4 November 2026
The Union Cabinet has approved a Viability Gap Funding scheme to add 92 GW of grid-scale energy storage in the country. Of that capacity, 60 GW is pumped hydro storage, 30 GW is battery energy storage and 2 GW is reserved for emerging storage technologies. The scheme carries total financial support of Rs 14,500 crore and runs from FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31. Capacity will be handed out through tariff-based competitive bidding, and both public and private distribution companies can seek the support. Battery projects must meet a minimum 40 per cent domestic content requirement, which is meant to pull manufacturing into India. The release puts the investment the 92 GW should attract at Rs 97,600 crore. It also states a national requirement of 411 GWh of grid-scale storage by 2031-32, against which this award is set.
Total support:
Rs 14,500 crore
Capacity:
92 GW
Pumped hydro share:
60 GW
Battery storage share:
30 GW
Expected investment:
Rs 97,600 crore
Minimum domestic content for BESS:
40%
Why it matters for exams: Viability Gap Funding and the Battery Energy Storage System are standing terms in the power sector, and the 92 GW split between pumped hydro and batteries is the kind of scheme detail asked in economy and infrastructure papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
VGF Viability Gap Funding — Government capital support that makes an otherwise unviable infrastructure project bankable.
BESS Battery Energy Storage System — A battery bank that stores electricity from the grid and returns it when demand rises.
4 November 2026
The Union Cabinet has cleared the Viksit Bharat Initiative - Statistical Transformation, Analysis and Research Scheme, called VISTAR, with an outlay of Rs 4,371.10 crore for FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31. The scheme belongs to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation and is meant to make official data quicker, standardised and usable by machines. It plans 59 surveys during the Sixteenth Finance Commission period, against 43 major surveys conducted earlier. A second component gives states and union territories money and technical help to produce district and local level estimates, including for the Periodic Labour Force Survey and the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey. The third component will run the Eighth Economic Census, covering every non-agricultural establishment and its workers down to gram panchayat and ward level. That census will also become the base for a National Statistical Business Register. New measures such as an Index of Production of Services and an Index of Unorganised Sector Enterprises are part of the plan.
Outlay:
Rs 4,371.10 crore
Period:
FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31
Surveys planned:
59
Economic Census:
8th
Why it matters for exams: VISTAR's full form, its parent ministry MoSPI, the Eighth Economic Census and the National Statistical Business Register are all name-level facts that reports-and-indices questions turn on.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
VISTAR Viksit Bharat Initiative - Statistical Transformation, Analysis and Research Scheme — The central scheme approved in 2026 to modernise India's official statistics.
MoSPI Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation — The Union ministry that produces national accounts and runs the large household surveys.
4 November 2026
The Union Cabinet has approved the Capital Expenditure Assistance Scheme for Promotion of Critical Mineral Processing, with an outlay of Rs 2,814 crore. It will support four plants: two for lithium, each of at least 30,000 metric tonnes capacity, and two for nickel, each of at least 50,000 metric tonnes. Cobalt is expected to come out as a by-product of nickel processing. Each selected firm gets a capital subsidy of 30 per cent of eligible investment, capped at Rs 500 crore for a lithium plant and Rs 900 crore for a nickel plant. Beneficiaries will be picked in two stages, a technical eligibility screen followed by financial bidding, with two winners for each mineral chosen on the lowest subsidy sought. Payments come in three tranches tied to targets. The scheme runs for five years, from FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31, and is meant to cut India's dependence on imported battery-grade material.
Outlay:
Rs 2,814 crore
Capital subsidy:
30% of eligible investment
Cap per lithium plant:
Rs 500 crore
Cap per nickel plant:
Rs 900 crore
Plants supported:
4 (2 lithium, 2 nickel)
Why it matters for exams: Lithium, nickel and cobalt are the battery minerals named again and again in critical-mineral questions, and the 30 per cent capital subsidy with separate caps for lithium and nickel is the scheme's identifying detail.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Critical mineral Critical mineral — A mineral whose supply is vital to clean energy or high technology and at risk of disruption.
4 November 2026
The Union Cabinet has approved continuing the centrally sponsored Fast Track Special Courts scheme for five more years, from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2031. The scheme pays for speedy trial of rape cases and cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Its total outlay is Rs 3,788.04 crore, of which the central share is Rs 2,353.15 crore and the state and union territory share Rs 1,434.89 crore. The central share comes from the Nirbhaya Fund. Coverage grows from 779 functional courts, of which 399 are exclusive POCSO courts, to 850, with the expansion decided on pending case data. Each court is staffed with a judicial officer, a dedicated Special Public Prosecutor and six support staff. The Department of Justice runs the scheme, which began on 2 October 2019 under the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018 and in compliance with a Supreme Court order of 2019. The release says 4,02,457 cases have been disposed of since the scheme started.
