Background
India's securities market is in the news this week, with the Centre clearing the strategic sale of a majority stake in IDBI Bank; the regulator of that market has a two-step origin worth remembering.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India was constituted as a non-statutory body on April 12, 1988 through a resolution of the Government of India.
It was established as a statutory body in the year 1992, and the provisions of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 came into force on January 30, 1992.
The Act is numbered 15 of 1992.
The Preamble describes the basic functions of the Board as protecting the interests of investors in securities and promoting the development of, and regulating, the securities market and matters connected with or incidental to it.
Appeals against the Board's orders lie to the Securities Appellate Tribunal, which the regulator lists among the bodies in its framework.
Constituted as non-statutory body:
April 12, 1988
SEBI Act came into force:
January 30, 1992
Act number:
15 of 1992
Appellate body:
Securities Appellate Tribunal
Why it matters for exams: The two dates in SEBI's origin — the 1988 resolution and the 1992 Act coming into force — are a favourite distinction in banking and PSC papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
SEBI Securities and Exchange Board of India — The statutory regulator of India's securities market.
Statutory body — A body created by an Act of the legislature rather than by an executive decision.
SAT Securities Appellate Tribunal — The tribunal that hears appeals against orders of the securities regulator.
Background
The Reserve Bank has been in the news through this week for liquidity and foreign exchange measures; the rate those measures work around is fixed by a statutory committee.
The Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 was amended in 2016 to give a statutory basis to the flexible inflation targeting framework.
Under Section 45ZA the Central Government, in consultation with the Reserve Bank, determines the inflation target in terms of the Consumer Price Index once in five years and notifies it in the Official Gazette.
The target is 4 per cent CPI inflation, with an upper tolerance limit of 6 per cent and a lower tolerance limit of 2 per cent.
Section 45ZB provides for a six-member Monetary Policy Committee, constituted by the Central Government by notification in the Official Gazette, to determine the policy repo rate required to achieve that target.
The Governor of the Reserve Bank is its ex officio Chairperson; the Deputy Governor in charge of monetary policy and one officer of the Reserve Bank nominated by the Central Board are the other ex officio members, and three members are appointed from outside for a period of four years.
The committee must meet at least four times a year, the quorum is four members, each member has one vote, and in the event of an equality of votes the Governor has a second or casting vote.
The operating target is the weighted average call rate, which the Reserve Bank aligns with the policy repo rate through liquidity management.
Members in the committee:
Six
Inflation target:
4 per cent CPI inflation
Tolerance band:
2 per cent to 6 per cent
Minimum meetings a year:
Four
Quorum:
Four members
Enabling section:
Section 45ZB, RBI Act, 1934
Why it matters for exams: The size, composition, quorum and casting vote of the Monetary Policy Committee and the 4 per cent inflation target are standard questions in banking and civil services papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
MPC Monetary Policy Committee — The six-member statutory committee that decides the Reserve Bank's policy repo rate.
CPI Consumer Price Index — The retail price index in which India's inflation target is expressed.
WACR Weighted average call rate — The overnight interbank rate the Reserve Bank treats as its operating target.
Repo rate Policy repo rate — The rate at which the Reserve Bank lends to banks against approved securities.
Background
Amid a power shortage, the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission has allowed the Kerala State Electricity Board to keep buying 177 MW from two NTPC thermal plants, and the order shows where tariff-setting power actually sits.
The clearance covers 80 MW from Barh Stage-I and 97 MW from Barh Stage-II, and runs until 30 April 2029.
The tariffs of those NTPC stations are determined by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, not by the State Commission or by the State board.
Each such tariff has two components: a fixed charge and an energy charge.
For Barh Stage-II the average tariff works out to Rs 4.67 per unit, made up of a fixed charge of Rs 1.97 and an energy charge of Rs 2.89.
Because it cannot reset a central station's tariff itself, the State Commission directed the board to take an active part in the central Commission's tariff hearings and to work to bring the determined tariffs down.
The State Commission compared the rates with round-the-clock power discovered through the DEEP portal and the short-term market before clearing the purchase.
