Background
The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act is one of the four documents from which the Central Government's commitments to the newly created State of Andhra Pradesh flow, and under section 90 the Act declares the Polavaram Irrigation Project as a National Project. The Ministry of Finance records that the Polavaram Project is on the river Godavari near Ramayyapeta village of Polavaram mandal, about 42 km upstream of Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage in the State of Andhra Pradesh. It envisages construction of a dam and canal system to create an ultimate irrigation potential of 2,91,000 ha (7.2 lakh acres), generation of 960 MW of hydro power, drinking water supply to a population of 28.50 lakh in 540 villages, and diversion of 80 TMC of water to the Krishna river basin. Separately, under section 93 of the Act the institutions and infrastructure to be developed in the State are outlined in the Thirteenth Schedule, and the Act also provides for a developmental package for the backward areas of the State and for incentives in particular for the Rayalaseema and north coastal regions.
River:
river Godavari
Nearest village and mandal:
Ramayyapeta, Polavaram mandal
Distance upstream of Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage:
42 km upstream
Ultimate irrigation potential:
2,91,000 ha (7.2 lakh acres)
Hydro power:
960 MW
Diversion to the Krishna basin:
80 TMC
Why it matters for exams: Polavaram's statutory status as a National Project, its river, and the 80 TMC diversion to the Krishna basin are among the most frequently examined facts about Andhra Pradesh's water resources.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
TMC thousand million cubic feet — A unit used in India for large volumes of stored or diverted water.
Mandal — The administrative unit below the district in Andhra Pradesh, equivalent to a taluk.
National Project — A status under which the Centre takes on a large share of an irrigation project's cost.
Background
The Ministry of Textiles gives financial assistance for registering handloom products under the Geographical Indications (GI) of Goods Act, 1999, and has set up GI help desks at each Weavers Service Centre to handle issues relating to GI products and to promote GI in handloom clusters. Its State-wise list of registered handloom Geographical Indications records four from Andhra Pradesh: Uppada Jamdani Sarees, Venkatagiri Sarees, Mangalagiri Sarees And Fabrics, and Dharmavaram Handloom Pattu Sarres And Paavadas, the last spelt as the Ministry's list spells it. All four are entered in the list as handloom goods. On the same list, Pochampally Ikat, Gadwal Sarees, Siddipet Gollabama and Narayanpet Handloom Sarees are entered under Telangana, not Andhra Pradesh.
Andhra Pradesh handloom GI:
Uppada Jamdani Sarees
Andhra Pradesh handloom GI:
Venkatagiri Sarees
Andhra Pradesh handloom GI:
Mangalagiri Sarees And Fabrics
Andhra Pradesh handloom GI:
Dharmavaram Handloom Pattu Sarres And Paavadas
Where GI help desks are set up:
Weavers Service Centre
Why it matters for exams: Which Geographical Indication belongs to Andhra Pradesh and which to Telangana is a favourite trap after the bifurcation, and all four of these names recur in question papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
GI Geographical Indication — A sign used on a product whose qualities or reputation come from the place it is made.
Jamdani — A weaving technique in which the design is worked into the fabric on the loom itself.
Background
The Eurosystem, which consists of the European Central Bank (ECB) and the national central banks of the euro area, carries out a number of tasks to maintain price stability. The ECB's main aim is to maintain price stability, that is, to safeguard the value of the euro.
The Treaty does not give a precise definition of what is meant by price stability. The ECB's Governing Council, after concluding its strategy review in July 2021, considers that price stability is best maintained by aiming for 2% inflation over the medium term.
The ECB treats the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) as the appropriate measure for assessing whether the price stability objective has been achieved.
The target is symmetric: the ECB considers negative and positive deviations from the 2% inflation target to be equally undesirable. A 2% rate is low enough for the economy to enjoy the benefits of price stability while providing a safety margin against the risk of deflation, which matters because there are limits to how far interest rates can be cut.
