Background
The International Maritime Organization consists of an Assembly, a Council and five main Committees: the Maritime Safety Committee; the Marine Environment Protection Committee; the Legal Committee; the Technical Cooperation Committee; and the Facilitation Committee. A number of Sub-Committees support the work of the main technical committees. The Assembly is the highest Governing Body, consists of all Member States and meets once every two years in regular sessions; it approves the work programme, votes the budget, determines the financial arrangements and elects the Council. The Council is the Executive Organ of IMO, elected by the Assembly for two-year terms, and it appoints the Secretary-General subject to the approval of the Assembly. Council seats fall in three categories: 10 States with the largest interest in providing international shipping services, 10 States with the largest interest in international seaborne trade, and 20 States which have special interests in maritime transport or navigation and whose election ensures the representation of all major geographic areas of the world. IMO has adopted amendments to expand the size of the IMO Council to 52. The Maritime Safety Committee is described by IMO as the highest technical body of the Organization. The Marine Environment Protection Committee was first established as a subsidiary body of the Assembly and was raised to full constitutional status in 1985, while the Legal Committee was established in 1967 as a subsidiary body to deal with legal questions which arose in the aftermath of the Torrey Canyon disaster.
Organs:
Assembly, Council and five main Committees
Assembly sessions:
Once every two years in regular sessions
Council categories:
10 + 10 + 20 States
Adopted expansion of the Council:
52
Why it matters for exams: The three-category split of the IMO Council and the names of the five main Committees are the structural facts most often set as objective questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Marine Environment Protection Committee MEPC — The IMO committee that considers prevention and control of pollution from ships.
Executive Organ — The IMO term for the Council, which supervises the Organization's work under the Assembly.
Background
The General Assembly works through Main Committees, and there are six in total. Each Member State may be represented by one person on each Main Committee, and on any other committee on which all Member States have the right to be represented. The First Committee takes disarmament and international security; the Second takes economic and financial questions; the Third takes social, humanitarian and cultural questions; the Fourth takes special political questions and decolonization; the Fifth takes administrative and budgetary questions; and the Sixth Committee (Legal) takes legal questions. Under Rule 100 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly, Member States may also assign advisers, technical advisers, experts or persons of similar status to these committees. Apart from the Main Committees, the Credentials Committee is mandated to examine the credentials of representatives of Member States and to report to the General Assembly. The General Committee meets periodically throughout each session to review the progress of the General Assembly and its committees and to make recommendations for furthering such progress.
Main Committees:
6
Representation:
One person per Member State on each Main Committee
Budget committee:
Fifth Committee
Rule on advisers:
Rule 100
Why it matters for exams: The number of Main Committees and the subject each one owns is among the most frequently asked facts about the General Assembly.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Credentials Committee — The General Assembly committee that checks whether a delegation is properly authorised to represent its state.
General Committee — The steering committee that reviews the progress of the Assembly and its committees through a session.
Background
INTERPOL Notices are international requests for cooperation or alerts allowing police in member countries to share critical crime-related information. They are issued by the General Secretariat at the request of a member country's INTERPOL National Central Bureau and are made available for all member countries to consult in the Notices database. A Red Notice seeks the location and arrest of persons wanted for prosecution or to serve a sentence. A Yellow Notice helps locate missing persons; a Blue Notice collects additional information about a person's identity, location or activities; a Black Notice seeks information on unidentified bodies. A Green Notice warns about a person's criminal activities where the person is considered a possible threat to public safety, an Orange Notice warns of a serious and imminent threat to public safety, and a Purple Notice seeks or provides information on modus operandi, objects, devices and concealment methods used by criminals. A Silver Notice, in pilot phase, is to identify and trace criminal assets. A Notice is published only if it complies with INTERPOL's Constitution and the Rules on the Processing of Data, and it will not be published if it violates Article 3, which forbids the Organization from undertaking any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character. Most Notices are for police use only, but all United Nations Special Notices are public. Member countries may also circulate a diffusion directly to other countries, following the same colour-coded system.
