Background
Sikkim became an integral part of the Indian Union in May, 1975. The Constitutional Provision under Article 315 to have a Public Service Commission for the State was fulfilled by constituting a State Public Service Commission in the year 1978. The Commission actually started functioning from 1982 with the appointment of the Chairman and deputation of the staff from the State Government. At present the State Public Service Commission is located in the class rooms of the Old West Point School Complex. The Union Public Service Commission decided to declare Gangtok as one of the Centres for conducting Union Public Service Commission Examinations. The Sikkim Public Service Commission has been entrusted with the work of conducting Union Public Service Commission examinations.
Constitutional provision:
Article 315
Year constituted:
1978
Started functioning:
1982
Examination centre declared:
Gangtok
Present location:
Old West Point School Complex
Why it matters for exams: Article 315 is the article tested whenever a State Public Service Commission is asked about, and a State PSC that conducts the Union Commission's examinations is an unusual arrangement worth knowing.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
The Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA) has been engaged in capacity building for local governance in Kerala since its establishment in 1990.
It is the Government of Kerala's nodal agency for training, research and consultancy for local self-government institutions, both rural and urban.
Its objectives include training programmes for elected representatives and officials.
It also aims to strengthen the process of de-centralized planning and to undertake action-oriented research.
It documents best practices on local governance for wider dissemination and organises seminars, workshops and discussions.
KILA is listed among the allied institutions of the Local Self Government Department.
Established:
1990
Role:
Nodal agency for training, research and consultancy
Parent department:
Local Self Government Department
Why it matters for exams: Kerala's decentralisation institutions and their roles are recurring Kerala PSC topics.
Kerala PSC
Background
Kerala Kalamandalam was founded in 1930 by the poet Padmabhooshan Vallathol Narayana Menon and his associate Manakkulam Mukundaraja, under the patronage of Kakkad Karanavappad.
At the beginning it was exclusively a training centre for Kathakali.
Its first venue was Madappattil, at Kunnamkulam near Thrissur.
In 1936 it moved to its own plot on the banks of the river Bharathapuzha in Cheruthuruthy village of Thrissur District.
It is a residential institution following the Gurukula Sampradaya, teaching Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Thullal, Kutiyattam, Panchavadyam and Carnatic Music among other disciplines.
In 1975 it began functioning as a grant-in-aid institution, and in 1990 formal schooling from the 8th grade was introduced.
Founders:
Vallathol Narayana Menon and Manakkulam Mukundaraja
Present campus:
Cheruthuruthy, Thrissur District
River:
Bharathapuzha
Original discipline:
Kathakali
Why it matters for exams: Founders and locations of Kerala's cultural institutions are regular Kerala PSC questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
The Kottayam district administration records that Kottayam Town is the first town in India to have achieved 100% literacy, a feat achieved as early as in 1989.
English education in South India started at the Old Seminary at Kottayam in 1813.
The first printing press in Kerala, the CMS Press, was established there in 1821 by Rev. Benjamin Baily, and the first college in the state, CMS College, was started at Kottayam in 1840.
The maiden printed Malayalam-English and English-Malayalam dictionaries were published from Kottayam in 1846 and 1847 respectively.
The first and only cooperative society of writers, authors and publishers (SPCS) was set up there in 1945, and the district is known as “Akshara Nagari”, the city of letters.
Most of India's natural rubber originates from Kottayam's plantations, and the district is home to the Rubber Board; it was also the first town in India selected by the Ministry of Environment and Forests to be transformed as an Eco City. Former President K. R. Narayanan hailed from Kottayam district.
100% literacy achieved:
1989
CMS Press established:
1821, by Rev. Benjamin Baily
CMS College started:
1840
Dictionaries published:
1846 and 1847
SPCS set up:
1945
Why it matters for exams: Kerala's printing, publishing and education firsts cluster around Kottayam and are asked year after year.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
The Kottayam district administration's demography page gives the district's area as 2208 Sq Km and its population as 19,74,551.