The target is assessed on inflation in the euro area as a whole, not in any one member country, which makes clear that the focus of ECB monetary policy is the euro area as a single economy.
The Eurosystem is responsible for defining and implementing monetary policy, conducting foreign exchange operations, holding and managing the euro area's foreign currency reserves, and promoting the smooth operation of payment systems. The ECB separately carries out tasks in banking supervision, banknotes, statistics, macroprudential policy and financial stability.
Inflation target:
2% inflation over the medium term
Price measure used:
Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP)
Symmetry of the target:
negative and positive deviations are equally undesirable
Who set the target:
the ECB's Governing Council, after its strategy review in July 2021
Eurosystem:
the ECB and the national central banks of the euro area
Why it matters for exams: Inflation targeting is examined through the two best-documented cases, and the ECB's is the one with a treaty mandate, a named index and an explicitly symmetric target.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
HICP Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices — The consumer price index compiled on a common basis across EU countries, used to measure euro area inflation.
Eurosystem the Eurosystem — The ECB together with the national central banks of the countries that use the euro.
price stability price stability — A state in which the general level of prices neither rises nor falls persistently.
deflation deflation — A sustained fall in the general level of prices, the opposite of inflation.
Background
The World Trade Organization's agreements are long and technical, but a few simple principles run through all of them. The first is trade without discrimination, and it has two halves.
Under most-favoured-nation (MFN) treatment, a member cannot normally discriminate between its trading partners: grant one of them a special favour, such as a lower customs duty rate for one of their products, and the same must be given to all other WTO members. MFN is the first article of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which governs trade in goods, and it is also a priority in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), though each agreement handles it slightly differently.
Some exceptions are allowed under strict conditions: a free trade agreement applying only to goods traded within the group, special market access for developing countries, and barriers against products traded unfairly from specific countries.
The second half is national treatment: imported and locally produced goods should be treated equally once the foreign goods have entered the market, and the same applies to foreign and domestic services and to foreign and local trademarks, copyrights and patents. Because it bites only after entry, charging customs duty on an import is not a violation of national treatment even where the like domestic product bears no equivalent tax.
Predictability is delivered by binding. When members agree to open their markets they bind their commitments, and for goods those bindings amount to ceilings on customs tariff rates. A member may apply a rate lower than its bound rate, but can change the binding itself only after negotiating with its trading partners, which could mean compensating them for loss of trade.
Since GATT's creation in 1947-48 there have been eight rounds of trade negotiations, and the agreements also allow change to be introduced gradually through progressive liberalization, with developing countries usually given longer to fulfil their obligations.
Most-favoured-nation treatment:
a favour given to one member must be given to all other WTO members
Where MFN sits in GATT:
the first article of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
National treatment:
imported and locally-produced goods treated equally after the foreign goods have entered the market
Tariff bindings:
ceilings on customs tariff rates
Rounds of trade negotiations:
eight rounds of trade negotiations since 1947-48
Why it matters for exams: MFN and national treatment are the two phrases every trade question turns on, and the distinction between them, and the point at which each applies, is exactly what is tested.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
MFN most-favoured-nation treatment — The rule that a trade concession given to one WTO member must be extended to every other member.
GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade — The WTO agreement that governs trade in goods.
GATS General Agreement on Trade in Services — The WTO agreement that governs trade in services.
TRIPS Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights — The WTO agreement on patents, copyrights, trademarks and other intellectual property.
tariff binding bound tariff rate — A ceiling a member has promised not to raise its customs duty above without renegotiating.
