2 October 2026
The Ministry of Culture announced that the eighth edition of PM Mementos, the e-auction of gifts and artefacts presented to the Prime Minister, is live and has been extended until 31 October 2026.
This edition showcases 30 mementos from Delhi.
The collection comprises nine photo frames, nine mementos, six idols, sculptures and statues, two Delhi Metro models, one item of sports memorabilia and one painting, along with art and craft items.
Bidding is through the portal pmmementos.gov.in.
The proceeds from the auction will go to the Namami Gange Project.
Edition:
8th edition of PM Mementos
Mementos on offer:
30, from Delhi
Extended until:
31 October 2026
Portal:
pmmementos.gov.in
Proceeds to:
Namami Gange Project
Why it matters for exams: Examiners like the link between the PM Mementos auction and the Namami Gange Project, and the portal that runs it.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Namami Gange Namami Gange Programme — The Union government's flagship mission to clean and conserve the river Ganga.
E-auction Electronic auction — An auction conducted entirely online, with bids placed through a web portal.
Background
Buxa Tiger Reserve, where a tigress was released this week, lies in Alipurduar district. Alipurduar was established on 25 June 2014 as West Bengal's twentieth district, carved out of Jalpaiguri district, and its headquarters is at Alipurduar. The district has two municipalities, Alipurduar and Falakata, and six community development blocks: Madarihat-Birpara, Alipurduar-I, Alipurduar-II, Falakata, Kalchini and Kumargram. It contains 64 gram panchayats and nine census towns. It is a landlocked district bounded by Jalpaiguri on the west, Assam on the east and Cooch Behar on the south, and it shares an international border with Bhutan to the north. Its rivers include the Torsa, Raidak, Kaljani, Sankosh, Jayanti, Dima, Mujnai and Gadadhar.
Formed:
25 June 2014
Carved out of:
Jalpaiguri district
Rank among districts:
West Bengal's 20th district
Blocks:
6
Gram panchayats:
64
Why it matters for exams: District formation dates, parent districts and international borders are a fixed part of state geography papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Census town Census town — A settlement that meets the census definition of urban but has no municipality of its own.
Gram panchayat Gram panchayat — The elected village-level unit of local self-government in rural India.
2 October 2026
The tigress released at Buxa Tiger Reserve on 2 October 2026 was first held in an acclimatisation enclosure of 2.3 hectares and was fitted with a radio collar for tracking. Tigers had disappeared from Buxa by the late 1990s. The reintroduction proposal was cleared by a National Tiger Conservation Authority steering committee in 2016-17, and about eight years of study and habitat work followed. More than 800 chital were released to rebuild the prey base and about 380 hectares of grassland were restored. Two villages have been voluntarily relocated and one more relocation is under way, with 11 villages still in the core area. Families are offered a package of Rs 15 lakh or 8 decimals of land. Two or three more tigers are planned for release in phases, and a decade-old proposal put a viable population at at least six tigers. West Bengal's Forest Minister is Manoj Oraon.
Acclimatisation enclosure:
2.3 hectares
Chital released:
800+
Grassland restored:
380 hectares
Relocation package:
Rs 15 lakh or 8 decimals of land
Villages still in core area:
11
Why it matters for exams: Reintroduction is examined as a process, not an event: prey augmentation, grassland restoration, village relocation packages and collaring are each asked about.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Core area Core or critical tiger habitat — The inner zone of a tiger reserve kept free of human use so that breeding tigers are undisturbed.
Decimal Decimal (unit of land area) — A land measure used in eastern India equal to one hundredth of an acre.
Chital Spotted deer — A common Indian deer that is a principal prey species for tigers.
2 October 2026
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari released a three-year-old tigress, T138, at Buxa Tiger Reserve in Alipurduar district on 2 October 2026. The tigress was brought from Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar. Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav and Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary were present. This is West Bengal's first tiger reintroduction programme. Buxa was declared a tiger reserve in 1983 but had no resident tigers for years because of habitat degradation and a reduced prey base. Studies for the reintroduction were commissioned in 2018 and the work was carried out under a Tiger Augmentation and Recovery Project. The National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Wildlife Institute of India were associated with the programme.
