6 October 2026
India approved temporary electricity exports to Nepal for 18 hours daily through 31 December.
The approval followed catastrophic floods triggered by a glacier collapse on the China-Nepal border.
At least 12 hydropower projects were damaged, and Nepal halted its own power exports and began importing from India.
India's power ministry said it would review the quantum of power to be exported in December talks.
It said the measure would help Nepal meet its power requirements during this difficult period.
Daily supply:
18 hours
Valid until:
31 December
Hydropower projects damaged:
at least 12
Why it matters for exams: India-Nepal energy cooperation and disaster support are recurring neighbourhood-policy topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
6 October 2026
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has issued an order mandating expansion of Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) cameras at industries in the National Capital Region and adjoining areas. The cameras are for real-time monitoring of fuel use and compliance. They are to cover fuel storage areas, fuel charging points and gas meters. Industries are to install the additional cameras by 31.10.2026, and State Pollution Control Boards and the DPCC are to submit a status report on implementation by 01.11.2026. Real-time video feeds are to be streamed to the servers of the Central Pollution Control Board, State Pollution Control Boards and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee.
Installation deadline:
31.10.2026
Status report due:
01.11.2026
Camera type:
Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ)
Why it matters for exams: Air-quality governance bodies and pollution-control measures are frequent environment questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
CAQM Commission for Air Quality Management — A statutory commission for air quality in the NCR and adjoining areas.
6 October 2026
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology Dr Jitendra Singh held a bilateral meeting with Swiss President Guy Parmelin in New Delhi on strengthening long-term cooperation in science, technology, research and innovation. The Indo-Swiss Research Framework (ISRF) now seeks to take the partnership from a project-based model towards a more strategic, system-level partnership. Dr Singh welcomed the progress towards the ISRF and the Indo-Swiss Joint Scientific Board, a Letter of Intent between the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the Department of Science & Technology (DST), and an Implementation Agreement between the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) and DST. President Parmelin said Switzerland has earmarked a further CHF 45 million for the partnership.
Swiss allocation:
45 million Swiss francs (further CHF 45 million earmarked)
Swiss leader:
President Guy Parmelin
Bodies welcomed:
Indo-Swiss Research Framework; Indo-Swiss Joint Scientific Board
Why it matters for exams: India's bilateral agreements with other countries are staple current-affairs questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
LoI Letter of Intent — A document stating the parties' intention to cooperate before a full agreement.
6 October 2026
The Union Cabinet approved the establishment of the Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority (ITLA), set up as a Special Purpose Vehicle. It will act as the apex body for integrated transport and logistics planning, research, project evaluation and monitoring, policy support and data analysis. ITLA will develop national transport master plans spanning ten years or more. It will technically evaluate infrastructure projects costing 500 crore rupees or more. It will also set up a National Transport Data Repository integrating GSTN e-way bills, FASTag, GPS and urban traffic data.
Project threshold:
₹500 crore or more
Master plan horizon:
Ten years or more
Data platform:
National Transport Data Repository
Why it matters for exams: Logistics-cost reduction and infrastructure planning bodies are recurring topics in economy and governance papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
SPV Special Purpose Vehicle — A separate entity created for one defined purpose.
6 October 2026
A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court, Justices Anil K Narendran and Muralee Krishna S, allowed the habeas corpus petition filed by the wife of R Sugathan, councillor of Ward 20 of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.
He had been detained under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 2007 (KAAPA) on an order of 8 June 2026, which relied on seven criminal cases registered between 2019 and 2026.
The Bench found that several pages supplied to him were illegible and some were missing.
It also held that the government did not consider his representation independently while awaiting the Advisory Board's opinion, which went against Article 22(5) of the Constitution.
The detention order was set aside and release from Viyyur Jail was directed unless he is required in another case.
Bench:
Justices Anil K Narendran and Muralee Krishna S
Act:
KAAPA, 2007
Criminal cases relied on:
7
Constitutional provision:
Article 22(5)
Why it matters for exams: Preventive detention safeguards under Article 22 and the KAAPA procedure are recurring questions in polity and Kerala-specific law papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
KAAPA Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 2007 — State law allowing preventive detention of repeat offenders.
