Background
The Economic Review that sets out the state of Kerala's economy before each Budget is the work of the Kerala State Planning Board, the body that also formulates the State's Five-Year and Annual Plans. The Board was constituted in 1967. The Chairperson of the Board is the Chief Minister of the State, and the term of the Board is co-terminus with the term of the ruling Government. Its functions include formulating Five-Year and Annual Plans, preparing the annual Economic Review, monitoring Plan implementation and coordinating the work of the Decentralisation Cell. The Director, Bureau of Economics and Statistics, was the first Member Secretary of the Board. The Chief Secretary to the Government and the Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department are permanent invitees, and the Board's office is at Pattom in Thiruvananthapuram.
Constituted:
September, 1967
Chairperson:
Chief Minister of the State
Term:
co-terminus with the term of the ruling Government
First Member Secretary:
The Director, Bureau of Economics and Statistics
Office:
Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram
Why it matters for exams: The Planning Board's chairpersonship, its year of constitution and the Economic Review are standard Kerala PSC questions on State economic machinery.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Economic Review — The Planning Board's yearly account of how each sector of Kerala's economy has performed.
Co-terminus — Lasting exactly as long as something else, here the government in office.
Background
The body that recommends how much of Kerala's tax revenue goes to its panchayats and municipalities is the State Finance Commission, which the State constitutes under Article 243-I and Article 243-Y of the Constitution of India to review the financial position of the Panchayats and the Municipalities. The Kerala Panchayat Raj Act was passed as early as in 1994, and the first State Finance Commission was constituted immediately after that. The first Commission's award covered the five years from 1996. Kerala has since constituted its Commissions without any break; the Seventh State Finance Commission was constituted in 2024 and its award covers the five-year block that opens in 2026. Kerala was the first State to set up a Cell in the Secretariat to follow up the implementation of the recommendations, in 1997. The Commission's own account says that panchayats in Kerala have transformed into the third stratum of government.
Basis for panchayats:
Article 243-I
Basis for municipalities:
Article 243-Y
First Commission constituted:
23/04/1994
First award period:
April 1996 to March 2001
Seventh Commission constituted:
26/09/2024
Seventh Commission's devolution period:
April 2026 to March 2031
Why it matters for exams: Devolution to local governments is examined through the constitutional article, the State Act and the numbering of the Commissions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Devolution — The transfer of a share of State taxes and of functions to local governments.
Article 243-I — The provision requiring a State to constitute a Finance Commission to review panchayat finances.
Background
A complaint that a school in Kerala has punished a child wrongly is decided by the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, which has ordered that boys and children who have not affirmed a gender identity have the freedom to grow their hair according to their preference and are not to be removed from class, discriminated against or subjected to punitive action over its length. The Commission attached conditions: the hair is to be kept clean and safe and is not to cover the eyes or face, and it must be tied or secured with a hairband during laboratory activities, sports competitions and practical classes. The Commission came into existence in 2013. It was created under the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights Act 2005 and the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights Rules 2012. For the Commission's purposes, children are individuals who fall between the ages 0 and 18. Its stated frame of reference is the child rights perspective in the Constitution of India and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted in 1989, to which India became a signatory in 1992. The Commission says it works with Government, Police, Judiciary and Local Self Government Institutions, and its office is at Thiruvananthapuram.
Came into existence:
3rd June 2013
Parent Act:
Commissions for Protection of Child Rights Act 2005
Rules:
Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights Rules 2012
Child defined as:
between the ages 0 and 18
UN Convention adopted:
20th November 1989
Why it matters for exams: Kerala PSC regularly asks which statute created a State commission and what age limit defines a child under it.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
KeSCPCR Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights — The State-level body that hears complaints of violations of children's rights in Kerala.
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child — The international agreement on children's rights that India signed in 1992.
Background
Chapter XIV of the UN Charter makes the International Court of Justice the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. All Members are ipso facto parties to the Court's Statute. Article 94 says each Member undertakes to comply with the Court's decision in any case to which it is a party. If a party fails to perform its obligations under a judgment, the other party may have recourse to the Security Council, which may make recommendations or decide on measures to give effect to the judgment. Under Article 96, the General Assembly or the Security Council may request an advisory opinion on any legal question.