Issued by:
General Secretariat, at the request of a National Central Bureau
Bar on political cases:
Article 3 of INTERPOL's Constitution
Notice in pilot phase:
Silver Notice
Notices that are public:
All United Nations Special Notices
Why it matters for exams: Matching each notice colour to its purpose is a recurring objective question, and Article 3 of the INTERPOL Constitution is the standard follow-up.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
National Central Bureau NCB — The designated police office in each INTERPOL member country that links it to the General Secretariat.
Diffusion — A request a member country circulates directly to other countries instead of through a notice.
Background
The European Union's own description of its institutions separates three bodies with confusingly similar names. The Council of the European Union, informally the Council, is the voice of EU member governments, adopting EU laws and coordinating EU policies: government ministers from each EU country meet in it, and the EU dates it to 1958 (as Council of the European Economic Community). Each EU country holds the presidency on a 6-month rotating basis, and the Council meets in 10 different configurations, one for each policy area. The Foreign Affairs Council has a permanent chairperson - the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy - while the other configurations are chaired by the relevant minister of the country holding the rotating presidency. Council meetings take place in Brussels, except for three months (April, June and October) when they are held in Luxembourg. Decisions usually require a qualified majority: 55% of countries - with 27 current members, this means 15 countries - representing at least 65 % of total EU population; to block a decision, at least 4 countries are needed (representing at least 35% of total EU population). Sensitive topics like foreign policy and taxation require a unanimous vote. The European Council is a separate institution. It is made up of the heads of state or government of all EU countries, the European Council President and the European Commission President; it usually meets 4 times a year, it generally decides issues by consensus, and it does not pass laws. The EU lists it as established in 1974 (informal forum), 1992 (formal status), 2009 (official EU institution), and as one of the EU's 7 official institutions; its President is elected by the European Council itself for a once-renewable two-and-a-half-year term. The EU's own page adds a third warning: Council of Europe - not an EU body at all.
Council of the EU established:
1958 (as Council of the European Economic Community)
Council presidency:
6-month rotating basis
Council configurations:
10
Qualified majority:
55% of countries, 15 of 27, representing at least 65 % of total EU population
Blocking a decision:
at least 4 countries representing at least 35% of total EU population
European Council as an official EU institution since:
2009
European Council President's term:
once-renewable two-and-a-half-year term
Why it matters for exams: Telling the Council of the EU from the European Council, and both from the Council of Europe, is a standing trap in international-organisation questions, and the qualified majority thresholds are asked directly.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Qualified majority — The usual Council voting rule, needing both a share of member countries and a share of EU population.
Configuration — A sitting of the Council of the EU for one policy area, attended by the ministers responsible for it.
Background
The International Labour Organization describes itself as "the only tripartite U.N. agency, since 1919". It brings together governments, employers and workers of 187 Member States to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work. The ILO was created in 1919, as part of the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I, on the founding belief that social justice is essential to universal and lasting peace. It is a specialized agency of the United Nations and works from Geneva. Its tripartite structure gives an equal voice to workers, employers and governments in setting labour standards and shaping policies. Its governance runs through the International Labour Conference and the ILO Governing Body, and its standards are laid down in the ILO Constitution and in ILO Declarations. Its Regular Budget is funded from assessed contributions by Member States, based on the scale of assessments of the United Nations. At country level it works through Decent Work Country Programmes agreed with governments and with employers and workers organisations.
Created:
1919
Member States:
187
Headquarters:
Geneva, Switzerland
Structure:
Tripartite: governments, employers and workers
Why it matters for exams: Founding year, founding treaty, headquarters and the tripartite structure are the four ILO facts that recur in Kerala PSC and UPSC prelims.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Tripartism — The ILO practice of giving governments, employers and workers an equal voice in its decisions.
Decent Work Country Programme DWCP — The ILO programming instrument that sets its priorities and planned support within a single country.
Background
The Central Information Commission has been constituted with effect from 12-10-2005 under the Right to Information Act, 2005. The jurisdiction of the Commission extends over all Central Public Authorities. The Commission states that it has certain powers and functions mentioned in sections 18, 19, 20 and 25 of the RTI Act, 2005, and that these broadly relate to adjudication in second appeal for giving information; direction for record keeping and suo motu disclosures; receiving and enquiring into a complaint on inability to file an application for information; imposition of penalties; and Monitoring and Reporting including preparation of an Annual Report. The decisions of the Commission are final and binding.
