Background
In 1944, the Government of India accepted in principle a proposal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal that a National Cultural trust should be set up, consisting of three Academies including an Academy of letters. The Government of India decided to establish a National Academy of letters to be called Sahitya Akademi by its resolution No F-6-4/51G2(A) dated December 1952, and the Akademi was formally inaugurated by the Government of India on 12 March 1954. Though set up by the Government, the Akademi functions as an autonomous organisation, and it was registered as a society on 7 January 1956, under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. The Akademi describes itself as India's National Academy of Letters and as the only institution that undertakes literary activities in 24 Indian languages, including English. It gives 24 awards annually to literary works in the languages it has recognized and an equal number of awards to literary translations from and into the languages of India, each decided after a year long process of scrutiny, discussion and selection. It also gives special awards called Bhasha Samman for significant contribution to the languages not formally recognized by the Akademi, as also for contribution to classical and medieval literature, and it elects eminent writers as Fellows and Honorary Fellows. The Akademi has launched Centres for Translation in Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Delhi, and a project office for the promotion of Tribal and Oral literature in the North Eastern Hill University Campus, Shillong.
Government resolution:
No F-6-4/51G2(A) dated December 1952
Formally inaugurated:
12 March 1954
Registered as a society:
7 January 1956, under the Societies Registration Act, 1860
Languages:
24 Indian languages, including English
Annual awards:
24 for literary works, and an equal number for translations
Award for unrecognised languages:
Bhasha Samman
Why it matters for exams: The resolution of 1952, the inauguration of 1954, the registration of 1956, the count of 24 languages and the Bhasha Samman are the standard objective facts asked about the Akademi.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Bhasha Samman Bhasha Samman — A special Sahitya Akademi award for work in languages it has not formally recognised and for classical and medieval literature.
7 October 2026
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry goes to Henri Kagan of the University of Paris-Sud in Orsay, France, and Kenso Soai of Tokyo University of Science. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced it in Stockholm on 7 October 2026. The prize recognises their solving of a puzzle about how one mirror-image form of a molecule can come to dominate. Heiner Linke, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, said they solved a century-old mystery of how homochirality can emerge spontaneously. The prize of 12 million Swedish kronor is shared.
Laureates:
Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai
Prize amount:
12 million Swedish kronor
Announced:
7 October 2026
Why it matters for exams: Each Nobel laureate and the discovery honoured is a standard question in science and current-affairs papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Homochirality Dominance of one mirror-image form of a molecule — The puzzle of how one handed form can emerge spontaneously.
7 October 2026
Dr. Soai Kenso, Professor Emeritus at Tokyo University of Science, was awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae said in a comment that the award recognises his discoveries and research on non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis.
The Prime Minister telephoned Soai on 7 October 2026 to congratulate him.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the prize on 7 October 2026.
Soai, 76, shares it with Henri Kagan of France, 95, for the discovery of nonlinear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis.
The work shows how a chemical reaction can be driven to favour one mirror-image form of a molecule, which matters for pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Japanese laureate:
Soai Kenso, 76
Institution:
Tokyo University of Science
Co-laureate:
Henri Kagan, France, 95
Announced:
7 October 2026
Why it matters for exams: Nobel laureates and their fields are asked directly every year, and Japan's science prizes are a standing Country Focus topic.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Autocatalysis Autocatalysis — A reaction in which the product itself speeds up the reaction that makes it.
Chirality Chirality — The property by which a molecule and its mirror image cannot be superimposed.
7 October 2026
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2026 to Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai.
The citation is "for the discovery of nonlinear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis".
Many molecules of life exist in two mirror-image forms, like a left and a right hand. Living organisms use almost only one of them, a puzzle known as homochirality.
Kagan and Soai showed how a chemical reaction can be driven to favour one mirror image over the other.
The work matters for making medicines, because the two mirror forms of a drug can act differently in the body.
Nobel Committee chair Heiner Linke called it a solution to a chemical mystery more than a century old.
Kagan is French and Soai is Japanese. The prize of 12 million Swedish kronor is shared equally.
