5 November 2026
The Kozhikode District Collector has ordered that communal harmony committees be formed in every grama panchayat of the district. The order follows a decision taken at a district-level religious harmony meeting, and District Collector M. S. Madhavikutty issued it. The Station House Officer of the police station concerned chairs each committee, the grama panchayat secretary is its convenor, and the village officer keeps the minutes. Local political, communal and social leaders, elected representatives and officers of other departments concerned are to be brought into it. The committees meet in the first week of every month, and the convenor may call a special meeting on the chairman's direction. Their task is to spot situations that could lead to a law-and-order or communal problem locally, act early, and keep the peace.
District:
Kozhikode
Chairman:
Station House Officer
Convenor:
Grama panchayat secretary
Meetings:
First week of every month
Why it matters for exams: The District Collector's order shows the grama panchayat secretary and the Station House Officer in defined statutory roles, and the grama panchayat is the lowest of Kerala's three panchayat tiers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Station House Officer SHO, the officer in charge of a police station — The officer in charge of a police station; here he chairs the panchayat-level committee.
5 November 2026
Kozhikode has been given a District Vigilance Committee, set up to curb corruption in government and public sector offices and to clear public complaints without delay. The order was issued by District Collector M. S. Madhavikutty, and the Collector chairs the committee. Its convenor is the Deputy Superintendent of Police of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau unit, and the Range Superintendent of Police attends as a special invitee. District level officers of Revenue, Police, Civil Supplies, Local Self Government, Agriculture, Public Works, the Water Authority, KSEB, Excise, Motor Vehicles, Registration and Health sit on it. Anyone with a complaint against a government employee may come to a meeting and place it in person. It reviews its work once in three months and sends a report to the Vigilance Director through the Collector.
Chairman:
District Collector
Convenor:
Deputy Superintendent of Police, VACB unit
Review:
Once in three months
Why it matters for exams: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau and the office of the Vigilance Director are standing Kerala PSC topics, and this order fixes who chairs and convenes a District Vigilance Committee.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
VACB Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau — Kerala's agency against corruption in public office; its unit DySP convenes this committee.
5 November 2026
A newly built Smart Anganwadi has been opened in Ward 6 of Maneed grama panchayat in Ernakulam district. It is Anganwadi No. 107, and the ward had no anganwadi building of its own until now. Women and Child Development Minister Bindu Krishna inaugurated it, and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob presided. K. S. Prasad of Kappumkuzhi, who gave three cents of land free for the building, was felicitated at the function. Anganwadis are the delivery point of the Integrated Child Development Services, which provide supplementary nutrition, pre-school education and health check-ups.
Panchayat:
Maneed, Ernakulam
Anganwadi number:
107
Land donated:
Three cents
Why it matters for exams: Anganwadis are the field units of the Integrated Child Development Services, and the portfolios of Women and Child Development and of Food and Civil Supplies are standard Kerala PSC questions.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
ICDS Integrated Child Development Services — The national programme delivered through anganwadis: nutrition, pre-school education and health checks.
6 November 2026
Kerala now has 30,682 polling stations, 216 more than before, the State's Chief Electoral Officer D. Sajith Babu announced on Friday. The Election Commission of India (ECI) cleared the rationalisation exercise. Until now the State had 30,471 stations, the same count used for the 2026 Assembly elections. Alongside the 216 new stations, five in Ernakulam district were merged and 178 buildings or locations were shifted. Malappuram still has the most stations (3,773), followed by Thiruvananthapuram (3,173) and Ernakulam (3,154), while Wayanad has the fewest (717). Voters per station, facilities, ease of access and terrain were the criteria considered.
Polling stations now:
30,682
New stations added:
216
Chief Electoral Officer:
D. Sajith Babu
Why it matters for exams: The Chief Electoral Officer of a State and the Election Commission's power over elections (Article 324) are standard Polity questions; district-wise polling station counts are Kerala GK.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Chief Electoral Officer Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of a State — The officer who supervises the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections in a State, under the Election Commission.
ECI Election Commission of India — The constitutional body that conducts elections to Parliament, State legislatures and the offices of President and Vice-President.
Rationalisation of polling stations — A periodic review that adds, merges or relocates polling stations so that each serves a manageable number of voters.