Tigress:
T138
Age:
3 years
Brought from:
Valmiki Tiger Reserve, Bihar
Buxa declared a tiger reserve:
1983
Why it matters for exams: Tiger reserve names, reintroduction projects and the bodies that clear them are standard questions in both state and central examinations.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
NTCA National Tiger Conservation Authority — The statutory body under the Union environment ministry that oversees Project Tiger and India's tiger reserves.
WII Wildlife Institute of India — A Dehradun-based research institute that advises governments on wildlife science and translocations.
Reintroduction Species reintroduction — Bringing a species back into an area where it once lived but has since disappeared.
Background
Goal 6 of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals is ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
1.8 billion people still do not have drinking water on-premises.
3.4 billion people, nearly half the world's population, still lacked safely managed sanitation, including 354 million who practiced open defecation.
Improving access to water, sanitation and hygiene can save 1.4 million lives per year.
Better water, sanitation and hygiene could prevent the deaths of around 1,000 children under 5 per day.
Approximately 10 percent of the global population lives in countries with high or critical water stress.
Water-related disasters have dominated the list of disasters over the past 50 years and account for 70% of all deaths related to natural disasters.
44% of household wastewater is not treated properly, and 72% of all freshwater withdrawals are used by agriculture.
In July 2010 the United Nations General Assembly recognized the human right to water and sanitation.
Without drinking water on-premises:
1.8 billion people
Lacking safely managed sanitation:
3.4 billion people, including 354 million practising open defecation
Lives that could be saved each year:
1.4 million
Share of deaths from natural disasters:
70% are water-related
Freshwater withdrawals used by agriculture:
72%
Right to water recognized:
July 2010, by the UN General Assembly
Why it matters for exams: These are the headline global water and sanitation figures the UN itself publishes, and SDG 6 is a standard question.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
SDG 6 Sustainable Development Goal 6 — Availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
Safely managed sanitation Use of improved facilities where waste is safely disposed of or treated — A stricter measure than simply having a toilet.
Water stress Demand for water exceeding the available supply — About 10 percent of the world lives in countries with high or critical water stress.
Background
Several countries had proposed a permanent international body to promote maritime safety, but this was realized only after the establishment of the United Nations.
In 1948 an international conference in Geneva adopted a convention formally establishing the organization.
The original name was the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization, or IMCO, and the name was changed to IMO in 1982.
The IMO Convention entered into force in 1958 and the new Organization met for the first time the following year.
Article 1(a) of the Convention sets out its purpose as providing machinery for cooperation among Governments in regulation and practices relating to technical matters affecting shipping engaged in international trade.
IMO's first task was to adopt a new version of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, known as SOLAS, which was achieved in 1960.
The Torrey Canyon disaster of 1967, in which 120,000 tonnes of oil was spilled, demonstrated the scale of marine pollution from ships.
Convention adopted:
1948, at an international conference in Geneva
Original name:
Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO)
Renamed IMO:
1982
Convention entered into force:
1958
New SOLAS adopted:
1960
Torrey Canyon oil spill:
120,000 tonnes, in 1967
Why it matters for exams: The IMCO-to-IMO renaming, the 1958 entry into force and SOLAS are standard maritime-governance questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
IMO International Maritime Organization — The UN specialized agency for the safety, security and environmental performance of shipping.
SOLAS International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea — Described by IMO as the most important of all treaties on maritime safety.
IMCO Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization — The original name of the IMO.
Background
The Namami Gange Programme is an Integrated Conservation Mission, approved as a Flagship Programme by the Union Government in June 2014 with budget outlay of Rs.20,000 Crore.
Its twin objectives are effective abatement of pollution, and conservation and rejuvenation of National River Ganga.
The main pillars of the programme are Sewerage Treatment Infrastructure, River-Front Development, River-Surface Cleaning, Bio-Diversity, Afforestation, Public Awareness, Industrial Effluent Monitoring and Ganga Gram.
Implementation is divided into Entry-Level Activities, Medium-Term Activities to be implemented within 5 years, and Long-Term Activities to be implemented within 10 years.
