Background
UN-OHRLLS, the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, publishes both of the lists on which Afghanistan appears.
The List of LDCs opens Afghanistan Angola Bangladesh and runs on through the alphabet.
On the List of LLDCs, Afghanistan is entry 1. Afghanistan and the numbering runs to 32. Zimbabwe. An asterisk stands against its name, and the page's legend reads Also Least Developed Country, so Afghanistan is counted in both groups at once.
The World Trade Organization recognizes as least-developed countries those countries which have been designated as such by the United Nations. Its page records that there are currently 44 least-developed countries on the UN list, 37 of which to date have become WTO members, and its own enumeration begins These are: Afghanistan Angola Bangladesh. Afghanistan is itself a WTO member, so it sits inside that group of LDC members.
Position on the LDC list:
First, ahead of Angola and Bangladesh
Position on the LLDC list:
1. Afghanistan
Entries on the LLDC list:
runs to 32. Zimbabwe
LDCs on the UN list:
44 least-developed countries on the UN list
LDCs that are WTO members:
37 of which to date have become WTO members
Why it matters for exams: Which countries are in the LDC category, which are landlocked developing countries, and which are in both, is standard ground for economy and reports questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
LDC Least developed country — A UN category for countries with the lowest income and human development indicators, carrying special support measures.
LLDC Landlocked developing country — A developing country with no sea coast, which must move its overseas trade across a neighbour.
Background
Two addresses published by the Prime Minister's Office set out the main pieces of India's development partnership with Afghanistan.
At the inauguration in Herat, the Indian Prime Minister thanked the Afghan side for naming this dam as Afghanistan-India Friendship Dam. The project had been carried out under the name Salma Dam, which an earlier address to the Parliament of Afghanistan referred to while it was still under construction.
The Herat address also records the inauguration of the Afghan Parliament Building in Kabul the previous December; roads built from Zaranj to Delaram; and transmission lines laid to carry power to Afghan homes.
On connectivity, the same address states that India's investment in the port at Chahbahar in Iran will give Afghanistan a new route to the world.
The address to the Parliament of Afghanistan sets out a scheme of 1000 scholarships every year for Afghan students in India, a special scholarship scheme in agriculture science, and the restoration of The Stor Palace in Kabul.
Dam inaugurated at:
Herat
Earlier project name:
Salma Dam
Parliament building:
Kabul
Road built:
Zaranj to Delaram
Scholarships a year:
1000
Why it matters for exams: India-Afghanistan questions almost always turn on the named projects: the Friendship Dam, the Parliament building, the Zaranj to Delaram road and the Chahbahar route.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Chahbahar Chabahar port, Iran — The Iranian port, written Chahbahar in this address, through which India offers Afghanistan a sea route.
Stor Palace Historic building in Kabul — A Kabul heritage building whose restoration the address names as part of the partnership.
Background
The United Nations list of Member States gives the entry Myanmar Date of Admission: 19-04-1948. On trade, the World Trade Organization's member information page states that Myanmar has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 29 July 1948. Because 1 January 1995 is the day the WTO itself came into being, Myanmar is an original member of the organisation rather than a later accession, having carried its membership across from the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.
UN date of admission:
19-04-1948
WTO member since:
1 January 1995
GATT member since:
29 July 1948
Why it matters for exams: Papers ask both the year a country entered the UN and whether it is an original or an acceded WTO member, and Myanmar is a clean example of a GATT contracting party that became an original WTO member.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade — The post-war trade agreement that governed world trade rules until the WTO replaced it.
Background
The World Trade Organization's member information page, Maldives and the WTO, states that the country has been a member of GATT since 19 April 1983 and a member of WTO since 31 May 1995, within the first year of the organisation's work. The Indian Ocean Rim Association's member states page lists each member with the year it came in: the Republic of Maldives appears with 2018. The Republic of India, the Republic of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Republic of Mauritius, the Republic of South Africa and the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka all carry 1997, the year the association was formed, and only the French Republic, at 2020, came in later than the Maldives.
GATT member since:
19 April 1983
WTO member since:
31 May 1995
Year listed by IORA:
2018
Why it matters for exams: Trade-body membership dates separate the careful candidate from the guesser, and the Maldives is a classic trap because its GATT date is far older than its IORA date.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade — The post-war trade agreement whose work the World Trade Organization took over in 1995.