Constituted with effect from:
12-10-2005
Statute:
Right to Information Act, 2005
Jurisdiction:
All Central Public Authorities
Powers and functions from:
Sections 18, 19, 20 and 25 of the RTI Act, 2005
Status of its decisions:
Final and binding
Why it matters for exams: The commencement date, the four sections that carry the Commission's powers, and the finality of its decisions are the facts that separate the Commission from the Act itself in exam questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Second appeal Second appeal under the RTI Act — The appeal that lies to the Information Commission after the First Appellate Authority within the public authority has decided.
Suo motu Suo motu disclosure — Information a public authority publishes on its own, without waiting for an application.
Background
The Supreme Court of India publishes a table headed “JURISDICTION AND SEAT OF HIGH COURTS”, listing each High Court against its Year of Establishment, Territorial Jurisdiction and Principal Seat & Bench. The earliest year in the table is 1862, shared by the Bombay High Court at Mumbai, the Calcutta High Court at Kolkata and the Madras High Court at Chennai, followed by the Allahabad High Court of 1866, whose entry reads Principal Seat : Prayagraj with a Bench : Lucknow. The Kerala High Court appears with the year 1956, the seat Kochi and the territorial jurisdiction Kerala, Lakshadweep, Lakshadweep being a Union Territory. The Guwahati High Court of 1948 has its principal seat at Guwahati and Other Benches : Kohima, Aizawl, and Itanagar, its territorial jurisdiction covering Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh. The Punjab & Haryana High Court of 1966 sits at Chandigarh for Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh. The Gujarat High Court sits at Sola(Ahmedabad), the Rajasthan High Court has its Principal Seat : Jodhpur with a Bench : Jaipur, and the Bombay High Court has Other Benches : Panaji, Aurangabad, and Nagpur. The latest year in the table is 2019, shared by the Telangana High Court at Hyderabad, the Andhra Pradesh High Court and the entry for Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, where the table notes that after the bifurcation of Jammu & Kashmir into two Union Territories there is now a common High Court.
Earliest year in the table:
1862 — Bombay, Calcutta and Madras High Courts
Kerala High Court:
1956; seat Kochi; jurisdiction Kerala, Lakshadweep
Allahabad High Court:
1866; Principal Seat : Prayagraj, Bench : Lucknow
Guwahati High Court:
1948; Other Benches : Kohima, Aizawl, and Itanagar
Rajasthan High Court:
Principal Seat : Jodhpur, Bench : Jaipur
Latest year in the table:
2019 — Telangana and Andhra Pradesh High Courts
Why it matters for exams: Year of establishment, territorial jurisdiction and seat of each High Court is a recurring matching question, and the Kerala High Court's jurisdiction over Lakshadweep is asked in Kerala PSC papers in particular.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Principal seat Principal seat of a High Court — The main location where a High Court sits, as distinct from its other benches.
Background
The Supreme Court of India is the apex judicial body under the Constitution of India, and Article 124 of the Constitution states that “There shall be a Supreme Court of India.” The Supreme Court came into existence on 26 January 1950 with the coming into force of the Constitution. On 28 January 1950, two days after India became a Sovereign Democratic Republic, the Supreme Court was inaugurated, in the Chamber of Princes in the old Parliament building where the Federal Court of India sat for 12 years from 1937 to 1950. The Court initially functioned from the old Parliament House and moved to the present building located on Tilak Marg, New Delhi in 1958. The original Constitution of 1950 envisaged a Supreme Court with a Chief Justice and 7 puisne Judges, leaving it to Parliament to increase this number; Parliament increased the number of Judges from 8 in 1950 to 11 in 1956, 14 in 1960, 18 in 1978, 26 in 1986, 31 in 2009 and 34 in 2019. In the early years all the Judges sat together to hear cases; today they sit in Benches of two and three and come together in larger Benches of 5 and more, a Constitution Bench, to decide conflicting decisions between benches or substantial questions concerning the interpretation of the Constitution. The proceedings of the Supreme Court are conducted in English, and the practice and procedure of the Registry on the judicial side is regulated by the Supreme Court Rules, 2013.