Quantity cleared:
177 MW
Barh Stage-I:
80 MW
Barh Stage-II:
97 MW
Barh Stage-II average tariff:
Rs 4.67 per unit (fixed Rs 1.97, energy Rs 2.89)
Valid until:
30 April 2029
Tariff-setting authority for the stations:
Central Electricity Regulatory Commission
Why it matters for exams: The split between the central and State electricity regulators, and the two-part structure of a generation tariff, are asked in both polity and economy sections.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
CERC Central Electricity Regulatory Commission — The regulator that fixes the tariff of a central generating station such as an NTPC plant.
KSERC Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission — The State regulator that approves the State board's power purchases and retail tariffs.
Fixed charge Capacity component of a generation tariff — The part of the tariff payable for keeping capacity available, apart from the energy actually drawn.
Background
Kerala is now giving its people's health centres their own buildings and a fixed list of free medicines, and the framework behind those centres is the Aardram Mission.
Aardram is one of the four missions under the Nava Kerala Mission of the Government of Kerala.
It was launched in February 2017 with the objective of completely transforming the public health sector, against the backdrop of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.
Its primary focus is Sustainable Development Goal 3, Good Health and Well-being, with short-term goals set for 2020 and long-term goals for 2030.
Its main objectives are people-friendly outpatient services, re-engineering primary health centres into family health centres, access to comprehensive health services for marginalised and vulnerable groups, and standardisation of services from primary to tertiary settings.
The transformation covers preventive, promotive, curative, palliative and rehabilitative services, with record management through the e-Health system.
The Panchayat Raj Act of 1994, which transferred institutions such as primary health centres to local self-governing bodies, made the transformation easier by allowing convergence with other departments and with national, State and panchayat programmes.
Community participation is built in through forums such as the Arogyasena.
Launched:
February 2017
Parent programme:
One of the four missions under the Nava Kerala Mission
Primary focus:
SDG 3, Good Health and Well-being
Core transformation:
Re-engineering PHCs into FHCs
Community forum:
Arogyasena
Why it matters for exams: Kerala PSC asks which mission sits under Nava Keralam, what FHC stands for and which SDG the health mission targets.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
FHC Family Health Centre — A primary health centre re-engineered under Aardram for comprehensive, people-friendly care.
Nava Kerala Mission Kerala's four-mission development programme — The umbrella programme of which Aardram is the health mission.
Background
Kerala's redrawn eco-sensitive map has fully excluded the residential areas of Kuttampuzha in this district, a village of 519.28 square kilometres of which 476.19 square kilometres falls inside the published boundaries.
Ernakulam District came into being on 1 April 1958 by incorporating the Kanayannoor, Kochi, Kunnathunadu, Aluva and Paroor taluks.
A long deliberation at the Kerala Fine Arts Hall, attended by political, social and media figures, was instrumental in the district's formation.
In 1405 AD the provincial king of Perumbadappu shifted his capital from Mahodayapuram to Kochi and came to be recognised as the King of Kochi.
With Dutch support the king succeeded in driving the Portuguese out of Kochi in 1663, and by 1800 the British had taken over the administration.
Sakthan Thampuran, who ruled from 1790 to 1805, was the mightiest of the kings of Kochi, and the Paliathachans of Chennamangalam were chief ministers to those kings for almost 150 years.
The district administration's history page puts the district's mangrove forests at around 465 square kilometres; Thattekkad and Mangalavanam are its two bird sanctuaries, and Ernakulam is Kerala's biggest pineapple producing district.
Formed:
1 April 1958
Taluks incorporated:
Kanayannoor, Kochi, Kunnathunadu, Aluva and Paroor
Portuguese driven out of Kochi:
1663, with Dutch support
Mangrove forests:
Around 465 square kilometres, as the district history page records
Bird sanctuaries:
Thattekkad and Mangalavanam
Why it matters for exams: Kochi's colonial sequence and Ernakulam's formation details are asked in both the history and the Kerala geography sections.
Kerala PSCSSC
In plain words
Paliathachan Hereditary chief minister of Kochi — The title of the Paliath family of Chennamangalam, chief ministers to the kings of Kochi.
Background
The Assembly has just sent a new Bill to one of its subject committees, and the committee habit itself is older than the State.
Dewan T. Rama Rao proposed a Legislative Council to the Maharaja in January 1888, and a regulation creating it was passed on 30 March 1888.
