8 October 2026
European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, who also handles economic security, is meeting Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao in Beijing for two-day talks on 8 and 9 October 2026.
The European Commission announced the dates on 18 September after a video call of more than an hour between the two ministers.
The European Union's trade deficit with China exceeds one billion euros, about 1.12 billion US dollars, every day.
The agenda covers the management of Chinese exports to Europe, European firms' access to the Chinese market, and China's export controls on rare earths and other critical minerals.
Brussels wants the round to produce the first concrete outcomes under the EU-China Trade and Investment Consultations framework.
A majority of EU lawmakers backed a non-binding resolution on a tougher trade stance towards Beijing the day before the talks, and China's commerce ministry has warned of a resolute response to new EU restrictions.
EU negotiator:
Maros Sefcovic, European Trade Commissioner
Chinese negotiator:
Wang Wentao, Commerce Minister
Dates:
8-9 October 2026, Beijing
EU trade deficit with China:
more than €1 billion a day
Why it matters for exams: EU-China trade friction, rare earth export controls and critical minerals are live economy and international relations topics.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
Rare earths Rare earth elements — A group of seventeen metals used in magnets, electronics and defence equipment.
Trade deficit Trade deficit — The amount by which a country's imports exceed its exports.
8 October 2026
The Kozhikode district leadership of the Local Self Government Department has launched a project called 'Swastham Thaddesam' to clear pending audit observations in local bodies in the district.
The first step was a workshop for elected representatives and staff of seven municipalities and 12 block panchayats, inaugurated by District Panchayat President Milli Mohan.
Officials of the state Audit Department and the Local Self Government Department took the sessions.
The project will examine audit obstacles of the last three years in 91 local bodies in the district and resolve them with the state Audit Department.
Block level clinics will be held in November with the help of 'Audit Mitras', and audit adalats will follow in November and December under the supervision of the state Audit Department.
Retired officials of the department will work as Audit Mitras to assist the local bodies.
Local bodies covered:
91
Period examined:
last three years
Workshop covered:
seven municipalities and 12 block panchayats
Inaugurated by:
District Panchayat President Milli Mohan
Why it matters for exams: Local body audit machinery and new department initiatives are core Kerala PSC governance topics.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Audit Mitra Audit Mitra — Retired officials engaged under the project to help local bodies settle audit objections.
Audit adalat Audit adalat — A sitting at which pending audit objections are taken up and settled on the spot.
8 October 2026
A Supreme Court bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta directed the Union of India to constitute a committee on pharmaceutical marketing practices.
The committee is to consider suggestions and representations received and then make its recommendations to the Union.
The case is Federation of Medical and Sales Representatives Associations of India and others versus Union of India and others, W.P.(C) No. 323 of 2021.
Senior Advocate Sanjay Parikh appeared for the petitioners and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta for the respondents. The Court had reserved orders on September 8, 2026.
The petition seeks statutory force for the Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices, issued by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, which at present is a voluntary code.
The code bars gifts, travel, hospitality and cash or monetary grants to physicians and their family members.
The Union told the Court it is considering the recommendation of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare, in its 45th Report, to give the code statutory backing.
The matter is listed again on 29 January to consider the Union's compliance affidavit.
Bench:
Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta
Case:
W.P.(C) No. 323/2021
Code involved:
Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices
Standing Committee report cited:
45th Report
Why it matters for exams: The Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices and the right to health under Article 21 link health policy with constitutional law.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
UCPMP Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices — A code issued by the Department of Pharmaceuticals on how drug companies and their representatives may market medicines.
NMC National Medical Commission — The statutory regulator of medical education and practice in India.
8 October 2026
The Himachal Pradesh High Court has held that a female State government employee who becomes a commissioning mother or a surrogate mother is entitled to maternity leave on par with any other female government servant.
The judgment was delivered by Justice Ajay Mohan Goel in Dr. Juhi Manhas v. State of H.P. and others, CWP No. 14883 of 2025, with the neutral citation 2026:HHC:32083.