Laureates:
Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai
Prize amount:
12 million Swedish kronor
Announced by:
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm
Why it matters for exams: Chemistry Nobel citations are asked directly, and chirality, enantiomers and asymmetric synthesis are core organic chemistry concepts in the science papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Homochirality Homochirality — The fact that living things use almost exclusively one of the two mirror-image forms of a molecule.
Autocatalysis Autocatalysis — A reaction in which a product of the reaction itself speeds up that same reaction.
7 October 2026
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2026 to Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai.
The citation is "for the discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis".
Some molecules, such as amino acids, exist as two mirror images, but living organisms contain only one of them, a property chemists call homochirality.
Kagan in 1986 found a way to obtain a far greater excess of one mirror image than had been thought possible; Soai described a reaction with the potential to be homochiral in 1995 and achieved it in 2003.
Heiner Linke, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, said the two had solved a chemical mystery more than a century old.
Kagan, born 1930 in Boulogne-Billancourt, France, is Professor Emeritus at the then Universite Paris-Sud; Soai, born 1950 in Hiroshima, is Professor Emeritus at Tokyo University of Science.
The prize amount is 12 million Swedish kronor, to be shared equally.
Laureates:
Henri B. Kagan, Kenso Soai
Prize amount:
12 million Swedish kronor
Awarding body:
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Why it matters for exams: Nobel Prize laureates, their citation and the awarding institution are asked almost every year in Kerala PSC and UPSC general studies papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Homochirality Homochirality — The property of living systems of using only one of the two mirror-image forms of a molecule.
Autocatalysis Autocatalysis — A reaction in which the product itself speeds up the reaction that makes it.
6 October 2026
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics 2026 to Francis Halzen.
He was recognised for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin.
IceCube is a detector built into the clear ice beneath the South Pole in Antarctica.
When a neutrino strikes an atomic nucleus in the ice it makes a flash of light that buried sensors record.
Neutrinos are called ghost particles because they pass through matter almost without interacting.
Halzen, a Belgian physicist, first proposed the project in 1988.
The award ceremony is on 10 December.
Laureate:
Francis Halzen
Observatory:
IceCube Neutrino Observatory, South Pole
Project proposed:
1988
Why it matters for exams: Physics Nobel citations are asked directly, and neutrino astronomy, Antarctic science facilities and particle detectors recur in the science and technology section.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Neutrino Neutrino — A nearly massless subatomic particle that passes through matter almost without interacting.
6 October 2026
The Ministry of Defence announced that the Government has appointed Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, PVSM, AVSM, VM, VSM, at present the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff in the rank of Air Chief Marshal.
The appointment takes effect from the afternoon of October 31, 2026. The present Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, superannuates from office on October 31, 2026.
Born on December 09, 1966, Air Marshal Dixit was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on December 06, 1986.
Before becoming Vice Chief of the Air Staff he was Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee at Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff, and earlier Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Air Command.
He has more than 3500 hours of flying experience on aircraft including Mirage-2000, variants of MiG, Kiran, Jaguar, IL-78, Hawk and Tejas, and is an Experimental Test Pilot and a Qualified Flying Instructor.
He has taken part in operations and exercises including Op-Safed Sagar, Op-Rakshak and Op-Sindoor, and was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2026.
Post:
29th Chief of the Air Staff
Rank:
Air Chief Marshal
Effective from:
Afternoon of October 31, 2026
Flying experience:
more than 3500 hours
Why it matters for exams: Service-chief appointments are a standard current affairs question in every national examination.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
Chief of the Air Staff Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) — The professional head of the Indian Air Force, who holds the rank of Air Chief Marshal.
PVSM Param Vishisht Seva Medal — The highest Indian military award for distinguished service of the most exceptional order in peacetime.
CISC Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee — The senior tri-service officer who heads Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff.
Qualified Flying Instructor Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI) — A pilot formally certified by the air force to train other pilots.
Background
Alfred Nobel's will names who awards each prize.
The physics and chemistry prizes go to the Swedish Academy of Sciences.
The prize for physiological or medical achievements goes to the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and literature to the Academy in Stockholm.