The Council had a three-year tenure and 8 members, of whom 6 were officials and 2 non-officials nominated by the Maharaja, with the Dewan presiding.
Its inaugural meeting was held at noon on 23 August 1888 in the Dewan's room, and the First Council of 1888-1891 had 32 sittings and passed 9 recommendatory Bills.
The Select Committee constituted to study and report on Bills marked the origin of the committee system, and the Malayali Memorial was signed in 1891 seeking wider representation.
The Sri Mulam Popular Assembly of Travancore was formed on 1 October 1904 as a body of representatives of landholders and merchants, meeting first on 22 October 1904 at the Victoria Jubilee Town Hall in Trivandrum.
A regulation of 1 May 1905 gave the people the privilege of electing members: of 100 members, 77 were to be elected and 23 nominated, for a tenure of one year.
The franchise was tied to property - annual land revenue of not less than Rs. 50 or a net income of not less than Rs. 2000 - and to graduates of a recognised university of not less than ten years standing.
Regulation creating the Legislative Council:
30 March 1888
Inaugural meeting of the Council:
23 August 1888, in the Dewan's room
Sri Mulam Popular Assembly formed:
1 October 1904
First meeting of the Popular Assembly:
22 October 1904, Victoria Jubilee Town Hall, Trivandrum
Composition after the elective regulation:
100 members - 77 elected, 23 nominated
Why it matters for exams: Kerala PSC repeatedly asks which body came first, who presided over it and when the elective principle entered Travancore's legislature.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Dewan Chief minister of a princely state — In Travancore the Dewan headed the administration under the Maharaja and presided over the early Legislative Council.
Malayali Memorial Petition of 1891 for wider representation — A popular petition seeking greater representation for Travancore's own people in the administration.
Background
The Niyamasabha is in session this week, taking an adjournment motion and fresh Bills, which makes the House's own beginnings worth revisiting.
An integrated State of Kerala emerged from a fusion on linguistic grounds, and the first general elections were held in February-March 1957.
The First Kerala Legislative Assembly commenced on 1 March 1957 with a strength of 127, including the lone nominated member.
Sankaranarayanan Thampi was its Speaker and K. O. Aysha Bai its Deputy Speaker.
On 5 April 1957 the first Communist Ministry, with E. M. Sankaran Namboodirippad as Chief Minister, assumed office.
That Ministry was dismissed on 31 July 1959 and the Assembly was dissolved the same day, after 7 sessions and 175 sittings in which 88 Bills were passed.
The Kerala University Bill, the Kerala Education Bill and the Kerala Agrarian Relations Bill were among them, and the Business Advisory Committee was formed in the same year.
From the Fifth Assembly onward the strength of the House continued to be 141, including one nominated member.
Strength of the First Assembly:
127, including the lone nominated member
Commenced:
1 March 1957
First Ministry assumed office:
5 April 1957
Sittings and Bills passed:
175 sittings, 88 Bills
Strength from the Fifth Assembly:
141, including one nominated member
Why it matters for exams: The first Assembly, its presiding officers and the first Ministry are among the most frequently asked facts in Kerala PSC general knowledge.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Niyamasabha Kerala Legislative Assembly — The Malayalam name of the State's law-making House.
15 October 2026
The special enrolment drive announced by the Election Commission of India for voter roll revision began in Kerala on Thursday, 15 October 2026, and will run until 31 October. Chief Electoral Officer D. Sajith Babu said voters need to fill in only Form 6 to add names, and no additional declaration forms are required. Digital help desks will function at village offices from 15 to 31 October. Applications can be submitted online through the Citizen Service Portal or the Voter Helpline App, after which booth-level officers will carry out physical verification. Any one of the approved documents establishing identity with photograph, age and address must be submitted; those offering Aadhaar as proof must provide an additional supporting document. The CEO and Additional CEOs will travel across the State for random checks. A special enrolment drive named 'Campus to Booth' will be held in colleges and schools to raise awareness among young voters.
Drive period:
15 to 31 October 2026
Form for adding names:
Form 6
Chief Electoral Officer:
D. Sajith Babu
Youth campaign:
Campus to Booth
Why it matters for exams: Form 6, booth-level officers and the Chief Electoral Officer's role in roll revision are standard Kerala PSC and UPSC electoral administration questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
BLO Booth Level Officer — A local official responsible for verifying and updating the electoral roll of one polling booth area.