The petitioner had become a commissioning mother of two children through surrogacy and had been denied leave.
The Court quashed the departmental communications denying the leave and said the denial was completely unsustainable in law.
It directed that 180 days following the birth of each child be treated as maternity leave, that withheld salary be released, and that the exercise be completed within two months.
The State had argued that it had not adopted the Department of Personnel and Training notification dated 18 June 2024 that expressly covers surrogate and commissioning mothers.
The Court held that an earlier Division Bench ruling bound the State, so separate adoption of the 2024 notification was unnecessary.
Case:
Dr. Juhi Manhas v. State of H.P. & ors., CWP No. 14883 of 2025
Neutral citation:
2026:HHC:32083
Judge:
Justice Ajay Mohan Goel
Maternity leave directed:
180 days after the birth of each child
Why it matters for exams: Maternity leave for commissioning and surrogate mothers under the CCS (Leave) Rules is a live service-law and gender-rights question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Commissioning mother Commissioning mother — The woman who commissions a surrogacy arrangement and becomes the legal mother of the child.
DoPT Department of Personnel and Training — The central department that frames service rules, including the CCS (Leave) Rules, for government employees.
8 October 2026
A Division Bench of the Himachal Pradesh High Court of Justice Vivek Singh Thakur and Justice Bhupesh Sharma has directed the Director General of Police, Himachal Pradesh, to circulate the provisions of Section 94 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, among all investigating officers in the State.
The order, in Kulwinder Singh v. State of H.P., carries the neutral citation 2026:HHC:39173.
The DGP was asked to issue the circulation with guidelines by 15 October 2026.
Section 94 lays down how the age of a child is to be determined and proved.
The Court said investigating officers must collect preferential age evidence such as the date-of-birth certificate from the school or the matriculation certificate, and the birth certificate from a municipal body or panchayat.
Where documents are absent or doubtful, an ossification test or other age-determination test may be sought with orders from the Committee, Board or Court.
The underlying conviction was under Sections 354A, 354D, 376 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 4(2) of the POCSO Act.
Case:
Kulwinder Singh v. State of H.P., 2026:HHC:39173
Bench:
Justice Vivek Singh Thakur and Justice Bhupesh Sharma
Deadline for DGP:
15 October 2026
Key provision:
Section 94, Juvenile Justice Act, 2015
Why it matters for exams: Section 94 of the Juvenile Justice Act and the hierarchy of age proof are frequently asked in law and police-recruitment papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
POCSO Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 — The central law that defines sexual offences against children and the special courts that try them.
Ossification test Ossification test — A radiological examination of bone fusion used to estimate age when documents are unavailable.
8 October 2026
The Reserve Bank of India has placed on its website the report of the Advisory Committee on Ways and Means Advances to State Governments.
The committee was chaired by Shri I S N Prasad, former Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka.
Its terms of reference included a review of state-wise Ways and Means Advances limits and of the other financial accommodation facilities available to States.
The report was released on the Reserve Bank's website on September 29, 2026.
The Reserve Bank has said the committee has made various recommendations, which shall be examined by it.
Ways and Means Advances are temporary advances the Reserve Bank gives a State to bridge mismatches between its receipts and payments.
Chairman:
Shri I S N Prasad
Chairman's former post:
Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka
Report placed on website:
September 29, 2026
Why it matters for exams: Ways and Means Advances and the RBI's role as banker to the States are recurring questions in economy and polity papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
WMA Ways and Means Advances — Temporary advances from the Reserve Bank to the Centre or a State to tide over short-term mismatches in cash flow.
8 October 2026
The Social Justice Department has invited nominations for the State Disability Award 2026.
There are 30 awards across 16 categories.
The categories include outstanding employees, employers, non-governmental organisations and rehabilitation centres, role models, creative children, achievers in art, literature and sport, disability friendly institutions and local self government bodies.
Each award carries a cash prize, a memento and a certificate.