Total outlay:
Rs 3,788.04 crore
Central share:
Rs 2,353.15 crore
State and UT share:
Rs 1,434.89 crore
Courts after expansion:
850
Cases disposed since launch:
4,02,457
Why it matters for exams: The Nirbhaya Fund as the source of the central share, POCSO as the governing Act and the Department of Justice as the implementing arm are the three durable facts this scheme is always asked on.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
POCSO Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 — The Act that defines sexual offences against children and provides for special courts to try them.
Nirbhaya Fund Nirbhaya Fund — A dedicated central fund for schemes that protect and empower women.
4 November 2026
The Union Cabinet has cleared a change in the Agnipath scheme that lets every Agniveer work towards regular service in the defence forces. Until now only 25 per cent of each batch, picked on merit, moved into regular service at the end of four years. On the recommendation of the defence forces, the remaining 75 per cent will now get an additional service period of two years, which they may take up voluntarily. After those two years, all of them may be enrolled as regular soldiers if they wish and if they meet the selection criteria. Agniveers in the second service period will get higher pay, a better service fund package and seniority-related benefits. The Cabinet also decided that Agnipath itself will continue. The release says the forces assessed the first four years of the scheme and reported gains in skills, technical adaptability, physical fitness and discipline, and wider recruitment across districts.
Share already absorbed on merit:
25%
Share getting the extension:
75%
Additional service period:
Two years
Why it matters for exams: Agnipath and the Agniveer rank, with the 25 per cent regular-absorption figure, are standard defence-services questions, and the two-year extension is the new durable fact.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Agnipath Agnipath scheme — The 2022 recruitment model under which soldiers, sailors and airmen are enrolled as Agniveers for a fixed term.
4 November 2026
The Supreme Court has held that laws penalising people for having more than two children have lost their relevance, and has referred the 2003 judgment in Javed v. State of Haryana to a larger bench. Javed, decided by three judges, had upheld a provision of the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 that disqualified candidates with more than two living children from local body elections. The present case came from Mangala Bhimrao, a former Sarpanch of Kakoda Gram Panchayat, who was disqualified under Section 14(1)(j-1) of the Maharashtra Village Panchayat Act, 1959 after the birth of her third child. Justices P.S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe set aside the disqualification. The bench noted that India's total fertility rate has fallen from 3 at the time of Javed to 1.9, below the replacement level of 2.1, and warned of an ageing population. It said such a bar excludes a whole class of citizens from political representation and touches reproductive autonomy under Article 21. The Court asked counsel to compile a list of State laws that bar candidates with more than two children.
Judgment referred to a larger bench:
Javed v. State of Haryana (2003)
India's total fertility rate now:
1.9
Replacement level:
2.1
Why it matters for exams: Javed v. State of Haryana, the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 and the replacement-level fertility rate of 2.1 are the three durable facts a two-child norm question rests on.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
TFR Total Fertility Rate — The average number of children a woman would bear over her reproductive life.
4 November 2026
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has launched Network Experience, a geospatial and analytical platform that shows how mobile and fixed broadband networks actually perform. It runs at anubhav.trai.gov.in and brings together test results from TRAI's MySpeed and MyCall apps, the regulator's own independent drive tests and tests run through the new web interface. Users can view results on a map, filter them by service provider and technology, see download and upload speeds and download reports. The platform reports percentile measures rather than averages: P-50 is the median speed, P-80 is used for mobile broadband and P-90 for fixed broadband. A Do Not Disturb web interface sits inside the same portal, where a user can set preferences for commercial calls and messages, file complaints and track them. Telecom service providers get a secure view of call quality, coverage and internet test data to locate weak areas. TRAI has also opened a MySpeed software development kit so that other apps can add connectivity measurement. TRAI Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti spoke at the launch.
Portal:
anubhav.trai.gov.in
Apps feeding the data:
MySpeed and MyCall
Median metric:
P-50
Why it matters for exams: TRAI's full form, the statute of 1997 that created it and its consumer tools MySpeed and MyCall are repeat questions; the new portal name anubhav.trai.gov.in is the fresh fact.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
TRAI Telecom Regulatory Authority of India — The statutory regulator for telecom tariffs and quality of service in India.
DND Do Not Disturb — The TRAI register through which a subscriber blocks unwanted commercial calls and messages.
4 November 2026
Indian Railways loaded 145.07 million tonnes of freight in October 2026, against 133.93 million tonnes in the same month a year earlier, a rise of 8.32 per cent. Cumulative loading from April to October 2026 reached 978.78 million tonnes, up 4.67 per cent from 935.10 million tonnes. Coal rake supply averaged 469.8 rakes a day, 19.5 per cent more than the 393.2 rakes a day of a year before. Among commodities, foodgrains grew fastest at 26.3 per cent, followed by domestic coal at 16 per cent and other goods at 11 per cent. Clinker rose 10.4 per cent and domestic containers 6.3 per cent, while iron ore gained 5 per cent and mineral oil 1.9 per cent. Finished steel was almost flat at 0.5 per cent. Freight is the main earner for the railways, so the monthly loading figure is watched as a measure of industrial activity.