Constitutional provision:
Article 124
Came into existence:
26 January 1950
Inaugurated:
28 January 1950, in the Chamber of Princes
Federal Court of India sat there:
12 years, from 1937 to 1950
Strength envisaged in 1950:
A Chief Justice and 7 puisne Judges
Strength after the 2019 increase:
34
Present building occupied:
1958, on Tilak Marg, New Delhi
Why it matters for exams: The two dates of 1950, the Federal Court that preceded the Court, and the step-by-step increase in the sanctioned strength are standard objective questions on the judiciary.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Puisne Judge Puisne Judge of the Supreme Court — A judge of the Court other than the Chief Justice.
Constitution Bench Constitution Bench — A bench of five or more judges formed to settle conflicting decisions or substantial questions of constitutional interpretation.
Background
Article 39 A of the Constitution of India provides for free legal aid to the weaker sections of the society, to promote justice on the basis of equal opportunity, and Articles 14 and 22(1) of the Constitution also make it obligatory for the State to ensure equality before law. In 1987, the Legal Services Authorities Act was enacted by the Parliament, and it came into force on 9th November, 1995 to establish a nationwide uniform network for providing free and competent legal services to the weaker sections of the society. Under that network, the Chief Justice of India is the Patron-in-Chief of the National Legal Services Authority and the seniormost judge of the Supreme Court of India is the Executive Chairman of the Authority. NALSA states that its principal objective is to provide free and competent legal services to the weaker sections of the society and to organize Lok Adalats for amicable settlement of disputes, and that its functions also include spreading legal literacy and awareness and undertaking social justice litigations. It works in close coordination with the State Legal Services Authorities, District Legal Services Authorities and other agencies. NALSA is housed at Jaisalmer House, 26, Man Singh Road, New Delhi-110011.
Constitutional basis:
Article 39 A, with Articles 14 and 22(1)
Statute:
Legal Services Authorities Act, enacted by Parliament in 1987
Came into force:
9th November, 1995
Patron-in-Chief:
The Chief Justice of India
Executive Chairman:
The seniormost judge of the Supreme Court of India
Headquarters:
Jaisalmer House, 26, Man Singh Road, New Delhi-110011
Why it matters for exams: The constitutional hook, the statute, the date of commencement and the two offices at the head of NALSA are among the most frequently asked facts on access to justice.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Lok Adalat People's court — A forum in the legal services network where a dispute is settled amicably between the parties rather than decided after a contest.
NALSA National Legal Services Authority — The apex body of the legal services network created by the Legal Services Authorities Act.
Background
The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority's notified disasters page sets out two lists.
Its Nationally Notified Disasters are Flood, Landslide, Drought, Cyclone, Earthquake, Cloud Burst, Hail Storm, Tsunami, Fire, Pest Attack, Cold Wave/Frost and Avalanche, with Covid 19 added separately.
Its State Specific Disasters are Coastal Erosion, Lightning, Strong Wind, Soil Piping, Heat Wave/Sun Stroke/Sun Burn, Human-Wildlife Conflict, the wreck of the MSC Elsa 3 and High Tide Flooding.
The page cites three orders behind that state list: GO (Ms) No. 343/2015/DMD dated 23-07-2015, GO (Rt) No. 149/2017/DMD dated 18-01-2017 and GO (Ms) No. 9/2019/DMD dated 9-03-2019.
Its table of Norms of Financial Assistance from SDRF shows the order in which the state categories were added: Lightning, Coastal Erosion and Strong Winds first, then Soil Piping, then Heat Wave, Sunstroke and Sunburn, then Human Wildlife Conflict, and High Tide Flooding most recently.
The same table lists the Creation of State Disaster Response Fund under 2010; that fund is what the notified categories draw assistance from.
Nationally notified disasters, as the list reads:
Flood Landslide Drought Cyclone Earthquake Cloud Burst Hail Storm Tsunami Fire Pest Attack Cold Wave/Frost Avalanche Covid 19
State specific disasters, as the list reads:
Coastal Erosion Lightning Strong Wind Soil Piping Heat Wave/Sun Stroke/Sun Burn Human-Wildlife Conflict MSC Elsa 3 High Tide Flooding
Most recent state specific addition:
High Tide Flooding
Fund used:
State Disaster Response Fund
Base order for the state list:
GO (Ms) No. 343/2015/DMD dated 23-07-2015
Why it matters for exams: The difference between a nationally notified disaster and a state specific one decides what a state can pay relief for, and Kerala's own additions - soil piping, coastal erosion, human-wildlife conflict, high tide flooding - are the clearest illustration of that mechanism in any state.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Soil piping soil piping — Underground erosion that hollows out tunnels in soil and can make the ground above collapse.