Individuals and institutions cannot apply directly; official authorities or heads of institutions must nominate eligible persons in the prescribed proforma with supporting documents.
Nominations from local self government bodies need the recommendation of their controlling officer.
Completed nominations must reach the District Social Justice Office by 25 October.
Awards:
30
Categories:
16
Last date:
25 October
Where to submit:
District Social Justice Office
Why it matters for exams: State awards, their administering department and their last dates are routine Kerala PSC current affairs material.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Social Justice Department Social Justice Department, Government of Kerala — The Kerala department that handles welfare of persons with disabilities, the elderly, women and children.
8 October 2026
The Reserve Bank of India issued its Statement on Developmental and Regulatory Policies along with the monetary policy on October 7, 2026.
Interoperability will be introduced among NBFC Account Aggregators, so that a customer can access and share financial information from different Financial Information Providers through any NBFC-AA of choice.
Depositories regulated by SEBI will also be allowed to include bank deposit account information in their Consolidated Account Statement through NBFC-AAs.
Demat account holders will thus see their demat holdings and bank deposits in one place, and customers without a demat account can still get a consolidated view through an NBFC-AA.
The target date set for this measure is December 31, 2026.
The Reserve Bank will also set up a Technical Consultative Committee for Financial Markets as a forum for structured engagement with market participants and stakeholders.
Its scope covers the money market, the government securities market and the foreign exchange market, along with their derivative markets and infrastructure.
The composition and terms of reference of the committee will be notified separately.
Statement date:
October 7, 2026
Target date for AA interoperability:
December 31, 2026
New committee:
Technical Consultative Committee for Financial Markets
Why it matters for exams: The Account Aggregator framework and RBI's Statement on Developmental and Regulatory Policies are standing favourites in banking and civil service papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
NBFC-AA Non-Banking Financial Company - Account Aggregator — An RBI-registered entity that collects a customer's financial information from providers and shares it with consent.
Consolidated Account Statement Consolidated Account Statement — A single statement that shows a holder's securities holdings across depositories.
8 October 2026
The Reserve Bank of India has extended the all-inclusive directions imposed on The Baghat Urban Co-operative Bank Limited, Solan, Himachal Pradesh.
The directions were first issued by an RBI directive dated 6 October 2025 for six months, from the close of business on 8 October 2025 to 8 April 2026.
They were last extended on 1 July 2026.
The fresh extension runs for three months, from the close of business on 8 October 2026 to the close of business on 8 January 2027, subject to review.
The RBI acted under sub-section (1) of Section 35A read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
All other terms and conditions of the directive remain unchanged.
The RBI stated that the extension does not by itself mean that it is satisfied with the financial position of the bank.
Bank:
The Baghat Urban Co-operative Bank Limited, Solan
Extension period:
8 October 2026 to 8 January 2027
Legal provision:
Section 35A read with Section 56, Banking Regulation Act, 1949
Original directive:
6 October 2025
Why it matters for exams: Section 35A directions on urban co-operative banks are a recurring banking-awareness and polity question.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
All Inclusive Directions All Inclusive Directions — RBI curbs that restrict a bank's lending, investment and deposit withdrawals together.
UCB Urban Co-operative Bank — A co-operative bank in an urban or semi-urban area, regulated by the RBI and the registrar of co-operative societies.
Background
The World Trade Organization describes dispute settlement as the central pillar of the multilateral trading system and the organisation's unique contribution to the stability of the global economy.
The agreement that governs it is the Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes.
First rulings are made by a panel and endorsed or rejected by the WTO's full membership, and appeals based on points of law are possible.
If a case runs its full course to a first ruling it should not normally take more than about one year, or 15 months if the case is appealed.
The target timetable allows 60 days for consultations and mediation, 45 days for the panel to be set up and panellists appointed, six months for the final panel report to the parties, three weeks for that report to reach the members, and 60 days for the Dispute Settlement Body to adopt it.
A procedure for settling disputes existed under the old GATT, but it had no fixed timetables and rulings were easier to block.
