Background
Background to the Beawar procession of October 11: Rajasthan is where India's Right to Information movement began.
Aruna Roy and colleagues founded the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) on May Day 1990 in a mud house in Devdungri village, Rajsamand district.
Its first public hearing on development spending was held on December 2, 1994 at Kot Kirana in Pali district.
When a 1995 promise of information on Panchayati Raj matters went unfulfilled, the MKSS began an indefinite sit-in at Beawar in April 1996 under the slogan 'Hamara paisa, hamara hisaab'.
Tamil Nadu was the first State to enact an RTI law, in 1997.
Parliament passed the Right to Information Act on May 12, 2005; it received presidential assent on June 15 and came into force on October 12, 2005.
MKSS founded:
May Day 1990, Devdungri
Beawar sit-in:
April 1996
RTI Act in force:
October 12, 2005
Why it matters for exams: The origin of the RTI movement, MKSS and the key dates of the RTI Act are standard polity questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Jan sunwai Public hearing — An open village meeting where official records of public spending are read out and checked.
NCPRI National Campaign for People's Right to Information — The 1996 campaign that drafted the first version of a national RTI law.
11 October 2026
A procession by Right to Information activists in Beawar was disrupted near Chang Gate on the evening of October 11.
The annual 'Ghotala Rath Yatra' is organised by the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) as part of events marking 21 years of the RTI Act.
The confrontation followed objections to a poster reference to donations to the Ram temple in Ayodhya; Beawar City police station SHO Ashutosh Pandey said both sides had lodged FIRs against each other.
Additional Superintendent of Police Anukriti said an argument had broken out between some local people and the activists, that the situation was peaceful and that police were investigating.
Activists had gathered in Beawar, considered the birthplace of the RTI movement, for programmes ahead of RTI Diwas on October 12.
Years of the RTI Act marked:
21
RTI Diwas:
October 12
Why it matters for exams: Beawar's place in the RTI movement and the date the RTI Act came into force are frequently asked.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
MKSS Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan — A Rajasthan workers' and peasants' organisation whose campaigns led to the RTI law.
FIR First Information Report — The police record of a complaint about a cognisable offence that starts an investigation.
SHO Station House Officer — The officer in charge of a police station.
11 October 2026
Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma released the BJP's 'Gram Vikas Sankalp Patra' for Rajasthan's Panchayati Raj elections at the party's state headquarters in Jaipur on October 11.
It promises development works worth about Rs 5 crore in every gram panchayat over five years and an increase in annual PM Kisan Samman Nidhi assistance to Rs 12,000.
Wheat is to be procured at Rs 2,700 per quintal through a bonus over the MSP, and more than Rs 9,000 crore spent on 19,000 kilometres of missing-link roads.
The monthly pension for eligible widowed and abandoned women is to rise to Rs 1,500, and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana assistance from Rs 5,000 to Rs 8,000.
The party pledged to strengthen all 14,403 gram panchayats, including around 3,600 newly created ones, and proposed a Rs 100-crore camel conservation and development mission.
Gram panchayats in Rajasthan:
14,403
Promised wheat procurement price:
Rs 2,700 per quintal
Promised PM Kisan assistance:
Rs 12,000 a year
Why it matters for exams: Rajasthan's Panchayati Raj elections, the size of its local-government system and welfare schemes like PMMVY are useful for polity and State-focus questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
MSP Minimum support price — The price at which the government offers to buy notified crops from farmers.
PMMVY Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana — A Union scheme of cash assistance to pregnant women and nursing mothers.
PM-KISAN Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi — A Union scheme of direct income support to farmer families.
11 October 2026
The Kannur-Thiruvananthapuram Jan Shatabdi Express began running with upgraded coaches fitted with reclining pushback seats.
After the train was given LHB coaches, passengers had complained about steep L-shaped seats that were unsuitable for long journeys.
The Thiruvananthapuram Division had repeatedly raised the issue with Southern Railway headquarters.
Railway officials said the Kozhikode-Thiruvananthapuram Jan Shatabdi Express will get similar pushback seats in the next phase.
The Jan Shatabdi is the fastest train through Kerala after the Vande Bharat Express.
Train upgraded first:
Kannur-Thiruvananthapuram Jan Shatabdi
Next in line:
Kozhikode-Thiruvananthapuram Jan Shatabdi
Why it matters for exams: Kerala's rail services and coach types such as LHB are asked in general-knowledge papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
LHB Linke Hofmann Busch coaches — German-designed stainless-steel coaches that are safer and run faster than older ICF coaches.
11 October 2026
Travancore Devaswom Board president K Jayakumar said on October 11 that there would be no shortage of aravana when Sabarimala opens for the Thulam month poojas.
