The Kerala High Court has accepted the measures the Travancore Devaswom Board placed before it to fix irregularities in ghee sales at Sabarimala.
The matter came from a Special Commissioner's report on misappropriation of ghee sale proceeds, and from an interim report by the Joint Director of the Kerala State Audit Department on the last Mandala-Makaravilakku season.
The Board proposed a scientific system to measure ghee stock in storage tanks and to reconcile the stock with sale proceeds.
Digital flow meters are to measure the ghee that flows to the packing machines.
Ticket issue and ghee distribution are to be handled by separate wings, and everyone is to have his own login for the booking and distribution portals.
Physical stock checks are to be frequent, loss and wastage recorded, and counters covered by CCTV cameras.
The bench said the measures address the major gaps in the present system and must be put in place fully before the coming pilgrimage season.
It directed the Board to hold officers accountable and keep monitoring the new systems, and closed both petitions.
Citation:2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 621
Why it matters for exams: The Travancore Devaswom Board and the Kerala State Audit Department are standing Kerala administration questions.
Kerala has invited applications for two Students Counsellor posts at the Sree Ayyankali Memorial Government Model Residential Sports School at Vellayani in Thiruvananthapuram.
Only candidates from the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes may apply.
An applicant needs experience in counselling and a postgraduate degree in psychology, social work or sociology.
The pay fixed for the post is Rs 20,000 a month.
The appointment is temporary and runs through the 2026-27 academic year.
Applications have to reach the District Scheduled Castes Development Officer at Ayyankali Bhavan, Kanakanagar, Kawdiar in Thiruvananthapuram before 5 p.m. on 21 November.
Each applicant must send a handwritten application on plain white paper with a biodata and attested copies of the certificates of qualification and experience.
The notice gives 0471 2314238 as the number to call.
Posts:twoSalary:₹20,000Last date:November 21
Why it matters for exams: The Model Residential Sports School at Vellayani and the District Scheduled Castes Development Office are standing Kerala welfare administration facts.
The Calicut University Botanical Garden, declared a Biodiversity Heritage Site earlier, now has that recognition put on a formal footing by a gazette notification, and it is the first such site on a university campus in Kerala, which is a good moment to place the State's own botanic research institute. JNTBGRI stands at Palode in Thiruvananthapuram district and works under the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment. The Government of Kerala set it up, and the idea had been taken up after the first United Nations Conference on Human Environment at Stockholm. Professor A. Abraham was its Founder Director, and the Kew Botanic Gardens helped design and lay out the garden in its early years. Before it was renamed for Jawaharlal Nehru it went by the name Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute. Its conservatory garden of wild tropical plant genetic resources covers 300 acres. The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests recognises it as a National Centre of Excellence for conserving tropical plant diversity away from its natural home, and it belongs to Botanic Gardens Conservation International.
Location:Palode, Thiruvananthapuram districtParent body:Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and EnvironmentFounder Director:Professor A. AbrahamGarden area:300 acres
Why it matters for exams: KSCSTE's research institutes, the 300-acre conservatory garden at Palode and its Founder Director are recurring Kerala PSC science and environment questions.
Kerala has lifted its paddy procurement price to Rs 31 a kilogram, so the State's protected rice varieties are worth knowing. Wayanad Jeerakasala Rice sits on the Geographical Indications register as application number 186, and its status there is recorded as registered. Two proprietors hold the tag together. One is Kerala Agricultural University, whose address on the register is in Thrissur district. The other is the Wayanad Jilla Sugandha Nellulpadaka Karshaka Samithi, a growers' body at the rural agricultural wholesale market in Sulthan Bathery. The registry files the goods under agriculture and the class under 30, and names the geographical area as Kerala. Certificate number 137 was granted for the tag, and the registration runs to the year 2029.
Why it matters for exams: Kerala's GI tags are asked by name and by holder, and this one shows a university and a farmers' samithi as joint proprietors.
