2 October 2026
Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, released its monthly unemployment estimate on 1 October 2026. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the euro area was 6.4 per cent in August 2026, unchanged from July 2026 and up from 6.3 per cent in August 2025. The rate for the European Union as a whole was 6.1 per cent, also unchanged from July 2026 and up from 6.0 per cent a year earlier. Eurostat estimated that 13.600 million people were unemployed in the EU in August 2026, of whom 11.357 million were in the euro area. Compared with July 2026, unemployment rose by 12 thousand in the EU and by 26 thousand in the euro area. Compared with August 2025 it rose by 348 thousand in the EU and by 267 thousand in the euro area. Youth unemployment, covering people under 25, stood at 15.4 per cent in the EU and 15.0 per cent in the euro area.
Euro area unemployment rate, August 2026:
6.4%
EU unemployment rate, August 2026:
6.1%
Unemployed in the EU:
13.600 million
Unemployed in the euro area:
11.357 million
EU youth unemployment rate:
15.4%
Why it matters for exams: Euro area and EU unemployment figures are standard economy questions, and the gap between the euro area rate and the wider EU rate is often asked.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Eurostat Statistical Office of the European Union — The European Union's statistical office, which compiles and publishes official EU statistics.
Euro area Euro area (eurozone) — The group of European Union member states that have adopted the euro as their currency.
Seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted data — A figure corrected for regular seasonal swings so that months can be compared with one another.
2 October 2026
The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation will operate special inter-State services from October 14 to November 14 to meet the additional travel demand during the Mahanavami, Vijayadashami and Deepavali festive season.
The additional services will connect Bengaluru, Mysuru and Chennai with destinations in Keralam, and services will also run from depots in Kerala to those cities.
Services from Bengaluru have been arranged to Kozhikode, Malappuram, Thrissur, Nilambur, Ponnani, Ernakulam, Changanassery, Pala, Alappuzha, Kollam, Punalur, Kottarakkara, Cherthala, Haripad, Kottayam, Adoor, Kannur, Payyannur, Kanhangad and Thiruvananthapuram.
Services will operate from Mysuru to Kannur and Madurai, and from Chennai to Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam.
The Chennai-Ernakulam services will be operated using multi-axle air-conditioned buses.
On some routes the buses will operate on alternate days, and more buses will be deployed if the passenger rush increases.
Online reservation has been opened, and tickets can be booked on the website keralartc.com, through the 'Ente KSRTC Neo OPRS' mobile application, through WhatsApp ticketing on 9447071021, and at all KSRTC reservation counters.
Period:
October 14 to November 14
Cities connected:
Bengaluru, Mysuru, Chennai
WhatsApp ticketing:
9447071021
Why it matters for exams: Special festival transport arrangements and the dates they run between are routine current affairs questions for Kerala PSC.
Kerala PSCSSC
In plain words
KSRTC Kerala State Road Transport Corporation — The state-owned bus transport corporation of Kerala.
OPRS Online Passenger Reservation System — The KSRTC system through which seats are booked in advance.
2 October 2026
The second session of the Sixteenth Kerala Legislative Assembly will be held from October 12 to 29, according to the calendar of sittings issued by the Kerala Legislature Secretariat.
The session will have sittings on October 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16, followed by a break from October 19 to 23.
The Assembly will take up the Supplementary Demands for Grants in the Revised Budget for 2026-2027.
It will also take up the Statement of Demands for Excess Grants for five financial years: 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2020-2021 and 2021-2022.
The calendar of sittings was issued by the Kerala Legislature Secretariat at Thiruvananthapuram.
The calendar states that it is liable to be varied according to the order of the day.
Session:
Second session, Sixteenth Kerala Legislative Assembly
Dates:
October 12 to 29
Break:
October 19 to 23
Excess grants:
five financial years
Why it matters for exams: The number of the Assembly, the session dates and the difference between supplementary and excess grants are standard polity questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Supplementary Demands for Grants Supplementary Demands for Grants — A request to the legislature for money beyond what the budget already sanctioned for the year.
Demands for Excess Grants Demands for Excess Grants — A request to regularise money already spent above the amount the legislature had voted for a past year.
Appropriation Bill Appropriation Bill — The Bill that authorises money to be drawn from the Consolidated Fund of the State.
2 October 2026
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority facilitated an export of frozen food products from Haryana to Canada led by a farmer producer organisation.