Under the Uruguay Round agreement a ruling is automatically adopted unless there is a consensus to reject it, so a country wanting to block a ruling must persuade every other member, including its adversary in the case.
The first stage is consultations between the governments concerned, and consultation and mediation remain possible at every later stage.
Consultations and mediation:
60 days
Panel set up and panellists appointed:
45 days
Final panel report to parties:
6 months
Total without appeal:
1 year
Total with appeal:
1 year 3 months
Why it matters for exams: Trade questions ask which agreement governs WTO dispute settlement, how long a case should take, and what changed from the GATT system about blocking a ruling.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
Dispute Settlement Body The WTO membership acting to adopt or reject panel and appeal reports — It adopts a report automatically unless the members reach a consensus to reject it.
Negative consensus Adoption unless everyone agrees to reject — This reversal of the GATT rule is what stops a single losing country from blocking a ruling.
Background
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, which entered into force on 29 April 1997.
The Organisation has 193 Member States, and all States Parties to the Convention are automatically members of the Organisation, each with one vote.
The Conference of the States Parties is the principal and plenary organ. It meets annually for one week in The Hague, elects the members of the Executive Council and appoints the Director-General.
A Review Conference is held once every five years so that States Parties can review the operation of the Convention.
The Executive Council consists of 41 Member States elected by the Conference of the States Parties and rotating every two years, and it supervises the activities of the Technical Secretariat.
The Technical Secretariat is made up of about 500 staff members recruited from over 80 Member States and is headed by the Director-General.
The Organisation records that all of the chemical weapons stockpiles declared by possessor States have been verifiably destroyed.
The 2013 Nobel Prize for Peace was awarded to the Organisation on 10 December 2013 for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons.
Convention entered into force:
29 April 1997
Member States:
193
Executive Council members:
41
Technical Secretariat staff:
about 500
Nobel Peace Prize:
2013
Why it matters for exams: Disarmament questions regularly ask which body implements the Chemical Weapons Convention, how large its Executive Council is and which organ appoints its Director-General.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Conference of the States Parties The principal and plenary organ of the OPCW — It meets annually for one week in The Hague, elects the Executive Council and appoints the Director-General.
Technical Secretariat The permanent staff of the OPCW, including its Inspectorate — About 500 staff from over 80 Member States, headed by the Director-General and supervised by the Executive Council.
Background
NATO was created by 12 countries from Europe and North America on 4 April 1949.
The Foreign Ministers of those twelve signed the North Atlantic Treaty, also known as the Washington Treaty, at the Departmental Auditorium in Washington, D.C.
The founding member countries were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Since then 20 more countries have joined through 10 rounds of enlargement, and at present NATO has 32 member countries.
Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty sets out how countries can join, and states that membership is open to any European State in a position to further the principles of the Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area.
Any decision to invite a country to join is taken by the North Atlantic Council, NATO's principal political decision-making body, on the basis of consensus among all Allies.
Greece and Turkiye were the first countries to accede after the founding twelve, three years after the signing of the Washington Treaty.
When Iceland signed the Treaty it did not have, and still does not have, armed forces, though it keeps a Coast Guard, national police forces and an air defence system.
Founding member countries:
12
Treaty signed:
4 April 1949, Washington, D.C.
Rounds of enlargement:
10
Member countries at present:
32
Accession provision:
Article 10
Why it matters for exams: Papers ask how many countries founded NATO, which Article governs accession and which body decides on an invitation, and the Article 10 wording explains why membership is limited to European States.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Article 10 The accession provision of the North Atlantic Treaty — It opens membership to any European State able to further the Treaty's principles and contribute to North Atlantic security.
North Atlantic Council NATO's principal political decision-making body — It decides by consensus among all Allies, including on any invitation to a country to join.
Background
The African Union is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African continent.
It was officially launched in July 2002 in Durban, South Africa, as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity, which existed from 1963 to 1999.