IORA Indian Ocean Rim Association — A regional grouping of states bordering the Indian Ocean, formed in 1997.
Background
The Embassy of India in Yangon describes the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Corridor (KMTTC) Project as one of the most significant projects undertaken by India in Myanmar. Its objective is to create a multi-modal transport corridor for shipment of cargo from the eastern ports of India to Myanmar as well as North-Eastern part of India via Myanmar. The project includes a waterway component of 158 km on Kaladan River from Sittwe to Paletwa and a road component of 109 km from Paletwa to Zorinpui on the India-Myanmar border in Mizoram State. Under a bilateral memorandum of understanding for the management of port operations, the Sittwe Port is being operated by India Ports Global Limited (IPGL). The India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway is the other major connectivity project India is involved in, on two segments; the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has been identified as the implementing agency for both the components of the project, which include the 112-km long Kalewa-Yargyi sector.
Kaladan waterway component:
158 km on Kaladan River from Sittwe to Paletwa
Kaladan road component:
109 km from Paletwa to Zorinpui
Trilateral Highway sector:
112-km long Kalewa-Yargyi
Implementing agency:
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)
Why it matters for exams: The Kaladan corridor and the Trilateral Highway are the two India-Myanmar projects most often asked about, and examiners test the river, the two terminals and the Indian state where the road reaches the border.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Multi-modal transport Multi-modal transport corridor — A freight route that combines more than one mode of transport, such as sea, inland waterway and road.
Background
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Its stated goal is to achieve food security for all and to make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. FAO has 194 members - 193 countries and the European Union - and it works in over 130 countries worldwide. The European Union is therefore a member in its own right, alongside the member countries. Its headquarters is at Rome, Italy, and besides the headquarters it keeps a decentralized network of Regional, Subregional, Country and Liaison Offices. The regional offices it lists are the Regional Office for Africa, the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, the Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa.
Members:
194
Composition of membership:
193 countries and the European Union
Countries of operation:
over 130
Headquarters:
Rome, Italy
Why it matters for exams: The 194 figure is a standing trap because it is not 193 countries: the European Union is a member of FAO alongside them, and Rome as headquarters is asked with it.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Food security — Regular access for people to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives.
Background
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) describes itself as the United Nations agency that serves innovators and creators, ensuring that their ideas travel safely to the market. It was established in 1967 and its headquarters is at Geneva, Switzerland. Its 194 member states approve its strategic direction and activities in the annual meetings of the Assemblies, while its staff form the Secretariat that implements those decisions. Some 250 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) have official observer status at WIPO meetings. The international filing and registration systems WIPO lists are PCT, the International Patent System; Budapest, the International Microorganism Deposit System; Madrid, the International Trademark System; Hague, the International Design System; and Lisbon, the International System of Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications. It also maintains WIPO Lex for intellectual property laws, treaties and judgments, lists the WIPO-Administered Treaties, and publishes the Global Innovation Index. Its external offices are at Algiers, Rio de Janeiro, Beijing, Tokyo, Abuja, Moscow and Singapore.
Established:
1967
Member states:
194
Headquarters:
Geneva, Switzerland
Accredited observers:
Some 250 NGOs and IGOs
Why it matters for exams: Which WIPO system covers which right is a standard prelims trap, and the founding year and Geneva headquarters are routinely asked alongside it.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
PCT Patent Cooperation Treaty — WIPO's international patent system, through which one application can be pursued in many countries.
Appellation of origin — A product name whose protection rests on the product coming from a particular place.
Background
The International Labour Organization describes itself as "the only tripartite U.N. agency, since 1919". It brings together governments, employers and workers of 187 Member States to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work. The ILO was created in 1919, as part of the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I, on the founding belief that social justice is essential to universal and lasting peace. It is a specialized agency of the United Nations and works from Geneva. Its tripartite structure gives an equal voice to workers, employers and governments in setting labour standards and shaping policies. Its governance runs through the International Labour Conference and the ILO Governing Body, and its standards are laid down in the ILO Constitution and in ILO Declarations. Its Regular Budget is funded from assessed contributions by Member States, based on the scale of assessments of the United Nations. At country level it works through Decent Work Country Programmes agreed with governments and with employers and workers organisations.