The district's literacy rate is given as 97.21%.
It has 2 revenue divisions, 5 taluks and 11 block panchayats.
There are 6 municipalities, 71 gram panchayats and 100 villages in the district.
The district has 9 constituencies.
Area:
2208 Sq Km
Population:
19,74,551
Literacy Rate:
97.21%
Taluks:
5
Constituencies:
9
Why it matters for exams: Kottayam's literacy figure and its count of taluks, panchayats and constituencies are commonly asked district facts.
Kerala PSC
28 September 2026
Union Minister for Education Pralhad Joshi held a bilateral meeting in New Delhi with France's Minister for Higher Education, Research and Space, Philippe Baptiste. French higher educational institutions were invited to explore setting up branch campuses in India, including at GIFT City in Gujarat and at locations where French companies need skilled technical manpower. Joshi said the India-France Year of Innovation 2026 offered an opportunity to deepen collaboration in education, research and innovation. The two sides discussed student, faculty and researcher mobility, collaborative academic programmes and cooperation in life sciences, social sciences and humanities. They also reviewed the ongoing revision of the Mutual Recognition of Qualifications (MRQ) Agreement between India and France. Language learning, teacher education and technology-enabled digital learning were the other areas taken up.
Indian Minister:
Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister for Education
French Minister:
Philippe Baptiste, Minister for Higher Education, Research and Space
Agreement under revision:
Mutual Recognition of Qualifications (MRQ) Agreement
Campus location offered:
GIFT City, Gujarat
Why it matters for exams: India-France education cooperation, the MRQ Agreement and the Year of Innovation 2026 are likely bilateral-relations questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
The ITEC scheme of the Ministry of External Affairs provides fully funded training opportunities at Indian training institutions for civilian, defence and paramilitary government professionals from Global South countries.
Courses are offered both on a multi-country basis and on a country-specific customised basis, and include special training packages such as Sagar Amrut for Pacific Island countries and the Quad infrastructure fellowship for Indo-Pacific countries.
Course offerings are differentiated into ITEC-Security for paramilitary officials, ITEC-Executive for senior officials and ITEC-Professionals for practising members of regulated professions.
Since its inception in 1964, the scheme is estimated to have trained close to 400,000 government officials from countries of the Global South.
The scheme currently offers about 12000 slots in almost 400 courses each year for civilian and paramilitary training, and around 3900 slots in over 100 courses each year at defence establishments.
Applications are made through Indian embassies and candidates must be nominated by their governments; the process is administered through a web-based portal.
The scheme is implemented by the DPA-II Division, which also deputes Indian experts abroad and sets up Centres of Excellence in IT.
Inception:
1964
Officials trained:
close to 400,000
Civilian/paramilitary slots a year:
about 12000 slots in almost 400 courses
Defence slots a year:
around 3900 slots
Pacific Island package:
Sagar Amrut
Why it matters for exams: ITEC is India's oldest soft-power capacity-building instrument and its launch year and scale are frequently asked.
Kerala PSCUPSC
27 September 2026
Team India secured 10th position at the 48th WorldSkills Competition, Shanghai 2026, which concluded in Shanghai, China.
India won 6 Silver Medals and 20 Medal for Excellence, improving on its 13th-place finish at WorldSkills Lyon 2024, where it had won four Bronze Medals and 12 Medal for Excellence.
The six Silver Medals were won by Smriti Nambiar in Bakery, Mohammed Salam in Dental Prosthetics, Kovid Ajay Gangrade in Digital Interactive Media Design, Parth Vohra in Industrial Design Technology, Mehrunissa Begum in Logistics and Freight Forwarding, and Saniya Joshi in Retail Sales.
Smriti Nambiar was recognised as Best of Nation for India.
The six-day event was held from 22-27 September 2026 and brought together over 1,400 young competitors from around 70 countries and regions.
India fielded its largest-ever contingent of 70 competitors participating across 63 skills.