In May 1963, 32 Heads of independent African States met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to sign the Charter creating the Organisation of African Unity, Africa's first post-independence continental institution.
The main objectives of the Organisation of African Unity were to rid the continent of the remaining vestiges of colonisation and apartheid, to promote unity and solidarity among African States, to coordinate cooperation for development, and to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states.
On 9 September 1999 the Heads of State and Government of the Organisation of African Unity issued the Sirte Declaration calling for the establishment of an African Union.
The aims of the Union are laid out in the Constitutive Act of the African Union and in the Protocol on Amendments to that Act.
Agenda 2063 is the Union's strategic framework for Africa's long term socio-economic and integrative transformation.
The African Union headquarters is at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Member states:
55
Officially launched:
July 2002, Durban, South Africa
Predecessor:
Organisation of African Unity, 1963-1999
Headquarters:
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Why it matters for exams: Membership figures, the city of launch, the predecessor body and the headquarters of the African Union are standard objective questions on regional groupings.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Sirte Declaration The declaration of the Organisation of African Unity that called for an African Union — Issued by the OAU Heads of State and Government on 9 September 1999, it set in motion the creation of the African Union.
Agenda 2063 The African Union's long term development framework — It is the Union's strategic framework for Africa's socio-economic transformation and continental integration.
Background
The Antarctic Treaty was signed in Washington on 1 December 1959 by the twelve countries whose scientists had been active in and around Antarctica during the International Geophysical Year of 1957-58.
It entered into force in 1961 and has since been acceded to by many other nations.
Article I provides that Antarctica shall be used for peaceful purposes only.
Article II continues freedom of scientific investigation in Antarctica and cooperation towards that end, and Article III requires scientific observations and results from Antarctica to be exchanged and made freely available.
Seven of the signatories, namely Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom, had territorial claims that were sometimes overlapping, and other countries do not recognise any claims.
Article IV preserves the status quo: no new claim, and no enlargement of an existing claim, to territorial sovereignty in Antarctica may be asserted while the Treaty is in force.
Under Article VII all areas of Antarctica, including all stations, installations and equipment within those areas, are open at all times to inspection.
Signed:
1 December 1959, Washington
Original signatories:
12
Signatories with territorial claims:
7
Entry into force:
1961
Why it matters for exams: The Antarctic Treaty is the standard example of a demilitarised, science-only regime, and examiners ask for its place of signature, the number of original signatories and the effect of Article IV on territorial claims.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
International Geophysical Year A coordinated worldwide programme of earth science observations — The 1957-58 programme brought scientists from many countries to Antarctica and led directly to the Treaty negotiations.
Article IV The status quo provision of the Antarctic Treaty — It freezes territorial claims: nothing done while the Treaty is in force supports or denies a claim, and no new claim may be made.
Background
Article 344 of the Constitution requires the President to constitute a Commission on official language, which consists of a Chairman and such other members representing the different languages specified in the Eighth Schedule as the President may appoint.
The Commission makes recommendations on the progressive use of Hindi for the official purposes of the Union, on restrictions on the use of English, on the language to be used for the purposes mentioned in Article 348, and on the form of numerals to be used.
In making its recommendations the Commission must have due regard to the industrial, cultural and scientific advancement of India and to the just claims and interests of persons belonging to the non-Hindi speaking areas in regard to the public services.
Article 344 also provides for a Committee consisting of thirty members, of whom twenty are members of the House of the People and ten are members of the Council of States.
They are elected by the members of the respective Houses in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.
The Committee examines the recommendations of the Commission and reports its opinion to the President, who may then issue directions in accordance with the whole or any part of that report.
Under Article 120 business in Parliament is transacted in Hindi or in English, and the Chairman of the Council of States or the Speaker of the House of the People may permit a member who cannot adequately express himself in either to address the House in his mother-tongue.
Under the provisos to Article 210 the corresponding fifteen year period was substituted by twenty-five years for the Legislatures of Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura, and by forty years for those of Arunachal Pradesh, Goa and Mizoram.