Created:
1919
Member States:
187
Headquarters:
Geneva, Switzerland
Structure:
Tripartite: governments, employers and workers
Why it matters for exams: Founding year, founding treaty, headquarters and the tripartite structure are the four ILO facts that recur in Kerala PSC and UPSC prelims.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Tripartism — The ILO practice of giving governments, employers and workers an equal voice in its decisions.
Decent Work Country Programme DWCP — The ILO programming instrument that sets its priorities and planned support within a single country.
Background
NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), incorporated on 6 March 2019 (under the Companies Act, 2013) is a wholly owned Government of India company, under the administrative control of Department of Space (DOS). It is the commercial arm of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Its primary stated responsibility is enabling Indian industries to take up high technology space related activities, and it is also responsible for the promotion and commercial exploitation of the products and services emanating from the Indian space programme.
The company's major business areas are the production of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) through industry; the production and marketing of space-based services, including launch services and applications such as transponder leasing, remote sensing and mission support; the building of satellites, both communication and earth observation, as per user requirements; the transfer of technology developed by ISRO centres and units; the marketing of spin-off technologies; and consultancy services.
ISRO's own listing of its centres and units groups two central public sector enterprises under the Department of Space, Antrix Corporation Limited and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), separately from IN-SPACe and from the autonomous bodies such as the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology and the Physical Research Laboratory.
The company's registered address is at the ISRO HQ Campus, New BEL Road, Bengaluru.
Incorporated on:
6 March 2019
Incorporated under:
Companies Act, 2013
Administrative control:
Department of Space (DOS)
Launch vehicles produced through industry:
PSLV and SSLV
Why it matters for exams: Candidates routinely mix up the three space bodies set up outside ISRO's own centres. NSIL is a government company that sells and builds, Antrix is the older marketing company, and IN-SPACe is the authorising and supervising body, so knowing which is a company and which is not decides the answer.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
NSIL NewSpace India Limited — A wholly government-owned company under the Department of Space that commercialises ISRO's products and services.
Transponder leasing Renting out capacity on a satellite's communication relay — A broadcaster or telecom operator pays to use part of a satellite already in orbit.
Background
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) was established by the Government of India under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act passed by the Parliament in December, 1985. The Act, numbered 2 of 1986, came into effect from 13th February, 1986 by a notification in the Gazette of India. The Authority replaced the Processed Food Export Promotion Council (PFEPC).
Its assigned functions include registration of persons as exporters of the scheduled products, fixing of standards and specifications for the scheduled products for the purpose of exports, carrying out inspection of meat and meat products, and improving the packaging and the marketing of the scheduled products outside India.
The scheduled products run from fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry and dairy to honey, cereals, groundnuts, guar gum, floriculture and cashew nuts. Basmati Rice has been included in the Second Schedule of APEDA Act, and the Authority has also been entrusted with monitoring the import of sugar.
As prescribed by the statute the Authority consists of a Chairman, appointed by the Central Government; the Agricultural Marketing Advisor to the Government of India, ex-officio; one member representing the Niti Aayog; and eight members representing Central Government ministries. Three members of Parliament of whom two are elected by the House of People and one by the Council of States also sit on the Authority.
APEDA also functions as the Secretariat to the National Accreditation Board (NAB) for accreditation of the certification bodies under the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP), under which products for export must be produced, processed and packed to be certified as organic.
Parent Act passed by Parliament:
December, 1985
Act came into effect from:
13th February, 1986
Body replaced:
Processed Food Export Promotion Council (PFEPC)
Members of Parliament on the Authority:
3
Why it matters for exams: APEDA's parent Act, its commencement date, the council it replaced, the inclusion of Basmati rice in the Second Schedule and the three parliamentary seats on the Authority are standard objective questions on India's agricultural export machinery.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
APEDA Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority — The statutory authority that registers exporters and fixes export standards for scheduled farm and processed food products.
Scheduled products Products listed in the schedules to the APEDA Act — Only products named in the Act's schedules come under APEDA's registration and standard-setting powers.
NPOP National Programme for Organic Production — The standard a product must be produced, processed and packed to, in order to be certified organic for export.