SDRF State Disaster Response Fund — The fund a state pays relief from for disasters that have been notified.
Background
The Prime Minister's Office records that after the Union Cabinet approved the proposal for alteration of name of the State of Kerala as Keralam, the President of India will refer a Bill, namely the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, to the State Legislative Assembly of Kerala for expressing its views under proviso to article 3 of the Constitution of India. After receipt of the views of the State Legislative Assembly, the Government of India will take further action and the recommendation of the President will be obtained for introduction of the Bill in Parliament. The same record notes that the Legislative Assembly of Kerala passed a resolution on 24.06.2024 to alter the name of the State to Keralam. That resolution stated that the name of the State is Keralam in the Malayalam language, but that in the First Schedule to the Constitution the name of the State is recorded as Kerala. The resolution also recorded that States were formed on the basis of language on the 1st day of November, 1956, and that the Kerala Piravi Day is also on the 1st day of November.
Constitutional provision:
Proviso to article 3
Where State names are listed:
First Schedule to the Constitution
Assembly resolution:
24.06.2024
Bill to be referred:
The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026
Why it matters for exams: Article 3 is examined on exactly this sequence - Presidential reference, the State Legislature's views, the President's recommendation, then Parliament - and the Keralam proposal is the live illustration an examiner is most likely to hang it on.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Proviso Proviso to article 3 — The clause that requires a State's views to be sought before such a Bill is introduced.
First Schedule First Schedule to the Constitution — The schedule that lists the States and Union territories by name.
Background
The Authority's own introduction page states that State Disaster Management Authorities are statutory bodies constituted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 (Central Act 53 of 2005).
It describes the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority as a statutory non-autonomous body under the Chairmanship of the Chief Minister of Kerala.
The first KSDMA was constituted vide S.R.O No. 395/2007 dated 4th May 2007, and the present composition is notified vide S.R.O No. 583/2013 dated 17-7-2013.
Under Section 3 of the Kerala State Disaster Management Rules (KSDMR), 2007 the authority is composed of ten (10) members, chaired by the Chief Minister and convened by the Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management.
The Chief Secretary, who also chairs the State Executive Committee, is the Chief Executive Officer of KSDMA vide Section 14 (4) of the DM Act, 2005, while technical matters and emergency operations are managed by the Kerala State Emergency Operations Centre (KSEOC).
The Authority gives its motto in English as 'Towards a Safer State' and in Malayalam as Surakshaayanam, and its logo, adopted through an online design competition in 2011, carries 24 spokes to depict the need to be on constant watch, round the clock.
District Disaster Management Authorities have been constituted in Kerala for all fourteen districts vide GO (P) No. 303/2008/DMD dated 9-9-2008 and GO (P) No. 208/2016/DMD dated 3-3-2016.
Governing statute:
Disaster Management Act, 2005 (Central Act 53 of 2005)
Members:
ten (10)
Chairperson:
Chief Minister of Kerala
Chief Executive Officer:
The Chief Secretary
Provision making the Chief Secretary the CEO:
Section 14 (4) of the DM Act, 2005
First constituted:
S.R.O No. 395/2007 dated 4th May 2007
Motto:
Towards a Safer State
Why it matters for exams: Disaster management is a standing topic for both Kerala PSC and UPSC, and the examinable detail is structural: which central Act creates the state authority, how many members it has, which office chairs it and which office is its chief executive.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
KSEOC Kerala State Emergency Operations Centre — The centre that handles the Authority's technical matters and emergency operations.
Non-autonomous body statutory non-autonomous body — A body created by statute but functioning within the government rather than independently of it.
Background
The Local Self Government Department's page on the Ombudsman For LSGI records that the Institution started functioning in the year 2000 as a 7 member body with a Rtd. Judge of the High Court as its Chairman.
It was made a single member body through an amendment of the Panchayath Raj Act in the year 2001.
Under the present law, the page says, only a former judge of High Court can be appointed as Ombudsman.