200 sewerage infrastructure projects including 1 decentralized modular project have been sanctioned at a total cost of Rs. 31,810 Crore, out of which 116 projects have been completed and made operational.
84 Ghats and Crematoria projects for construction, modernization and renovation of 286 Ghats, Crematoria, Kunds and Ponds have been sanctioned.
River surface cleaning for collection of floating solid waste has been pushed into service at 11 locations.
Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI), Kolkata and the Uttar Pradesh State Forest Department have been awarded projects to develop a science-based aquatic species restoration plan for the Ganga.
Approved as Flagship Programme:
June 2014
Budget outlay at approval:
Rs.20,000 Crore
Sewerage projects sanctioned:
200, at a total cost of Rs. 31,810 Crore
Sewerage projects completed:
116
Ghats and Crematoria covered:
286, under 84 sanctioned projects
Why it matters for exams: The approval outlay, the eight pillars and the sanctioned project costs of Namami Gange are standard scheme questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
NMCG National Mission for Clean Ganga — The body that implements the Namami Gange Programme.
Ganga Gram Village-level sanitation pillar of the programme — One of the eight main pillars of Namami Gange.
CIFRI Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute — Kolkata-based institute working on the Ganga's aquatic species.
Background
The National Green Tribunal has been established on 18.10.2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010.
Its purpose is the effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources.
The Tribunal is mandated to make and endeavour for disposal of applications or appeals finally within 6 months of filing of the same.
New Delhi is the Principal Place of Sitting of the Tribunal, and Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai are the other four places of sitting.
Section 19 of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 gives the Tribunal power to regulate its own procedure.
The Tribunal is not bound by the procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 or the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, and is guided by principles of natural justice.
The Tribunal entertains letter petitions which bring to light instances of substantial environmental damage.
Date of establishment:
18.10.2010
Governing Act:
National Green Tribunal Act 2010
Disposal timeline:
Within 6 months of filing
Principal Place of Sitting:
New Delhi
Other places of sitting:
Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai
Why it matters for exams: The NGT's founding Act, its six-month timeline and its five places of sitting are standard objective questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
NGT National Green Tribunal — A specialised tribunal for environmental disputes involving multi-disciplinary issues.
Letter petition A complaint sent as a letter instead of a formal application — A valid complaint is taken note of even without an advocate.
Principles of natural justice Basic fairness rules followed in place of rigid procedure — They include a fair hearing and freedom from bias.
Background
The science behind India's tiger and elephant assessments comes largely from the Wildlife Institute of India at Dehradun in Uttarakhand, which its own website describes as a premier national institute for wildlife research and biodiversity conservation. The Institute was established in 1982 and offers training programmes, academic courses and advisory services in wildlife research and management. It is the nodal national agency for research and training in the field of wildlife conservation, and is actively engaged in research across the breadth of the country on biodiversity-related issues. Its mandate includes generating quality knowledge in wildlife science and complementing national efforts in wildlife conservation. The Institute is a four-star top-rated accredited institute as per the Capacity Building Commission among all national civil service training institutes.
Established:
1982
Location:
Dehradun, Uttarakhand
Role:
Nodal national agency for wildlife research and training
Why it matters for exams: Candidates are often asked to match a national institute with its town and its mandate, and this one recurs in questions on wildlife conservation.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
WII Wildlife Institute of India — A national institute at Dehradun for research and training in wildlife conservation.
Background
Challenges to environmental clearances, pollution and forest diversion in India are heard not by the civil courts but by the National Green Tribunal, which the Tribunal's own website says was established on 18.10.2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010. It was set up for the effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and the conservation of forests and other natural resources, including the enforcement of any legal right relating to the environment and the grant of relief and compensation for damage to persons and property. New Delhi is the Principal Place of Sitting of the Tribunal, and Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai are the other four places of sitting. The Tribunal is mandated to endeavour to dispose of applications or appeals finally within 6 months of their filing. It is not bound by the procedure laid down in the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 or by the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, and is guided by the principles of natural justice; Section 19 of the Act gives it the power to regulate its own procedure. It also entertains letter petitions bringing substantial environmental damage to light.