He said 15,000 kg of raw rice would reach Pampa on Monday and be taken to Sannidhanam after a food safety check.
The temple opens at 5 pm on October 17 for the Thulam month poojas and closes on October 21.
Concern had arisen after only 27 sacks of raw rice were left for aravana production.
A contract for 1,400 tonnes of raw rice at Rs 51 per kilogram had not yet been signed, so the previous contractor was asked to supply the 15,000 kg.
Rice to reach Pampa:
15,000 kg
Thulam month opening:
5 pm, October 17
Closing:
October 21
Why it matters for exams: Sabarimala, the Travancore Devaswom Board and the temple's ritual calendar are frequent Kerala questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Aravana Aravana payasam — The sweet rice offering sold as prasadam at Sabarimala.
TDB Travancore Devaswom Board — The statutory board that manages Sabarimala and other temples of the former Travancore.
11 October 2026
Medical equipment worth Rs 450 crore, including ventilators, dialysis machines, digital X-ray machines and mammography machines, is lying unused in Kerala's government hospitals, including medical colleges.
The finding is in a report submitted to the government by Health Department Principal Secretary Dr Sharmila Mary Joseph, covering equipment procured over the past 10 years.
The inquiry was ordered by Health Minister K. Muraleedharan after several complaints; the covers of some machines had not even been opened.
Officials cited incomplete hospital buildings and a shortage of staff to operate the machines.
The minister said a detailed investigation would follow and action would be taken.
Value of unused equipment:
Rs 450 crore
Period of procurement covered:
past 10 years
Why it matters for exams: Public health spending, procurement and accountability in Kerala's health system are recurring governance topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
KMSCL Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd — The State company that buys medicines and equipment for government hospitals.
11 October 2026
Qatar's Minister of State for Energy Affairs, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud signed the MoU in Riyadh.
It was signed on the sidelines of the 17th International Energy Forum Ministerial Meeting, part of Riyadh Energy Week.
It covers oil and gas, refining and petrochemicals, electricity, clean hydrogen, renewables, energy efficiency and storage, and carbon capture and emissions reduction.
It enters into force once legal procedures are concluded in both countries.
Signed for Qatar:
Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi
Venue:
Riyadh
Forum:
17th International Energy Forum Ministerial Meeting
Why it matters for exams: A bilateral MoU between two Gulf energy producers, with the signatories, venue and entry-into-force clause, is a typical factual question.
UPSC
In plain words
MoU Memorandum of Understanding — A document recording an agreement to cooperate, which can set a framework without being a full treaty.
Background
Australia became a nation on 1 January 1901, when six British colonies, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania, became the states of Australia. The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 was passed by the British Parliament and signed by Queen Victoria in July 1900. Edmund Barton was the first Prime Minister. The first federal Parliament was opened in Melbourne on 9 May 1901. Section 125 of the Constitution required the national capital to be in New South Wales, at least 100 miles from Sydney, and the Australian Capital Territory was created in 1911 for it.
Federation:
1 January 1901
First Parliament opened:
9 May 1901
Australian Capital Territory created:
1911
Why it matters for exams: Federation date, the six original states and the first Prime Minister are standard world-polity facts.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Federation Federation of Australia — The 1901 union of six self-governing colonies into the Commonwealth of Australia.
Background
In the news: Australia marked 25 years since Operation Slipper, its first military contribution to the war in Afghanistan. ANZUS is the Security Treaty between Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America, in effect since 1952. Article IV states that an armed attack in the Pacific Area on any of the Parties would be dangerous to its own peace and safety. On 14 September 2001, after the 11 September attacks, Prime Minister John Howard announced, after consulting the United States, that Article IV applied. The Parliamentary Library describes this as the first, and so far the only, invocation of the treaty. The first Australian troops departed on 22 October 2001 to join US-led operations, and all ADF personnel had left Afghanistan by July 2021.
In effect since:
1952
Article invoked:
Article IV
Invocation announced:
14 September 2001
Why it matters for exams: ANZUS is the foundation of Australia's alliance with the United States; its sole invocation is a standard question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ANZUS Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty — The 1950s security treaty linking Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
11 October 2026
On 11 October 2026 Victorian Premier Ben Carroll pledged that, if Labor is re-elected, all mineral resource royalties raised in Victoria would go to the state's regions. The scheme is expected to raise $500 million over four years and draws on a Western Australian program begun in 2008. Opposition Leader Jess Wilson promised 10 new technical colleges for trades such as plumbing, carpentry and electrics, costing $222 million over eight years. The Victorian state election is on Saturday 28 November 2026, and enrolment closes at 8 pm on 3 November 2026. Voting is compulsory for all Victorians who are Australian citizens aged 18 and older.