Strength of the Committee under Article 344:
30
Members from the House of the People:
20
Members from the Council of States:
10
Method of election:
Proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote
Why it matters for exams: The composition of the Committee under Article 344 and the method by which its members are elected are a standard polity question, and the Article 210 provisos make a good second-order one.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Eighth Schedule Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India — The Schedule listing the languages whose representatives are appointed to the Commission under Article 344.
STV Single transferable vote — The voting method by which the thirty members of the Committee under Article 344 are elected.
Background
Part XVII of the Constitution of India deals with official language.
Article 343 provides that the official language of the Union shall be Hindi in Devnagari script, and that the form of numerals to be used for the official purposes of the Union shall be the international form of Indian numerals.
Article 345 allows the legislature of a State to adopt by law any one or more of the languages in use in the State, or Hindi, as the language for its official purposes.
Article 348 provides that until Parliament by law otherwise provides, all proceedings in the Supreme Court and in every High Court, and the authoritative texts of all Bills, Acts, Ordinances, orders, rules, regulations and bye-laws, shall be in the English language.
A Governor may, with the previous consent of the President, authorise the use of Hindi or of any other language used for official purposes of the State in proceedings in the High Court having its principal seat in that State, but this does not apply to any judgment, decree or order passed by that High Court.
Article 350 entitles every person to submit a representation for the redress of a grievance in any of the languages used in the Union or in the State.
Article 350A makes it the endeavour of every State and of every local authority to provide facilities for instruction in the mother-tongue at the primary stage to children of linguistic minority groups.
Article 350B provides for a Special Officer for linguistic minorities, appointed by the President, who reports to the President on the safeguards for linguistic minorities.
Official language of the Union:
Hindi in Devnagari script
Form of numerals for Union official purposes:
The international form of Indian numerals
Article on the Special Officer for linguistic minorities:
Article 350B
Why it matters for exams: Part XVII is a reliable source of one-mark questions, and the division between Hindi for the Union and English for the courts and the statute book is the heart of it.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Part XVII Part XVII of the Constitution of India — The part that covers the language of the Union, regional languages, the language of the courts and special directives.
Article 350B Special Officer for linguistic minorities — An officer appointed by the President to investigate matters relating to safeguards for linguistic minorities and report to the President.
Background
The Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 requires the Central Government to entrust the Reserve Bank with all its money, remittance, exchange and banking transactions in India and with the management of its public debt.
The Reserve Bank may by agreement also act as banker and debt manager to State Governments, and it acts as banker to all the State Governments in India except Sikkim, for which it has a limited agreement covering the management of public debt.
Ways and Means Advances are short-term interest bearing advances given to governments to meet temporary mismatches in their receipts and payments, and the rate of interest on them is linked to the repo rate.
For State Governments the scheme has a Special Drawing Facility against the collateral of government securities held by the State, and a normal Ways and Means Advance once that limit is exhausted.
A withdrawal beyond the Ways and Means Advances limit is treated as an overdraft.
Surplus balances of State Governments are invested automatically in Government of India 14-day Intermediate Treasury Bills.
Banking business for the governments is carried out by the Public Accounts Departments at Reserve Bank offices, while public debt is managed by the Internal Debt Management Department and the Public Debt Offices.
Final compilation of the Government accounts of the Centre and the States is done at the Nagpur office of the Reserve Bank, which has a Central Accounts Section.
State for which the Reserve Bank is not banker:
Sikkim
Instrument for investing State surplus balances:
Government of India 14-day Intermediate Treasury Bills
Office that compiles Central and State government accounts:
Nagpur
Why it matters for exams: The Sikkim exception, the Ways and Means Advances mechanism and the Nagpur Central Accounts Section are classic one-mark questions on the Reserve Bank's role as banker to governments.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
WMA Ways and Means Advances — A short-term interest bearing advance from the Reserve Bank to a government to bridge a temporary mismatch between receipts and payments.
