8 October 2026
The construction of a new 33 kV substation at Elamkulam in Malappuram district by the Kerala State Electricity Board Ltd will be inaugurated on 9 October.
Electricity Minister Adv. Sunny Joseph performs the inauguration at 2.30 p.m. at Shubham Convention Centre, Elamkulam.
Najeeb Kanthapuram MLA presides over the function and E.T. Muhammed Basheer MP is the chief guest.
The release says more than one lakh consumers in Elamkulam and Pulamanthol grama panchayats and Perinthalmanna municipality will benefit.
Capacity:
33 kV
Beneficiaries:
over one lakh consumers
Date:
9 October
Local bodies covered:
Elamkulam and Pulamanthol grama panchayats, Perinthalmanna municipality
Why it matters for exams: KSEB substation capacities and the local bodies they serve appear in Kerala PSC questions on power infrastructure.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
KSEB Kerala State Electricity Board Ltd — The state owned utility that generates, transmits and distributes electricity in Kerala.
8 October 2026
The Food and Agriculture Organization released its Food Price Index for September 2026 on 2 October 2026.
The index averaged 136.0 points, up 2.0 points or 1.5 per cent from the revised August level.
It stood 7.4 points, or 5.8 per cent, above its level a year earlier and 24.3 points, or 15.1 per cent, below its March 2022 peak.
The cereal price index rose 5.1 per cent to 122.8 points and the vegetable oil index rose 0.9 per cent to 198.6 points.
The sugar index rose 6.1 per cent to 114.0 points, its third straight monthly rise and its highest level since April 2025.
The meat index fell 1.1 per cent to 127.9 points and the dairy index slipped 0.1 per cent to 119.1 points.
Index value:
136.0 points
Change from August:
up 1.5%
Change from a year earlier:
up 5.8%
Sugar index:
114.0 points, up 6.1%
Released:
2 October 2026
Why it matters for exams: The FAO Food Price Index and its five sub-indices are a recurring economy and index question.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
FFPI FAO Food Price Index — A monthly measure of the change in international prices of a basket of food commodities.
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization — The UN agency for food and agriculture, headquartered in Rome.
8 October 2026
On October 7, 2026 the Reserve Bank of India released the Reserve Bank of India (Commercial Banks - Credit Valuation Adjustment Framework) Directions, 2026.
The Directions set out instructions on the capital charge for Credit Valuation Adjustment risk for commercial banks.
Draft CVA Directions had been issued on August 7, 2026 and feedback was invited till August 28, 2026; the draft SA-CCR amendment directions had been issued on June 10, 2026 with feedback invited till July 1, 2026.
On the same day the Reserve Bank issued the Reserve Bank of India (Commercial Banks - Forthcoming Instructions) Amendment Directions, 2026 on the Standardised Approach for Counterparty Credit Risk.
The amendments clarify the scope of counterparty credit risk for banking book and trading book exposures and deal with multiple margin agreements and multiple netting sets.
They give guidance for transactions where a bank acts as a clearing member of SEBI-recognised stock exchanges in equity and commodity derivatives.
They also cover deferment of option premium, computation of effective notional for options, and disclosure templates for SA-CCR.
Both sets of instructions come into effect from April 1, 2027.
Directions released:
October 7, 2026
Effective from:
April 1, 2027
CVA draft Directions issued:
August 7, 2026
Entities covered:
Commercial banks
Why it matters for exams: Bank capital norms and the vocabulary of counterparty credit risk appear in banking recruitment and economy sections.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
CVA Credit Valuation Adjustment — An adjustment to the value of a derivative for the risk that the counterparty may default.
SA-CCR Standardised Approach for Counterparty Credit Risk — A standard method banks use to measure exposure from derivative transactions.
8 October 2026
The Reserve Bank of India issued its Statement on Developmental and Regulatory Policies along with the monetary policy on October 7, 2026.