The exporter is Aterna Foods Producer Company Limited, based in Sonipat, Haryana.
The consignment was 24 metric tons, packed in 2,295 boxes, and was valued at CAD 35,140.
The products included green peas, mixed vegetables, peas and carrots, sweet corn and samosa.
APEDA supported the exporting unit under its Financial Assistance Scheme.
APEDA Chairman Abhishek Dev said the direct export by the farmer producer organisation would significantly enhance value realisation for the producers.
APEDA functions under the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Exporting FPO:
Aterna Foods Producer Company Limited
Quantity:
24 metric tons (2,295 boxes)
Value:
CAD 35,140
Origin and destination:
Sonipat, Haryana to Canada
APEDA Chairman:
Abhishek Dev
Why it matters for exams: APEDA, its parent ministry and farmer producer organisations are a recurring combination in agriculture and economy questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
APEDA Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority — A body under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry that promotes exports of scheduled agricultural and processed food products.
FPO Farmer Producer Organisation — A collective of farmers registered as a company or society so that it can buy inputs and sell produce together.
2 October 2026
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal spoke on the concluding day of the G20 Trade Ministers' Meeting at Milwaukee in the United States.
He said India is the fastest-growing large economy in the world, serves the needs of 1.4 billion people, and does not have structural excess capacity in the sectors identified by the G20.
He said trade concerns should be addressed through WTO-consistent measures and on the basis of evidence.
He described Most-Favoured-Nation treatment as a key guarantee of a fair trading system and asked that special and differential treatment for developing countries be preserved.
On forced labour he said India's commitment is absolute and unconditional, and recalled that India has ratified ILO Conventions 29 and 105.
He held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Australia, Saudi Arabia, France, the Republic of Korea and Canada.
India extended its support to the United Kingdom's G20 Presidency for 2027.
Meeting:
G20 Trade Ministers' Meeting
Venue:
Milwaukee, U.S.
ILO Conventions ratified by India:
29 and 105
G20 Presidency supported:
United Kingdom, 2027
Why it matters for exams: India's position at a G20 ministerial, and the WTO principles it invoked, are standard material for economy and international-relations questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
MFN Most-Favoured-Nation treatment — A WTO rule requiring a member to give every other member the same trade terms it gives its best-treated partner.
WTO World Trade Organization — The Geneva-based body that administers the rules of global trade and settles trade disputes.
ILO International Labour Organization — The United Nations agency that frames international labour standards as conventions.
S&DT Special and Differential Treatment — WTO provisions that allow developing countries longer timelines and softer obligations.
2 October 2026
Speaking at the 24th CREDAI NATCON in Kolkata, West Bengal Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta said of the state's urban land ceiling law: "It is an impediment and a deterrent to development. It has to go." He also called for stronger regulation, more organised developer participation and the full implementation of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act in West Bengal. He said Kolkata's real estate sales in the first half of 2026 had reached about 70 per cent of the previous year's full-year level, and that sales growth of over 20 per cent compared with the previous year was expected. The Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act was enacted in 1976 and was repealed by the Centre in 1999, with West Bengal the only major Indian state still enforcing it.
Event:
24th CREDAI NATCON, Kolkata
Act enacted:
1976
Repealed by the Centre:
1999
Kolkata sales, first half of 2026:
About 70% of the previous year's full-year level
Why it matters for exams: A central Act repealed in 1999 but still enforced by one state is exactly the kind of federal detail asked in polity and economy papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
CREDAI Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India — The national body of private real estate developers in India.
RERA Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act — The 2016 central law that requires housing projects and agents to be registered with a state regulator.
Urban land ceiling Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act — A law that caps how much vacant urban land a person may hold and allows the state to take the surplus.
Background
In July 1944, one year before the end of World War II, delegates from 44 countries met for the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference at the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire.
The conference aimed to create the framework for post-war international economic cooperation and reconstruction.
Its intellectual leaders were John Maynard Keynes, Adviser to the Treasury in the United Kingdom, and Harry Dexter White, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the United States.
The conference resulted in the formation of two institutions, the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which is the World Bank.
Most of the time at the conference went to the IMF Commission under Harry Dexter White, while the World Bank Commission's work occurred only in the last few days.
The World Bank's articles of agreement, primarily drafted by John Maynard Keynes, covered rebuilding war-devastated economies and increasing the economic development of developing countries.
