Kerala will widen the Deposit Guarantee Scheme so that every co-operative society eligible to accept deposits comes under it, Co-operation and Excise Minister M. Liju said. About 4,000 societies are inside the scheme at present. Changes will be made so that societies facing a deposit crisis also get its benefit. The Minister said more than 20,000 co-operative societies work across the state and that the sector contributes about eight per cent of Kerala's gross domestic product. A common software linking every society is to be brought in, to help auditing and co-ordination. The government also wants the sector's money used in development work, including power projects, with priority only for projects that earn well. Under the Aswasa scheme, he said, more than 70,000 applications were settled and ₹400 crore was returned to co-operative societies. He was speaking as chairman of the state-level inauguration of the 73rd All India Co-operative Week.
Societies now in the scheme:About 4,000Co-operative societies in Kerala:More than 20,000Share of state GDP:About eight per centReturned under Aswasa:₹400 crore
Why it matters for exams: The Deposit Guarantee Scheme, the Aswasa scheme and the co-operative sector's share of Kerala's gross domestic product are the kind of figures and scheme names Kerala PSC asks under co-operation.
Justice A. Badharudeen of the Kerala High Court has observed that it is high time the legislature considered reducing to 16 years the age up to which a person is treated as a juvenile. The judge pointed to the nature of the offences involved and to the maturity children show by that age. The observation came while the court heard a writ petition filed by Vinod Vikraman Pillai, who runs an online news portal, about bars in the state serving liquor to persons below 23 years. Sections 15A and 15B of the Kerala Abkari Act bar serving liquor to a person below that age. The petition, which followed a fatal crash at Nedumbassery involving a teenaged driver, asked for electronic age verification before liquor is served. The court said the matter needs a detailed hearing and directed the Excise Commissioner to file a statement on the directions issued to enforce the bar. The case was listed for 24 November. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said he welcomed the court's view on the juvenile age.
Age suggested for a juvenile:16 yearsAbkari Act sections cited:Sections 15A and 15BMinimum age to be served liquor:23 years
Why it matters for exams: The age of a child in conflict with law under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and the Kerala Abkari Act's bar on serving liquor to young persons are both standard law questions.
Juvenile Justice ActJuvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 — The central law under which a person below 18 years is a child and is dealt with by a Juvenile Justice Board.
Figures reported this week put the number of children from outside Kerala in the state's schools at 24,525, in Classes 1 to 10. Most of them are children of inter-State migrant workers, and the count comes from the General Education Department's statistics wing. The scheme built for them is called Jyothi, started so that every child of a migrant worker gets schooling. The figure was 21,299 the year before, so enrolment rose by about 15 per cent. Of the children now enrolled, 13,553 are boys and 10,972 girls, and Class 1 has the largest number. Every State and Union Territory except Mizoram is represented, with Tamil Nadu, Assam, West Bengal and Bihar sending the most. Ernakulam district holds the largest share, at 6,506 children. Bilingual teachers have been put in place to help with the language gap.
Children enrolled:24,525Previous year:21,299District with the most:Ernakulam, 6,506Scheme:Jyothi
Why it matters for exams: Jyothi is a named Kerala scheme for the schooling of migrant workers' children, and the department that publishes the enrolment data is itself an exam fact.
The oath that Kerala's new Local Self Government Ombudsman will take this week is to be administered by the Governor. The holder of that office is Om Prakash Mathur, who was sworn in as the 29th Governor of Kerala at Lok Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram. Chief Justice Soumen Sen of the Kerala High Court administered the oath to him, in Hindi. He succeeded Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, who was moved to Tamil Nadu as its Governor. Om Prakash Mathur came into public life as a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh pracharak, was a Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary in charge of Gujarat, and was a member of the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan. A Governor of a state is appointed by the President and holds office during the President's pleasure, and the same person may be Governor of two or more states.
Number in the line:29th Governor of KeralaVenue of the oath:Lok Bhavan, ThiruvananthapuramPredecessor:Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar
Why it matters for exams: Which number Governor a holder is, who administers the oath and whom the holder succeeded are standard polity questions, and the Governor's office is where many Kerala appointments are formally made.