Interoperability will be introduced among NBFC Account Aggregators, so that a customer can access and share financial information from different Financial Information Providers through any NBFC-AA of choice.
Depositories regulated by SEBI will also be allowed to include bank deposit account information in their Consolidated Account Statement through NBFC-AAs.
Demat account holders will thus see their demat holdings and bank deposits in one place, and customers without a demat account can still get a consolidated view through an NBFC-AA.
The target date set for this measure is December 31, 2026.
The Reserve Bank will also set up a Technical Consultative Committee for Financial Markets as a forum for structured engagement with market participants and stakeholders.
Its scope covers the money market, the government securities market and the foreign exchange market, along with their derivative markets and infrastructure.
The composition and terms of reference of the committee will be notified separately.
Statement date:
October 7, 2026
Target date for AA interoperability:
December 31, 2026
New committee:
Technical Consultative Committee for Financial Markets
Why it matters for exams: The Account Aggregator framework and RBI's Statement on Developmental and Regulatory Policies are standing favourites in banking and civil service papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
NBFC-AA Non-Banking Financial Company - Account Aggregator — An RBI-registered entity that collects a customer's financial information from providers and shares it with consent.
Consolidated Account Statement Consolidated Account Statement — A single statement that shows a holder's securities holdings across depositories.
8 October 2026
The Reserve Bank of India has extended the all-inclusive directions imposed on The Baghat Urban Co-operative Bank Limited, Solan, Himachal Pradesh.
The directions were first issued by an RBI directive dated 6 October 2025 for six months, from the close of business on 8 October 2025 to 8 April 2026.
They were last extended on 1 July 2026.
The fresh extension runs for three months, from the close of business on 8 October 2026 to the close of business on 8 January 2027, subject to review.
The RBI acted under sub-section (1) of Section 35A read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
All other terms and conditions of the directive remain unchanged.
The RBI stated that the extension does not by itself mean that it is satisfied with the financial position of the bank.
Bank:
The Baghat Urban Co-operative Bank Limited, Solan
Extension period:
8 October 2026 to 8 January 2027
Legal provision:
Section 35A read with Section 56, Banking Regulation Act, 1949
Original directive:
6 October 2025
Why it matters for exams: Section 35A directions on urban co-operative banks are a recurring banking-awareness and polity question.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
All Inclusive Directions All Inclusive Directions — RBI curbs that restrict a bank's lending, investment and deposit withdrawals together.
UCB Urban Co-operative Bank — A co-operative bank in an urban or semi-urban area, regulated by the RBI and the registrar of co-operative societies.
Background
The Human Development Index is a summary measure of average achievement in key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable, and having a decent standard of living.
The Index is the geometric mean of normalized indices for each of the three dimensions.
The health dimension is assessed by life expectancy at birth.
The education dimension is measured by mean years of schooling for adults aged 25 years and more, together with expected years of schooling for children of school entering age.
The standard of living dimension is measured by gross national income per capita, and the Index uses the logarithm of income to reflect the diminishing importance of income as gross national income rises.
Three dimensions are therefore captured by four indicators: the two education indicators are averaged first, and the three dimension indices are then combined as a geometric mean.
The Index is published by the Human Development Report Office of the United Nations Development Programme.
It can be used to question national policy choices by asking how two countries with the same level of gross national income per capita can end up with different human development outcomes.
Dimensions:
3
Indicators:
4
Aggregation:
Geometric mean
Standard of living indicator:
Gross national income per capita
Why it matters for exams: The composition of the Human Development Index is asked every year: the three dimensions, the four indicators, and the fact that the dimensions are combined as a geometric mean rather than a simple average.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
Geometric mean The nth root of the product of n numbers — Using it means a very low score in one dimension cannot be hidden by a high score in another.
Expected years of schooling The schooling a child of school entering age can expect to receive — It is one of the two education indicators, the other being mean years of schooling for adults aged 25 and over.