Habeas corpus Writ to produce a detained person — A writ used to test whether a detention is lawful.
Advisory Board Board reviewing preventive detention — A panel that gives its opinion on whether detention has sufficient cause.
6 October 2026
The fifth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee will be held in Beijing in October 2026.
The decision was made at a CPC Central Committee Political Bureau meeting on Thursday, 30 July 2026.
The session will study major issues on advancing the Party's full and rigorous self-governance.
The 21st national congress of the Party is scheduled for autumn 2027.
Session:
Fifth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee
Venue and month:
Beijing, October 2026
Next Party congress:
21st national congress, autumn 2027
Why it matters for exams: China's party-state structure, the Central Committee and Politburo are recurring comparative-polity topics.
UPSCSSC
In plain words
Plenary session Plenary session of the Central Committee — A full meeting of the Central Committee, held between Party congresses to decide major issues.
Politburo Political Bureau — The senior body of the Central Committee that sets the plenum's date and agenda.
6 October 2026
The Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress approved the revised National Defense Mobilization Law at its 24th session in August 2026.
It took effect on 1 October 2026.
The law has 14 chapters and 82 articles.
It is the first update since the original law was adopted in February 2010.
It defines national defense mobilization as State activities ensuring a rapid transition between peacetime and wartime.
It calls for promoting advanced technologies in national defense mobilization.
Structure:
14 chapters and 82 articles
Effective date:
1 October 2026
Original law adopted:
February 2010
Why it matters for exams: China's legislative organs and defence laws feature in polity-comparison and security questions.
UPSCSSC
In plain words
NPCSC Standing Committee of the National People's Congress — The permanent body of China's top legislature that passes laws between full sessions.
6 October 2026
Justice Devashis Baruah of the Gauhati High Court held, in a ruling reported on 21 September 2026, that the Forest Department must follow the Supreme Court's directions in Abdul Khalek when acting against forest occupants.
The case is Yunus Ali & 14 Ors. v. State of Assam & 8 Ors. (WP(C)/4258/2025).
The court held that notices issued in July 2025 over occupation of South Nambar Reserved Forest had become redundant in view of the Abdul Khalek directions.
In June 2026 a division bench of Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Arun Dev Choudhury upheld the eviction of Taungya settlers from reserved forests, with a 45-day extension.
Judge:
Justice Devashis Baruah
Case:
WP(C)/4258/2025
Notices held redundant:
Issued July 2025
Why it matters for exams: Due process in evictions and forest law are recurring themes in polity and environment questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Taungya Taungya settlement — A temporary arrangement under which people were allowed to cultivate within forest land.
6 October 2026
The Centre has notified Justice Kaushik Goswami as a permanent judge of the Gauhati High Court, following the Supreme Court Collegium's recommendation of 23 September 2026.
He was elevated as an Additional Judge on 2 November 2023.
The notification was issued under clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution.
He was designated a Senior Advocate on 19 May 2022 and enrolled as an advocate on 27 July 2000.
Collegium recommendation:
23 September 2026
Additional Judge since:
2 November 2023
Constitutional provision:
Article 217(1)
Why it matters for exams: Appointment of High Court judges under Article 217 and the Collegium system are standard polity questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Collegium Supreme Court Collegium — The body of senior judges that recommends appointments to the higher judiciary.
6 October 2026
The separatist Parti Québécois won the most seats in Quebec's provincial election held on Monday.
Its leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is set to become premier.
It was on track for nearly 60 seats, short of the 64 needed for a majority in the 127-seat National Assembly.
It will need opposition support to pass major laws and survive confidence votes.
The result ends eight years in office for the centre-right Coalition Avenir Québec.
The party has promised another referendum on leaving Canada, but only after Donald Trump leaves office in January 2029.