Chapter:
XIV (Articles 92-96) / XIV (വകുപ്പുകൾ 92-96)
Compliance with decisions:
Article 94 / വകുപ്പ് 94
Advisory opinions:
Article 96 / വകുപ്പ് 96
Why it matters for exams: Article 94 and how ICJ judgments are enforced is a classic question on the UN system.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Advisory opinion Advisory opinion — The Court's legal opinion on a question put to it by an authorised UN body, not a judgment in a dispute.
Background
East Siang district takes its name from the Siang river, which rises in Tibet, where it is called Tsangpo, and flows down to the plains of Assam south of Pasighat, where it meets the Dihang and the Lohit and becomes the Brahmaputra. Pasighat, the district headquarters, was established in 1911 and is described by the district administration as the oldest town in Arunachal Pradesh and the gateway to the state. The district is mostly inhabited by the Adi tribe. Its village councils, called Kebang, have judicial, administrative and developmental functions.
District headquarters:
Pasighat
Pasighat established:
1911
Village councils of the Adi:
Kebang
Siang meets Dihang and Lohit:
south of Pasighat, as the Brahmaputra
Why it matters for exams: Background to the live Siang Upper Multipurpose Project debate: the Siang is the river at its centre and Pasighat is where talks with stakeholders have been held. Questions on Arunachal Pradesh often ask about its oldest town, the Siang-Brahmaputra link and the Adi Kebang council system.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Kebang Adi village council — A traditional village council of the Adi with judicial, administrative and developmental functions.
Background
The Commonwealth lists Pakistan as a member that joined in 1947 at independence.
Pakistan left the Commonwealth in 1972 and rejoined in 1989.
Its capital is Islamabad and its area is 882,000 square kilometres.
The Commonwealth gives its population as 220.9 million in 2022.
Pakistan lies to the north-west of India, and its other neighbours are China, Afghanistan and Iran.
Capital:
Islamabad
Area:
882,000 square kilometres
Rejoined Commonwealth:
1989
Why it matters for exams: Which international bodies a country belongs to, and its capital and neighbours, are standard country-profile questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
6 October 2026
The State-level declaration of 28 selected colleges as Drug Free Campuses is on 6 October at 11 am at Mar Ivanios College auditorium, Thiruvananthapuram.
Excise and Cooperation Minister M Liju will make the declaration.
Health and Devaswom Minister K Muraleedharan will preside and Higher Education Minister Roji M John will give the keynote address.
The Excise Department and the Collegiate Education Department are jointly running the 'Mayangilla Keralam' campaign as part of the government's 100-day programmes.
The aim is to stop drug use and supply on campuses and ensure counselling and treatment for affected students.
Colleges to be declared:
28
Campaign:
Mayangilla Keralam
Venue:
Mar Ivanios College, Thiruvananthapuram
Why it matters for exams: Campaign names, the departments behind them and the numbers announced are regular Kerala PSC current affairs items.
Kerala PSCUPSC
6 October 2026
The official website and logo of the Kerala State Climate Change Adaptation Mission are to be launched on 6 October at 3 pm at Central Residency Hotel, Thiruvananthapuram.
Minister for Electricity, Environment and Parliamentary Affairs Sunny Joseph will do the launch.
Transport Minister C P John will give the keynote address.
The government formed the Mission to face climate change challenges, make carbon finance and carbon credit available at government level, and strengthen the State economy by promoting green jobs.
A lecture and panel discussion in the Mission's climate adaptation dialogue series is held at 10 am.
Launch date:
6 October
Venue:
Central Residency Hotel, Thiruvananthapuram
Mission:
Kerala State Climate Change Adaptation Mission
Why it matters for exams: New State missions and their objectives are frequently asked in Kerala PSC and environment papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
6 October 2026
Under the 16th Finance Commission, local bodies in Kerala are expected to receive ₹19,991 crore over 2026-2031.
The Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation holds a one-day workshop on 6 October on 'The Finance Commission and Local Governments in Kerala: Challenges and the Way Forward'.
Local Self-Government Minister K M Shaji is to inaugurate it at 10.30 am.
The workshop will examine how Finance Commission grants to local bodies can be used effectively.
It is the first step of the initiative of the Institute's Local Fiscal Research Cell to strengthen local public finance in Kerala.