Background
The World Trade Organization describes dispute settlement as the central pillar of the multilateral trading system and the organisation's unique contribution to the stability of the global economy.
The agreement that governs it is the Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes.
First rulings are made by a panel and endorsed or rejected by the WTO's full membership, and appeals based on points of law are possible.
If a case runs its full course to a first ruling it should not normally take more than about one year, or 15 months if the case is appealed.
The target timetable allows 60 days for consultations and mediation, 45 days for the panel to be set up and panellists appointed, six months for the final panel report to the parties, three weeks for that report to reach the members, and 60 days for the Dispute Settlement Body to adopt it.
A procedure for settling disputes existed under the old GATT, but it had no fixed timetables and rulings were easier to block.
Under the Uruguay Round agreement a ruling is automatically adopted unless there is a consensus to reject it, so a country wanting to block a ruling must persuade every other member, including its adversary in the case.
The first stage is consultations between the governments concerned, and consultation and mediation remain possible at every later stage.
Consultations and mediation:
60 days
Panel set up and panellists appointed:
45 days
Final panel report to parties:
6 months
Total without appeal:
1 year
Total with appeal:
1 year 3 months
Why it matters for exams: Trade questions ask which agreement governs WTO dispute settlement, how long a case should take, and what changed from the GATT system about blocking a ruling.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
Dispute Settlement Body The WTO membership acting to adopt or reject panel and appeal reports — It adopts a report automatically unless the members reach a consensus to reject it.
Negative consensus Adoption unless everyone agrees to reject — This reversal of the GATT rule is what stops a single losing country from blocking a ruling.
Background
The African Union is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African continent.
It was officially launched in July 2002 in Durban, South Africa, as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity, which existed from 1963 to 1999.
In May 1963, 32 Heads of independent African States met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to sign the Charter creating the Organisation of African Unity, Africa's first post-independence continental institution.
The main objectives of the Organisation of African Unity were to rid the continent of the remaining vestiges of colonisation and apartheid, to promote unity and solidarity among African States, to coordinate cooperation for development, and to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states.
On 9 September 1999 the Heads of State and Government of the Organisation of African Unity issued the Sirte Declaration calling for the establishment of an African Union.
The aims of the Union are laid out in the Constitutive Act of the African Union and in the Protocol on Amendments to that Act.
Agenda 2063 is the Union's strategic framework for Africa's long term socio-economic and integrative transformation.
The African Union headquarters is at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Member states:
55
Officially launched:
July 2002, Durban, South Africa
Predecessor:
Organisation of African Unity, 1963-1999
Headquarters:
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Why it matters for exams: Membership figures, the city of launch, the predecessor body and the headquarters of the African Union are standard objective questions on regional groupings.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Sirte Declaration The declaration of the Organisation of African Unity that called for an African Union — Issued by the OAU Heads of State and Government on 9 September 1999, it set in motion the creation of the African Union.
Agenda 2063 The African Union's long term development framework — It is the Union's strategic framework for Africa's socio-economic transformation and continental integration.
Background
The Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 requires the Central Government to entrust the Reserve Bank with all its money, remittance, exchange and banking transactions in India and with the management of its public debt.
The Reserve Bank may by agreement also act as banker and debt manager to State Governments, and it acts as banker to all the State Governments in India except Sikkim, for which it has a limited agreement covering the management of public debt.
Ways and Means Advances are short-term interest bearing advances given to governments to meet temporary mismatches in their receipts and payments, and the rate of interest on them is linked to the repo rate.
For State Governments the scheme has a Special Drawing Facility against the collateral of government securities held by the State, and a normal Ways and Means Advance once that limit is exhausted.
A withdrawal beyond the Ways and Means Advances limit is treated as an overdraft.
Surplus balances of State Governments are invested automatically in Government of India 14-day Intermediate Treasury Bills.
Banking business for the governments is carried out by the Public Accounts Departments at Reserve Bank offices, while public debt is managed by the Internal Debt Management Department and the Public Debt Offices.