Established:
18.10.2010
Principal Place of Sitting:
New Delhi
Other places of sitting:
Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata, Chennai
Disposal mandate:
Within 6 months of filing
Why it matters for exams: The Tribunal's founding Act, its principal and other places of sitting and its six-month disposal mandate are standard objective-question material in polity and environment papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
NGT National Green Tribunal — A specialised tribunal for environmental disputes, not bound by the Code of Civil Procedure.
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, which hosted the NATO Military Committee Conference in Copenhagen, is one of the Alliance's Arctic Allies.
NATO states that five of its founding members - Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Norway and the United States - are Arctic states.
Seven of the eight Arctic states are now members of NATO, after Finland and Sweden joined the Alliance.
The Nordic Allies Denmark, Finland and Sweden were added to the area of responsibility of Joint Force Command Norfolk.
NATO's Arctic activity Arctic Sentry includes national exercises, among them Denmark's Arctic Endurance series of exercises.
NATO describes the Arctic and the High North as a region where it must strengthen awareness and presence.
NATO founding members that are Arctic states:
5 - Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Norway and the United States
Arctic states that are NATO members:
Seven of the eight
Danish exercise series:
Arctic Endurance
Command covering the Nordic Allies:
Joint Force Command Norfolk
Why it matters for exams: Questions on the Arctic regularly turn on which Arctic states belong to NATO and which Allies are Arctic founding members, and Denmark appears in both lists.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
High North High North — The northernmost reaches of the Atlantic and the Arctic, treated by NATO as a single strategic area.
2 October 2026
Measurements by the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network GLAMOS and the Swiss Commission for Cryosphere Observation of the Swiss Academy of Sciences show that more than 5 per cent of Switzerland's glacier ice disappeared in 2026.
In the past five years the volume of ice in Switzerland has fallen by almost 20 per cent.
The mean thickness of individual glaciers fell by between 2.5 and 4 metres, and on glacier tongues by as much as 10 metres over the summer.
Winter 2025/26 was among the ten least snowy winters since measurements began, and the freezing level stood above 4,000 metres on 76 days, more than twice the average and a record.
Small glaciers such as the Bella Tola Glacier and the Griessfirn/Plattalvafirn have disappeared, while the Allalin, Clariden, Aletsch and Rhone glaciers saw their greatest melt on record.
Between July and September the glaciers released about 2,200 billion litres of water.
The 2026 measurement period ranks just behind the record year of 2022.
Ice lost in 2026:
More than 5 per cent
Ice lost in five years:
Almost 20 per cent
Fall in mean thickness:
2.5 to 4 metres
Days with freezing level above 4,000 m:
76
Water released July to September:
About 2,200 billion litres
Why it matters for exams: Alpine glacier loss is the standard illustration of warming for environment questions, and these are the latest measured figures.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
GLAMOS Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland — The network that measures long-term change in Swiss glaciers.
Freezing level Altitude at which the air temperature is 0 degrees Celsius — The higher it sits, the more of a glacier melts instead of gaining snow.
Glacier tongue Lower end of a glacier where it flows downhill — It is the first part of a glacier to thin in a hot summer.
Background
The Nirmalam campaign now being rolled out across Kerala is run by the Local Self Government Department with the Suchitwa Mission, so the standing sanitation machinery is worth knowing.
Suchitwa Keralam is a State-sponsored scheme under the Local Self Government Department that partly funds waste management projects implemented by grama panchayats and urban local bodies.
It covers solid waste processing plants and their modification, collection and transportation equipment, source-level treatment of biodegradable waste, septage treatment plants and institutional sewage treatment.
It also funds IEC activities including workshops, research and development and capacity building, and assistance to self-help groups and entrepreneurs working in waste management.
The Suchitwa Mission is the supporting institution and has empanelled service providers to help local governments set up source-level treatment.
The Haritha Karma Sena collects non-biodegradable waste door to door and, in urban areas, uses motorised and battery-operated vehicles.
Rural work under the scheme includes sanitary complexes and toilet reconstruction, while urban work includes construction and demolition waste plants and mechanised septage management.