Expected local body share:
₹19,991 crore
Period:
2026-2031
Workshop date:
6 October
Why it matters for exams: Finance Commission awards and local body finance link Kerala and Indian polity and economy syllabi.
Kerala PSCUPSC
6 October 2026
The Health Department's 24x7 Pratheeksha Centre project, meant to ease crowding at medical colleges and give specialist treatment urgently, worked well at Punalur Taluk Hospital, the trial site.
Health and Devaswom Minister K Muraleedharan said it will now reach four more hospitals by the end of October.
These are the district hospitals at Palakkad, Tirur (Malappuram), Vadakara (Kozhikode) and Ernakulam.
Referral cases from Punalur Taluk Hospital fell by 30 per cent, the hospital superintendent told a review meeting.
The project will run on a trial basis in various districts till December this year, and full State-level rollout will follow an evaluation.
Trial hospital:
Punalur Taluk Hospital
Fall in referral cases:
30 per cent
New centres:
4 district hospitals
Why it matters for exams: Health-sector schemes and the districts where they are piloted are common in Kerala PSC general knowledge sections.
Kerala PSCUPSC
6 October 2026
The Women and Child Development Department begins the 'WOMN - Women on the Move & Menstrual Need-s' project, with the launch at the Thampanoor KSRTC bus terminal in Thiruvananthapuram on 6 October.
Minister Bindu Krishna is to inaugurate it at 5 pm.
Vending machines and incinerators are first being installed at 14 KSRTC centres as a pilot.
A packet of three sanitary napkins costs ₹10, and the incinerators allow eco-friendly disposal after use.
The project is run under the department's supervision with a partner agency's cooperation, and the department has currently set aside ₹16 lakh for it.
It is part of the State government's 100-day action programme and targets major tourist centres, KSRTC terminals and depots and other public places.
Pilot centres:
14 KSRTC centres
Packet of 3 napkins:
₹10
Allocation:
₹16 lakh
Why it matters for exams: Welfare schemes under the 100-day programme and their implementing departments are staple Kerala PSC questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
The Kerala High Court has asked the legislature to reconsider the requirements of a DNA test report, an agreement attested before a Notary Public, or an order of a competent court when the father's name in a birth record is to be corrected in cases where paternity is undisputed. Correction of an entry in the birth register is governed by Section 15 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 and Rule 11 of the Rules of 1999, and the Court found that those provisions do not permit a correction of this kind, the requirement of a DNA test report, a notarised agreement and a court order having been laid down by a circular issued in the matter. The register itself is kept by the Registrar of Births and Deaths, an officer of the local body. The Court invoked the doctrine of parens patriae, under which a court can act as the guardian and protector of minors and a constitutional court should step in where such children face injustice. Finding that paternity was not in dispute, the Court ordered the Registrar of Births and Deaths to correct the father's name in the register and to issue a fresh birth certificate. The Court also suggested that the parens patriae jurisdiction of the courts be taught at the school level so that children know that courts too are there to protect their interests.
Act:
Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969
Provision for correction:
Section 15 of the Act, 1969
Rule for correction:
Rule 11 of the Rules, 1999
Authority that keeps the register:
Registrar of Births and Deaths
Why it matters for exams: Birth and death registration is a local-body function with a named statute, a named section and a named rule, and parens patriae is a standard polity term the question can be hung on.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Parens patriae Parens patriae — The doctrine under which a court acts as the guardian and protector of those who cannot protect themselves, such as minors.
Registrar of Births and Deaths Registrar of Births and Deaths — The local-body officer who keeps the register of births and deaths and issues certificates from it.
Background
The Kerala High Court has held that a DNA test cannot be ordered as a matter of course merely on the basis of a dispute over the paternity of a child born during the subsistence of a valid marriage. Section 112 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 embodies a rule of public policy intended to protect the legitimacy of children born during a valid marriage. Under the provision, such a birth is treated as conclusive proof of legitimacy unless it is shown that the spouses had no access to each other at the time when the child could have been conceived. Without specific pleadings and prima facie material showing non-access between the spouses during the relevant period, a direction for DNA profiling cannot be sought. Proceedings under Section 12 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 are concerned with adjudicating domestic violence and granting statutory reliefs, not with determining biological parentage. An understanding reached during mediation is relevant and deserves consideration, but parties cannot by consent compel a court to pass an order contrary to law or public policy.
