2 October 2026
The Department of Commerce has extended the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) scheme up to 31 December 2026.
The extension was made through Notification No. 41/2026-27 dated 30 September 2026.
It covers exports by Domestic Tariff Area units, Advance Authorisation holders, Special Economic Zone units and Export Oriented Units.
The existing RoDTEP rates and value caps specified in Appendices 4R and 4RE as on 30 September 2026 continue unchanged during the extended period.
RoDTEP refunds inherent, non-reimbursable central, state and local duties, taxes and levies borne on exported goods.
The release says the step is meant to assist exporters and give them equal opportunities against competitive economies.
Scheme extended till:
31 December 2026
Notification:
No. 41/2026-27 dated 30 September 2026
Rate appendices:
Appendices 4R and 4RE
Why it matters for exams: Scheme extensions with an exact notification number and end date are standard one-mark material in economy sections.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
RoDTEP Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products — A scheme that refunds embedded central, state and local taxes and duties on exported goods.
EOU Export Oriented Unit — A unit set up to produce goods wholly for export, with duty concessions on inputs.
2 October 2026
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has extended the operational period of Component-II of RELIEF, which stands for Resilience and Logistics Intervention for Export Facilitation.
The extension was made through notification number 37/2026-27 dated 30 September 2026.
RELIEF is a time-bound initiative under the Export Promotion Mission and was launched on 19 March 2026.
Component-II provides 95 per cent risk coverage through ECGC policies for shipments to specified regions, covering Full Container Load, Less than Container Load and reefer containers, but excluding energy shipments.
Premium rates are frozen at pre-disruption levels for eligible periods, and the cover applies to standalone or whole turnover policies obtained on or after 16 March 2026.
The initiative addresses elevated freight costs, higher insurance premiums and war-related export risks faced by Indian exporters in the Gulf and West Asia.
Risk coverage:
95 per cent
Launched on:
19 March 2026
Notification:
37/2026-27 dated 30 September 2026
Why it matters for exams: A new acronym with an exact risk-cover percentage and launch date is easy question material, and it links trade policy to geopolitics.
UPSCBank
In plain words
RELIEF Resilience and Logistics Intervention for Export Facilitation — A time-bound initiative under the Export Promotion Mission to support exporters facing shipping disruptions.
ECGC Export Credit Guarantee Corporation — A government-owned company that provides credit risk insurance to Indian exporters.
2 October 2026
The Government of India has marked 28 geographical locations and features in Ladakh on the official maps of the Survey of India with standardised names and positions.
The Ministry of Home Affairs carried out the exercise in consultation with the Union Territory administration of Ladakh.
The 28 features comprise 10 peaks, 3 mountains, 7 land areas, 2 glaciers, 2 passes, 1 valley, 1 river, 1 lake and 1 water body.
The named features include Kanishka Peak and Zorawar Peak, the Parpik and Skamri glaciers, Guru Rinpoche Lake and the Yangpa River.
Several peaks are named after Buddhist figures such as Milarepa and Rinchen Zangpo.
The stated objective is to enable precise identification of these sites and to generate better public awareness about them.
Features named:
28
Peaks:
10
Glaciers:
2
Land areas:
7
Why it matters for exams: Place-name standardisation in a border Union Territory combines map work, institutions and current affairs in one question.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Survey of India Survey of India — India's national survey and mapping organisation, the authority for official topographic maps.
2 October 2026
Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan laid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat on Gandhi's birth anniversary.
He paid tributes to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri at Vijay Ghat on Shastri's birth anniversary, which falls on the same day, and recalled his call of Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan.
The Vice President also paid tributes to Thiru K. Kamaraj at Upa-Rashtrapati Bhavan on Kamaraj's death anniversary.
He described Kamaraj as a true people's leader who expanded education for underprivileged children, implemented mid-day meal schemes and built roads, irrigation dams and industrial estates that laid the foundation of Tamil Nadu's economic development.
He said Gandhi's legacy of truth and non-violence and his belief in the dignity of every individual call for a reaffirmed commitment to a just, harmonious and inclusive society.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat and to Lal Bahadur Shastri at Vijay Ghat the same day, saying their lives of simplicity, courage and service to the nation continue to inspire generations.
Gandhi memorial:
Rajghat
Shastri memorial:
Vijay Ghat
Kamaraj tribute venue:
Upa-Rashtrapati Bhavan
Why it matters for exams: Examiners regularly ask which memorial belongs to which leader, and which two national figures share a birth anniversary on 2 October.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan — Lal Bahadur Shastri's slogan honouring the soldier and the farmer.
2 October 2026
Ankita Bhakat, Kumkum Anil Mohod and Kirti won India's first ever gold medal in the women's recurve team event at the Asian Games.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the team and said their composure and precision in a closely fought final were remarkable.
He described it as a historic gold that had delighted the entire nation and said it would inspire countless young archers across India.