Final compilation of the Government accounts of the Centre and the States is done at the Nagpur office of the Reserve Bank, which has a Central Accounts Section.
State for which the Reserve Bank is not banker:
Sikkim
Instrument for investing State surplus balances:
Government of India 14-day Intermediate Treasury Bills
Office that compiles Central and State government accounts:
Nagpur
Why it matters for exams: The Sikkim exception, the Ways and Means Advances mechanism and the Nagpur Central Accounts Section are classic one-mark questions on the Reserve Bank's role as banker to governments.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
WMA Ways and Means Advances — A short-term interest bearing advance from the Reserve Bank to a government to bridge a temporary mismatch between receipts and payments.
SDF Special Drawing Facility — In the State Government scheme, the first slab of accommodation, given against the collateral of government securities held by the State.
Background
The Reserve Bank's liquidity adjustment facility, or LAF, is the set of operations through which it injects liquidity into, or absorbs liquidity from, the banking system.
The LAF corridor has the marginal standing facility rate as its upper bound or ceiling and the standing deposit facility rate as its lower bound or floor, with the policy repo rate in the middle of the corridor.
The marginal standing facility rate is placed at 25 basis points above the policy repo rate, and the standing deposit facility rate is placed at 25 basis points below it.
Under the marginal standing facility a bank may borrow overnight from the Reserve Bank by dipping into its statutory liquidity ratio portfolio up to a predefined limit of 2 per cent.
The standing deposit facility, introduced in April 2022, accepts uncollateralised overnight deposits and replaced the fixed reverse repo rate as the floor of the corridor.
The Bank Rate is published under section 49 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, and changes automatically whenever the marginal standing facility rate changes.
The cash reserve ratio is the average daily balance a bank must maintain with the Reserve Bank as a per cent of its net demand and time liabilities.
The operating target of the framework is the weighted average call rate.
MSF rate above the policy repo rate:
25 basis points
SDF rate below the policy repo rate:
25 basis points
MSF borrowing limit within the SLR portfolio:
2 per cent
Why it matters for exams: The ceiling, the floor and the two 25 basis point spreads of the corridor are among the most frequently asked facts in banking and economy papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
LAF Liquidity Adjustment Facility — The Reserve Bank's operations for injecting or absorbing liquidity, including repo, reverse repo, the standing deposit facility and the marginal standing facility.
MSF Marginal Standing Facility — The penal facility under which banks borrow overnight by dipping into their statutory liquidity ratio holdings.
SDF Standing Deposit Facility — The facility under which the Reserve Bank accepts uncollateralised overnight deposits; its rate is the floor of the corridor.
NDTL Net Demand and Time Liabilities — The deposit base on which the cash reserve ratio and the statutory liquidity ratio are computed.
Background
Aranmula Kannadi, recorded in the register as Aranmula Kannadi (Aranmula Metal Mirror), carries geographical indication application number 3.
Its status in the Geographical Indications Registry is Registered.
The registered applicant is the Viswabrahmana Aranmula Kannadi Nirman Society, with its address at S. Fort, Aranmula, Kerala.
The indication falls under class 20 and the goods are classified as Handicraft.
The geographical area for the indication is Kerala.
The application was filed on 08-12-2003 and the certificate of registration bears certificate number 10.
GI application number:
3
Class and goods:
Class 20, Handicraft
Registered applicant:
Viswabrahmana Aranmula Kannadi Nirman Society
Why it matters for exams: Kerala's geographical indications are a recurring exam topic, and Aranmula Kannadi is asked for its product class, its registered proprietor society and its early application number.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
GI Geographical Indication — A sign used on goods that have a specific geographical origin and qualities due to that origin.
Class 20 The class of the goods classification that covers, among others, mirrors and articles of such materials — Aranmula Kannadi is registered in class 20 as a handicraft.