Department:
Local Self Government Department
Supporting institution:
Suchitwa Mission
Why it matters for exams: Kerala PSC asks which department a sanitation scheme sits under and what the Haritha Karma Sena actually does.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
IEC Information, Education and Communication — Awareness work such as workshops and campaigns that goes with a government programme.
Septage Septage — The sludge and liquid pumped out of septic tanks, which needs separate treatment.
2 October 2026
Kerala is launching 'Nirmalam - Puthuyuga Shuchithwa Keralam', a five-year waste management campaign run by the Local Self Government Department with the Suchitwa Mission.
The state-level inauguration is to be held at the Sunny Convention Centre at North Paravur in Ernakulam on 2 October 2026, with Chief Minister V D Satheesan formally launching the campaign.
The target is to make the State completely waste-free by 30 March 2031, marked as Zero Waste Day.
In the short-term phase, from 2 October 2026 to 2 October 2027, bio-waste processing is to be set up in 30 per cent of households and institutions, 20 per cent of bulk waste generators are to segregate waste at source, 100 local bodies are to be raised to full bio-waste treatment capacity and 40 per cent of sanitary waste is to be processed scientifically with two new plants.
The medium-term phase, from 2 October 2027 to 5 June 2030, is to extend bio-waste processing to 70 per cent of households and institutions, upgrade 500 local bodies and put four sanitary waste plants into operation.
The long-term phase, from 5 June 2030 to 30 March 2031, is to achieve 100 per cent bio-waste processing, 100 per cent collection and scientific management of inorganic waste, and recycling plants for plastic, glass, e-waste, textile and paper.
The plan includes 12 RDF plants and a 500 TPD waste-to-energy plant in Kochi.
Local Self Government Minister K M Shaji announced the campaign at a press conference at the Secretariat.
Target date for a waste-free Kerala:
30 March 2031
Short-term household target:
30 per cent
RDF plants planned:
12
Kochi waste-to-energy plant:
500 TPD
Why it matters for exams: A newly launched flagship State campaign with a named scheme, a dated target and a clear implementing department is standard one-mark material for Kerala PSC.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
RDF Refuse Derived Fuel — Fuel made from the combustible part of non-recyclable waste, burnt in industrial kilns or power plants.
TPD Tonnes Per Day — The amount of waste a plant can handle in a day.
Background
Kedartal, the second glacial lake in the state expert team's survey, lies in Uttarkashi district, the district described here.
Uttarkashi was established on February 24, 1960 out of portions of the former Tehri Garhwal district.
The district covers 8016 sq. kms. and occupies the extreme north-west corner of the state.
It borders Himachal Pradesh, Tibet and Chamoli district.
The sacred town stands between the Varuna (Syalam Gad) and the Asi (Kaligad), and the Ganga here is the Bhagirathi.
Uttarkashi is described as the northern counterpart of Varanasi, both having a Manikarnika Ghat and a Vishwanath temple.
Date of formation:
February 24, 1960
Area:
8016 sq. kms.
Parent district:
Tehri Garhwal
Why it matters for exams: District formation dates, areas and river names for Uttarakhand are standard one-mark questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Bhagirathi The headstream of the Ganga from Gangotri — It takes the name Ganga only after meeting the Alaknanda at Devprayag.
Background
Saraswati Tal, one of the two glacial lakes a state expert team set out to survey, lies in Chamoli district, the same district that holds Uttarakhand's natural World Heritage site.
Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1988 and the property was extended in 2005, under criteria (vii) and (x).
The property covers 71,210 hectares, with a buffer zone of 514,857 hectares.
Nanda Devi National Park is dominated by the 7,817 m peak of Nanda Devi, India's second highest mountain, and is a remote mountain wilderness; the Valley of Flowers offers a gentler landscape of alpine flower meadows.
The parks shelter threatened species including the snow leopard, the Himalayan musk deer and the bharal or blue sheep.
The site lies in the West Himalaya, in a transition zone between the Zanskar and Great Himalaya ranges, and has seen minimal human impact since 1983.
