Kudumbashree has invited an attractive name and a logo for the student groups under its Kudumbashree @Campus scheme. The scheme forms groups of women students in colleges to start ventures in creative fields, technology and the service and production sectors. It also covers skill training, income generation and social participation. Kudumbashree says it will give support and financial assistance at every stage, from the idea to marketing. All college students in Keralam may take part in the contest, and a special prize is offered for the name and logo selected. An entry must carry a certificate from the head of the institution or department confirming that the student is enrolled. Entries go by email to kudumbashreeprcontest@gmail.com, and the last date is November 16.
Scheme:Kudumbashree @CampusLast date for entries:November 16
Why it matters for exams: Kudumbashree is the Kerala State Poverty Eradication Mission, and the name of a new Kudumbashree scheme is exactly the kind of fact Kerala PSC asks.
KudumbashreeState Poverty Eradication Mission, Kerala — The Kerala government's women-centred poverty eradication mission, built on neighbourhood groups.
The Kerala Folklore Academy has invited applications for a stipend for children who train in folk arts for one year. The stipend is ₹300 per month. Boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 17 may apply. The family's annual income must be below ₹1 lakh. Anyone who has received this stipend earlier should not apply again. Selection is made through an aptitude test. Completed applications with the required documents must reach the Secretary, Kerala Folklore Academy, Chirakkal, Kannur, by November 30, and the form is available on the Academy's website.
Stipend:₹300 per monthAge limit:10 to 17 yearsAnnual family income limit:Below ₹1 lakh
Why it matters for exams: The Kerala Folklore Academy, its headquarters at Chirakkal in Kannur and the stipend amount are all askable facts about a State cultural institution.
The Kerala State Civil Service Academy (KSCSA) will hold interview training for candidates who have qualified for the UPSC Civil Services interview. The training is given under the Academy's adoption scheme. Civil service officers take part in the training. Candidates from Keralam who have passed the UPSC Civil Services Main examination and been called for the interview are eligible. Those who wish to take part must register through the Academy's website. A copy of the application and the hall ticket of the Main examination, with the other required documents, must be submitted to the Academy. The Academy has given two telephone numbers for enquiries.
Institution:Kerala State Civil Service Academy (KSCSA)Scheme:Adoption scheme
Why it matters for exams: KSCSA is the Kerala government's own civil services training institution, and the three-stage shape of the UPSC Civil Services Examination is a standing question.
Private buses in Keralam are to be given flexible timings during peak hours, Transport Minister C.P. John said at Thrissur. The relaxation is proposed for a morning window of 8.30 to 11 in the forenoon and an evening window of 4 to 7. Operators would get extra travel time in these windows and would not be penalised for delay caused by traffic congestion. The Minister said the timetables, framed decades ago, are a main cause of racing between buses on the same route. Present rules require a bus to cover one kilometre in two and a half minutes, which is hard to meet in the congestion at Ernakulam and Kannur. He said the system must be corrected before strict action is taken against operators who break traffic rules. A meeting of Regional Transport Officers at Kannur has issued instructions on the matter.
Morning peak window:8.30 a.m. to 11 a.m.Evening peak window:4 p.m. to 7 p.m.Present timetable norm:One kilometre in two and a half minutes
Why it matters for exams: The office of Transport Minister of Keralam and the one-kilometre-in-two-and-a-half-minutes timetable norm for stage carriages are both askable facts.
The fish farm of the Agency for Development of Aquaculture, Keralam (ADAK) at Poyya in Thrissur is to become a model aquaculture centre. Fisheries Minister V E. Abdul Gafoor said the farm, now running at a loss, should become profitable and self-sustaining within a year with help from an expert consultancy. An aqua tourism project will be added without harming fish farming, and the 3.8-kilometre perimeter of the farm will be put to fuller use. Fish from the farm is to reach local people first through small units and local sales, and a food processing training centre is planned. Minister O J. Janeesh, who chaired the review meeting at the farm, suggested making it a brackish water aquaculture training hub. Fish pickle, dried fish kiosks and ready-to-cook units that had stopped will be revived.
Farm perimeter (km):3.8
Why it matters for exams: ADAK, the State agency for aquaculture under the Fisheries Department, and brackish water farming are Kerala PSC fisheries topics.
Startup E Plus, a scheme to build enterprise and job skills among students, was opened at the Government Vocational Higher Secondary School in Koyilandy. It was drawn up for the Vadakara Lok Sabha constituency and inaugurated by Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, who also flagged off a special startup vehicle. The scheme runs in five phases. First, startup clubs will be formed in every school and college of the constituency, and the work will later spread to major colleges in Keralam. The vehicle will visit campuses to collect ideas from students, followed by an idea hackathon and a startup conclave. The fifth phase is an investors meet backed by the IIM, the NIT, the Kerala Startup Mission and the Industries Department. A Startup E+ portal registers new startups, and actor Basil Joseph is the brand ambassador.
Phases:5
Why it matters for exams: New schemes, their brand ambassadors and the Kerala Startup Mission are frequent Kerala PSC current-affairs questions.
The Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs is starting Khelo Keralam 2026, a championship to identify sports talent in schools. The aim is to find gifted children early, give them scientific training and raise them to national and international level. Talent will be picked from all 163 sub-districts of the State, with contests at the sub-district, district and State levels. The scheme also sets up a sports talent development system that runs for 10 years, from school level up to State level. Sports Minister O J Janeesh is to open it on 12 November at Lulu Mall in Thiruvananthapuram. The logo, mascot, a promotional video and the registration portal will be released at the same event.