7 October 2026
Chief Minister Manik Saha announced a 3 per cent increase in dearness allowance (DA) for state government employees and dearness relief (DR) for pensioners, taking the total to 44 per cent. The revised rate applies from 1 October 2026. He made the announcement at a press conference at the Secretariat in Agartala, with Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy present. The additional cost to the state is about 300 crore rupees a year. After the revision, the gap between Tripura's DA rate and that of Central government employees stands at 16 percentage points. House Rent Allowance (HRA) for regular government employees rises from 8 per cent to 10 per cent.
Total DA/DR:
44 per cent
Increase:
3 per cent
Annual extra cost:
about 300 crore rupees
Gap with Centre:
16 percentage points
Why it matters for exams: Pay and allowance revisions by a state government are a staple of state-affairs and economy questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
DA/DR Dearness Allowance / Dearness Relief — DA is paid to serving employees and DR to pensioners to offset price rises.
7 October 2026
The Reserve Bank of India announced in a press release dated 7 October 2026 that Paytm Payments Bank Limited has been excluded from the Second Schedule to the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
The exclusion was made by notification DoR.LIC.No.S3674/16.13.215/2026-27 dated 31 July 2026.
The notification was published in the Gazette of India, Part III, Section 4, dated 7 September 2026.
The release was issued by Brij Raj, Chief General Manager, as Press Release 2026-2027/1273.
Banks named in the Second Schedule to the Act are the scheduled banks of the country, so exclusion from that Schedule removes the entity from the list of scheduled banks.
Entity:
Paytm Payments Bank Limited
Schedule:
Second Schedule to the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934
Notification:
DoR.LIC.No.S3674/16.13.215/2026-27 dated July 31, 2026
Gazette publication:
Gazette of India, Part III - Section 4, dated September 07, 2026
Why it matters for exams: Which Schedule of the Reserve Bank of India Act lists scheduled banks, and the effect of inclusion or exclusion, is a recurring banking and general studies question.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
Scheduled bank Scheduled bank — A bank named in the Second Schedule to the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
Payments bank Payments bank — A differentiated bank that may take limited deposits and offer payment services but cannot lend.
7 October 2026
The Monetary Policy Committee of the Reserve Bank of India met from October 5 to 7, 2026 and raised the policy repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.50 per cent. The decision on the rate was unanimous. The stance was changed to calibrated tightening, with Dr. Nagesh Kumar and Prof. Ram Singh voting to keep the stance neutral. The standing deposit facility rate stands at 5.25 per cent and the marginal standing facility rate and the Bank Rate at 5.75 per cent. CPI inflation for 2026-27 is projected at 5.2 per cent and real GDP growth at 7.1 per cent.
Policy repo rate:
5.50 per cent
Change:
25 basis points increase
Standing deposit facility rate:
5.25 per cent
Marginal standing facility rate and Bank Rate:
5.75 per cent
CPI inflation projection 2026-27:
5.2 per cent
Real GDP growth projection 2026-27:
7.1 per cent
Why it matters for exams: The repo rate and the policy stance are standard questions in bank and civil service papers, and a change in either is asked with its exact figure.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
Repo rate Repurchase rate — The rate at which the Reserve Bank lends short term to banks against government securities.
SDF Standing Deposit Facility — The window through which banks park surplus funds with the Reserve Bank without collateral; its rate is the floor of the corridor.
MSF Marginal Standing Facility — The window through which banks borrow overnight from the Reserve Bank above the repo rate; its rate is the ceiling of the corridor.
7 October 2026
Transport Minister CP John flagged off KSRTC's cargo service at the Domestic Airport Cargo Terminal in Thiruvananthapuram on 7 October 2026.
The first consignment was one tonne of mobile phones flown from Delhi by Air India and carried to Aluva in a wet-leased truck.
The first phase has five wet-leased trucks, and the Minister said KSRTC aims to build a fleet of more than 100 trucks.
The project is part of the government's 100-day action plan, to strengthen KSRTC's logistics network and raise non-ticket revenue.
Income from the service will be used directly for the benefit of KSRTC passengers.
First consignment:
one tonne of mobile phones
First-phase vehicles:
5 wet-leased trucks
Target fleet:
more than 100 trucks
Why it matters for exams: A 100-day action plan item on public-sector transport diversification, useful for Kerala economy and governance questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Wet lease Wet-leased vehicle — A vehicle hired together with its operator or crew.