Champions of peace are rewarded by a committee of five persons to be selected by the Norwegian Storting.
The will asks that no consideration be given to nationality.
Peace Prize body:
committee of five persons
Selected by:
Norwegian Storting
Medicine prize:
Karolinska Institute
Why it matters for exams: Which body awards which Nobel Prize is a recurring awards-and-institutions question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Storting Norwegian Parliament — The Storting selects the five persons of the Peace Prize committee.
6 October 2026
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on 6 October 2026 that the Nobel Prize in Physics 2026 goes to Francis Halzen of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA.
The citation reads: for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin.
Halzen first presented his vision for capturing neutrinos at the South Pole in 1988.
IceCube covers a cubic kilometre of South Pole ice equipped with light sensors and was finished in 2011.
The prize amount is 12 million Swedish kronor.
Laureate:
Francis Halzen
Institution:
University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA
Observatory:
IceCube Neutrino Observatory
Prize amount:
12 million Swedish kronor
Why it matters for exams: Nobel laureates, citations and the science behind them are staple questions in science and current-affairs papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Neutrino Neutrino — A particle that passes through matter almost without interacting and keeps its direction from its source.
IceCube IceCube Neutrino Observatory — A detector made of a cubic kilometre of South Pole ice fitted with light sensors.
6 October 2026
The Centre has notified Justice Kaushik Goswami as a permanent judge of the Gauhati High Court, following the Supreme Court Collegium's recommendation of 23 September 2026.
He was elevated as an Additional Judge on 2 November 2023.
The notification was issued under clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution.
He was designated a Senior Advocate on 19 May 2022 and enrolled as an advocate on 27 July 2000.
Collegium recommendation:
23 September 2026
Additional Judge since:
2 November 2023
Constitutional provision:
Article 217(1)
Why it matters for exams: Appointment of High Court judges under Article 217 and the Collegium system are standard polity questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Collegium Supreme Court Collegium — The body of senior judges that recommends appointments to the higher judiciary.
5 October 2026
The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel.
The citation is "for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics".
Deisseroth works at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Stanford University in the United States.
Hegemann is at Humboldt University of Berlin and Nagel at the University of Wurzburg, both in Germany.
Hegemann and Nagel discovered channelrhodopsin, a protein in a single-celled alga; Deisseroth turned it into a light-controlled switch for nerve cells.
Optogenetics allows researchers to show how nerve cells shape memories, feelings and behaviour in the living brain.
Laureates:
Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, Georg Nagel
Awarding body:
Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet
Protein discovered:
Channelrhodopsin
Why it matters for exams: The medicine Nobel, the institution that awards it and the technique named in the citation are standard general science questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Optogenetics Optogenetics — A method that uses light to switch selected nerve cells on or off in a living animal.
Channelrhodopsin Channelrhodopsin — A light-gated ion channel protein first found in a single-celled alga.
5 October 2026
Punjab province's Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar housing programme was selected for the UN Scroll of Honour Award.
The award was presented on World Habitat Day, 5 October 2026, at a global event in Muscat, Oman.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz received it.
Phase 1 of the programme financed over 134,000 homes with loans exceeding 196 billion rupees.
Phase 2 financed 65,000 more homes with loans surpassing 62 billion rupees.
Award:
UN Scroll of Honour
Venue:
Muscat, Oman
Phase 1:
over 134,000 homes
Why it matters for exams: World Habitat Day and the UN-Habitat awards link housing policy to UN bodies.
Kerala PSCUPSC
5 October 2026
Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court unsealed four arrest warrants in the Afghanistan situation on 5 October 2026. The warrants, issued on 8 July 2025 and 9 September 2025, name Haibatullah Akhundzada, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, Habibullah Agha and Neda Mohammad Nadim. The Chamber found reasonable grounds to believe they ordered, induced or solicited the crime against humanity of persecution under article 7(1)(h) of the Rome Statute. The persecution was on gender grounds against girls, women and others not conforming to Taliban gender policy, and on political grounds against "allies of girls and women". The ICC says these crimes are believed to have been committed in Afghanistan from 15 August 2021 until at least 20 January 2025.