October 2026 loading:
145.07 million tonnes
Growth over October 2025:
8.32%
April-October 2026 cumulative:
978.78 million tonnes
Coal rakes a day:
469.8
Why it matters for exams: Monthly freight loading is the standard indicator cited for Indian Railways in economy questions, and the April-October cumulative figure of 978.78 million tonnes is the comparable number for the year.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
Rake Rake — A full set of railway wagons moved together as one train load.
4 November 2026
The Conference of Chairpersons of the Public Accounts Committees of Parliament and the State and Union Territory legislatures, held at Thiruvananthapuram and organised by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, has adopted a resolution on audit and accountability. The resolution commits the committees to scrutinise the release of public funds closely so that money is used for the purpose for which it was voted. It asks for a common digital portal through which PACs can share knowledge and practices, and for digital monitoring systems, including an audit paragraph monitoring system, in every state and union territory PAC. It sets out an action plan with fixed deadlines for states and union territories to file action-taken reports on audit paragraphs and PAC recommendations. State and union territory committees are to hold at least three meetings a month and may set up sub-committees to clear pending audit comments. The resolution also seeks stronger cooperation with the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General, including the use of forensic tools and the mapping of high-risk governance areas. The conference was held on 3 and 4 November.
Venue:
Thiruvananthapuram
Organiser:
Lok Sabha Secretariat
Minimum meetings a month resolved:
Three
Why it matters for exams: The Public Accounts Committee examines the audit reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General, an office created by Article 148, and the Lok Sabha Secretariat is the body that convenes such conferences.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
PAC Public Accounts Committee — The legislative committee that examines the appropriation accounts and the audit reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General.
3 November 2026
The National Land Monetisation Corporation has completed the second phase of its e-auction of surplus land belonging to Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited at Visakhapatnam. In this phase 114 plots were sold for about Rs 218 crore, against a combined reserve price of about Rs 184.81 crore, which works out to bids averaging 17.96 per cent above reserve. The highest bid was Rs 1,82,650 a square yard, and one plot fetched a premium of 67.65 per cent over its reserve price. In the first phase in October, 150 plots had been sold for about Rs 366.33 crore against a reserve of Rs 312.48 crore. Taken together, 264 plots have been sold for about Rs 584.33 crore against a reserve of Rs 497.29 crore, a premium of 17.50 per cent. NLMC is a wholly government-owned company under the Department of Public Enterprises in the Ministry of Finance, set up to monetise surplus land and buildings of central public sector enterprises. RINL runs the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. A third auction is planned for the remaining plots.
Plots sold in Phase II:
114
Phase II realisation:
About Rs 218 crore
Highest bid:
Rs 1,82,650 per square yard
Combined realisation of both phases:
About Rs 584.33 crore
Why it matters for exams: NLMC's full form, the Department of Public Enterprises under the Ministry of Finance that owns it, and RINL as the operator of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant are the durable facts here.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
NLMC National Land Monetisation Corporation — A government-owned company that monetises surplus land and buildings of central public sector enterprises.
RINL Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited — The central public sector steel maker that runs the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.
4 November 2026
A seven-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Surya Kant has held that a State legislature may levy an additional tax, surcharge or cess calculated on an existing sales or purchase tax. The issue reached the Court through a challenge to Section 5A of the Orissa Sales Tax Act of 1947, under which dealers crossing stated turnover levels paid an extra tax. The appellants argued the levy strayed beyond Entry 54 of the State List, taxes on the sale or purchase of goods, and trespassed on Parliament's power over taxes on income in Entry 82 of the Union List. The Court approved S, kodar v. State of Kerala and said an additional tax computed as a percentage of sales tax payable is only an enhancement of the sales tax rate. The bench also recorded that India Cement v, state of Tamil Nadu is no longer good law after the nine-judge ruling in Mineral Area Development Authority. Because the statutes involved have since been replaced, the Court said the reference made in 1999 has become academic and disposed of it. Justice K.V, viswanathan wrote a concurring opinion.
Bench strength:
Seven judges
Statute in question:
Section 5A, Orissa Sales Tax Act, 1947
State List entry upheld:
Entry 54
Why it matters for exams: Entry 54 of the State List, Entry 82 of the Union List and the precedent S. Kodar v. State of Kerala are exactly the Polity and taxation details asked on the distribution of legislative powers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Entry 54 Entry 54 of List II of the Seventh Schedule — The State List entry on taxes on the sale or purchase of goods.