Sub-districts covered:163Talent development span (years):10
Why it matters for exams: State sports programmes and the department behind them, here the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs, are asked in Kerala PSC sports questions.
Sub-districtEducational sub-district — The administrative unit below the education district under which schools are grouped for events such as sports meets.
MascotMascot (ഭാഗ്യമുദ്ര in the release) — A symbolic figure or character chosen to represent an event or programme.
The Chief Minister is to inaugurate construction work on the Digital Science Park of Keralam on 12 November. The project is led by the Digital University. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid its foundation stone on 25 April 2023, calling it India's first third generation Digital Science Park; it is coming up at Technopark Phase IV-Technocity in Thiruvananthapuram. Its main aim is to close the gap between advanced digital research and industry by bringing universities, companies and government together, and so create jobs through new technology, joint research and startups. The function is at the C-DAC hall in Technopark Phase-I, where Industries, IT and Artificial Intelligence Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty will hand selection letters to second-phase startups of the India AI Centre of Excellence. Digital University Vice Chancellor Saji Gopinath is among the speakers.
Phase of India AI CoE startups given letters:2Foundation stone laid (year):2023
Why it matters for exams: Knowledge-economy projects such as the Digital Science Park and the Digital University that leads it are recurring Kerala PSC science and technology topics.
C-DACCentre for Development of Advanced Computing — A research body of the Union Ministry of Electronics and IT that works on computing and electronics.
Centre of ExcellenceIndia AI Centre of Excellence — A specialised hub that supports research and startups in a chosen field, here artificial intelligence.
The Kerala State Institute of Children's Literature is holding the Thalir Scholarship Exam 2026. The exam is meant to encourage knowledge across subjects and the reading habit among children. Students of Classes 5 to 7 compete in the junior category, and those of Classes 8 to 10 in the senior category. Registration is online through scholarship.ksicl.kerala.gov.in until 15 December. The registration fee is Rs 250.
Registration fee (Rs):250
Why it matters for exams: The Kerala State Institute of Children's Literature and its Thalir programmes are asked in Kerala PSC questions on cultural and literary institutions.
Keralam has relaxed the conditions of the Co-operative Risk Fund scheme, which helps the families of people who took loans from co-operative banks. Until now, a loan that was six months behind on repayment was refused the benefit. From now on, help will be given even when the arrears run up to one year. If the borrower dies of a very serious illness such as cancer or kidney disease, the benefit will be paid however many months the loan is overdue; new rules have been framed for this. Co-operation and Excise Minister M Liju opened the State-level distribution at Jawahar Sahakarana Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram on 9 November. In this round, Rs 37.27 crore goes to the dependents of 3,420 borrowers who died before repaying. The scheme is run by the Kerala Co-operative Development and Welfare Fund Board, and the District Joint Registrars will lead the distribution in each district.
Aid released this round (Rs crore):37.27Borrowers whose dependents get aid:3,420Old arrears limit (months):6
Why it matters for exams: Co-operative sector schemes and the bodies that run them, such as the Co-operative Development and Welfare Fund Board, are regular Kerala PSC topics.
Co-operative Risk FundSahakarana Risk Fund scheme — A Kerala scheme that gives financial aid towards the co-operative loan of a borrower who dies or suffers a fatal illness.
Joint RegistrarJoint Registrar of Co-operative Societies — The district-level officer of the Co-operation Department who supervises co-operative societies.
Keralam has invited applications for officer posts on its Mental Health Review Boards. These boards were set up in the State under Section 73 of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017. Applications are to be sent by 26 November, and details are on the website of the State Mental Health Authority, www.ksmha.org. The 2017 Act is the central law on the care and rights of persons with mental illness. Section 73 is the provision under which Mental Health Review Boards are constituted. Filling these posts lets the boards carry out their work under the Act.
Section of the Act:73Year of the Act:2017
Why it matters for exams: The Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 and the bodies it creates, such as Mental Health Review Boards under Section 73, are asked in Polity and health questions.
MHRBMental Health Review Board — A board under the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 that oversees how the rights of persons with mental illness are protected.
KSMHAKerala State Mental Health Authority — The State authority under the Mental Healthcare Act whose website carries the application details.
Ottanthullal is a solo satirical dance-drama of Kerala, about 300 years old. In Malayalam, ottan means to run or leap, and thullal means dancing or jumping in rhythm. It was founded by Kunchan Nambiar, a Malayalam poet of the eighteenth century. The form is said to have grown out of an insult: Nambiar, drumming for a Chakyar Koothu act, fell asleep, was mocked, and built an art that mocked back. A performer works with 24 mudras and the nine rasas, sings verses to the beat of the mridangam, and shifts from one character to another without changing costume. One of the earliest tales in the form is Kalyana Saugandhikam, drawn from the Mahabharata, in which Bhima goes in search of a rare scented flower for Draupadi. Nambiar used such episodes to ridicule caste snobbery, corrupt officials and the hypocrisy of the pious, and the form is remembered as an instrument of social critique. It is often called the poor man's Kathakali, and the Kerala Kalamandalam teaches a diploma course in Thullal.
Founder:Kunchan NambiarAge of the form:300-year-oldHand gestures used:24 mudrasAn early tale:Kalyana SaugandhikamDiploma taught at:Kerala Kalamandalam
Why it matters for exams: Ottanthullal was founded by the eighteenth-century poet Kunchan Nambiar after he was mocked while drumming for a Chakyar Koothu act; it uses 24 mudras and the nine rasas, and the Kerala Kalamandalam teaches a diploma course in Thullal.