The Bank's first loan was to France, and the first loan to a non-European country was to Chile in 1948 for $13.5M USD for hydroelectric power generation.
The International Finance Corporation was established in 1956 and the International Development Association was created in 1960 for less creditworthy members.
Conference held:
July 1944, at the Mount Washington Hotel, Bretton Woods, New Hampshire
Countries represented:
44
Institutions created:
International Monetary Fund and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
First non-European loan:
Chile, 1948, $13.5M USD
IFC and IDA created:
1956 and 1960
Why it matters for exams: The number of countries at Bretton Woods, the two institutions it created and Keynes's role are standard economy questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development — The institution created at Bretton Woods that is known as the World Bank.
IDA International Development Association — Created to provide resources for less creditworthy members.
Articles of agreement The founding charter of an international financial institution — The World Bank's were primarily drafted by John Maynard Keynes.
Background
The World Intellectual Property Organization is the United Nations agency that serves the world's innovators and creators.
It was established in 1967 and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
It has 194 member states, which approve its strategic direction and activities in the annual meetings of the Assemblies.
Its Director General is Daren Tang.
It provides services that enable creators, innovators and entrepreneurs to protect and promote their intellectual property across borders.
It acts as a forum for addressing cutting-edge intellectual property issues, and its data and information guide decisionmakers.
Its impact-driven projects and technical assistance are meant to ensure that intellectual property benefits everyone, everywhere.
Established:
1967
Membership:
194 member states
Director General:
Daren Tang
Headquarters:
Geneva, Switzerland
Body approving strategy:
Annual meetings of the Assemblies
Why it matters for exams: WIPO's founding year, Geneva seat, membership and Director General are a standard set of objective facts.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
WIPO World Intellectual Property Organization — The UN agency for patents, trademarks, designs and copyright across borders.
Intellectual property Legal rights over creations of the mind — Includes patents, trademarks, industrial designs and copyright.
Assemblies WIPO's annual meetings of member states — They approve WIPO's strategic direction and activities.
Background
The International Labour Organization was created in 1919, as part of the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I.
It reflected the belief that universal and lasting peace can be accomplished only if it is based on social justice.
The ILO moved to Geneva in the summer of 1920, with France's Albert Thomas as its first Director.
A Committee of Experts was set up in 1926 to supervise the application of ILO standards, and it is composed of independent jurists.
Government delegates, employers and workers from 41 countries adopted the Declaration of Philadelphia as an annex to the ILO Constitution.
In 1946 the ILO became a specialized agency of the newly formed United Nations.
The ILO established the Geneva-based International Institute for Labour Studies in 1960 and the International Training Centre in Turin in 1965, and won the Nobel Peace Prize on its 50th anniversary in 1969.
Gilbert F. Houngbo of Togo was elected the Organization's 11th Director-General, becoming the first African to hold the position, and took up the role on 1 October 2022.
Created:
1919, as part of the Treaty of Versailles
Moved to Geneva:
Summer of 1920
First Director:
Albert Thomas of France
Declaration of Philadelphia adopted by:
Delegates from 41 countries
Nobel Peace Prize:
1969, on its 50th anniversary
11th Director-General:
Gilbert F. Houngbo (Togo), from 1 October 2022
Why it matters for exams: The ILO's Versailles origin, Geneva seat and Nobel Peace Prize year are repeatedly asked in international-organisation questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ILO International Labour Organization — The UN agency that sets international labour standards.
Declaration of Philadelphia Charter of the aims and objectives of the ILO — Adopted as an annex to the ILO Constitution during the Second World War.
Treaty of Versailles The peace treaty that ended the First World War — The ILO was created as part of this treaty.
Background
The World Trade Organization is the only international organization dealing with the global rules of trade, and it came into being in 1995.
It was created by the Uruguay Round negotiations held from 1986 to 1994 and is the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).
From 1947 to 1994 the GATT was the forum for negotiating lower tariffs and other trade barriers.
Since 1995 the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the WTO and its annexes have been the WTO's umbrella agreement.
The WTO has 166 members, accounting for 98% of world trade, and a total of 22 countries are negotiating membership.
Decisions are made by the entire membership, typically by consensus, and the agreements have been ratified in all members' parliaments.
The top level decision-making body is the Ministerial Conference, which meets usually every two years; below it is the General Council.
