The eastern ghat regions, southern Keralam and parts of Central Travancore received heavy overnight rain, with waterlogging in several areas.
Districts under orange alert:
Four
Warning period:
Next 24 hours
Why it matters for exams: Alert colours and the systems that cause Kerala's October rain are repeatedly asked in state and national papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
IMD India Meteorological Department — The national weather service that issues India's rain and cyclone warnings.
Low-pressure area Low-pressure area — A region of lower atmospheric pressure that draws in moist air and produces rain.
22 October 2026
Health experts and public health activists have backed the Kerala health department's decision to replace the branded drug used to treat children with Spinal Muscular Atrophy with a low-cost generic alternative made by Natco. Dr B Ekbal, former professor of neurosurgery, said Roche's branded Evrysdi costs around Rs 6.2 lakh per bottle while Natco's generic version is priced at Rs 15,900. Since a bottle typically lasts 12 days, the monthly expenditure on Natco's formulation comes to around Rs 30,000, a price reduction of approximately 97 per cent. Ekbal said Roche had moved the Delhi High Court to restrain commercial distribution of Natco's generic risdiplam, and the court ruled in October 2025 in favour of allowing the generic formulation to be manufactured.
Branded Evrysdi:
around Rs 6.2 lakh per bottle
Natco generic:
Rs 15,900
Price reduction:
approximately 97%
Why it matters for exams: Generic substitution, patent litigation and drug pricing link Kerala health policy to intellectual property questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
SMA Spinal Muscular Atrophy — A rare inherited disorder in which the nerve cells controlling muscles waste away.
Generic drug Generic drug — A copy of an off-patent or licensed medicine sold without the brand name.
Bioequivalence Bioequivalence — Proof that a generic delivers its active ingredient into the blood like the branded drug.
22 October 2026
The Railway Protection Force arrested a 24-year-old man from Bihar for attempting to derail a train by placing heavy objects on the tracks between the Ottapalam and Shoranur railway stations in Keralam. The objects were found at three locations, including Mannanur and near the A-Cabin at Karakkad, between 10.30 a.m. and 11.30 a.m. on Tuesday. Railway staff recovered a concrete slab, a piece of rail and a sack containing hardened cement from the tracks. Surveillance camera footage from Shoranur railway station, the railway yard and nearby areas helped investigators identify the suspect as Shuklal Marari.
Locations with objects:
Three
Age of the arrested man:
24
Why it matters for exams: The Railway Protection Force's jurisdiction and railway sabotage offences come up in police and SSC papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
RPF Railway Protection Force — The armed central force that guards railway property and passengers.
A-Cabin A-Cabin — A trackside signal cabin that controls train movements at a junction approach.
22 October 2026
SAT Hospital authorities in Thiruvananthapuram have denied the claim of parents of children with spinal muscular atrophy that the drug given free of cost at the hospital clinic was an experimental drug. Hospital authorities say what was given was the generic version of risdiplam, the patented original formula of which belongs to Roche. The generic is manufactured by the Indian firm Natco Pharma and has been approved by drug regulatory bodies in the country. The dispute over the distribution of the drug has taken on political dimensions in the State, with the Opposition demanding that the government address the concerns of the parents.
Hospital:
SAT Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram
Generic maker:
Natco Pharma
Patent holder:
Roche
Why it matters for exams: Drug regulatory approval and the difference between a clinical trial and a generic launch are frequently tested.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
SAT Hospital Sree Avittom Thirunal Hospital — The government women and children's hospital attached to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College.
Clinical trial Clinical trial — A controlled study in human volunteers to test a drug's safety and effect.
22 October 2026
The Kerala Public Service Commission's notifications list carries an extraordinary gazette dated 30/09/2026. That gazette notifies the posts numbered CAT.NO.151/2026 to CAT.NO.161/2026. The last date for applications against this gazette is 04-11-2026. The Commission's notifications page also lists the preceding extraordinary gazette dated 31/08/2026, which covered CAT.NO : 130/2026 to CAT.NO : 150/2026 and closed on 07-10-2026. The Commission works from Thulasi Hills, Pattom Palace P.O., Thiruvananthapuram 695 004.
Gazette date:
30/09/2026
Category numbers:
CAT.NO.151/2026 TO CAT.NO.161/2026
Last date:
04-11-2026
Why it matters for exams: The gazette-and-category-number system is how every Kerala PSC vacancy is identified, and closing dates are asked directly.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
KPSC Kerala Public Service Commission — The constitutional body that recruits for Kerala's civil services from Thulasi Hills, Pattom.
Category number Category number — The serial number the Commission gives each notified post.
Extraordinary gazette Extraordinary gazette — A gazette issue published outside the regular schedule to notify urgent matters.
22 October 2026
The Kerala Public Service Commission has published Ranked List No. 742/2026/SSV with effect from 17.10.2026. The list is for the post of High School Teacher (Hindi), Category No. 604/2024, in the Education Department in Kannur district. The Commission's ranked list page carries the entry under the district of Kannur for the year 2026. A ranked list is the merit list from which the Commission advises candidates for appointment against reported vacancies.
Ranked List No.:
742/2026/SSV
Category No.:
604/2024
District:
Kannur
Why it matters for exams: Ranked list numbers and category numbers for teacher posts are asked directly in Kerala PSC papers.
Kerala PSCSSC
In plain words
KPSC Kerala Public Service Commission — The constitutional body that recruits for Kerala's civil services from Thulasi Hills, Pattom.
Ranked list Ranked list — The merit list from which the Commission advises candidates for appointment.
Category number Category number — The serial number the Commission gives each notified post.
22 October 2026
The Kerala Public Service Commission has published Ranked List No. 739/2026/SS II with effect from 16/10/2026. The list is for the post of LP School Teacher (Malayalam Medium), Ist NCA for Scheduled Tribe, Category No. 240/2025, in the Education Department in Thiruvananthapuram district. An NCA recruitment is held when the turn of a reserved community has gone unfilled in an earlier ranked list. The entry appears on the Commission's ranked list page under Thiruvananthapuram for the year 2026.
Ranked List No.:
739/2026/SS II
Category No.:
240/2025
Reserved community:
Scheduled Tribe
Why it matters for exams: NCA recruitment is a reservation mechanism that Kerala PSC papers test by name and by purpose.
Kerala PSCSSC
In plain words
KPSC Kerala Public Service Commission — The constitutional body that recruits for Kerala's civil services from Thulasi Hills, Pattom.
NCA Not Coming to Account — A special recruitment held when a reserved community's turn has gone unfilled.
Ranked list Ranked list — The merit list from which the Commission advises candidates for appointment.
22 October 2026
The Kerala Public Service Commission has published Ranked List No. 727/2026/SS IV with effect from 09.10.2026. The list is for the post of Chief (Perspective Planning Division), Category No. 657/2022, in the Kerala State Planning Board. The entry is listed as statewide on the Commission's ranked list page for the year 2026. The Perspective Planning Division is one of the divisions through which the Kerala State Planning Board carries out its work.
Ranked List No.:
727/2026/SS IV
Category No.:
657/2022
Body:
Kerala State Planning Board
Why it matters for exams: The Kerala State Planning Board and its divisions come up in both polity and state-economy sections.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
KPSC Kerala Public Service Commission — The constitutional body that recruits for Kerala's civil services from Thulasi Hills, Pattom.
Ranked list Ranked list — The merit list from which the Commission advises candidates for appointment.
Perspective planning Perspective planning — Long-range planning that sets goals well beyond a single annual plan.