13 October 2026
The 13th All India Sustainable Mountain Development Summit was held from October 12 to 14 at the Shalimar Convention Centre of SKUAST-Kashmir in Srinagar.
Its theme was "Contouring Sustainable Himalayan Landscapes for Inclusive Viksit Bharat", and it was jointly organised by SKUAST-K and the Integrated Mountain Initiative (IMI).
Deliberations centred on the draft Jammu & Kashmir Sustainable Mountain Development Policy 2026.
Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh said preserving the Himalayas is a national responsibility.
He said DST has identified three centres for Himalayan climate research, at the University of Kashmir, Sikkim University and Tezpur University, under the National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem.
He added that India's weather radar network has grown from 16 radars in 2014 to 50, with another 50 planned under Mission Mausam.
Summit dates:
October 12-14, 2026
Venue:
Shalimar Convention Centre, SKUAST-K
Policy under discussion:
Draft J&K Sustainable Mountain Development Policy 2026
Weather radars:
16 (2014) to 50
Why it matters for exams: Himalayan ecology, NAPCC missions and state-level mountain policy are linked environment topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
SKUAST-K Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir — The agricultural university of the Kashmir division, with its campus at Shalimar, Srinagar.
NMSHE National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem — One of the missions under India's National Action Plan on Climate Change, handled by the Department of Science and Technology.
Mission Mausam — The Union government's mission to upgrade weather observation and forecasting.
13 October 2026
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday reviewed arrangements for the Darbar Move, the shifting of Jammu and Kashmir's capital between Srinagar and Jammu.
He directed JKRTC and the Traffic Department to move employees and records over two days, October 31 and November 1.
The capital moves from Srinagar to Jammu every year in the first week of November.
The 150-year-old practice was started by Dogra Maharaja Gulab Singh.
Commissioner Secretary of the General Administration Department M Raju presented the convoy plan.
A Winter Secretariat will function in Srinagar, with monthly rosters for Ministers and Administrative Secretaries from November.
Convoy dates:
October 31 and November 1
Winter capital:
Jammu (from first week of November)
Started by:
Dogra Maharaja Gulab Singh
Age of practice:
150 years
Why it matters for exams: The Darbar Move, J&K's twin capitals and the Dogra rulers are frequent state-focus and history questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Darbar Move — The twice-yearly shifting of Jammu and Kashmir's seat of government between Srinagar (summer) and Jammu (winter).
JKRTC Jammu and Kashmir Road Transport Corporation — The public road transport undertaking of Jammu and Kashmir.
Gulab Singh — Founder of the Dogra dynasty that ruled the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.
2 October 2026
In a first for the Union Territory, two mineral blocks in Jammu and Kashmir have been successfully auctioned through the Ministry of Mines.
The J&K government had entrusted the auction to the Ministry under the Central Government's mineral auction process.
The Koot–Kapran Limestone Block, in Koot and Kapran villages of Dooru Tehsil in Anantnag district, covers 22.43 hectares with estimated resources of 4.75 million tonnes, explored to the G-4 stage.
The Wantrag Limestone Block covers 5.36 hectares with estimated resources of 10.853 million tonnes, explored to the G-3 stage with 159 metres of drilling.
The Ministry said the auction marks the start of organised mineral development in the UT.
Koot–Kapran block:
22.43 ha, 4.75 million tonnes, G-4
Wantrag block:
5.36 ha, 10.853 million tonnes, G-3
District (Koot–Kapran):
Anantnag
Why it matters for exams: Mineral auctions under the MMDR framework and exploration stages (G-1 to G-4) are standard economy and geography questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
G-4 / G-3 stage — Stages of mineral exploration under the UN Framework Classification; G-4 is reconnaissance and G-3 is preliminary exploration.
Limestone — A sedimentary rock that is the main raw material for cement.
Background
The former State of Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised into the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh.
The reorganisation took effect from 31st October 2019 under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.
The Act is Act No. 34 of 2019 and is listed under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Jammu and Kashmir Affairs.
The new Union Territory of Ladakh consists of two districts of Kargil and Leh.
The remaining area of the former State forms the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
In 1947 the former State had 14 districts, and by 2019 the state government had reorganized the areas of these 14 districts into 28 districts.
The maps of the new union territories were prepared by the Survey General of India.
Act number:
Act No. 34 of 2019
Reorganisation effective from:
31st October 2019
Districts in Union Territory of Ladakh:
2 (Kargil and Leh)
Ministry:
Ministry of Home Affairs
Why it matters for exams: Examiners test the union territory structure of Jammu and Kashmir and which districts fall in Ladakh, because it changes both the polity map and the administrative list of India.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Union Territory — A part of India administered directly by the Union Government, not by a state government.
Survey General of India — The head of the national surveying and mapping organisation that prepares India's official maps.
Background
Kashmir Saffron is entered in India's Geographical Indications Registry with application number 635.
Its date of filing is 03-12-2018 and its status is shown as Registered.
The geographical indication is registered in Class 30 and the goods are recorded as Agricultural.
The applicant is The Agriculture Production Department J & K, with Jammu & Kashmir given as the geographical area.
The registration carries certificate number 366 and is shown as valid up to 02-12-2028.