The WTO Secretariat, based in Geneva, has around 600 staff, is headed by a Director-General and has no branch offices outside Geneva.
Established:
1 January 1995
Location:
Geneva, Switzerland
Created by:
Uruguay Round negotiations (1986-94)
Membership:
166 members representing 98% of world trade
Secretariat staff:
610
Director General:
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Why it matters for exams: WTO membership strength, its Geneva seat and the Uruguay Round link are standard international-economy questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade — The WTO's predecessor, the trade negotiating forum from 1947 to 1994.
Ministerial Conference The WTO's highest decision-making body — It usually meets every two years.
Marrakesh Agreement Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization — The umbrella agreement with annexes on goods, services and intellectual property.
Background
The Reserve Bank's affairs are governed by a central board of directors.
The board is appointed by the Government of India in keeping with the Reserve Bank of India Act.
Directors are appointed or nominated for a period of four years.
The full-time official Directors are the Governor and not more than four Deputy Governors.
Among non-official Directors, the Government nominates ten Directors from various fields and two government officials.
Four other Directors come one each from four local boards.
The Central Board's function is the general superintendence and direction of the Bank's affairs.
A separate Board for Financial Supervision also functions under the Reserve Bank.
Term of directors:
Four years
Full-time official Directors:
Governor and not more than four Deputy Governors
Nominated by Government:
Ten Directors from various fields and two government officials
From local boards:
Four Directors, one each from four local boards
Function:
General superintendence and direction of the Bank's affairs
Why it matters for exams: The exact break-up of the RBI Central Board and the four-year term are frequent banking-awareness questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
Central Board Central board of directors of the Reserve Bank of India — The body with general superintendence over the Bank.
Local board Regional board of the Reserve Bank — Four local boards each send one Director to the Central Board.
BFS Board for Financial Supervision — A separate board under the Reserve Bank for supervision of financial institutions.
Background
The Nobel Prize announcements are made in October each year, and the prize in economic sciences stands apart from the rest. The Nobel Prize organisation's own pages record that in 1968 Sveriges Riksbank, Sweden's central bank, established the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. The prize is based on a donation received by the Nobel Foundation in 1968 from Sveriges Riksbank on the occasion of the bank's 300th anniversary. The prize amount is the same as for the Nobel Prizes and is paid by the Riksbank. The first prize in economic sciences was awarded to Ragnar Frisch and Jan Tinbergen in 1969. The prize is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, according to the same principles as for the Nobel Prizes that have been awarded since 1901.
Established:
1968, by Sveriges Riksbank
Occasion of the donation:
The bank's 300th anniversary
First laureates:
Ragnar Frisch and Jan Tinbergen, 1969
Awarding body:
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm
Why it matters for exams: A standing trap in awards questions is to call the economics prize a Nobel Prize established by Alfred Nobel's will; the founder, the awarding body and the first laureates are all examinable.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Sveriges Riksbank Sveriges Riksbank — Sweden's central bank, which funded and gave its name to the prize in economic sciences.
Background
Every policy announcement that moves Indian interest rates comes from the Reserve Bank of India, whose own website records that it was established on April 1, 1935 in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. The Central Office of the Reserve Bank was initially established in Kolkata but was permanently moved to Mumbai in 1937; the Central Office is where the Governor sits and where policies are formulated. Though originally privately owned, the Reserve Bank has been fully owned by the Government of India since nationalisation in 1949. The Bank's affairs are governed by a central board of directors appointed by the Government of India in keeping with the Reserve Bank of India Act, for a period of four years. Its official directors are the full-time Governor and not more than four Deputy Governors. The non-official directors nominated by the Government are ten directors from various fields and two government officials. The Preamble of the Reserve Bank describes its basic functions as regulating the issue of bank notes and keeping reserves with a view to securing monetary stability in India, and having a modern monetary policy framework to maintain price stability while keeping in mind the objective of growth.
Established:
April 1, 1935
Founding Act:
Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934
Central Office moved to Mumbai:
1937
Nationalised:
1949
Central board term:
Four years
Why it matters for exams: The founding Act and year, the shift of the Central Office to Mumbai, nationalisation in 1949 and the exact composition of the central board are all standard banking and polity questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
RBI Reserve Bank of India — India's central bank, which issues currency and frames monetary policy.