Background
Idukki is one of the 14 districts of Kerala and was created on 26 January 1972.
The district lies in the Western Ghats and is known for its mountainous hills and dense forests.
About 66% of the State's power needs come from the hydroelectric power projects in Idukki.
Idukki is the second largest district in area but has the lowest population density in Kerala.
More than half of the district is covered by forests.
The district is also known as the spice garden of Kerala.
Formed on:
26 January 1972
Share of State power needs:
About 66%
Rank in area:
Second largest district
Why it matters for exams: District profiles are a standing question area in Kerala PSC papers, and Idukki is asked for its hydroelectric share, its area rank and its low population density.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Hydroelectric project A power station that generates electricity from falling or flowing water — Idukki's reservoirs in the Western Ghats make it Kerala's main hydel belt.
Background
The World Bank follows Myanmar's economy through a publication called the Myanmar Economic Monitor.
Its June 2026 edition projects growth of 2 per cent in the 2026/27 fiscal year, after a projected contraction of 2.5 per cent in 2025/26 driven largely by the earthquake.
From 2011 to 2019 Myanmar's economy had grown by an average of 6 per cent a year.
The World Bank puts the direct damages of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake at US$11 billion, or 14 per cent of GDP, with over 17 million people affected and 9 million severely.
It records poverty at 31.0 per cent in 2024 and internal displacement at 3.5 million.
Almost 20 million people in Myanmar, including 6 million children, need humanitarian assistance.
Earthquake direct damages:
US$11 billion
Damages as share of GDP:
14 per cent
Poverty rate:
31.0 per cent in 2024
People needing humanitarian assistance:
almost 20 million
Why it matters for exams: The names of institutional publications and the headline damage and poverty figures are standard economy questions for both Kerala PSC and UPSC.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
GDP Gross Domestic Product — The total value of goods and services produced inside a country in a year.
Internal displacement Forced movement within one's own country — People driven from their homes who remain inside the borders of their own country.
Background
The official ASEAN account of the Association's own membership records that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration, also called the Bangkok Declaration, by the Founding Fathers of ASEAN: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Brunei Darussalam joined ASEAN on 7 January 1984, followed by Viet Nam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999. Timor-Leste acceded on 26 October 2025 as the eleventh member of ASEAN. Myanmar therefore joined at the same time as Lao PDR and ahead of Cambodia.
Date Myanmar joined ASEAN:
23 July 1997
Joined on the same day:
Lao PDR
ASEAN membership:
eleven Member States of ASEAN
Why it matters for exams: The order and dates of ASEAN accessions are a recurring prelims question, and Myanmar is the member whose accession examiners most often pair with Lao PDR.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Bangkok Declaration ASEAN Declaration, 1967 — The short founding document that created ASEAN, signed in Bangkok by five states.
Background
The Asian Development Bank describes itself as a leading multilateral development bank supporting sustainable, inclusive, and resilient growth across Asia and the Pacific. Founded in 1966, ADB is owned by 69 members - 50 from the region. Its own history records that a resolution passed at the first Ministerial Conference on Asian Economic Cooperation held by the United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East in 1963 set that vision on the way to becoming reality, and that the Philippines capital of Manila was chosen to host the new institution, which opened on 19 December 1966, with 31 members. From 31 members at its establishment in 1966, ADB has grown to encompass 69 members, of which 50 are from within Asia and the Pacific and 19 outside, and its membership tables are set out as Regional members and Nonregional members. The Bank works under the ADB Charter and ADB By-Laws. A major landmark was the establishment in 1974 of the Asian Development Fund to provide low-interest loans to ADB's poorest members. ADB's headquarters is in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila; the move there took place after ADB had been located on Roxas Boulevard for 19 years.