Support for independence is about 30 per cent, which is low by historical standards.
Seats for majority:
64 of 127
Outgoing government in office:
8 years
Support for independence:
about 30 per cent
Why it matters for exams: Shows how a multiparty provincial system can return a separatist party to power without a majority.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Minority government A government whose party holds fewer than half the seats — It must rely on other parties to pass laws and win confidence votes.
6 October 2026
Justice Sunita Agarwal, Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh will take the oath as Supreme Court judges on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, at 3:30 pm.
Hindustan Times reports this is the first time since the Court's establishment in 1950 that judges are sworn in the afternoon rather than at 10:30 am.
They are the Chief Justices of the Gujarat, Delhi and Telangana High Courts, and the Collegium headed by CJI Surya Kant recommended them on 28 September.
The Centre notified the appointments on 5 October.
The Court's working strength will rise to 37 against a sanctioned strength of 38, including the CJI.
Justice Agarwal will be the third woman judge on the Court, with tenure until April 2031.
Oath time:
3:30 pm, 6 October 2026
Collegium recommendation:
28 September 2026
Working strength after oath:
37 of 38
Judges sworn in:
Three
Why it matters for exams: Judicial appointments through the Collegium and the Court's sanctioned strength are frequent polity questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Collegium Forum of the CJI and four seniormost judges — The body that recommends appointments of Supreme Court and High Court judges.
6 October 2026
A seven-judge Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Tuesday disposed of a nearly 22-year-old reference on the limits of legislative privilege as "infructuous".
The bench found that the Tamil Nadu Assembly had withdrawn on 13 July 2004 the November 2003 resolution that triggered the case.
That development had skipped the court's notice when it made the December 2004 reference to a larger bench.
The Attorney General, the Solicitor General and senior advocate Raju Ramachandran, for the Assembly, agreed no live issue survived.
The court kept the wider questions on legislative privilege and free speech open for an appropriate future case.
The bench also had Justices Aravind Kumar, Prashant Kumar Mishra, Joymalya Bagchi, Vipul M. Pancholi, Shree Chandrashekhar and V. Mohana.
Bench strength:
Seven
Age of the reference:
Nearly 22 years
Assembly resolution withdrawn:
13 July 2004
Reference order:
December 2004
Why it matters for exams: Legislative privileges versus fundamental rights, and the working of larger benches, are standard polity and judiciary topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Infructuous Having no practical effect — A case is infructuous when events overtake it and no live dispute remains.
Legislative privilege Special rights of legislatures and members — Immunities that let legislatures function freely, whose limits are tested against fundamental rights.
6 October 2026
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said the United Nations is "gridlocked" and has been "largely irrelevant" to decision-making on issues such as the Gulf and Ukraine conflicts.
He was speaking at the 5th Kautilya Economic Conclave in New Delhi on Monday, 5 October 2026.
He linked the problem to a Security Council that no longer represents the entirety of global interest.
The UN started with 51 members and now has almost four times that number, he noted.
He said a few countries resisting UN reform were using Africa's interests as an argument, though Africa has put its own position in the intergovernmental negotiations.
His line, as reported by The Indian Express, was to "fix the United Nations, not work around it".
Forum:
5th Kautilya Economic Conclave, New Delhi
Original UN membership:
51
Growth in membership:
Almost four times
Security Council size:
15 (5 permanent, 10 elected)
Why it matters for exams: India's stand on Security Council reform is a recurring UPSC and PSC theme in international relations.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
UNSC United Nations Security Council — The UN body for international peace and security, with five veto-holding permanent members.
IGN Intergovernmental Negotiations — The UN General Assembly process where member states negotiate Security Council reform.
6 October 2026
The Government's Special Campaign 6, with the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances as nodal department, is in its implementation phase from 2 to 31 October 2026.
The preparatory phase ran from 16 to 30 September 2026.
Targets uploaded to the portal as on 5 October 2026 include 12,45,073 cleanliness campaign sites, 6,18,516 public grievances and 19,52,472 physical files due for review.