Form 6 Application for inclusion of name in electoral roll — The standard form used by a new voter to apply for registration.
Background
Mahe, known in Malayalam as Mayyazhi, is a region of the Union Territory of Puducherry situated on the estuary of the Mayyazhi river and the Arabian Sea. The regional administration describes it as a land titled the Eyebrow of the Arabian Sea, very small in extent, and as a tiny point on the geographical map of Kerala. Mahe lies 630 km away from Puducherry, from which it is governed. It is a former small French territory, and its institutions include an Ayurveda Medical College, the Indira Gandhi Polytechnic College, a Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, a Kendriya Vidyalaya and the Mahatma Gandhi Government Arts and Science College.
Local name:
Mayyazhi
Distance from Puducherry:
630 km
Location:
Estuary of the Mayyazhi river and the Arabian Sea
Epithet used by the administration:
Eyebrow of the Arabian Sea
Why it matters for exams: Mahe's position inside Kerala, its Malayalam name Mayyazhi and its distance from Puducherry are frequently asked Kerala PSC facts.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Estuary Mouth where a river meets the sea — A partly enclosed coastal water body where river water mixes with seawater.
Background
Yanam is one of the regions of the Union Territory of Puducherry and lies 870 km away from it. It is situated on the East Coast of the Indian peninsula at 16 degrees 42 minutes northern latitude and 82 degrees 11 minutes eastern longitude, bounded on all sides by the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. The town of Yanam lies at the spot where the River Coringa, also called Atreya, branches off from the Gauthami into two parts. The entire region, consisting of Yanam town and six villages, is treated as a Municipality for local administration. The region covers an area of 30.0 square kilometres and had a population of 31,362 according to the 2001 Census.
Distance from Puducherry:
870 km
Area:
30.0 sq km
Population (2001 Census):
31,362
Composition:
Yanam town and six villages
Coordinates:
16 deg 42 min N, 82 deg 11 min E
Why it matters for exams: Yanam's coordinates, its enclave position inside Andhra Pradesh and its single-municipality administration are typical map and polity questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Enclave Territory surrounded by another jurisdiction — Yanam is governed from Puducherry but is physically surrounded by Andhra Pradesh.
Background
The four regions of the Union Territory of Puducherry lie scattered across South India. Puducherry town is about 135 km from Chennai Airport and is bounded on the east by the Bay of Bengal and on the other three sides by Tamil Nadu. Karaikal lies about 130 km south of Puducherry on the East Coast. Mahe is on the Malabar coast on the Western Ghats, surrounded by Kerala, and is about 70 km from Calicut Airport. Yanam adjoins the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh and is about 200 km from Visakhapatnam Airport.
Puducherry from Chennai Airport:
About 135 km
Karaikal from Puducherry:
About 130 km south
Mahe from Calicut Airport:
About 70 km
Yanam from Visakhapatnam Airport:
About 200 km
Why it matters for exams: Map-based questions on which State surrounds each Puducherry region are among the commonest Kerala PSC and UPSC items on this Union Territory.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Malabar coast South-western coast of India — The Arabian Sea coastline running along Kerala and parts of Karnataka.
Background
All the regions of Puducherry were under French rule for 138 years. On 1 November 1954 the French possessions in India were de facto transferred to the Indian Union and became a Union Territory. Only in 1963 did Puducherry become officially an integral part of India. Puducherry still has a large number of Tamil residents holding French passports, whose ancestors were in French government service and who chose to remain French at the time of Independence. Apart from monuments of the French period, the territory has a French Consulate and institutions such as the French Institute, the Alliance Francais and the Ecole Francais d'Extreme Orient, along with the Foyer du Soldat for war veterans of the French Army.
Duration of French rule:
138 years
De facto transfer:
1 November 1954
Officially an integral part of India:
1963
French cultural institutions:
French Institute, Alliance Francais, Ecole Francais d'Extreme Orient
Why it matters for exams: The 1954 de facto transfer, the 1963 completion of integration and the French institutions of Puducherry are repeatedly asked in modern history and polity.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
De facto transfer Transfer in practice before legal completion — Administration passed to India in 1954 while the formal legal transfer was completed later.