SDF Special Drawing Facility — In the State Government scheme, the first slab of accommodation, given against the collateral of government securities held by the State.
Background
The Local Self Government Department records that Kerala State has 941 Grama Panchayats, 152 Block Panchayats, 14 District Panchayats, 87 Municipalities and 6 Corporations.
The three-tier system came into existence in India consequent to the 73rd and 74th amendments to the Constitution.
In Kerala the local self-government institutions have been empowered through transfer of resources as well as administrative powers.
Developmental programmes are identified and implemented through Grama Sabhas.
The Panchayat Directorate, the Directorate of Urban Affairs, the Commissionerate of Rural Development and the Town and Country Planning Department are the major allied departments of local administration.
Allied institutions and training centres also function under the department.
Grama Panchayats:
941
Block and District Panchayats:
152 and 14
Municipalities and Corporations:
87 and 6
Why it matters for exams: The exact count of each tier of local government in Kerala and the amendments that created the three-tier system are asked in almost every Kerala PSC polity paper.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Grama Sabha The assembly of all registered voters of a ward of a grama panchayat — Kerala identifies and implements development programmes through Grama Sabhas.
LSGD Local Self Government Department — The Kerala department in charge of panchayats, municipalities and corporations.
Background
The Vaikom Satyagraha was a non-violent agitation that lasted 603 days.
It was held for the right of backward communities to travel through the public road near the Vaikom Mahadeva Temple in Kottayam district.
The satyagraha started on the 30th of March 1924 and ended on the 23rd of November 1925.
It was supported by Sree Narayana Guru, Mannathu Padmanabhan, E. V. Ramasamy Naicker, T. K. Madhavan, K. Kelappan and K. P. Kesava Menon.
After the intervention of Mahatma Gandhi a compromise was reached with Regent Sethu Lakshmi Bayi of the princely State of Travancore.
The Regent released all those arrested during the agitation and opened the north, south and west public roads leading to the temple to all castes, but refused to open the eastern road.
Access to the eastern road and entry into the temple were allowed to the backward castes in 1936, after the Temple Entry Proclamation.
Duration:
603 days
Place:
Vaikom Mahadeva Temple, Kottayam district
Road left closed in the settlement:
The eastern road
Why it matters for exams: The duration of the satyagraha, the leaders who supported it, the Regent who settled it and the road that stayed closed are all standard questions on Kerala's reform movements.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Satyagraha Non-violent insistence on truth as a method of political struggle — The Vaikom agitation was one of the earliest satyagrahas against untouchability in Kerala.
Regent A ruler who governs on behalf of a sovereign who is a minor or otherwise unable to rule — Sethu Lakshmi Bayi ruled Travancore as Regent when the settlement was reached.
Background
Pathanamthitta is the thirteenth revenue district of the State of Kerala.
It was formed with effect from the 1st November, 1982 vide G.O. (M.S) No.1026/82/RD dated 29.10.1982, with headquarters at Pathanamthitta.
The district stretches from the slopes of the Western Ghats to the low-lying rice fields bordering Alappuzha district.
On the north it is bounded by the Changanassery and Kanjirappally taluks of Kottayam district and the Peerumade taluk of Idukki district.
On the east it is bounded by the State of Tamil Nadu.
On the south lie the Kunnathur, Pathanapuram and Kottarakkara taluks of Kollam district, and on the west the Chengannur, Mavelikkara and Kuttanad taluks of Alappuzha district.
Order of creation:
Thirteenth revenue district
Government order:
G.O. (M.S) No.1026/82/RD
Headquarters:
Pathanamthitta
Why it matters for exams: The order and date of formation of each Kerala district, and the taluks on its borders, are repeatedly asked in Kerala PSC geography questions.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
G.O. (M.S) Government Order (Manuscript Series) — The series of Kerala government orders that carry a decision in full text rather than as a routine endorsement.
Revenue district A district as a unit of revenue administration under a District Collector — Kerala's districts are counted in the order in which they were created as revenue districts.