The data was reported by 80 Ministries and Departments.
A new component asks identified Ministries to dedicate one day to a focused activity such as cleanliness, grievance redressal, office-space management or a plantation drive.
The campaign has drawn over 3,023 tweets and infographics and 103 PIB statements.
Implementation phase:
2 to 31 October 2026
Cleanliness sites:
12,45,073
Files due for review:
19,52,472
Reporting bodies:
80 Ministries/Departments
Why it matters for exams: Administrative reform drives and the departments that run them are staple governance questions in UPSC and SSC papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
DARPG Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances — The nodal department for Special Campaign 6.
Pendency Pending work — Files, references and grievances awaiting disposal.
6 October 2026
The Ministry of Rural Development has notified the Schedule of Permissible Works under the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025, known as VB-G RAM G.
The Schedule lists 375 works, a 41 per cent expansion over the 266 works under the previous framework.
The works are grouped under four pillars: Water Security (128), Core Rural Infrastructure (111), Livelihood-related Infrastructure (98) and Special Works for Extreme Weather Events and Disaster Preparedness (38).
The disaster pillar is a dedicated category for the first time in the rural works framework.
Livelihood-related works now make up 26 per cent of the total, against 1.1 per cent earlier.
Every work will originate in the Viksit Gram Panchayat Plan approved by the Gram Sabha and be tracked through the Viksit Bharat National Rural Infrastructure Stack.
Permissible works:
375
Earlier framework:
266 works
Water Security works:
128
Livelihood share:
26 per cent
Why it matters for exams: Rural employment legislation and scheme design are core polity and rural-development topics for UPSC and PSC papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
VB-G RAM G Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) — The 2025 Act under which the new schedule of rural works is notified.
Gram Sabha Village assembly — The body of all voters in a village that approves the works plan.
6 October 2026
A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court, Justice J. Nisha Banu and Justice Shoba Annamma Eapen, held that the validity of 'khula' does not depend on the husband's acceptance or consent; it is a right available to the wife to dissolve the marriage.
The Bench held that in a proceeding for endorsement of an extrajudicial divorce, a detailed inquiry is neither essential nor desirable.
The Family Court need only check whether the three ingredients of a valid khula, laid down in X and Others v. Y and Others (2021), have been met: a declaration by the wife, an offer to return the dower or other material gain, and an effective attempt at reconciliation.
The Court dismissed a husband's petition against Family Court orders that refused to hear the validity of khula as a preliminary issue, to let him lead evidence and to keep the wife's petition in abeyance.
It noted that the Supreme Court cases the husband cited, Shamim Ara and Shayara Bano, concern triple talaq, not khula.
Bench:
Justice J. Nisha Banu and Justice Shoba Annamma Eapen
Case:
K v. I, OP(FC) No. 375 of 2026
Earlier authority followed:
X and Others v. Y and Others, 2021 (2) KLT 967
Ingredients of a valid khula:
3
Why it matters for exams: Landmark High Court rulings on personal law, Family Courts and the Shayara Bano line of cases are useful for Kerala PSC and UPSC polity and law questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Khula Khula — A form of extrajudicial divorce initiated by the Muslim wife.
Family Court Family Court — A court set up under the Family Courts Act to settle marriage and family disputes.
6 October 2026
Thrissur District Collector Shikha Surendran has directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to examine a barrier-free tolling system at the Paliyekkara toll plaza in Thrissur, on the lines of the Tambaram model in Tamil Nadu.
The direction came at a meeting of the National Highway Task Force chaired by the Collector, held to address traffic delays, safety concerns and gaps along the stretch.
The NHAI Project Director for NH 66 said the issues in an earlier joint inspection report, including safety concerns, waterlogging and pedestrian difficulties, have been resolved; the police and the Motor Vehicles Department will verify this on site.
A proposal for streetlights on a four-kilometre dark stretch of NH 66 will be sent to NHAI headquarters.