The State Electricity Regulatory Commission has faulted the electricity board's October demand forecast and the board has filed revised estimates, which is a reminder of how much of Kerala's water sits behind its dams. The largest earthen dam in India is in Wayanad district. Banasura Sagar is built across the Karamanathodu, a tributary of the Kabani river, and was constructed in 1979. It is raised entirely from massive stacks of rock and stone. The name is taken from the Asura king Banasura, a son of Mahabali, who is said to have kept a severe penance in the hills around it. The reservoir is now a visitor spot known for its views and for boating. It lies about 21 km from Kalpetta, the district headquarters.
Distinction:India's largest earthen damStream dammed:KaramanathoduRiver system:Tributary of the KabaniDistance from Kalpetta:21 km
Why it matters for exams: India's largest earthen dam, the river it dams and the myth behind its name are all standard Kerala PSC geography questions.
Palakkad's temple season is at its loudest in November, when the chariot festival at Kalpathi draws decorated temple cars through the streets to steady drumbeats. The district's own drum carries a protection of its own. Maddalam of Palakkad sits on the Geographical Indications register as application number 59, with its status recorded as registered. The registry files it in class 15 and under handicraft goods, and names the geographical area as Kerala. Its applicant is not a local society but the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) in the Union Ministry of Textiles, who applied from New Delhi. Certificate number 65 was issued for the tag. The entry is a reminder that a craft can be protected on an application made by a central office rather than by the makers themselves.
Application number:59Class:15Applicant:Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of TextilesCertificate number:65
Why it matters for exams: Kerala PSC asks which ministry houses the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) and which Kerala crafts carry a GI tag; the maddalam answers both.
MaddalamMaddalam — A barrel drum used in Kerala's temple music.
Development Commissioner (Handicrafts)Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles — The central office that promotes handicrafts and files GI claims for many crafts.
Kanayi Kunhiraman, a sculptor whose large works stand in many parts of Kerala, is about to see his tallest work unveiled at Kasaragod, which is a moment to recall where the State keeps its older sculpture. Krishnapuram Palace stands at Kayamkulam in the Karthikappally taluk of Alappuzha district. The district administration credits Marthandavarma Maharaja with building it. Its fame rests on one mural, which tells the story of Gajendramoksham, dates from the eighteenth century and is among the largest murals in Kerala. The building now works as a palace museum, holding antique sculptures, paintings and bronzes. It sits on National Highway 66, about two kilometres from Kayamkulam railway station. Kanayi's own Yakshi at the Malampuzha dam is the other Kerala sculpture that draws visitors in the same way.
Why it matters for exams: The Gajendramoksham mural, the builder of Krishnapuram Palace and Kanayi Kunhiraman's Yakshi are all recurring Kerala PSC art and culture questions.
Alappuzha has been placed second in the Swachh Survekshan list of India's cleanest coastal towns, so the district's quietest corner is worth a note. Pathiramanal is a small island lying on the backwaters between Thaneermukkom and Kumarakom. The district administration records that it can be reached only by boat. Hundreds of rare migratory birds gather on it from many parts of the world, and that is what brings watchers across the water. The island's name translates as sands of midnight. A story explains the name: a young Brahmin dived into the Vembanad lake for his evening ablutions, and the water is said to have made way for land to rise from below. The nearest railway station is at Alappuzha, about 21 km away.
District:AlappuzhaLies between:Thaneermukkom and KumarakomAccess:Only by boatMeaning of the name:Sands of midnight
Why it matters for exams: Kerala PSC asks where Pathiramanal lies and which lake surrounds it, and the island is the standard example of a backwater bird habitat.
At the very heart of Palakkad town stands an old fort, and the district administration counts it among the best preserved in Kerala. Hyder Ali of Mysore built it, and the British took it over and modified it a little over twenty years later. It is now preserved by the Archeological Survey of India. A museum of Archeology works inside the Fort. Next to the main entrance there is a temple of Lord Hanuman. A moat goes round the fort, a jogging track laid parallel to it serves the morning and evening hours, and the whole area is landscaped. The fort stays open from 0800 to 1800 hrs, and the contact given for it is a Conservation Assistant.
Builder:Hyder Ali of MysorePreserved by:Archeological Survey of IndiaInside the fort:A museum of ArcheologyOpen:0800-1800 hrs
Why it matters for exams: Who built Palakkad Fort and which Survey preserves it today are standard Kerala PSC history questions, and the central role in protecting monuments is a Polity point as well.