KSRTC Kerala State Road Transport Corporation — The State-owned bus corporation.
7 October 2026
The Food and Agriculture Organization called for urgent investment to protect food production as crises deepen across the Near East and North Africa.
In Sudan 19.5 million people face high levels of acute food insecurity, yet only 23 per cent of the 193 million dollars required under the 2026-2028 Emergency Response Plan has been funded.
In Syria about 7.2 million people were facing acute food insecurity in late 2025; FAO requires 171.5 million dollars in 2027 to assist 5.2 million people.
In Yemen 18.3 million people faced Crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity in the latest analysis, and FAO has secured less than 1 per cent of the 87.9 million dollars required under its 2027 Emergency and Resilience Plan.
FAO said more than 22 per cent of Lebanon's agricultural land has been damaged and about 50 per cent of agricultural land in the South and Nabatieh is inaccessible.
More than one million people were displaced in Lebanon following the escalation of March 2026, mainly from rural areas.
FAO says it reached almost five million people in Sudan in 2026 with seeds, livestock vaccination, animal feed and input vouchers.
Sudan food insecurity:
19.5 million people; 23 per cent of $193 million funded
Yemen:
18.3 million people; less than 1 per cent of $87.9 million secured
Lebanon farmland damaged:
more than 22 per cent
Why it matters for exams: FAO, acute food insecurity classification and the Sudan, Syria and Yemen crises recur in economy and international organisation questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations — The UN specialised agency for food security and agriculture, based in Rome.
Acute food insecurity Acute food insecurity — Hunger severe enough to threaten lives or livelihoods, classified in phases from Minimal to Famine.
7 October 2026
The Department of Financial Services in the Ministry of Finance issued directions dated October 5, 2026 to the convenors of State Level Bankers' Committees and Union Territory Level Bankers' Committees across all States and Union Territories.
The directions require scheme-wise and bank-wise reporting of the number and percentage of Scheduled Caste beneficiaries at periodic review meetings, and regular sharing of that information with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes.
The step follows a letter of September 24, 2026 from NCSC Secretary Shri Vivek Kumar Dewangan to the Secretary, Department of Financial Services.
The Commission had said that bankers' committee reports did not show the share of Scheduled Caste families, which hindered its duty under Article 338(5)(c) to evaluate the socio-economic development of Scheduled Castes.
The schemes named are Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, Stand-Up India, the Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme, PM SVANidhi, CGTMSE and MSME business loans.
An action taken report was sought by October 9, 2026, with a further update within 30 days, using data the banks and implementing agencies already hold.
Directions dated:
October 5, 2026
Constitutional provision cited:
Article 338(5)(c)
Action taken report due:
October 9, 2026
Why it matters for exams: Article 338(5)(c) and the State Level Bankers' Committee are both standard exam topics, and this order shows exactly how the Commission's constitutional duty is enforced through the banking system.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
NCSC National Commission for Scheduled Castes — The constitutional commission under Article 338 that safeguards the interests of Scheduled Castes.
SLBC State Level Bankers' Committee — The forum in each State where banks, the Reserve Bank and the State government coordinate credit planning.
CGTMSE Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises — The trust that guarantees collateral-free credit to micro and small enterprises.
7 October 2026
Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent a written message to the third edition of Sagarmanthan: The Great Oceans Dialogue, released by the Press Information Bureau on October 7, 2026.
The dialogue is organised by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways together with the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi.
The message called for a free, open, secure and rules-based maritime order that brings peace and prosperity to all nations.
It said developments in one region can affect distant places, which makes ocean dialogue and cooperation more important than ever.
The message recalled India's maritime heritage, from the ancient port city of Lothal to the Chola dynasty and the naval vision of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
It noted that Indian seafarers form the second largest maritime workforce in the world, that major ports have nearly doubled their capacity with reduced turnaround times, and that India is preparing for a new era of shipbuilding and green shipping as part of the Viksit Bharat goal for 2047.