Medal for Excellence are awarded to competitors who demonstrate a high level of professional proficiency against internationally established WorldSkills standards.
India's rank:
10th
Medals:
6 Silver Medals and 20 Medal for Excellence
Edition:
48th WorldSkills Competition
Indian contingent:
70 competitors across 63 skills
Previous edition:
13th at WorldSkills Lyon 2024
Why it matters for exams: India's rank and medal tally at international skill competitions is a recurring current affairs question.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
27 September 2026
Vice-President Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan was the chief guest at the 15th Graduation Day Ceremony of the Sree Uthradom Thirunal (SUT) Academy of Medical Sciences, Thiruvananthapuram.
Governor Shri Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar and the state Minister for Labour, Animal Husbandry and Women and Child Development, Smt. Bindhu Krishna, were present.
Dr. A. C. Shanmugam, Chairman of the SUT Academy of Medical Sciences, and Dr. Mohanan Kunnummal, Vice Chancellor of the Kerala University of Health Sciences, also attended.
60 women and 32 men received undergraduate degrees, and 5 women and 2 men received postgraduate degrees.
The Vice-President said, "Technology can assist a doctor, but it cannot replace the human aspects of a doctor."
He noted the expansion of medical education, pointing to 12 new AIIMS established in the country.
Undergraduate degrees awarded:
60 women and 32 men
Postgraduate degrees awarded:
5 women and 2 men
New AIIMS cited:
12
Why it matters for exams: Kerala PSC and UPSC ask who holds constitutional offices and which university governs Kerala's medical and allied health education.
Kerala PSCUPSC
26 September 2026
Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh unveiled five new popular science magazines in Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali and Assamese. They are published by CSIR-NIScPR, the CSIR National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research. The launch took place on the 85th Foundation Day of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. The Ministry said the aim is to make credible and engaging scientific knowledge accessible to readers in their own languages and to highlight regional scientific achievements.
Magazines launched:
Five
Languages:
Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese
Publisher:
CSIR-NIScPR
Occasion:
85th Foundation Day of CSIR
Why it matters for exams: CSIR, its institutes and science-communication initiatives are common science-and-technology institutions questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
25 September 2026
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also Finance Minister, approved an additional RM2.8 million this year to repair basic infrastructure at 14 Islamic education institutions across Kedah.
He announced it in a Facebook post on 25 September.
The aim is a more comfortable and safe learning environment for students.
He also approved RM250,000 for hadith-related programmes.
Both allocations will be coordinated by the Implementation Coordination Unit of the Prime Minister's Department (ICU JPM) in Kedah.
Repair allocation:
RM2.8 million
Institutions:
14
Hadith programmes:
RM250,000
Why it matters for exams: It shows Malaysia's Prime Minister also holding the finance portfolio and federal funding to a state.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ICU JPM Implementation Coordination Unit, Prime Minister's Department — The unit in Malaysia's Prime Minister's Department that coordinates federal projects.
25 September 2026
The Ministry of Rural Development will roll out Deen Dayal Upadhyaya-Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) 2.0 training batches across most States/UTs from October 2026.
In 24 States/UTs, 2,015 batches involving around 70,000 rural youth are expected to begin training in October 2026.
Allocations of 5.6 lakh targets to more than 1,200 projects have been made by 24 States/UTs on the DDU-GKY 2.0 portal.
The 31 participating States/UTs have been allocated more than 9 lakh targets for 2026-28.
DDU-GKY is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of placement-linked skill training for poor rural youth, lasting 3 to 12 months.
States must allocate targets to Project Implementing Agencies by 31 October 2026.
Rural youth starting Oct 2026:
around 70,000
Batches:
2,015
Targets 2026-28:
more than 9 lakh
Why it matters for exams: DDU-GKY is a flagship rural skilling scheme often asked in Kerala PSC and UPSC prelims.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
DDU-GKY Deen Dayal Upadhyaya-Grameen Kaushalya Yojana — The Ministry of Rural Development's placement-linked skilling scheme for poor rural youth.