Year inscribed:
1988
Extension:
2005
Property area:
71,210 hectares
Buffer zone:
514,857 hectares
Height of Nanda Devi:
7,817 m
Why it matters for exams: India's World Heritage list is asked almost every year, and the 1988 inscription with the 2005 extension is the detail that separates candidates.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Buffer zone A surrounding area given added protection — Land around a World Heritage property that is managed to shield the core site from outside pressure.
Bharal Blue sheep — A high-altitude Himalayan wild sheep and the main natural prey of the snow leopard.
2 October 2026
A division bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari and Justice Pankaj Purohit of the Uttarakhand High Court dismissed, in September 2026, a writ petition challenging the identification of land for shifting the High Court from Nainital to Haldwani.
The petition attacked the District Magistrate's order identifying the land and a Full Court resolution on the proposed shift.
About 73 hectares of forest land in the Tarai-Central Forest Division near the Bel Baba temple at Rudrapur has been identified for the new complex.
The bench held that prior approval of the Central Government under Section 2 of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 is not required as of now, and would be needed when the stage of de-reservation of forest or use of forest land for non-forest purpose arises.
On the objection that the site falls in an elephant corridor, the court noted that the proposed site is about 10 kilometres away from identified corridors.
The bench also noted Nainital's infrastructure limitations and the high cost of living there for litigants.
Forest land identified:
about 73 hectares
Distance from identified elephant corridors:
about 10 kilometres
Present seat of the High Court:
Nainital
Why it matters for exams: The seat of a High Court and Section 2 of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 are both frequently tested, and this item ties them together.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Division bench A bench of two judges — Writ petitions of this kind are heard by two judges sitting together rather than a single judge.
De-reservation Removal of the reserved-forest status of land — Until land loses its forest status, it cannot legally be built on for a non-forest purpose.
2 October 2026
The Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority flagged off an expert team on 8 September 2026 to survey two high-altitude glacial lakes.
Saraswati Tal lies in Chamoli district at about 5,700 metres and Kedartal in Uttarkashi district at about 4,750 metres.
The team is to carry out bathymetry surveys and assess the lakes' present condition, water level and changes in size, so that glacial lake hazards can be reduced.
The team draws on USDMA, ULMMC, the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences Lucknow, the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, NIH Roorkee, SDRF, NDRF and the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, and the release names 20 members.
Secretary, Disaster Management and Rehabilitation, Vinod Kumar Suman flagged off the team, and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Disaster Management Minister Madan Kaushik conveyed their good wishes to it.
13 glacial lakes in Uttarakhand have been identified as sensitive, of which four have already been surveyed.
Saraswati Tal altitude:
about 5,700 metres
Kedartal altitude:
about 4,750 metres
Size of the expert team:
20 members named
Why it matters for exams: Glacial lake outburst risk in the Himalaya is a live exam theme, and this names the two lakes, their districts and their altitudes.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Bathymetry Measurement of the depth and shape of a water body's floor — Mapping a lake bed shows how much water it holds, which decides how dangerous a sudden breach would be.
ULMMC Uttarakhand Landslide Mitigation and Management Centre — The state centre set up to study and reduce landslide risk.
2 October 2026
The Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) said in late September 2026 that the state's disaster management system is on full alert following heavy rainfall warnings issued by the meteorological department.
Disaster Management Minister Madan Kaushik said the weather is being monitored continuously at the state and district levels and that field teams deployed in sensitive areas remain vigilant.
The State Emergency Operation Centre and the District Emergency Operation Centres are actively monitoring the situation.
Special surveillance was ordered on rivers, landslide-prone zones and vulnerable road routes, and relief and rescue resources are kept on standby in sensitive areas.
Residents were asked to avoid unnecessary travel during bad weather and to stay away from rivers and seasonal streams, and to comply with weather-related warnings and guidelines issued by the administration.
The minister said the government's priority is the safety of state residents.
Authority issuing the alert:
USDMA
Minister in charge:
Madan Kaushik
Why it matters for exams: USDMA and the State and District Emergency Operation Centres are the named institutions in Uttarakhand's disaster machinery, a standard exam topic.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
USDMA Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority — The state's apex disaster management body, which issues alerts and coordinates the districts.
SEOC State Emergency Operation Centre — The round-the-clock control room from which a state tracks and directs disaster response.