6 November 2026
A study by the Kochi-based ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) shows that mangrove cover in Kerala has expanded overall in the last ten years. Researchers compared satellite images of 2017 and 2026 to track mangrove vegetation in the coastal districts. The gain comes after the State lost nearly 90% of its mangroves over the past five decades. Mangroves act as nurseries for fish, shield the coast from cyclones and storm surges, and store carbon. The findings were presented at the international symposium on fisheries and remote sensing at CMFRI. The symposium is organised by the Trevor Platt Science Foundation, the Department of Chemical Oceanography of CUSAT, CMFRI and the Marine Biological Association of India.
Satellite images compared:
2017 and 2026
Mangroves lost over five decades:
nearly 90%
Why it matters for exams: ICAR-CMFRI and its Kochi headquarters, CUSAT, and India's mangrove ecosystems (Sundarbans, coastal protection, carbon storage) are regular environment and Kerala GK questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ICAR-CMFRI Indian Council of Agricultural Research - Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute — India's main marine fisheries research institute, headquartered at Kochi.
CUSAT Cochin University of Science and Technology — A State university at Kochi known for marine sciences and engineering.
Remote sensing — Gathering information about the Earth's surface from satellites or aircraft without physical contact.
5 November 2026
Nithya Raman, who was born in Kerala, has been elected Mayor of Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the U.S. after New York. She defeated the incumbent Mayor, Karen Bass, the first time since 2005 that a sitting mayor there has lost to a challenger. Her early childhood was spent between Thiruvananthapuram, her father's hometown, and Thrissur, where her mother comes from; the family moved to the U.S. when she was six. She studied at Harvard University and earned a master's in urban planning from MIT. In India she led Transparent Chennai, a data-driven sanitation project for slum areas. She entered the Los Angeles City Council in 2020, campaigning on homelessness and housing.
City:
Los Angeles
Defeated:
Karen Bass
Why it matters for exams: Persons in news: Kerala-born Nithya Raman is the Mayor-elect of Los Angeles, the second most populous U.S. city, in California; PTI reports she is the first South Asian mayor of the city.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
Incumbent — The person who currently holds an office.
MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology — A leading U.S. university in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
5 November 2026
The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has told amusement parks in the State to set up child help desks and appoint child safety officers. Its Division Bench of acting chairperson Cicily Joseph and member Shajesh Bhaskar P. acted on a petition from S. Gautham of Kurichakam in Kozhikode. Every ride must be checked by technical safety experts at regular intervals and carry a safety certificate. Each ride needs trained staff and signage children can follow, with safeguards for differently abled children. Parks must display the licencee's details and arrange urgent medical care for accidents. Officials including the Secretary of the Kerala State Pollution Control Board, the Director of Kerala Fire and Rescue Services and the Principal Director of LSGD should form a high-power committee to draw up ride safety rules and a child safety protocol.
Acting chairperson:
Cicily Joseph
Made mandatory:
child safety officers
Why it matters for exams: State child rights commissions are set up under the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005, the same law that created the NCPCR; a regular Polity and social justice question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
KeSCPCR Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights — The State body that monitors and protects children's rights in Kerala, set up under the 2005 child rights commissions law.
LSGD Local Self-Government Department — The Kerala government department in charge of panchayats and urban local bodies.
5 November 2026
The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) at Kochi has recorded 161 cases of marine mammals stranding along the Indian coast in 2024-25. Goa had the highest number (113), followed by Kerala (13) and Maharashtra (11). The largest share were humpback dolphins (Sousa plumbea), with 82 cases, and Indo-Pacific finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides) came next with 44. The institute prepared a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based map to read stranding patterns and guide conservation. The work was led by senior scientist Ratheesh Kumar Raveendran. It was presented at the international symposium on fisheries and remote sensing held at CMFRI.
Strandings recorded:
161
Goa (highest):
113
Most stranded species:
Sousa plumbea
Why it matters for exams: CMFRI works under ICAR and is based at Kochi; GIS and India's coastal dolphins and porpoises are recurring environment and science questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Stranding — When a whale, dolphin or other marine mammal is found alive or dead on a beach or in shallow water.
GIS Geographic Information System — A computer system that stores, maps and analyses location-based data.
CMFRI Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute — ICAR's marine fisheries research institute, headquartered at Kochi.