Background
The World Trade Organization's General Council discharges its responsibilities under the Dispute Settlement Understanding through the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB). Like the General Council, the DSB is composed of representatives of all WTO Members — governmental delegates who take instructions from their capitals — so it is a political body rather than a court. The DSB administers the Understanding and oversees the whole dispute settlement process: it has the authority to establish panels, adopt panel and Appellate Body reports, maintain surveillance of implementation of rulings and recommendations, and authorize the suspension of obligations under the covered agreements. The general rule is that the DSB takes decisions by consensus, which is achieved if no WTO Member present at the meeting formally objects to the proposed decision. But at three key stages — establishing a panel, adopting panel and Appellate Body reports, and authorizing retaliation — the DSB must approve the decision unless there is a consensus against it. This procedure, commonly called negative or reverse consensus, means a losing Member cannot block a ruling on its own. The DSB usually has one regular meeting per month, and the WTO Secretariat provides its administrative support.
Composition:
Representatives of all WTO Members
Parent body:
The WTO General Council
Regular meetings:
One regular meeting per month
Decision rule at the three key stages:
Approved unless there is a consensus against it
Why it matters for exams: Negative consensus is the single mechanism that made WTO rulings binding where GATT rulings were not, and it is the standard answer to why WTO dispute settlement was called a step change.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
DSB Dispute Settlement Body — The WTO body of all Members that establishes panels, adopts reports and authorises retaliation.
DSU Dispute Settlement Understanding — The WTO agreement setting out the rules and procedures governing the settlement of disputes.
Negative consensus Negative or reverse consensus — A rule under which a decision is taken automatically unless every Member agrees not to take it.
Appellate Body WTO Appellate Body — The standing body that hears appeals on points of law from WTO dispute panels.
Suspension of obligations Suspension of obligations — Retaliation a winning Member may be authorised to apply when the losing Member does not comply.
Background
The Economic and Social Council is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, all of them established under the UN Charter when the Organization was founded in 1945. It is described by the United Nations as the principal body for coordination, policy review, policy dialogue and recommendations on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as for the implementation of internationally agreed development goals. It serves as the central mechanism for activities of the UN system and its specialized agencies in the economic, social and environmental fields, and it supervises subsidiary and expert bodies. It has 54 Members, elected by the General Assembly for overlapping three-year terms, so that only part of the membership changes in any one year. The United Nations calls it the Organization's central platform for reflection, debate and innovative thinking on sustainable development.
Members:
54
Elected by:
UN General Assembly
Term:
Overlapping three-year terms
UN principal organs:
6
Why it matters for exams: The composition and term of each UN principal organ is a standing objective question, and ECOSOC's 54 members are confused with the Security Council's 15 almost every year.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
ECOSOC Economic and Social Council — The UN organ that coordinates the economic, social and environmental work of the UN system.
Principal organ Principal organ of the United Nations — One of the six bodies set up by the UN Charter itself, as distinct from programmes and agencies created later.
Specialized agency UN specialized agency — An autonomous international organisation linked to the UN by agreement, such as the ILO or the FAO.
Background
The World Trade Organization's own member information page, headed Peru and the WTO, states that Peru has been a WTO member since 1995 and a member of GATT since 7 October 1951, so its place in the multilateral trading system long predates the WTO itself. That page gathers Peru's goods schedules, services schedules and tariff data, together with its record as complainant and respondent in WTO disputes. Alongside those multilateral rules, the United States Country Commercial Guide for Peru records that the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA) entered into force in 2009. It states that the PTPA helped drive more than $20 billion in annual two-way goods trade in 2024, up from $9.1 billion in 2009, the year the PTPA entered into force. Under the PTPA, U.S. consumer and industrial goods exports to Peru are no longer subject to tariffs, and the agreement also eliminated tariffs on almost 90 percent of U.S. agricultural product exports.
WTO member since:
1995
GATT member since:
7 October 1951
Year the PTPA entered into force:
2009
Two-way goods trade with the United States:
$20 billion
Share of U.S. farm exports freed of tariffs:
almost 90 percent
Why it matters for exams: A country's trade questions turn on two different layers - its multilateral membership and its bilateral agreements - and Peru shows both, with a GATT membership far older than its WTO membership.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade — The multilateral trade agreement that governed world trade rules before the World Trade Organization was set up.