Provision:
Section 112, Indian Evidence Act, 1872
Effect of the provision:
Conclusive proof of legitimacy
Only exception:
No access between the spouses
Related provision:
Section 12, Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005
Why it matters for exams: Section 112 is one of the few provisions of the Indian Evidence Act that creates conclusive proof, and the single exception of non-access is a standard objective question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Conclusive proof Conclusive proof — A fact the court must treat as proved, which no further evidence is allowed to disprove except as the statute itself permits.
Non-access Non-access — Proof that the husband and wife had no opportunity of being together at the time the child could have been conceived.
Background
As per clause (1) of article 280 of the Constitution, the Finance Commission is to be constituted every fifth year or earlier.
A Finance Commission normally takes about two years to make its recommendations.
Its terms of reference require recommendations on three matters. The first is the distribution between the Union and the States of the net proceeds of taxes which are to be, or may be, divided between them under Chapter I, Part XII of the Constitution, and the allocation between the States of their respective shares.
The second is the principles which should govern the grants-in-aid of the revenues of the States out of the Consolidated Fund of India, and the sums to be paid to the States by way of grants-in-aid of their revenues under article 275 of the Constitution.
The third is the measures needed to augment the Consolidated Fund of a State to supplement the resources of the Panchayats and Municipalities in that State, on the basis of the recommendations made by the Finance Commission of the State.
The five-year rhythm has slipped in practice: the Eleventh Finance Commission was constituted six years after the Tenth, and the Fourteenth Finance Commission was constituted five years and two months after the Thirteenth.
An Advance Cell was formed in the Ministry of Finance to oversee preliminary work, pending the formal constitution of the Sixteenth Finance Commission.
Constitutional provision:
Clause (1) of article 280
Periodicity:
Every fifth year or earlier
Time taken to report:
Normally about two years
Grants-in-aid to States:
Under article 275, out of the Consolidated Fund of India
Tax devolution provision:
Chapter I, Part XII of the Constitution
Precedent cited for a longer gap:
Eleventh Finance Commission, six years after the Tenth
Why it matters for exams: Article 280, the five-year cycle and the three terms of reference - tax devolution, grants-in-aid under Article 275 and funds for local bodies - are the standard questions on Centre-State fiscal relations.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Grants-in-aid Grants-in-aid of the revenues of the States — Sums paid to a State out of the Consolidated Fund of India under article 275, on principles the Finance Commission recommends.
Terms of Reference Terms of Reference — The list of matters a Finance Commission is required to make recommendations on, settled when it is constituted.
Background
The Union Cabinet approved AGNIPATH as a recruitment scheme for the three Armed Forces; those selected under it are known as Agniveers.
Agniveers are enrolled under respective Service Acts for a period of four years and form a distinct rank in the Armed Forces, different from any other existing ranks.
They get a customised monthly package along with Risk and Hardship allowances as applicable in the three services. Thirty per cent of the monthly package goes into the Corpus Fund and the Government makes a matching contribution.
On completion of the four-year engagement an Agniveer is paid a one-time 'Seva Nidhi' package of Rs 11.71 Lakh. It comprises the Agniveer's own contribution to the Agniveer Corpus Fund together with the interest accrued on it, and a matching Government contribution equal to that accumulated amount. The Seva Nidhi is exempt from Income Tax.
There is no entitlement to gratuity and pensionary benefits. Agniveers are given a non-contributory Life Insurance Cover of Rs 48 lakhs for the duration of the engagement period.
Up to 25% of each specific batch of Agniveers may be enrolled in the regular cadre, on centralised consideration against objective criteria. Those taken into the regular cadre serve a further engagement period of minimum 15 years on the existing terms for Junior Commissioned Officers and Other Ranks and their equivalents.
Enrolment is on an 'All India All Class' basis through an online centralised system, and the eligible age range is 17.5 to 21 years.
Engagement period:
Four years
Seva Nidhi on exit:
Rs 11.71 Lakh
Contribution to Corpus Fund:
30% of the monthly package, matched by the Government
Life insurance cover:
Rs 48 lakhs, non-contributory
Gratuity and pension:
No entitlement
Permanent enrolment:
Up to 25% of each batch; a further minimum 15 years of service
Eligible age:
17.5 to 21 years
Why it matters for exams: The Seva Nidhi amount, the absence of pension, the insurance cover and the further 15-year engagement are the four figures most often set on this scheme.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Agniveer Agniveer — The rank held by a soldier, sailor or airman enrolled under AGNIPATH for a four-year engagement, distinct from every existing rank.