PIA Project Implementing Agency — An agency that runs the training and placement under the scheme.
25 September 2026
Sports Minister O. J. Janeesh inaugurated the organising committee office of the 68th State School Sports Meet at Chinmaya Auditorium near the NIT campus, Kozhikode.
The meet will be held on the synthetic track at the NIT campus.
The minister said a proposal for a National Kalaripayattu Academy has been sent to the Union Sports Ministry; if approved it would be set up in the Malabar region.
The Sports Department has recommended a government job for shooting silver medallist Vidarsha Vinod of Thiruvambady.
A Sports Award Night honouring athletes who won medals for Kerala will be held in Thiruvananthapuram on October 31, in connection with G. V. Raja's birth anniversary.
Olympian P. R. Sreejesh spoke at the function.
Edition:
68th
Venue:
NIT campus, Kozhikode
Sports Award Night:
October 31, Thiruvananthapuram
Why it matters for exams: Venues and editions of State meets, the Kalaripayattu academy proposal and G. V. Raja, after whom Kerala's sports honours are linked, are standard Kerala PSC sports questions.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
NIT National Institute of Technology — A centrally funded engineering institute; Kerala's is at Chathamangalam, Kozhikode.
Kalaripayattu — Kerala's traditional martial art.
23 September 2026
The School and Mass Education Department of Odisha has begun distributing revised new textbooks across schools, as announced on 23 September 2026. The state government said the effort aims to deliver quality, accurate and error-free education to students and to strengthen the education delivery system.
Department:
School and Mass Education
Announced:
23 September 2026
Why it matters for exams: Department names and education-reform announcements feature in state-affairs questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
21 September 2026
The National Steering Committee of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has approved a Strategic Investment Plan worth ₹320 crore for the Kurukshetra ITI Cluster in Haryana, the ministry announced on 21 September 2026.
The approval is under the PM-SETU scheme for upgrading Industrial Training Institutes.
Jindal Naveen Avsar Limited will be the Anchor Industry Partner with the Government of Haryana.
The cluster follows the Hub-and-Spoke model, with Government ITI Kurukshetra as the hub and six spoke ITIs.
Cumulative investment sanctioned under PM-SETU has risen to ₹2,491 crore across 10 ITI clusters.
Kurukshetra cluster plan:
₹320 crore
Cumulative PM-SETU sanction:
₹2,491 crore across 10 ITI clusters
ITIs in cluster:
seven Government ITIs
Why it matters for exams: Skilling schemes, ITI reform and the hub-and-spoke model are asked in economy and social-sector questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
PM-SETU Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs — A central scheme to upgrade government ITIs with industry partners.
ITI Industrial Training Institute — A vocational training institute that teaches trades to school leavers.
31 August 2026
The Kerala Public Service Commission published an extraordinary gazette dated 31 August 2026 carrying notifications from Category No. 130/2026 to Category No. 150/2026.
The last date for submitting applications against this gazette is 7 October 2026.
The posts notified include Beat Forest Officer in the Forest and Wildlife Department, Fire and Rescue Officer (Trainee) in Fire and Rescue Services, and Assistant Prison Officer in Prisons and Correctional Services.
Other posts include Police Constable (Band, Bugler and Drummer) in the Police Band Unit, Conservation Officer in the State Archives Department and Lecturer in Arabic under Kerala General Education for DIETs.
Public sector and corporation posts in the list include Plumber in the Kerala Water Authority, Compounder Gr.IV in Malabar Cements Ltd., Junior Assistant Part-II in the Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Limited and Assistant Project Engineer in the Kerala Land Development Corporation Limited.
Gazette date:
31/08/2026
Categories:
CAT.NO 130/2026 to 150/2026
Last date:
07-10-2026
Why it matters for exams: Category numbers and closing dates of Kerala PSC gazettes are directly examinable and immediately useful to aspirants.
Kerala PSC