Event:
Sagarmanthan: The Great Oceans Dialogue, third edition
Organisers:
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways with Observer Research Foundation
India's seafarers:
second largest maritime workforce in the world
Why it matters for exams: Maritime policy questions turn on the phrase a rules-based maritime order and on named facts such as Lothal, India's seafarer ranking and port capacity, all of which appear in this message.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ORF Observer Research Foundation — An Indian think tank that co-organises the Sagarmanthan dialogue with the shipping ministry.
Lothal Harappan port site in Gujarat — An ancient dockyard town cited as evidence of India's early maritime trade.
7 October 2026
The Ministry of Rural Development held a two-day PMGSY Chintan Shivir on quality, maintenance and technology-based rural connectivity at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on October 5 and 6, 2026.
Union Minister of Rural Development and Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan urged wider use of digital tools, GPS-based monitoring and artificial intelligence for field verification.
Minister of State for Rural Development Shri Kamlesh Paswan called for closer monitoring of delayed works, particularly in difficult and North-Eastern areas.
Secretary, Rural Development, Shri Rohit Kansal asked States and Union Territories to adopt the new monitoring tools quickly.
The release records an outlay of ₹70,125 crore for PMGSY-IV, covering about 62,500 km of all-weather roads and 25,000 eligible unconnected habitations.
About 8 lakh km of rural roads have been built under the programme's phases over 25 years, and experts from CRRI, NDMA, CDRI and the Border Roads Organisation addressed the sessions.
PMGSY-IV outlay:
₹70,125 crore
Road target:
about 62,500 km
Habitations to be connected:
25,000
Rural roads built in 25 years:
about 8 lakh km
Why it matters for exams: PMGSY-IV's outlay, road target and habitation target are exactly the three figures a scheme question asks for, and the programme's 25-year total is a frequent one-mark fact.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
PMGSY Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana — The Union programme for all-weather road connectivity to eligible unconnected rural habitations.
NRIDA National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency — The agency that provides technical and management support to PMGSY.
BRO Border Roads Organisation — The organisation that builds and maintains roads in India's border areas.
7 October 2026
The Reserve Bank of India announced on October 7, 2026 that it would conduct a 29-day variable rate reverse repo auction under the liquidity adjustment facility.
The notified amount is ₹2,00,000 crore.
The auction is to be held on Thursday, October 8, 2026, with the window open from 9:30 am to 10:00 am.
The reversal date is Friday, November 6, 2026.
The auction follows the operational guidelines in the Reserve Bank's press release 2019-2020/1947 dated February 13, 2020.
Participants may reverse the amount prematurely, in full or in part, by placing a request on the E-Kuber portal at least two working days before the original reversal date.
Notified amount:
₹2,00,000 crore
Tenor:
29 days
Auction date:
October 8, 2026
Reversal date:
November 6, 2026
Why it matters for exams: The variable rate reverse repo is the Reserve Bank's main tool for absorbing surplus liquidity, and the tenor and notified amount show how the tool is being used in practice.
UPSCBank
In plain words
VRRR Variable Rate Reverse Repo — An auction through which the RBI absorbs surplus bank liquidity at a rate set by bidding.
E-Kuber RBI's core banking solution — The platform on which banks bid in Reserve Bank auctions and settle government securities business.
7 October 2026
The Reserve Bank of India announced on October 7, 2026 the exclusion of Paytm Payments Bank Limited from the Second Schedule to the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
The exclusion was effected by notification DoR.LIC.No.S3674/16.13.215/2026-27 dated July 31, 2026.
The notification was published in the Gazette of India (Part III, Section 4) dated September 7, 2026.
The announcement was issued as Press Release No. 2026-2027/1273 over the signature of Brij Raj, Chief General Manager.
A bank named in the Second Schedule is a scheduled bank, and removal from the Schedule ends that status.
Schedule:
Second Schedule to the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934
Notification date:
July 31, 2026
Gazette publication:
September 7, 2026
Why it matters for exams: The Second Schedule is the legal basis of the term scheduled bank, and a named instance of inclusion or exclusion is how banking papers test whether a candidate knows the provision rather than the phrase.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
Scheduled bank Bank included in the Second Schedule to the RBI Act, 1934 — Inclusion brings the bank within the Reserve Bank's scheduled bank framework; exclusion removes it.
Payments bank Differentiated bank licensed by the RBI — A category of bank that can accept deposits within a limit but cannot lend.