PTPA U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement — The bilateral free trade agreement between the United States and Peru that removed tariffs on most trade between them.
goods schedules schedules of concessions on goods — A member's binding list of the maximum tariffs it may charge on each category of imported goods.
two-way goods trade two-way goods trade — Exports and imports of merchandise between two countries added together.
Background
The Andean Community, abbreviated CAN, is a trade bloc of four countries - Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The Headquarters of CAN are located in Lima, Peru. Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay are associate members, while Panama, Mexico, and Spain are Observers. Regional integration in the Andean countries began with the signing of the Cartagena Agreement by Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru in 1969, creating the Andean Pact with the objective of creating a Customs Union and a Common Market. Chile withdrew in 1976 and Venezuela, which joined the Pact in 1973, withdrew in 2006. In 1979 the Andean Council of Foreign Ministers, the Andean Court of Justice and the Andean Parliament were created. In 1996 the Protocol of Trujillo renamed the Pact as the Andean Community and converted the Board of the Cartagena Agreement into a General Secretariat based in Lima, Peru. In 2001 the Andean Passport was created, enabling citizens of member states to travel between the countries without visa.
Member countries:
Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru
Headquarters:
Lima, Peru
Founding treaty:
Cartagena Agreement
Year the Andean Pact was created:
1969
Protocol that renamed the Pact:
Protocol of Trujillo
Why it matters for exams: Regional blocs and where their secretariats sit are routinely asked, and Peru is the only Andean Community member that also hosts the bloc's headquarters.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
CAN Andean Community — The South American trade bloc of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, with its headquarters in Lima.
Cartagena Agreement the 1969 treaty that created the Andean Pact — The treaty whose signing began Andean regional integration, aiming at a customs union and a common market.
associate member associate membership of a bloc — A country linked to a bloc by agreement without being a full member of it.
Customs Union customs union — An arrangement in which members drop tariffs among themselves and apply a common tariff to outsiders.
Background
The Embassy of India in Caracas records that the two countries marked the 65th Anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations in 2024, and that Resident Embassies have been in Caracas and New Delhi for over four decades.
In the hydrocarbon sector, ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) and Corporacion Venezolana del Petroleo (CVP), a subsidiary of PdVSA, run a joint venture called PetroleraIndovenezolana SA for the production and exploration of oil in the San Cristobal field. OVL holds 40% of it and PDVSA has 60%, and the OVL investment in the project is approximately US$ 200 million.
An international consortium of ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL), Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Oil India Limited (OIL), Repsol of Spain and Petronas of Malaysia was declared the winner of an international bidding process in April 2008 to develop an oil project in Carabobo in the Orinoco belt of Venezuela.
On trade, the embassy gives bilateral trade for 2023-24 as 1,175.02 USD million in all, made up of Indian exports of 175.33 and Indian imports of 999.69, on figures from DGCI&S, Kolkata. Mineral fuels and oils head the embassy's list of main items in both directions, and on the embassy's own figures India's imports from Venezuela are far larger than its exports to it.
On the cultural side, an India Chair was set up at the University of Los Andes and at the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas, and the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Study Centre was inaugurated in Caracas. The Mahatma Gandhi Foundation Venezuela runs regular diploma courses on Gandhian philosophy, and the International Day of Yoga has been celebrated annually since 2015.
Anniversary of diplomatic relations marked:
65th Anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations in 2024
Indian mission:
Caracas
Bilateral trade, 2023-24 (USD million):
1,175.02
India's exports (USD million):
175.33
India's imports (USD million):
999.69
Oil joint venture:
PetroleraIndovenezolana SA
OVL stake in the joint venture:
40%
OVL investment in the project:
US$ 200 million
Why it matters for exams: India's relations with a country are asked through four handles - when relations were established, where the missions are, what the trade is and which Indian public sector firms are present - and all four are on the record here, including the energy joint venture that explains why imports from Venezuela dwarf exports to it.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
OVL ONGC Videsh Limited — The overseas arm of India's Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, which holds India's oil and gas assets abroad.