Warrants unsealed:
4
Provision:
article 7(1)(h) of the Rome Statute
Unsealed on:
5 October 2026
Period covered by the warrants:
15 August 2021 to 20 January 2025
Why it matters for exams: International criminal law: Rome Statute article 7 and the ICC's reading of 'gender'.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Rome Statute Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court — The treaty that set up the ICC and defines its crimes.
Pre-Trial Chamber Pre-Trial Chamber — The ICC bench that decides on arrest warrants before any trial.
5 October 2026
The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel.
The citation reads "for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics".
Hegemann and Nagel discovered channelrhodopsin, an algal protein, in the single-celled alga Chlamydomonas.
Deisseroth introduced the gene for channelrhodopsin into rat nerve cells and triggered a nerve signal with blue light; he published this in 2005.
Two years later he made the light-controlled switch work in the brains of living mice.
Deisseroth is at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Stanford University, USA; Hegemann at Humboldt University of Berlin and Nagel at the University of Würzburg, both in Germany.
Announced:
5 October 2026
Laureates:
Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, Georg Nagel
Prize share:
1/3 each
Discovery:
Channelrhodopsin and optogenetics
Why it matters for exams: Nobel laureates, their fields and citations are a standing question in every current-affairs paper.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Optogenetics Light-controlled gene-based neuroscience method — A method that makes it possible to show how nerve cells shape memories, feelings and behaviours in the living brain.
Channelrhodopsin Light-gated algal ion channel protein — An algal protein that opens a channel when lit by blue light, letting charged ions into the cell.
Background
This standing fact is in the news because the 50th Vayalar Award was announced on 4 October 2026 for the novel 'Athreyakam' by the writer R Rajasree. The prize's full name is the Vayalar Ramavarma Memorial Literary Award, and it is instituted by the Vayalar Ramavarma Memorial Trust. The highest-scoring works are referred to a judging committee for the final selection, and the Trust accepted that committee's recommendation for the 50th award. It carries a cash prize of ₹1 lakh, a bronze sculpture by the sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman, and a citation. The winning work is chosen from original Malayalam literary works first published during the five years preceding the award year. The award is presented annually on October 27, the death anniversary of Vayalar Ramavarma. The 50th award is to be handed over at the Nishagandhi Auditorium in Thiruvananthapuram as the concluding event of the year-long 'Vayalar Year 2025-26' celebrations.
Full name of the award:
Vayalar Ramavarma Memorial Literary Award
Instituted by:
Vayalar Ramavarma Memorial Trust
Cash prize:
₹1 lakh
Sculptor of the bronze sculpture:
Kanayi Kunhiraman
Presented on:
October 27
Works considered:
original Malayalam literary works first published during the five years preceding the award year
Winner of the 50th award:
R Rajasree
Work awarded the 50th prize:
Athreyakam
Why it matters for exams: Malayalam literary awards are a standing Kerala PSC topic, and the body that gives the Vayalar Award, what the prize carries and the day it is presented are all asked.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Vayalar Ramavarma Memorial Trust — The trust that instituted the Vayalar Award; a judging committee makes the final selection and the Trust accepted its recommendation on the winner.
Vayalar Ramavarma — The writer the award is named after; it is presented on his death anniversary, October 27.
Nishagandhi Auditorium — The auditorium in Thiruvananthapuram where the 50th award is to be presented.
4 October 2026
The 50th Vayalar Ramavarma Memorial Literary Award has gone to R Rajasree for her novel Athreyakam.
The award carries Rs 1 lakh, a bronze sculpture by Kanayi Kunhiraman and a citation.
The jury was O V Usha, Subhash Chandran and V Vijayakumar.
From 301 nominations covering 258 works, five top-scoring works went to a 20-member evaluation and the top three to the jury.
The Chief Minister will present the award on 27 October 2026 at Nishagandhi Auditorium, Thiruvananthapuram.
The award is part of the Vayalar Year 2025-26 marking 50 years since Vayalar Ramavarma's death.