Background
Denmark, in the news for hosting NATO's Military Committee Conference in Copenhagen, is also India's partner in a named bilateral framework.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark agreed a Green Strategic Partnership at a virtual summit held on 28 September 2020.
The partnership aims to advance political cooperation, expand economic relations and green growth, create jobs and strengthen cooperation on addressing global challenges.
The sectors it names include renewable energy and offshore wind, climate change and implementation of the Paris Agreement, and water management and the circular economy.
It also covers sustainable urban development and smart cities, maritime affairs and shipping, science, technology and innovation, food processing and agriculture, animal husbandry and dairying, health and life sciences, digital technologies, intellectual property rights, cultural cooperation and labour mobility.
Framework:
Green Strategic Partnership
Agreed at:
Virtual Summit, 28 September 2020
Leaders:
Narendra Modi and Mette Frederiksen
Flagship sectors:
Renewable energy and offshore wind, water, circular economy, shipping
Why it matters for exams: Denmark's Green Strategic Partnership with India is the named framework examiners ask about when testing Denmark's bilateral ties, including which sectors it covers and which two Prime Ministers agreed it.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Circular economy Circular economy — An economic model in which materials are reused and recycled instead of being discarded after one use.
Offshore wind Offshore wind energy — Electricity generated by wind turbines placed at sea rather than on land.
Background
Denmark, the host of NATO's Military Committee Conference in Copenhagen, is one of the European Union's smaller member states by area.
Its area is 42,925 square kilometres and its population is 5,992,734 according to 2025 figures.
The capital is Copenhagen.
The kingdom also comprises two autonomous Atlantic territories, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, neither of which is a member of the European Union.
Denmark ranks fourth in the European Union for gross domestic product per capita at 47,800 euro, against an EU average of 38,100 euro.
Area:
42,925 km²
Population (2025):
5,992,734
Capital:
Copenhagen
GDP per capita:
€47,800 (EU average €38,100)
Autonomous territories:
Faroe Islands and Greenland, both outside the EU
Why it matters for exams: The status of Greenland and the Faroe Islands inside the Kingdom of Denmark but outside the European Union is a classic distinction, and Denmark's area and per capita income are ready comparison figures.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
GDP per capita Gross domestic product per person — A country's total output divided by its population, used to compare average incomes.
2 October 2026
From 1 October 2026 Japan charges 200,000 yen for a permanent residency permit, twenty times the earlier 10,000 yen.
From the same date applicants must also meet a new income condition: a stable annual income at or above the average for Japanese households, adjusted for household size, which the latest official survey puts at 5.75 million yen.
The pension and Japanese-language conditions take effect only from April 2027; the pension test asks for projected benefits equal to 30 years of enrolment in the employees' pension programme, and financial assets may cover any shortfall.
Before the change, non-permanent residents paid a flat 6,000 yen each time they changed residency status or extended a stay; the fee now ranges from 10,000 yen for three months or less to 75,000 yen for five years or more.
In July 2026 Japan had already raised visa fees five-fold, its first visa fee increase in 50 years.
Japan's foreign resident population passed 4.12 million at the end of 2025, a record increase of 9.5 per cent over the previous year.
The changes are part of the immigration policy of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
New permanent residency fee:
200,000 yen
Earlier permanent residency fee:
10,000 yen
Fee rise and income test effective from:
1 October 2026
Pension and language tests effective from:
April 2027
Earlier fee for status change or extension:
6,000 yen
Foreign residents, end 2025:
4.12 million
Why it matters for exams: Japan's ageing population and its migration rules are a recurring link between demography and economy questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Permanent residency Right to live in a country indefinitely without citizenship — It is usually granted after a set number of years of lawful residence.
Employee pension system Japan's earnings-related pension scheme for employees — Expected benefits from it are now part of the permanent residency test.
2 October 2026
The Governing Council of the European Central Bank decided on 10 September 2026 to raise the three key ECB interest rates by 25 basis points.
The interest rates on the deposit facility, the main refinancing operations and the marginal lending facility were increased to 2.50%, 2.65% and 2.90% respectively, with effect from 16 September 2026.
The ECB said the conflict in the Middle East continues to generate inflation pressures and that inflation is set to remain well above target for an extended period.
The new ECB staff projections see headline inflation averaging 3.0% in 2026, 2.5% in 2027 and 2.1% in 2028.
The baseline projection for economic growth is 0.9% for 2026, 1.4% for 2027 and 1.5% for 2028.