PdVSA Petroleos de Venezuela SA — Venezuela's state oil company, whose subsidiary CVP is OVL's partner in the joint venture.
DGCI&S Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics — The Indian office in Kolkata that compiles the country's official foreign trade figures.
Background
The U.S. Energy Information Administration records that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, also known as OPEC, was formed in 1960 by Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela, and that the organisation has since expanded to 13 members. Of those five founders, Venezuela is the only one in the Americas.
The same agency records that Venezuela had the largest proven crude oil reserves in the world in 2023, with approximately 303 billion barrels, accounting for approximately 17% of global reserves.
Reserves on that scale do not translate into output. Despite the sizeable reserves, Venezuela produced 0.8% of total global crude oil in 2023.
The reason lies in the nature of the deposits. Most of Venezuela's proven oil reserves are extra-heavy crude oil from the Orinoco Belt, which makes the crude somewhat expensive to produce, and the agency records that the extraction of extra-heavy crude oil requires a higher level of technical expertise. The Orinoco Oil Belt is spread over 19,000 square miles and is divided into 36 blocks within 4 exploration areas, Boyaca, Junin, Ayachucho, and Carabobo.
Venezuela also has reserves in and around Lake Maracaibo in the western part of the country. State policy requires the national oil company to hold at least 60% equity in joint ventures with foreign firms.
OPEC formed in:
1960
Founding members:
Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela
OPEC members, on the agency's count:
13
Proven crude oil reserves:
303 billion barrels
Share of global reserves:
17% of global reserves
Share of global crude oil output:
0.8% of total global crude oil
Main reserve basin:
Orinoco Oil Belt
Extent of the Orinoco Oil Belt:
19,000 square miles
Why it matters for exams: The five founders of OPEC are asked in almost every general studies paper, and the gap between Venezuela's share of world reserves and its share of world output is the kind of figure pair that makes a good analytical question about heavy crude.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
OPEC Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries — A group of oil-exporting states that coordinates production targets among its members.
proven reserves proven crude oil reserves — The quantity of oil that has been found and can be recovered under present conditions.
extra-heavy crude oil extra-heavy crude oil — Very dense, slow-flowing crude oil that needs extra treatment or dilution before it can be moved and refined.
Background
The Embassy of India in Havana records that India was among the first countries to extend recognition to the new Cuban government following the Cuban revolution in January 1959. The visit of Che Guevara to India from 30 June to 4 July 1959 consolidated the ties, which led to embassies being opened in the two capitals; the first head of the Mission presented credentials on 12 January 1960 in Havana. The two countries maintain close contacts with each other in UN, NAM and other international fora, and the brief records the first ever visit by the President of India to Cuba. India has extended five Lines of Credit to the tune of $243 million to the Government of Cuba, in agriculture, agro-food, and renewable energy. Cuba is a member country of the International Solar Alliance and holds its Vice-President position for the Latin America and the Caribbean region. Indian exports to Cuba are led by pharmaceutical products and organic chemicals, while imports from Cuba consist mainly of pharmaceutical and tobacco products. Cuba has 70 slots under India's technical and economic cooperation programme, and India donated 60 tractors to Cuba to assist its agriculture sector.
Credentials of the first head of the Mission:
12 January 1960
Che Guevara's visit to India:
30 June to 4 July 1959
Lines of Credit:
5, worth $243 million
Training slots offered to Cuba:
70
Tractors donated:
60
Why it matters for exams: India's bilateral relations with a country in focus are asked on when relations were established, what credit was extended and which multilateral bodies the two share.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
NAM NAM — The movement of countries that chose not to side with either power bloc in the Cold War; Cuba has hosted its summits and India is a founder of it.