Founded:
1966
Opened:
19 December 1966
Members at opening:
31
Members now:
69 - 50 regional, 19 nonregional
Headquarters:
Mandaluyong, Metro Manila
Concessional window:
Asian Development Fund, established 1974
Why it matters for exams: The Asian Development Bank's founding year, opening date, headquarters and the split of its membership between regional and nonregional members are standard objective questions on multilateral development banks.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
Multilateral development bank — A bank owned by several governments that lends for development rather than for profit.
Asian Development Fund — The Bank's window for low-interest loans to its poorest members.
Nonregional member — An ADB member from outside Asia and the Pacific.
Background
The United Nations list of Member States gives Afghanistan Date of Admission: 19-11-1946, which places it among the organisation's earliest members.
Afghanistan is not a founding member of SAARC. A Press Information Bureau release issued at the close of the 14th SAARC Summit, held in New Delhi, records that for the first time in its history, SAARC expanded its membership to welcome Afghanistan as its eighth member. The same release notes that five Observers from outside the region attended the Summit, which also decided to give a similar status to Iran; that the Summit adopted the New Delhi Declaration; that the leaders agreed to designate 2008 as the SAARC Year of Good Governance; and that agreements were signed to establish the SAARC Food Bank and the South Asian University.
The World Trade Organization's member information page states that Afghanistan has been a member of the WTO since 29 July 2016.
Afghanistan does not belong to ASEAN. The ASEAN member states page describes the eleven Member States of ASEAN, the most recent addition being Timor-Leste on 26 October 2025, and Afghanistan is not among them.
UN date of admission:
19-11-1946
Place in SAARC:
Eighth member
SAARC summit of admission:
14th SAARC Summit, New Delhi
WTO member since:
29 July 2016
ASEAN membership:
Not a member
Why it matters for exams: The SAARC founder-versus-eighth-member distinction is one of the most repeated traps in regional-organisation questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
SAARC South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation — The South Asian regional grouping that Afghanistan entered as its eighth member.
Observer status Non-member participation in SAARC — A standing that lets a non-member state attend sessions without voting rights.
Background
Bank deposits in India are insured by the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC), which operates under the DICGC Act, 1961.
As amended through the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) (Amendment) Act, 2021, the Act enables depositors to get time-bound access to their deposits up to ₹ 5 lakh through interim payments by DICGC within 90 days of imposition of All Inclusive Directions (AID) by the Reserve Bank of India on banks.
Banks placed under AID are required to furnish a list of depositors showing the net outstanding deposits to the credit of each depositor in the same capacity and in same right within 45 days of imposition of AID. DICGC has to settle claims within the statutory timelines of 90 days after imposition of AID.
Payment does not wait for the bank to be wound up. The Ministry of Finance told the Lok Sabha that 12 banks went into liquidation after the deposit insurance amount was paid to the depositors of those banks in terms of Section 18A of the DICGC Act, 1961, during 01.09.2021 to 30.11.2022.
Over that same period, from 01.09.2021 when the amendment came into effect to 30.11.2022, the Corporation settled deposit insurance claims of 3,06,146 eligible depositors of 35 banks under AID, amounting to ₹4,055.10 crore.
Deposit cover per depositor:
₹ 5 lakh
DICGC must settle claims within:
90 days of imposition of AID
Bank must furnish depositor list within:
45 days of imposition of AID
Provision for payment before winding up:
Section 18A of the DICGC Act, 1961
Why it matters for exams: The insured amount, the 90-day and 45-day timelines and the fact that payment now precedes liquidation are the three things bank and PSC papers test on deposit insurance, and they changed together with the amending Act.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
DICGC Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation — The body that insures bank deposits in India and pays depositors when a bank is barred from normal business.
All Inclusive Directions Directions imposed by the Reserve Bank restricting a bank's business — Once imposed, the bank cannot carry on normal business, and the deposit insurance clock starts.