Royalty scheme (four years):
$500 million
Technical colleges plan (eight years):
$222 million
Election day:
28 November 2026
Why it matters for exams: Australia's states hold their own elections; Victoria votes on 28 November 2026 under compulsory voting.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
VEC Victorian Electoral Commission — The independent body that conducts Victoria's state elections.
11 October 2026
On 11 October 2026 a ceremony at Mrs Macquarie's Chair in Sydney added the names of 12 volunteers to the NSW Emergency Services Volunteers Memorial. Ten were members of the NSW Rural Fire Service and two of Marine Rescue NSW. The Marine Rescue volunteers, Frank Petsch and Bill (William) Ewen, died in May 2026 while responding to a vessel in distress near the South Ballina breakwall. NSW Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib attended the service. The memorial was established in 1999 and now carries 137 names.
Names added:
12
Total names on memorial:
137
Memorial established:
1999
Why it matters for exams: Highlights the volunteer-based emergency services that fight bushfires and carry out sea rescues in Australia.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
RFS NSW Rural Fire Service — Volunteer-based fire service of New South Wales that fights bushfires.
11 October 2026
On 11 October 2026 Queensland Premier David Crisafulli and Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie said more than 52,500 homes were under construction in the state. They cited Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures for the quarter to June, the fourth consecutive record quarter for Queensland's housing pipeline. The number of homes under construction rose 35.6 per cent in two years, and completions rose 4.2 per cent over the same period. The state government said its Residential Activation Fund included a $136 million investment in the Chambers Flat Wastewater Treatment Plant in Logan to unlock 20,000 homes. Queensland's longer-term target is 1 million homes, including 53,500 social and community homes by 2044.
Homes under construction:
52,500
Two-year rise:
35.6 per cent
Chambers Flat plant investment:
$136 million
Why it matters for exams: Housing supply is a central economic issue across Australia's states.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ABS Australian Bureau of Statistics — Australia's national statistical agency.
11 October 2026
On 11 October 2026 Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Defence Minister Richard Marles and Veterans' Affairs Minister Matt Keogh marked 25 years since the start of Operation Slipper. Operation Slipper was Australia's first military contribution to the war in Afghanistan, launched after the 11 September 2001 attacks in the United States. More than 35,000 Australian Defence Force members deployed in support of Afghanistan over two decades, in missions that began with counterterrorism and later expanded to reconstruction, training and humanitarian work. The joint statement remembered the 47 ADF members listed on the Australian War Memorial's Roll of Honour. According to the Parliamentary Library, all ADF personnel had left Afghanistan by July 2021, closing Australia's longest war.
Personnel deployed:
more than 35,000
ADF members on Roll of Honour:
47
Why it matters for exams: Australia's Afghanistan deployment links to the 9/11 attacks, the ANZUS alliance and its longest war.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ADF Australian Defence Force — The combined Navy, Army and Air Force of Australia.
11 October 2026
The International Day of the Girl was observed on 11 October 2026 with the theme of ending child marriage and investing in girls' rights. The UN said the theme was developed through consultations with girls, girls' organisations and girl-led networks. Each year more than 12 million girls, roughly one every three seconds, are married before reaching adulthood, with the highest prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa (31 per cent). An estimated 68 million child marriages have been averted over the past 25 years through investment in girls' education, legal reform and social protection. UN Women said one in five girls globally is married before the age of 18.
Girls married before adulthood each year:
more than 12 million
Prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa:
31 per cent
Child marriages averted in 25 years:
68 million
Why it matters for exams: International days and their themes are among the most frequently asked current-affairs questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
11 October 2026
The UN migration agency (IOM) said on 11 October 2026 that at least 139 migrants had died after their boat capsized off Djibouti, with 84 people still missing. The toll rose from 109 after the bodies of 30 more people were recovered. The boat was carrying 305 people from Djibouti towards Yemen when it went down near Guehere, north of Obock. About 82 people survived. IOM described it as one of the deadliest shipwrecks recorded on the Eastern Route, which runs from the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula. IOM Director General Amy Pope called for safe and legal migration pathways.
Dead:
at least 139
Missing:
84
People on board:
305
Why it matters for exams: Migration routes, the Gulf of Aden region and the IOM are standard world-affairs topics.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
IOM International Organization for Migration — The UN migration agency, headquartered in Geneva.
11 October 2026
The railway administration announced on 9 October 2026 that regular operation of four pairs of narrow gauge trains on the Pathankot - Joginder Nagar section would resume from 11 October 2026. The section falls under the Jammu Division of Northern Railway, and services on it had been temporarily closed. The restoration was approved by the Divisional Railway Manager, Jammu Division, after the track was found safe on all safety parameters and fit for train operation. Two pairs are to run between Pathankot and Baijnath Paprola, one pair between Baijnath Paprola and Jwalamukhi Road, and one pair between Baijnath Paprola and Joginder Nagar. Passengers of Pathankot, Kangra, Baijnath, Jwalamukhi Road and Joginder Nagar are to benefit.