Lines of Credit Lines of Credit — A concessional loan India extends to a partner government for named projects, usually tied to Indian goods and services.
Background
The United Nations lists Cuba among the Original 51 Members of the Organization - that is, Cuba was an original Member of the United Nations, from its founding year. India, Haiti, Mexico and the United States are on the same list of original Members. The World Trade Organization's member information page for Cuba records that Cuba has been a member of the WTO since 1995, and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948. Cuba also appears on the WTO list of the 128 countries that had signed GATT by 1994, which makes Cuba one of the oldest participants in the post-war trading system.
Original UN Members:
51
Year of UN founding membership:
1945
WTO membership:
1995
GATT membership:
1 January 1948
Countries that had signed GATT by 1994:
128
Why it matters for exams: Which states were original Members of the United Nations, and which were GATT members before the WTO existed, are both standard objective questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade — The tariff-cutting agreement that governed world trade before the World Trade Organization replaced it.
Original 51 Members Original 51 Members — The states that took part in founding the United Nations and signed its Charter at the start.
Background
The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) is conducted by the National Statistics Office in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, as one of the surveys conducted by NSS. It was launched in April 2017 to produce the key employment and unemployment indicators: the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), the Worker Population Ratio (WPR) and the Unemployment Rate (UR). LFPR is the percentage of persons in the labour force in the population; WPR is the percentage of employed persons in the population; and UR is the percentage of persons unemployed among the persons in the labour force. A person's activity status is fixed under two frameworks: Usual Status (ps+ss), which uses a reference period of the last 365 days, and Current Weekly Status (CWS), which uses the last seven days preceding the date of survey. At the start the quarterly results covered urban areas only, in CWS, while the annual report covered rural and urban areas in both approaches, and the survey used a rotational panel sampling design in urban areas. The sampling design was revamped from January 2025: monthly estimates of LFPR, WPR and UR are now produced for the all-India level in CWS, the quarterly estimates extend to rural areas, and the annual results follow the calendar year.
Conducting agency:
National Statistics Office
Launched in:
April 2017
Usual Status reference period:
last 365 days
Current Weekly Status reference period:
last seven days
Sampling design revamped from:
January 2025
Why it matters for exams: Questions turn on who conducts the survey, what each of the three indicators measures, and the difference between the 365-day and seven-day reference periods, which is the commonest point of confusion.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
PLFS Periodic Labour Force Survey — India's regular household survey of employment and unemployment.
LFPR Labour Force Participation Rate — The share of the population that is working, or seeking or available for work.
WPR Worker Population Ratio — The share of the population that is actually employed.
CWS Current Weekly Status — Activity status judged over the seven days before the survey visit.
Labour force — Everyone who is working, or seeking or available for work; those outside it are not counted as unemployed.
Background
Colombia and India established diplomatic relations on 19 January 1959.
Colombia opened its embassy in New Delhi in March 1972, and India opened its embassy in Colombia in 1973.
Indian investment in Colombia is about USD 500 million, excluding ONGC Videsh's USD 1.5 billion of hydrocarbon investments; Colombian investment in India is about USD 5 million.
Indian companies operating in Colombia include TCS, Infosys and Wipro in information technology, CIPLA and Dr Reddy's in pharmaceuticals, Bajaj and Hero in automobiles, and ONGC Videsh in oil exploration.
India's main items of export to Colombia include vehicles such as motorcycles, engineering goods, chemicals, cotton, pharmaceuticals and iron and steel products.
The 10th Foreign Office Consultations were held on 15 October 2024, when an Audio-Visual Co-production Agreement was signed.
Diplomatic relations established:
19 January 1959
Colombia's embassy in New Delhi:
March 1972
India's embassy in Colombia:
1973
Indian investment in Colombia:
About USD 500 million
Why it matters for exams: India's bilateral ties with Latin American states are a standard examination topic, and the founding year and the list of Indian companies are the details most often asked.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Foreign Office Consultations Foreign Office Consultations — A regular official-level dialogue between two foreign ministries to review the whole bilateral relationship.