The department describes it as a high powered quasi judicial body functioning at the state level with its Head Quarters in the State Capital.
The Ombudsman can conduct investigations and enquiries into instances of mal administration, corruption, favouritism, nepotism, lack of integrity, excessive action, inaction and abuse of position.
The department claims that possibly no other State in India has such an institution to oversee the functioning of Local Self Government Institutions.
Started functioning:
2000
Original composition:
7 member body
Present composition:
single member body
Made single member by:
an amendment of the Panchayath Raj Act in the year 2001
Who may be appointed:
only a former judge of High Court
Headquarters:
the State Capital
Why it matters for exams: Kerala's decentralisation answers are incomplete without the accountability side, and the Ombudsman's eligibility rule, its change from seven members to one, and the list of lapses it can inquire into are all directly askable.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Quasi judicial body quasi judicial body — A body that is not a court but decides disputes after hearing the sides, with powers of inquiry.
Background
The Local Self Government Department lists Kudumbashree among its Allied Institutions, and its page records that Kudumbashree was launched in 1998 as a community network that would work in tandem with local self governments for poverty eradication and woman empowerment.
The department traces the idea to the early nineties, when a community led Poverty Identification Format was developed as part of the Alappuzha Urban Basic Services for the Poor Programme.
By that time, the page says, the NABARD promoted Self Help Groups and linkage banking program had established itself as a viable microfinance model.
In 1994, the Community Based Nutrition project of Malappuram tried to assimilate these experiences and develop a woman based community structure for service delivery of government programs.
The page credits the 73rd and the 74th amendments to the Constitution with strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutes and Urban Local Bodies.
Shortly afterwards, it says, the People's Plan Campaign for decentralized Governance created strong local self governments, the panchayats and municipalities, in the State, and Kudumbashree was launched to work with them.
Launched:
1998
Parent department:
Local Self Government Department
Stated purpose:
poverty eradication and woman empowerment
Earlier programme it grew from:
Alappuzha Urban Basic Services for the Poor Programme
Nutrition project assimilated:
Community Based Nutrition project of Malappuram
Why it matters for exams: Kudumbashree's founding year, its parent department and the two programmes it grew out of are standard Kerala PSC questions, and examiners like to test whether a candidate knows it is a network attached to local governments rather than a department of its own.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Allied Institution Allied Institution of the Local Self Government Department — A body listed by the department as attached to it rather than forming part of its directorates.
Poverty Identification Format community led Poverty Identification Format — A format for identifying poor families that was drawn up with the community rather than by officials alone.
7 October 2026
Chief Minister Manik Saha announced a 3 per cent increase in dearness allowance (DA) for state government employees and dearness relief (DR) for pensioners, taking the total to 44 per cent. The revised rate applies from 1 October 2026. He made the announcement at a press conference at the Secretariat in Agartala, with Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy present. The additional cost to the state is about 300 crore rupees a year. After the revision, the gap between Tripura's DA rate and that of Central government employees stands at 16 percentage points. House Rent Allowance (HRA) for regular government employees rises from 8 per cent to 10 per cent.
Total DA/DR:
44 per cent
Increase:
3 per cent
Annual extra cost:
about 300 crore rupees
Gap with Centre:
16 percentage points
Why it matters for exams: Pay and allowance revisions by a state government are a staple of state-affairs and economy questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
DA/DR Dearness Allowance / Dearness Relief — DA is paid to serving employees and DR to pensioners to offset price rises.
7 October 2026
The Reserve Bank of India announced in a press release dated 7 October 2026 that Paytm Payments Bank Limited has been excluded from the Second Schedule to the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
The exclusion was made by notification DoR.LIC.No.S3674/16.13.215/2026-27 dated 31 July 2026.
The notification was published in the Gazette of India, Part III, Section 4, dated 7 September 2026.
The release was issued by Brij Raj, Chief General Manager, as Press Release 2026-2027/1273.
Banks named in the Second Schedule to the Act are the scheduled banks of the country, so exclusion from that Schedule removes the entity from the list of scheduled banks.