Trains to be restored:
four pairs
Scheduled to resume from:
11 October 2026
Division:
Jammu Division, Northern Railway
Why it matters for exams: A hill railway section through the Kangra area; railway zones and divisions are asked in exams.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Narrow gauge Narrow gauge railway — A railway track narrower than broad and metre gauge, often used on hill routes.
11 October 2026
Three-time MLA and former Indian hockey captain Pargat Singh formally assumed charge as president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) on 11 October 2026 at Congress Bhawan in Sector 15, Chandigarh. He succeeds Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, who headed the State unit for four and a half years. The ceremony was held amid heavy rain on the first day of Navratri. Pargat Singh said Punjab's issues and the aspirations of ordinary people would be his priorities and that he would do clean politics, not vendetta politics. Punjab Congress affairs in-charge Sachin Pilot, former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa and MPs Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Manish Tewari attended. AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal could not attend because of prior engagements in Delhi.
New PPCC president:
Pargat Singh
Predecessor:
Amarinder Singh Raja Warring
Venue:
Congress Bhawan, Sector 15, Chandigarh
Why it matters for exams: Sportspersons in public life and changes at the head of State party units are common general-knowledge questions.
Kerala PSCSSC
In plain words
PPCC Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee — The Punjab State unit of the Indian National Congress.
Background
Retired KILA faculty led training sessions at the block panchayat representatives' conclave inaugurated by the Chief Minister in October 2026. The Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA) is an autonomous institution functioning for the local governments of Kerala, with its headquarters at Mulamkunnathukavu in Thrissur. It has been active since its inception in 1990 and is registered under the Travancore-Cochin Literary, Scientific and Charitable Societies Act, 1955. It is the State's nodal agency for training, research and consultancy, including training for elected representatives and officials of rural and urban local governments. KILA has six regional centres, including the Centre for Tribal Development and Natural Resource Management at Agali in Palakkad and the Centre for Organic Farming and Waste Management at Thaliparamba in Kannur. The Central University of Kerala recognised KILA as a research centre with effect from 14 July 2014.
Headquarters:
Mulamkunnathukavu, Thrissur
Inception:
1990
Regional centres:
six
Why it matters for exams: KILA's location, founding year and role in decentralised governance are frequent Kerala PSC questions.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
KILA Kerala Institute of Local Administration — The State's training and research institute for local governments.
11 October 2026
The second phase of the 'Sneha Sagaram' survey, aimed at identifying the development needs of coastal communities, began at Kozhikode South beach on 11 October 2026. V.K. Faisal Babu, MLA, inaugurated it at the Pallikkandi Government Lower Primary School. The survey is conducted with the Society for Assistance to Fisherwomen (SAF) under the Fisheries Department, the Kerala State Coastal Area Development Corporation and the 'Aksharasamudram' project. It has 22 questions covering the lives of coastal residents, and students from various colleges are working as volunteers. The first phase was completed on 2 October, Gandhi Jayanti. The MLA said modern walking sticks would be given to residents aged above 60 within a month.
Survey questions:
22
First phase completed:
2 October
Why it matters for exams: Coastal development schemes and the agencies behind them (SAF, the Coastal Area Development Corporation) are Kerala PSC topics.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
SAF Society for Assistance to Fisherwomen — A Fisheries Department agency that supports fisherwomen; a partner in the survey.
11 October 2026
The Kerala government plans to bring the Keralam Sports Bill, 2026, to overhaul the way sports are governed in the State. The draft is under final review by the Law Department and would set up a sports tribunal headed by a retired High Court judge. Match-fixing, doping, discrimination in selections, exploitation at training camps and irregular appointments to sports quota posts would attract fines of ₹5 lakh to ₹25 lakh. The draft proposes merging the Directorate of Sports and the Kerala Sports Council into a single Sports Authority of Kerala, run by government nominees with no elections to its governing body. Kerala Kaumudi reported that the authority would be chaired by Sports Minister O J Janeesh and that district sports councils would also be abolished. An online platform would issue and verify sports merit certificates and process scholarship applications.
Fine range:
₹5 lakh to ₹25 lakh
Tribunal head:
Retired High Court judge
Proposed body:
Sports Authority of Kerala
Why it matters for exams: A new State law on sports governance, a tribunal and a merged Sports Authority are likely question points.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Doping Use of banned performance-enhancing substances — One of the violations the draft Bill would penalise.