On the same day Dhiraj Bommadevara and Kumkum Anil Mohod won silver in the recurve mixed team event at the Games.
Kumkum Anil Mohod therefore featured in both the gold-winning and the silver-winning recurve line-ups.
Event:
Women's recurve team archery
Gold-winning team:
Ankita Bhakat, Kumkum Anil Mohod, Kirti
Mixed team silver:
Dhiraj Bommadevara and Kumkum Anil Mohod
Why it matters for exams: A first-ever medal in a named event, with the exact line-up, is the kind of sports fact examiners pick.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Recurve Recurve archery — The Olympic archery discipline, using a bow whose limbs curve away from the archer at the tips.
2 October 2026
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) facilitated the export of 1 metric tonne of popped makhana from Purnea in Bihar to Greece.
The consignment was sourced from Indo Global Export, Purnea, and exported through S. S. Foods Exports Private Limited, New Delhi, moving from Mundra Port in India to Piraeus Port in Greece.
In 2025-26 India exported over 7,000 MT of makhana and makhana products to more than 20 destinations, valued at US$ 22 million.
Bihar accounts for 80 to 85 per cent of India's makhana output, grown on over 35,000 hectares across 10 districts of the state.
Bihar's Agriculture Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said the export is a significant achievement for the state's makhana sector.
The release notes that the shipment fetched higher prices than the domestic market, showing the added value that export-oriented value chains can give farmers.
Quantity exported:
1 metric ton of popped makhana
2025-26 makhana exports:
Over 7,000 MT worth US$ 22 million
Bihar's share of output:
80-85 per cent
Area under cultivation in Bihar:
Over 35,000 hectares in 10 districts
Why it matters for exams: Makhana, Bihar's share in its output and the port pair are exactly the kind of agri-export detail asked in state and central exams.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
APEDA Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority — The statutory body under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry that promotes exports of scheduled agricultural and processed food products.
Makhana Makhana (fox nut) — The popped seed of the prickly water lily, grown mainly in ponds and wetlands of north Bihar.
22 September 2026
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India notified the Telecom Consumers Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2026 (6 of 2026) on 21 September 2026 and released it on 22 September 2026.
The amendment substitutes a proviso in regulation 4 of the Telecom Consumers Protection Regulations, 2012.
Access service providers must offer Special Tariff Vouchers carrying an appropriate tariff reduction exclusively for voice and SMS, across different validity periods.
For every voucher of 30 days or less offered for voice, SMS and data, a corresponding voice-and-SMS-only voucher must be offered.
Operators must also provide a validity renewable on the same date every month, and on the last day of the month where that date does not exist.
At least one voice-and-SMS-only voucher must carry a validity longer than those two, matching the longer-validity vouchers offered for voice, SMS and data.
The regulations come into force thirty days after their publication in the Official Gazette.
TRAI observed that voice-and-SMS-only options had become limited after the Twelfth Amendment of 2024, leaving low-income consumers with limited affordable choices; the final rules followed 1,132 stakeholder responses and an open house discussion.
Regulation:
Telecom Consumers Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2026 (6 of 2026)
Notified on:
21 September 2026; released by TRAI on 22 September 2026
Comes into force:
Thirty days after publication in the Official Gazette
Minimum short validity:
30 days or less for at least one voucher
Why it matters for exams: A named amendment regulation with a dated notification and a clear consumer rule is standard regulator material for PSC and bank exams.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
TRAI Telecom Regulatory Authority of India — The statutory regulator for telecom tariffs and services in India, set up under an Act of 1997.
STV Special Tariff Voucher — A recharge voucher that gives a tariff concession on specified services for a stated validity.
1 October 2026
A Supreme Court bench of Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana requested Attorney General R. Venkataramani to consider a plea to increase the statutory strength of State Bar Councils.
Section 3(2)(b) of the Advocates Act, 1961 caps the elected strength of a State Bar Council at 25 members where the electorate exceeds 10,000 advocates.
The petitioner, advocate Rohit Pandey, argued that the cap has not kept pace with the manifold increase in the electorate, pointing to the Bar Council of Delhi with about two lakh registered advocates.
Pandey polled 2,259 votes in the Delhi Bar Council election but did not win one of the 25 seats, while a woman candidate with 265 votes was elected under the mechanism adopted to implement the Court's direction reserving 30 per cent of seats for women.
Justice Bagchi said the Court was aware of the judicial limitation, which was why it was requesting the Attorney General.
The petition is Rohit Pandey versus Union of India, Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1218 of 2026.
Statutory cap:
25 elected members
Provision:
Section 3(2)(b), Advocates Act, 1961
Case:
Rohit Pandey v. Union of India, W.P.(C) No. 1218/2026
Why it matters for exams: The Advocates Act, 1961 and the composition of Bar Councils are directly examinable, and the case shows the limit of judicial power over statutory numbers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Attorney General for India Attorney General for India — The Union Government's chief legal adviser, appointed by the President under Article 76 of the Constitution.