The application was published in Journal Number 127, and more than a hundred authorised users are listed against the registration.
GI application number:
635
Class:
30
Goods:
Agricultural
Certificate number:
366
Why it matters for exams: Geographical indication questions ask which product belongs to which state and under which class it is registered, and saffron is the best known farm GI of the Kashmir valley.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Geographical Indication GI — A sign used on goods that have a specific geographical origin and qualities owed to that origin.
Authorised user — A producer in the registered area who is permitted on the register to use the geographical indication.
Background
Dachigam National Park is located 22 km from Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir.
It covers an area of 141 sq km.
The name literally stands for 'ten villages', said to recall the ten villages relocated to create the park.
The park is best known as the home of the hangul, or Kashmir stag.
Dachigam was initially established to ensure the supply of clean drinking water to Srinagar city.
A protected area since 1910, it was declared as a national park in 1981.
Area:
141 sq km
Distance from Srinagar:
22 km
Protected area since:
1910
Declared a national park:
1981
Why it matters for exams: Protected area questions pair an animal with its park, and the hangul is asked almost only with Dachigam, along with the park's area and its water supply origin.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Hangul — The Kashmir stag, a red deer of the Kashmir valley whose main surviving home is Dachigam.
National park — A strictly protected area where grazing, settlement and private rights are not allowed.
Background
The Chenab bridge spans the Chenab River at a height of 359 m (1,178 ft) above the river.
It is 35 meters taller than Paris' Eiffel Tower.
The arch bridge between Bakkal and Kauri in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir is 1,178 feet above the riverbed.
It is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL), a project worth Rs 35000 crore.
The bridge is designed to withstand winds with speeds up to 260 kmph.
It will have a lifespan of 120 years.
Height above the river:
359 m (1,178 ft)
Wind speed design limit:
260 kmph
Lifespan:
120 years
Project cost:
Rs 35000 crore
Why it matters for exams: Examiners ask for the river, the district and the height of India's headline railway structure, and for the rail link it belongs to, so these four facts are commonly tested together.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
USBRL Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link — The railway project that connects the Kashmir valley to the rest of the national rail network.
Arch bridge — A bridge whose load is carried by a curved arch that transfers weight to the supports at its ends.
Background
The Bandipora district administration describes Wular Lake as one of Asia's largest freshwater lakes and a Ramsar Site of international importance.
Covering an area of 130 sq. km. and a perimeter of around 84 km, the lake is one of the most important wetlands of the Kashmir Valley.
It is located 34 km northwest of Srinagar City and lies in the Bandipora and Baramulla districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
River Jhelum flows through the entire length of the Kashmir Valley and ultimately drains into the Wular Lake; the river enters the lake at Banyari in the south and exits from Ningli Sopore in the west.
The lake acts as a huge absorption basin for flood waters, and so shapes the hydrography as well as the ecological and economic spheres of the valley.
The district administration records that the lake has faced siltation, pollution and invasive species growth, which led to a decline in its size and ecological diversity.
The Wular Conservation and Management Authority (WUCMA) was constituted for the conservation and management of the lake and implements the Comprehensive Management Action Plan framed by Wetlands International South Asia.
Rare migratory bird species have been visiting Wular lake after many years, the authority records.
Area:
130 sq. km.
Perimeter:
Around 84 km
Districts:
Bandipora and Baramulla
Distance from Srinagar City:
34 km northwest
Status:
Ramsar Site of international importance
Managing authority:
Wular Conservation and Management Authority (WUCMA)
Why it matters for exams: India's wetlands are a standing exam theme, and Wular's Ramsar status, its recorded area and its link with the Jhelum are the facts most often tested.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Ramsar Convention — An international treaty under which countries list and protect wetlands of international importance.
Siltation — The slow filling up of a lake or river bed with fine soil and sand brought in by water.
Absorption basin — A low-lying water body that takes in surplus flood water and releases it slowly, reducing damage downstream.
Background
Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh cited the Aroma Mission and the Purple Revolution on 13 October at the 13th All India Sustainable Mountain Development Summit, hosted by SKUAST-Kashmir, as examples of science-led livelihoods in Jammu and Kashmir.
CSIR developed an elite variety of lavender suited to the temperate regions of J&K, gave farmers free saplings and agro-technologies, and installed distillation units for essential oil.
The success of lavender cultivation in J&K earned it the name 'Purple Revolution'.
Bhaderwah hosts a Lavender Festival organised by CSIR-IIIM Jammu; at the 2025 festival Dr. Singh said 50 distillation units were operational there, supplying lavender products to Maharashtra and other states.
Lavender is also grown in areas such as Gulmarg and Padder.
Crop:
Lavender
Programme:
CSIR Aroma Mission
Distillation units in Bhaderwah (2025):
50
Lead institute:
CSIR-IIIM Jammu
Why it matters for exams: The coloured 'revolutions' in Indian agriculture and CSIR's Aroma Mission are favourite one-liners.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
CSIR-IIIM CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine — A CSIR laboratory in Jammu that leads lavender work under the Aroma Mission.
Aroma Mission — A CSIR programme to promote cultivation and processing of aromatic crops for farmers' income.