Background
The Union Territory of Puducherry comprises the former French establishments of Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam, which lie scattered in South India. It is a Union Territory with a legislature and extends over an area of 479 square kilometres. Its total population is 12,44,464 with a literacy rate of 86.55, as per the 2011 Census (Provisional). The main languages spoken are Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, English and French. Puducherry town, the capital of the Territory and once the headquarters of the French in India, lies on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, bounded on the east by the sea and on the other three sides by Tamil Nadu.
Area:
479 sq km
Population (2011 Census, Provisional):
12,44,464
Literacy rate:
86.55
Four former French establishments:
Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe, Yanam
Why it matters for exams: Area, population and literacy of Puducherry and its status as a Union Territory with a legislature are standard Kerala PSC and UPSC facts.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Union Territory with legislature UT having its own Legislative Assembly — A Union Territory that, unlike most, has an elected Assembly and a Council of Ministers.
Background
The Union Territory of Puducherry is not one continuous block of land. The Union Territory comprises two distinct districts, Puducherry and Karaikal. The Puducherry district comprises the Puducherry region and two outlying administrative units, Mahe and Yanam. All four bear a strong resemblance to the colonial French rule of earlier times, and the districts maintain a blend of agriculture and industry, with much of the rural population engaged in farming while educated residents work in service sectors. Monuments, cultural traits and social customs across the regions reflect that shared past.
Distinct districts:
Puducherry and Karaikal
Outlying administrative units:
Mahe and Yanam
Shared colonial inheritance:
French rule
Economic mix:
Agriculture and industry
Why it matters for exams: The non-contiguous make-up of Puducherry and the placement of Mahe and Yanam are among the most frequently asked facts about this Union Territory.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Union Territory Territory administered by the Union — A region of India administered directly by the Central Government, some of which have their own legislature.
Background
Puducherry, the Union Territory whose administration is in the news, has a documented history reaching back to the beginning of the common era. Excavations at Arikamedu, about 7 km to the south of the town, show that Romans came there to trade in the 1st Century AD, and the trade included dyed textiles. The territory saw a succession of European powers: the Portuguese, the Dutch, the Danes, the English and the French have all been present. The French first set foot there in 1670, and their undisturbed rule finished in 1954. The name 'Puducherry' is the French interpretation of the original name 'Puducheri', meaning 'new settlement'. By the 18th century the fishing village had grown into a grand port city, and its symmetrically aligned streets and monuments still carry that inheritance.
Distance of Arikamedu from the town:
About 7 km to the south
Roman trade at Arikamedu:
1st Century AD
French arrival:
1670
End of undisturbed French rule:
1954
Meaning of the name:
New settlement
Why it matters for exams: Arikamedu as evidence of Indo-Roman trade and the sequence of European powers in Puducherry are standard ancient history and modern history questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Arikamedu Archaeological site near Puducherry — A coastal site where excavations found evidence of Roman trade contact with South India.
15 October 2026
The Kerala High Court on Thursday, 15 October 2026, called for urgent practical solutions from State authorities to ensure road safety and to implement its earlier directions. The Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and Justice K.V. Jayakumar observed that time is of essence and that the Court's directions will have to be implemented without delay. The Bench was hearing a suo motu writ petition monitoring road safety in the State along with a connected plea. Its earlier directions included a State-wide, GIS-enabled Integrated Road Safety Monitoring Platform to link the existing systems of the Public Works Department, the Motor Vehicles department, the Kerala Police and other State agencies, and measures on over-speeding and rash driving by private buses. The Court said any respondent officer may appear in person or virtually so that inputs can be obtained, and referred to problems of lane indiscipline, inadequate signage and weak follow-up on AI camera detections. The case is posted to 3 November 2026 at 1:45 p.m.
Bench:
Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and Justice K.V. Jayakumar
Platform directed earlier:
GIS-enabled Integrated Road Safety Monitoring Platform
Next hearing:
3 November 2026, 1:45 p.m.
Why it matters for exams: Suo motu writ jurisdiction, continuing mandamus in road safety and the Motor Vehicles Act machinery are frequently asked in Kerala PSC and UPSC.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Suo motu On the court's own motion — A case a court takes up by itself, without a petition being filed before it.