Entity:
Paytm Payments Bank Limited
Schedule:
Second Schedule to the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934
Notification:
DoR.LIC.No.S3674/16.13.215/2026-27 dated July 31, 2026
Gazette publication:
Gazette of India, Part III - Section 4, dated September 07, 2026
Why it matters for exams: Which Schedule of the Reserve Bank of India Act lists scheduled banks, and the effect of inclusion or exclusion, is a recurring banking and general studies question.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
Scheduled bank Scheduled bank — A bank named in the Second Schedule to the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
Payments bank Payments bank — A differentiated bank that may take limited deposits and offer payment services but cannot lend.
7 October 2026
Ethiopia ordered its embassy in Eritrea closed and declared 10 Eritrean diplomats persona non grata, with 48 hours to leave.
Eritrea responded by severing all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia.
Ethiopia says Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt back the opposition alliance led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front; all three deny it.
Ethiopian forces have taken Mekelle, the regional capital of Tigray.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was sworn in for another five-year term and has said landlocked Ethiopia must have access to the Red Sea.
Witnesses told Reuters they saw dozens of Eritrean soldiers in Adigrat, about 25 km from the Eritrean border; Reuters could not verify this.
Eritrea's information minister did not deny that troops had crossed.
Eritrean diplomats expelled:
10
Time given to leave:
48 hours
Adigrat to Eritrean border:
about 25 km
Why it matters for exams: Horn of Africa border and Red Sea access disputes, and the term persona non grata, are staple world-affairs material.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Persona non grata Persona non grata — A diplomat the host country declares unwelcome, who must leave or lose immunity.
TPLF Tigray People's Liberation Front — The group leading the opposition alliance fighting Ethiopian forces.
7 October 2026
The Women and Child Development Department launched the project 'Women on the Move and Menstrual Needs' under the government's 100-day action plan.
Minister Bindu Krishna unveiled the facility at the Thampanoor KSRTC bus terminal in Thiruvananthapuram.
Sanitary napkin vending machines and incinerators will be installed at 14 KSRTC centres in the first phase.
Each packet holds 3 napkins and costs ₹10, and ₹16 lakh has been allocated for the initial phase.
The partner is HLL Lifecare, and expansion is planned to tourist centres and other public spaces.
First-phase centres:
14 KSRTC centres
Price:
₹10 for 3 napkins
Allocation:
₹16 lakh
Why it matters for exams: A women and child welfare scheme under the 100-day action plan, combining menstrual hygiene with public-sector transport hubs.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
HLL HLL Lifecare — A public-sector healthcare products company that is the project partner.
Incinerator Incinerator — A unit that burns used napkins safely.
7 October 2026
Transport Minister CP John flagged off KSRTC's cargo service at the Domestic Airport Cargo Terminal in Thiruvananthapuram on 7 October 2026.
The first consignment was one tonne of mobile phones flown from Delhi by Air India and carried to Aluva in a wet-leased truck.
The first phase has five wet-leased trucks, and the Minister said KSRTC aims to build a fleet of more than 100 trucks.
The project is part of the government's 100-day action plan, to strengthen KSRTC's logistics network and raise non-ticket revenue.
Income from the service will be used directly for the benefit of KSRTC passengers.
First consignment:
one tonne of mobile phones
First-phase vehicles:
5 wet-leased trucks
Target fleet:
more than 100 trucks
Why it matters for exams: A 100-day action plan item on public-sector transport diversification, useful for Kerala economy and governance questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Wet lease Wet-leased vehicle — A vehicle hired together with its operator or crew.
KSRTC Kerala State Road Transport Corporation — The State-owned bus corporation.
7 October 2026
Justice G. Girish of the Kerala High Court dismissed the husband's revision petition in A v D, RPFC No. 122/2024.
The couple married on 1 August 2015, his second marriage, after a matrimonial advertisement, and the marriage was not consummated.
The Family Court granted the wife's divorce petition on the ground of cruelty and found the husband had means to pay maintenance.
He produced a Medical Board certificate of permanent locomotor disability of 70% and argued he could not pay.
The High Court upheld maintenance of ₹10,000 per month and said his physical incapacity does not assume any relevance.
Monthly maintenance:
₹10,000
Disability certified:
70%
Case:
RPFC No. 122/2024
Why it matters for exams: Shows that the duty to maintain a wife turns on means, not on bodily ability, a point linked to maintenance law.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
RPFC Revision Petition (Family Court) — A revision petition against a Family Court order.