Background
The Press Information Bureau records that the Rubber Board is a statutory body constituted under the Rubber Act, 1947, for the overall development of the rubber industry in India and functioning under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. The National Institute for Rubber Training and the Rubber Research Institute of India, both at Kottayam in Kerala, function under the aegis of the Rubber Board. The research institute's work was described as covering scientific breeding programmes, biotechnology interventions and disease management strategies to raise productivity and quality. It holds the International Hevea Clone Museum, which serves as a repository of advanced genetic resources, and India is a signatory to the international clone exchange programme. The release states that the Bharath Sustainable Natural Rubber platform has been launched to ensure legality and traceability across the rubber value chain. The Board's Executive Director told a visiting press delegation that a major share of domestic rubber production is consumed by the tyre industry, and that the Board has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Himalayan Forest Research Institute to begin experimental trials at feasible locations across different agro-climatic zones.
Constituting Act:
The Rubber Act, 1947
Ministry:
Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Institutions at Kottayam:
National Institute for Rubber Training and Rubber Research Institute of India
Traceability platform:
Bharath Sustainable Natural Rubber
Why it matters for exams: Which commodity board sits under which Act and which ministry is a standing question, and the Rubber Board is the one headquartered in Kerala with its research and training arms in the same district.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Hevea Hevea brasiliensis — The rubber tree whose clones the museum at the research institute keeps.
Clone Rubber clone — A rubber plant line multiplied from one parent tree so that every plant yields alike.
Traceability Traceability — Being able to follow a consignment back through the chain to the holding it came from.
Background
The Press Information Bureau records that Cochin Shipyard was incorporated in the year 1972 as the first green field shipyard of India. The same release describes Cochin Shipyard Limited as the largest public sector shipyard in India in terms of dock capacity. The yard caters to clients engaged in the Defence sector in India and to clients engaged in the commercial sector worldwide for shipbuilding and ship repair. In addition to shipbuilding and ship repair, it also offers marine engineering training. The release states that the company has exported around 45 ships to overseas customers and credits it with building the first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier for the Indian Navy. Cochin Shipyard was listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange on 11 August 2017, and the proceeds of the fresh issue were to part fund two expansion projects: a dry dock at the shipyard's own premises, and a ship repair facility in the adjacent Cochin Port Trust premises by setting up of a ship lift and transfer system.
Incorporated:
1972, as the first green field shipyard of India
Described as:
Largest public sector shipyard in India in terms of dock capacity
Ships exported:
Around 45
Stock exchange listing:
11 August 2017
Why it matters for exams: Kerala PSC asks for the state's public sector landmarks and SSC and UPSC ask who built the first indigenous aircraft carrier; both answers sit in the same Kochi yard, and its listing year and ministry are frequent follow-ups.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Greenfield shipyard Greenfield shipyard — A yard built on an entirely new site rather than grown out of an existing dockyard.
Dry dock Dry dock — A basin that can be drained so a ship's hull can be worked on out of water.
Background
The Food and Agriculture Organization's Global Information and Early Warning System country brief on Myanmar sets out a two-crop paddy calendar. Harvesting of the main paddy crop, which accounts for about 80 percent of annual production, is expected to begin at the end of October. The secondary paddy crop, which accounts for about 20 percent of total annual production, will be planted from October onwards. The main crop is grown on the rains: the brief tracks the June to October monsoon season, whose timing and volume decide the size of the larger harvest. The brief reports crop conditions by administrative unit, naming Rakhine State, Sagaing and Ayeyarwady Region - an illustration of Myanmar's two-name administrative structure, in which the first-order units are called States and Regions.
Share from the main paddy crop:
about 80 percent of annual production
Share from the secondary paddy crop:
about 20 percent of total annual production
Monsoon season:
June to October
Why it matters for exams: Rice is the fact examiners reach for on Myanmar's economy, and the two-crop split with the monsoon crop dominant explains why a weak monsoon there moves regional rice prices.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
GIEWS Global Information and Early Warning System on Food and Agriculture — The FAO system that monitors crop and food supply conditions country by country.