A special committee of the Police, Motor Vehicles Department, Revenue Department and NHAI will find parking spots for heavy vehicles; a 6,000-square-foot plot near the Kodungallur Bypass has been identified.
Model to be examined:
Tambaram, Tamil Nadu
Body chaired by:
Thrissur District Collector Shikha Surendran
Dark stretch of NH 66:
4 km
Heavy-vehicle parking plot:
6,000 sq ft near Kodungallur Bypass
Why it matters for exams: Toll collection, NHAI's role and district-level task forces on highway safety are recurring topics for Kerala PSC and UPSC governance papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
NHAI National Highways Authority of India — The statutory body that builds, maintains and operates national highways and their toll plazas.
Barrier-free tolling Barrier-free tolling — Toll is collected electronically without vehicles stopping at a boom barrier.
6 October 2026
The final shortlist of sites for the proposed All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Kerala, prepared by the State Health Department, awaits the Chief Minister's approval.
Koratty in Thrissur district has emerged as a leading contender to host the institute.
The report notes Koratty's connectivity by national highway, nearby railway stations and the airport, along with water and high-capacity electricity.
About 233 acres of government-owned land is available across several sites in Koratty, reducing the need for land acquisition.
Adjacent private land could be acquired later for expansion.
Government land at Koratty:
233 acres
District:
Thrissur
Shortlist awaiting approval of:
Chief Minister
Why it matters for exams: AIIMS is an Institute of National Importance set up under Central health schemes; its siting in Kerala is a recurring Centre-State topic.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
AIIMS All India Institute of Medical Sciences — Central institutes of medical education, research and tertiary care, set up under Acts of Parliament.
6 October 2026
Citing widespread misuse, the Revenue Department has cancelled an October 2017 circular that allowed corrections where survey numbers were wrongly entered in title deed forms.
A fresh circular dated 28 September 2026 asks District Collectors to send the government, through the Land Revenue Commissioner and within a week, a list of cases where survey numbers were amended.
All such title deeds will be re-examined by Revenue Divisional Officers, and the process must be completed within three months.
The Land Revenue Commissioner's communication of August 2026 said survey numbers were amended in over 600 cases by misusing the circular.
Misuse was widespread in Chinnakanal village in Udumbanchola and Wagamon village in Peerumade taluk of Idukki district; the Commissioner must also report on easing hardship to people whose numbers were recorded wrongly.
Circular cancelled:
October 2017
Cases of amended survey numbers:
over 600
Time to re-examine deeds:
three months
Why it matters for exams: Land records, title deeds and the Revenue Department's administrative hierarchy (Collector, RDO, Tahsildar) are core Kerala PSC topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Title deed Pattayam — The document by which the government grants ownership or occupancy of land.
RDO Revenue Divisional Officer — The officer heading a revenue division of a district, above the Tahsildar.
6 October 2026
The Revenue Department has decided to measure and demarcate land belonging to the University of Kerala at Palayam, Thiruvananthapuram, from 10 am on Tuesday.
The survey follows a High Court division bench headed by Chief Justice Soumen Sen hearing a petition by R S Sasikumar, a University syndicate member and chairman of the Save University Campaign Committee.
In 1977 the then Chief Minister A K Antony allotted 15 cents of University land for the AKG Study and Research Centre; the District Collector later told the court in an affidavit that the University gave 15 cents more.
The petitioner says the Centre now holds 55 cents; the Thiruvananthapuram Tahsildar said that only the University's land would be measured on Tuesday.
The CPM, whose state committee office functioned at AKG Centre until recently, holds that the court-approved survey covers only land in the University's possession.
Survey time:
10 am, Tuesday
Allotted in 1977:
15 cents
Area claimed by petitioner:
55 cents
Why it matters for exams: Land survey, demarcation by the Revenue Department and High Court writ jurisdiction over public land are recurring governance topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Writ petition Petition under Article 226 — A plea to a High Court to direct the State or an authority to perform a legal duty.
Demarcation Marking land boundaries — Revenue officials measure a property and fix its boundaries on the ground.