Belgium is a euro area country, so these are the policy rates that apply to banks operating in Belgium.
The Governing Council said it is not pre-committing to a particular rate path and will work meeting by meeting.
Rate change:
25 basis points
Deposit facility:
2.50%
Main refinancing operations:
2.65%
Marginal lending facility:
2.90%
Effective from:
16 September 2026
Projected inflation 2026:
3.0%
Why it matters for exams: Euro area policy rates are standard banking and economy questions, and the deposit facility rate is the number most often asked.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
ECB European Central Bank — The central bank of the euro area, based in Frankfurt.
Basis point One hundredth of a percentage point — 25 basis points equals 0.25 percentage point.
Deposit facility rate Rate on overnight deposits placed with the central bank — The euro area's main policy rate.
Governing Council The ECB's main monetary policy decision-making body — It brings together the ECB Executive Board and the governors of the euro area national central banks.
Background
Denmark is one of the European Union member states that belongs to the Union but stays outside the euro area.
Denmark has been a member of the European Union since 1 January 1973.
Its currency is the Danish krone (DKK); Denmark has negotiated an opt-out from the euro and is not required to adopt it.
Denmark has been a member of the Schengen area since 25 March 2001 and has 15 representatives in the European Parliament.
The country covers 42,925 sq km and had a population of 5,992,734 in 2025; it is a constitutional monarchy with a representative parliamentary system.
The Danish EU defence opt-out dated from 1993; voters abolished it in a referendum on 1 June 2022, and Denmark joined European cooperation on security and defence on 1 July 2022, taking part in PESCO and the European Defence Agency.
EU member since:
1 January 1973
Currency:
Danish krone (DKK)
Schengen member since:
25 March 2001
Seats in the European Parliament:
15
Why it matters for exams: The list of EU members that are outside the euro area, and Denmark's opt-outs, are classic one-mark questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Opt-out Opt-out — A legal exemption letting an EU member state stay outside a particular area of EU cooperation.
PESCO Permanent Structured Cooperation — An EU framework in which member states jointly develop defence capabilities.
Background
Uttar Pradesh's drive for industrial investment, seen again in the dairy proposals at its international trade show this week, rests partly on new transport projects such as the airport at Jewar.
Commercial flight operations at Noida International Airport began on 15 June 2026.
The first flight ran from Jewar to Lucknow and carried 170 farmers who had given land for the project, led by the Jewar MLA, Dhirendra Singh.
Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu was present at the inaugural ceremony.
In its first phase the airport can handle 1.2 crore passengers a year.
When complete, its capacity is expected to exceed 7 crore passengers a year.
It is intended to serve as a hub for both domestic and international operations.
Commercial operations began:
15 June 2026
First route:
Jewar to Lucknow
Phase 1 capacity:
1.2 crore passengers a year
Capacity on completion:
expected to exceed 7 crore a year
Why it matters for exams: New airports, their capacity figures and their locations are routine economy and geography questions, and Jewar is in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddha Nagar belt of investment projects.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
2 October 2026
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) facilitated the export of 1 metric tonne of popped makhana from Purnea in Bihar to Greece.
The consignment was sourced from Indo Global Export, Purnea, and exported through S. S. Foods Exports Private Limited, New Delhi, moving from Mundra Port in India to Piraeus Port in Greece.
In 2025-26 India exported over 7,000 MT of makhana and makhana products to more than 20 destinations, valued at US$ 22 million.
Bihar accounts for 80 to 85 per cent of India's makhana output, grown on over 35,000 hectares across 10 districts of the state.
Bihar's Agriculture Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said the export is a significant achievement for the state's makhana sector.
The release notes that the shipment fetched higher prices than the domestic market, showing the added value that export-oriented value chains can give farmers.
Quantity exported:
1 metric ton of popped makhana
2025-26 makhana exports:
Over 7,000 MT worth US$ 22 million
Bihar's share of output:
80-85 per cent
Area under cultivation in Bihar:
Over 35,000 hectares in 10 districts
Why it matters for exams: Makhana, Bihar's share in its output and the port pair are exactly the kind of agri-export detail asked in state and central exams.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
APEDA Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority — The statutory body under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry that promotes exports of scheduled agricultural and processed food products.
Makhana Makhana (fox nut) — The popped seed of the prickly water lily, grown mainly in ponds and wetlands of north Bihar.