State Bar Council State Bar Council — The statutory body under the Advocates Act, 1961 that enrols advocates and regulates the profession in a state.
30 September 2026
The Reserve Bank of India released India's external debt data for the quarter ended June 2026.
At end-June 2026, India's external debt was placed at US$ 778.2 billion, an increase of US$ 15.4 billion over its level at end-March 2026.
The external debt to GDP ratio moderated to 20.8 per cent at end-June 2026 from 20.9 per cent at end-March 2026.
Valuation gains due to the appreciation of the US dollar against major currencies such as the Yen and the Euro amounted to US$ 0.9 billion; excluding that valuation effect, external debt would have increased by US$ 16.4 billion.
Long-term debt, with an original maturity of above one year, stood at US$ 624.7 billion, up US$ 11.2 billion over end-March 2026, while the share of short-term debt in total external debt rose to 19.7 per cent from 19.6 per cent.
US dollar-denominated debt remained the largest component with a share of 54.8 per cent, followed by debt denominated in the Indian rupee at 29.8 per cent, the Yen at 6.9 per cent, SDR at 4.1 per cent and the Euro at 3.5 per cent.
Loans remained the largest instrument-wise component at 34.3 per cent, and debt service stood at 5.6 per cent of current receipts, the same as at end-March 2026.
External debt at end-June 2026:
US$ 778.2 billion
Increase over end-March 2026:
US$ 15.4 billion
External debt to GDP ratio:
20.8 per cent
Long-term debt:
US$ 624.7 billion
Share of short-term debt:
19.7 per cent
Largest currency component:
US dollar, 54.8 per cent
Debt service:
5.6 per cent of current receipts
Why it matters for exams: External debt levels, the debt to GDP ratio and the short-term debt to reserves ratio are standard economy questions, and the currency composition of India's external debt is a frequent one-mark fact.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
SDR Special Drawing Rights — The International Monetary Fund's reserve asset, whose value is based on a basket of major currencies.
Debt service Debt service — Principal repayments plus interest payments made on external debt in a period.
Long-term debt Long-term debt — Debt with an original maturity of above one year.
Background
ISRO describes Gaganyaan as the demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of 3 members to an orbit of 400 km for a 3 days mission and bringing them back safely to Earth. The launch vehicle is the Human Rated LVM3 (HLVM3), re-configured to meet human rating requirements. The Crew Module is a pressurised, double-walled habitable space with an Earth-like environment. The Service Module is unpressurised and supports the Crew Module while in orbit. Landing is planned in Indian sea waters.
Crew:
3
Orbit altitude:
400 km
Mission duration:
3 days
Launch vehicle:
Human Rated LVM3 (HLVM3)
Why it matters for exams: Gaganyaan is ISRO's flagship human spaceflight programme and a recurring topic in science and current affairs.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
A Press Information Bureau release states that under the Forest Rights Act, 2006 the Gram Sabha has been assigned a substantial role in implementing the Act. The Gram Sabha initiates the process of determining the nature and extent of individual or community forest rights by receiving claims, consolidating and verifying them, preparing a map of each recommended claim and passing a resolution, a copy of which goes to the Sub-Divisional Level Committee. It is also tasked with protecting wildlife, forest and biodiversity under Section 5.
Year of the Act:
2006
Body that initiates determination of forest rights:
Gram Sabha
Resolution forwarded to:
Sub-Divisional Level Committee
Why it matters for exams: The Forest Rights Act links environment, tribal welfare and local self-government, and appears in all three sections.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary is being observed in India today, and one of the best known Gandhi memorials in Japan stands in Hiroshima.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi in Hiroshima on 20 May 2023, during his visit to Japan for the G-7 Summit.
The 42-inch bronze bust was gifted by India to the city of Hiroshima and was sculpted by Ram Vanji Sutar, a Padma Bhushan awardee.
It is placed adjacent to the Motoyasu river, near the A-Bomb Dome, a site visited by large numbers of residents and tourists.
The bust stands on a greenbelt on the east bank of the river in Naka Ward and is not inside the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park itself, the city having declined a request for placement within the Park.
The Prime Minister said the bust in Hiroshima gives a very important message, and that the Gandhian ideals of peace and harmony reverberate globally and give strength to millions.
Sculptor:
Ram Vanji Sutar
Height:
42 inches, bronze
Location:
Greenbelt on the east bank of the Motoyasu river, Naka Ward, Hiroshima
Unveiled by:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the G-7 Summit visit
Why it matters for exams: Gandhi memorials abroad, the sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar and the exact location in Hiroshima are the kind of detail where a wrong assumption about the Peace Memorial Park costs a mark.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
A-Bomb Dome Atomic Bomb Dome, Hiroshima — The preserved ruin of a Hiroshima building left standing after the 1945 atomic bombing, kept as a peace memorial.