Winner:
R Rajasree
Work:
Athreyakam (novel)
Prize:
₹1 lakh, bronze sculpture by Kanayi Kunhiraman, citation
Presentation:
27 October 2026, Nishagandhi Auditorium
Why it matters for exams: Kerala PSC regularly asks who won the Vayalar Award and what it carries.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Kanayi Kunhiraman Kanayi Kunhiraman — The sculptor who made the bronze sculpture given with the award.
4 October 2026
The Nobel Foundation has published the schedule for the 2026 Nobel Prize announcements, which begin on Monday, 5 October.
Physiology or Medicine comes first, on Monday, 5 October, 11:30 CEST at the earliest, from The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet.
Physics follows on Tuesday, 6 October, 11:45 CEST at the earliest, and Chemistry on Wednesday, 7 October, 11:45 CEST at the earliest, both from The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Literature is announced on Thursday, 8 October, 13:00 CEST at the earliest, by The Swedish Academy.
The Peace Prize is announced on Friday, 9 October, 11:00 CEST, by The Norwegian Nobel Committee at The Norwegian Nobel Institute.
The Prize in Economic Sciences comes last, on Monday, 12 October, 11:45 CEST at the earliest, again from The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Physiology or Medicine:
Monday, 5 October, Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet
Physics:
Tuesday, 6 October, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Chemistry:
Wednesday, 7 October, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Literature:
Thursday, 8 October, The Swedish Academy
Peace:
Friday, 9 October, Norwegian Nobel Committee
Economic Sciences:
Monday, 12 October, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Why it matters for exams: The pairing of each Nobel category with its awarding institution is a standing favourite, and the examiner can ask it from the announcement calendar alone.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
CEST Central European Summer Time — The summer time zone used in Sweden and Norway, two and a half hours behind Indian Standard Time.
Background
Standing fact asked about Chile, today's focus country: the Nobel Foundation records two Chilean poets as Literature laureates.
Gabriela Mistral, born in Vicuña, Chile, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1945 for her lyric poetry, which "has made her name a symbol of the idealistic aspirations of the entire Latin American world".
Pablo Neruda won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1971 "for a poetry that with the action of an elemental force brings alive a continent's destiny and dreams".
Mistral was the first Latin American to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Gabriela Mistral:
Nobel Prize in Literature, 1945
Pablo Neruda:
Nobel Prize in Literature, 1971
Why it matters for exams: Nobel laureates by country, with the year and prize, are frequent award-and-persons questions; Mistral being the first Latin American laureate in Literature is a favourite.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
4 October 2026
José Antonio Kast was sworn in as Chile's president on 11 March 2026 at the National Congress in Valparaíso.
He succeeded Gabriel Boric, a left-wing president who took office in 2022.
The term is four years.
PBS described the change as the nation's most pronounced shift to the right since the return of democracy in 1990.
Sworn in:
11 March 2026
Venue:
National Congress, Valparaíso
Predecessor:
Gabriel Boric
Why it matters for exams: The head of state of the focus country is a staple question; Chile's president is both head of state and head of government.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
Alfred Nobel's will turned his remaining assets into a fund whose interest was to be distributed annually as prizes to those who, during the preceding year, 'have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind'.
The interest was to be divided into five equal parts: physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and peace.
In the will's wording, the physics and chemistry prizes are awarded by the Swedish Academy of Sciences, physiological or medical achievements by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and literature by the Academy in Stockholm.
The peace prize goes to the champions of peace chosen by a committee of five persons selected by the Norwegian Storting.
The will asks that no consideration be given to nationality, so that the worthiest person gets the prize whether or not they are Scandinavian.
Equal parts of the interest:
5
Physiology or medicine:
Karolinska Institute
Peace:
Committee of five chosen by the Norwegian Storting
Why it matters for exams: The five original Nobel fields and who awards each are classic awards-and-persons questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Storting The Norwegian parliament — It selects the five-person committee that awards the Peace Prize.
Karolinska Institute A medical university in Stockholm — The will names it to award the physiology or medicine prize.