Background
The Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, notified the development of a tuna cluster in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana.
The islands have an exclusive economic zone of about 6.0 lakh square kilometres.
Estimated tuna and tuna-like resources in that zone are put at 60,000 metric tonnes.
The cluster is meant to generate economies of scale, raise incomes and bring organised growth through investor partnerships, training and infrastructure for fish landing, processing and export.
Government investment in the fisheries sector since 2015 is given as ₹38,572 crores.
Exclusive economic zone:
About 6.0 lakh sq km
Tuna and tuna-like resources:
60,000 metric tons
Scheme:
Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana
Investment in fisheries since 2015:
₹38,572 crores
Why it matters for exams: Fisheries clusters, the exclusive economic zone and PMMSY link a Union Territory's economy to a central scheme that Kerala candidates also study.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
PMMSY Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana — The central scheme for development of the fisheries sector, covering production, infrastructure and exports.
EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone — The sea area up to 200 nautical miles from the baseline where a coastal state has rights over living and non-living resources.
Background
The Government of India describes the Great Nicobar project as covering 166.10 sq km, made up of 35.35 sq km of revenue land and 130.75 sq km of forest land.
Its components are an International Container Transshipment Terminal of 14.2 million TEU capacity, a greenfield international airport designed for 4,000 peak hour passengers, a gas and solar based power plant of 450 MVA, and a township.
The project is to be implemented in three phases spread over 2025 to 2047.
It has prior Environmental Clearance under the Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006, with 42 specific conditions covering air, water, noise, waste management, marine ecology, human health and disaster management.
It has also been cleared under the Island Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2019.
Total area:
166.10 sq. km
Revenue land:
35.35 sq. km
Forest land:
130.75 sq. km
Transshipment terminal capacity:
14.2 million TEU
Power plant:
450 MVA, gas and solar
Phases:
Three phases, 2025-2047
Why it matters for exams: The project's area, components and clearance route are precise, examinable facts about India's largest island infrastructure plan.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
TEU Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit — The standard measure of container ship and port capacity, equal to one twenty-foot container.
ICRZ Island Coastal Regulation Zone — The notification that regulates construction and activity along the coasts of the Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands.
Background
Background to the United States employment report just published, which is read first of all as a signal for the Federal Reserve.
The Federal Reserve Act requires the Fed to conduct monetary policy "so as to promote effectively the goals of maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates".
Although the Act lists three goals, the directive is commonly known as the dual mandate, because stable employment and prices naturally support moderate long-term interest rates.
Monetary policy decisions are taken by the Federal Open Market Committee, made up of the Board of Governors together with the president of the New York Fed and four Reserve Bank presidents who serve in rotation. All twelve Reserve Bank presidents take part in the discussions, but only the voting members decide.
The committee judges that low and stable inflation at the rate of 2 per cent per year, measured by the annual change in the price index for personal consumption expenditures, is most consistent with achieving both parts of the dual mandate.
Because employment is half the mandate, every monthly jobs number is read as evidence on the direction of American interest rates.
Statutory goals:
Maximum employment, stable prices, moderate long-term interest rates
Common name:
The dual mandate
Decision-making body:
Federal Open Market Committee
Inflation objective:
2 percent per year, measured by the PCE price index
Why it matters for exams: Candidates are often asked to contrast the Federal Reserve's dual mandate with central banks that pursue inflation targeting alone, and the 2 per cent PCE target is a frequently tested figure.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
FOMC Federal Open Market Committee — The Federal Reserve body that takes United States monetary policy decisions.
PCE price index Price index for personal consumption expenditures — The price measure the Federal Reserve uses to judge whether inflation is at its 2 per cent objective.
4 October 2026
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics released its Employment Situation report for September 2026 on Friday, 2 October 2026 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time.
Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 29,000 in September 2026.
The unemployment rate was 4.2 percent, up by 0.1 percentage point from 4.1 percent the month before.
The bureau's own summary says that "Both nonfarm payroll employment (+29,000) and the unemployment rate (4.2 percent) changed little in September."
The Employment Situation is the monthly release that combines a survey of employers, which yields the payroll number, with a survey of households, which yields the unemployment rate.
Nonfarm payroll change:
+29,000
Unemployment rate:
4.2 percent (up from 4.1 percent)
Reference month:
September 2026
Released by:
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Why it matters for exams: The monthly United States payroll and unemployment figures are the single most watched data point for global markets, and the two-survey method behind them is itself examinable.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
BLS Bureau of Labor Statistics — The statistical agency of the United States Department of Labor, which publishes the monthly Employment Situation report.
Nonfarm payroll Nonfarm payroll employment — A count of paid jobs outside farms, private households and the armed forces, taken from a survey of employers.
4 October 2026
Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan addressed the 58th Foundation Day of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on 4 October 2026.
He said good governance is the invisible infrastructure that sustains investor confidence, and described Company Secretaries as Guardians of Governance and the nucleus of the trust architecture of Indian industry.
He said technology may transform the manner in which information is generated and decisions are supported, but integrity, accountability, transparency and responsibility remain human.
He named the Institute of Company Secretaries of India, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and the Institute of Cost Accountants of India as institutional pillars for building a Viksit Bharat.
The MSME Compliance Calendar 2027 was launched at the event, and the ICSI MSME and Start-up Catalyst programme and fee-waiver initiatives for young entrants were highlighted.
ICSI President C.S. Pawan Chandak, former Rajya Sabha member Dr. Sonal Mansingh and ICSI Secretary C.S. Asish Mohan were present.
Occasion:
58th Foundation Day of ICSI
Venue and date:
Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, 4 October 2026
Launched at the event:
MSME Compliance Calendar 2027
Why it matters for exams: The three statutory professional institutes and a newly launched compliance calendar are standard economy and governance material.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ICSI Institute of Company Secretaries of India — The statutory professional body that regulates and develops the profession of Company Secretaries in India.
ICMAI Institute of Cost Accountants of India — The statutory body for the cost and management accountancy profession in India.
4 October 2026
The Ministry of Textiles announced on 4 October 2026 that Reform Utsav 2026 will be held at Hyderabad, Telangana, on 6 October 2026, organised through the Cotton Corporation of India Ltd.
The reforms to be showcased centre on empowering cotton farmers, improving transparency and strengthening India's cotton value chain.
The Kapas Kisan digital platform allows farmer registration, slot booking, procurement communication and Aadhaar-enabled payments.
Contamination control and digital traceability work is being taken up under Kasturi Cotton Bharat.
The High-Density Planting System is the productivity-oriented intervention named to address the productivity gap in Indian cotton.
The same showcase will also cover the Central Silk Board's sericulture work - silk germplasm conservation, silkworm rearing, cocoon production, reeling, weaving and dyeing demonstrations, Silk Mark, host-plant and moth parks - alongside the cotton reforms.
Government officials, Telangana representatives, policymakers, farmers and industry stakeholders are to take part.
Event:
Reform Utsav 2026
Venue and date:
Hyderabad, Telangana, 6 October 2026
Organiser:
Ministry of Textiles through Cotton Corporation of India Ltd.
Digital platform:
Kapas Kisan
Why it matters for exams: Kasturi Cotton Bharat and the Cotton Corporation of India recur in agriculture and textiles questions, and a new digital procurement platform is fresh material.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
CCI Cotton Corporation of India Ltd. — A public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Textiles that undertakes price support purchase of cotton from growers.
Kasturi Cotton Bharat Kasturi Cotton Bharat — India's branding and traceability programme for certified Indian cotton.