GIS Geographic Information System — A system that stores and analyses data linked to locations on a map.
Background
The United Nations lists Egypt's date of admission as 24 October 1945, the same date recorded for the other original members that completed ratification of the Charter, so Egypt is among the founding members of the organisation. UNESCO records Egypt as a member since 1946 and places it in the Arab States region and in Africa Group Vb. UNESCO's country profile for Egypt counts 7 World Heritage Sites, 11 cultural practices and expressions inscribed as intangible heritage, 6 entries in the Memory of the World International Register, 2 biosphere reserves and 8 UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN networks.
UN date of admission:
24 October 1945
UNESCO member since:
1946
World Heritage Sites:
7
Biosphere reserves:
2
Why it matters for exams: Founding membership of the United Nations and counts of World Heritage Sites are among the most commonly asked country-profile facts.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
UNITWIN University Twinning and Networking Programme — UNESCO's programme of university cooperation, under which UNESCO Chairs are set up.
15 October 2026
The Reserve Bank of India issued a set of Frequently Asked Questions on the Foreign Exchange Risk Reserve on 15 October 2026.
The FAQs clarify requirements introduced through A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 26 dated 10 October 2026 and A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 27 dated 12 October 2026.
The clarifications are available on the Reserve Bank of India website.
The press release was issued by Chief General Manager Brij Raj.
It carries the reference number Press Release: 2026-2027/1334.
A.P. (DIR Series) circulars are the instrument through which the RBI issues instructions to authorised dealers in foreign exchange.
Subject:
Foreign Exchange Risk Reserve
Circulars clarified:
A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 26 and No. 27
Press release number:
2026-2027/1334
Why it matters for exams: RBI circular types and new reserve requirements are asked in banking and economy papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
A.P. (DIR Series) Authorised Person (Directions) Series — The circular series through which the RBI instructs authorised dealers in foreign exchange.
Background
During the State Visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Egypt in June 2023, an agreement was signed upgrading bilateral relations to a Strategic Partnership. On that visit the Prime Minister was conferred the Order of the Nile, the highest civilian award of Egypt. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi had paid his second State Visit to India in January 2023 as Chief Guest at India's seventy-fourth Republic Day celebrations, and returned in September 2023 for the G20 Leaders' Summit. India had invited Egypt as a Guest Country during its G20 Presidency. Prime Ministerial visits from India to Egypt since the 1980s have been made by Rajiv Gandhi in 1985, P. V. Narasimha Rao in 1995, I. K. Gujral in 1997, Manmohan Singh in 2009 for the NAM Summit, and Narendra Modi in 2023.
Strategic Partnership signed:
June 2023, during PM Modi's State Visit
Egypt's highest civilian award:
Order of the Nile
Republic Day Chief Guest:
President El-Sisi, January 2023
Why it matters for exams: The Order of the Nile and the year of the Strategic Partnership are frequent one-mark questions in both state and central exams.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Order of the Nile Kiladat al-Nil — Egypt's highest civilian honour, conferred on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2023.
Background
India and Egypt announced the establishment of diplomatic relations at ambassadorial level on 18 August 1947. The friendship between President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru of India led to a Friendship Treaty between the two countries in 1955. Both countries were founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1961. In an earlier generation, Mahatma Gandhi and the Egyptian leader Saad Zaghloul shared goals on the independence of their countries. Ashoka's edicts refer to his relations with Egypt under Ptolemy II in the third century BC. The first round of the India-Egypt Strategic Dialogue, led by the foreign ministers, was held in Delhi in October 2025, and the fourteenth round of Foreign Office Consultations was held in Cairo in February 2026.
Diplomatic relations announced:
18 August 1947
Friendship Treaty:
1955
Non-Aligned Movement:
Founding members, 1961
First Strategic Dialogue:
Delhi, October 2025
Why it matters for exams: The 1955 Friendship Treaty, Nehru-Nasser and the founding of the Non-Aligned Movement are repeatedly set in PSC and UPSC papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
NAM Non-Aligned Movement — A grouping of states formed in 1961 that chose not to align formally with either Cold War bloc; India and Egypt were founding members.