Background
Kerala's Information and Public Relations Department has just carried a notice of Project Fellow vacancies at the Kerala Forest Research Institute, so the institute itself is worth knowing. KFRI was established in 1975 and has now entered its fiftieth year. Its campus is at Peechi in Thrissur district. Since 2002 it has been a constituent institution of the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment. It works as a multidisciplinary centre for research on tropical forests and forestry, and its stated vision is to be a Centre of Excellence in Tropical Forestry. Its work is organised into 17 research departments, grouped under nine programme divisions. It is one of eight research and development centres in the State.
Established:
1975
Location:
Peechi, Thrissur district
Parent council:
KSCSTE
Research departments:
17, under 9 programme divisions
Why it matters for exams: KFRI's year of establishment, its base at Peechi and its parent council KSCSTE are standing Kerala PSC questions on the State's research institutions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
KSCSTE Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment — The State council whose constituent institutions include KFRI.
Background
Kerala's Information and Public Relations Department has carried a notice of Project Fellow vacancies at the Kerala Forest Research Institute at Peechi, and the institute keeps a set of reference collections that are its most quoted feature. Its collections include a herbarium, a xylarium, an insect repository and a soil museum. It also maintains an arboretum, a bambusetum, an orchidarium, a cane and palmetum, a butterfly garden and a medicinal plants collection. There is a Teak Museum and a Wildlife Museum on the campus. Among its monitoring facilities is a Centre for DNA barcoding and Timber Forensics. It runs sub-centres at Nilambur and at Kuzhur, along with weather stations and permanent plots for long-term monitoring. A xylarium is a reference collection of wood samples, and a bambusetum is a living collection of bamboo species.
Sub-centres:
Nilambur and Kuzhur
Museums:
Teak Museum, Wildlife Museum, Soil museum
Forensics:
Centre for DNA barcoding and Timber Forensics
Why it matters for exams: Terms such as herbarium, xylarium, arboretum and bambusetum, and the location of a State institute's sub-centres, are asked in both science and Kerala institution questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Xylarium Reference collection of wood samples — A collection of identified wood specimens, used to identify timber.
Bambusetum Living collection of bamboos — A garden where many bamboo species are grown together for study.
Background
Kerala's Information and Public Relations Department has carried a notice of Project Fellow vacancies at the Kerala Forest Research Institute at Peechi, and the names of the institute's research groupings show what such a fellow would work on. Sustainable Forest Management covers Tree Physiology, Silviculture and Soil Science. Forest Genetics and Biotechnology covers Genetics, Tree Breeding and Biotechnology. Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation is the widest, holding Forest Ecology, Botany, Wildlife and Non-wood Forest Products. Forest Health brings together Forest Entomology and Forest Pathology, the study of insect pests and of tree diseases. Forestry and Human Dimension holds Forest Economics and Sociology, while Forest Management Information System holds Forest Statistics and GIS and Remote Sensing. Wood Science and Technology, Extension and Training, and Library and Information complete the set of groupings.
Widest grouping:
Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation
Forest Health covers:
Forest Entomology and Forest Pathology
Location:
Peechi, Thrissur district
Why it matters for exams: Knowing that forest entomology and forest pathology are the two arms of forest health, and which branch studies non-wood forest products, is the kind of structural fact a Kerala institutions question turns on.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Forest Entomology Study of forest insects — The branch dealing with insect pests of trees and forests.
Non-wood forest products NWFP — Forest produce other than timber, such as honey, resin, bamboo shoots and medicinal plants.
Background
The Sivagiri trust that chose a new president this week goes back to the Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham, an order of monks Sree Narayana Guru set up himself in 1928. Membership was open to people of any caste, to non-Hindus and to foreigners; the test was renunciation, not birth. The Guru handed his institutions and properties to these sanyasis and wrote the work 'Ashramam' to set out some of their rules. He insisted the Sangham must never shrink into a sect of Hinduism. His disciple Nataraja Guru later founded the Narayana Gurukulam, which first worked from the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu. Because Nataraja Guru saw the Sivagiri Mutt as a model, the Gurukulam's main office is at Sreenivasapuram, Varkala.
Dharma Sangham founded:
1928
Founder of Narayana Gurukulam:
Nataraja Guru
Why it matters for exams: The Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham (founded 1928), the work 'Ashramam' and Nataraja Guru's Narayana Gurukulam are standard Kerala renaissance questions.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Sanyasi — A monk who has renounced worldly life; the Guru described one as a public servant and a philanthropist.
Gurukulam — A teacher-disciple community, comparable to a mutt or ashram, for learning directly from a guru.