Seva Nidhi Seva Nidhi package — The one-time, income-tax-exempt payment made to an Agniveer on completing the four-year engagement, made up of the Agniveer's own contribution, the Government's matching contribution and interest.
Corpus Fund Corpus Fund — The fund into which 30 per cent of an Agniveer's monthly package is paid and to which the Government adds an equal amount.
Background
The Thrissur District Collector has directed the National Highways Authority of India to examine a barrier-free tolling system at Paliyekkara on the lines of the model adopted at Tambaram in Tamil Nadu, a direction given at a meeting of the National Highway Task Force chaired by the Collector on traffic delays and safety gaps along the stretch. Paliyekkara stands in Thrissur district on National Highway 544. Over seven financial years the plaza collected ₹925 crore, more than any other toll booth in Kerala, and figures placed in Parliament by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways put its daily average takings at ₹5.33 lakh. Its annual collections routinely cross the ₹100-crore mark. Kerala's other toll plazas are at Kumbalam, Ponnarimangalam, Kollam, Thiruvallam, Panniyankara, Pampampallam and Thiruvangad; of these only Panniyankara and Pampampallam have also crossed ₹100 crore in yearly revenue.
Highway:
National Highway 544
District:
Thrissur
Collection over seven financial years:
₹925 crore
Daily average takings:
₹5.33 lakh
Other plazas crossing ₹100 crore a year:
Panniyankara and Pampampallam
Why it matters for exams: Toll plazas are a standing question on Centre-State infrastructure: who builds the highway, who collects the toll and who convenes the district forum that reviews it.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
NHAI National Highways Authority of India — The Central authority that develops and maintains national highways and oversees toll collection on them.
Background
On 29 September 2026 the Kerala High Court directed the Secretary of the Department of Backward Classes Development to file an affidavit, within four weeks, disclosing the steps taken so far towards conducting a socio-economic caste survey in the State.
Under Section 11(2) of the Kerala State Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993, decisions on conducting a socio-economic or caste survey, on the use of data from such a survey, and on revising the State list of Other Backward Classes are to be taken in consultation with the Kerala State Commission for Backward Classes.
The Director of the Backward Classes Development Department filed an affidavit stating that his department implements schemes for the educational, social and economic advancement of backward classes, but that such survey and list decisions are for the Government acting through that administrative department.
The Director also stated that he had no independent authority to order a socio-economic or caste survey, to decide on the use of SECC-2011 data, or to revise the State list of Other Backward Classes.
The direction came in a contempt case over non-compliance with an earlier judgment on inadequate representation of backward classes in two public services and on the State's failure to conduct a socio-economic survey.
Under that earlier judgment the Union and State Governments were to finalise the report and submit it to the Commission, which was then to evaluate it and submit recommendations to the State Government.
The order was passed by a Division Bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V.M.
Governing statute:
Kerala State Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993
Provision requiring consultation:
Section 11(2)
Administrative department:
Department of Backward Classes Development
Survey data in question:
SECC-2011
Why it matters for exams: Kerala PSC and UPSC both ask which statutory body must be consulted before a State revises its OBC list, and the 1993 Act is the Kerala answer.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
SECC-2011 Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 — The 2011 socio-economic and caste enumeration whose data the State was asked whether it would use for identifying backward classes.
OBC Other Backward Classes — The category whose State list is revised only in consultation with the State Commission for Backward Classes.
Background
On 29 September 2026 the Kerala High Court quashed the State Government's order abolishing the Kerala Police Officers Association (KPOA), holding it an intrusion into rights under Article 19(1)(c) and Article 33 of the Constitution.
Article 19(1)(c) guarantees every citizen the right to form associations or unions.
The Court held that the right to form an association includes the right to continue in that association.
Article 33 empowers Parliament to restrict or abrogate the application of fundamental rights to members of the armed forces and of forces charged with the maintenance of public order, which covers the police.
The quashed order of 27 July 2026 had approved a reorganisation of police associations on the recommendation of the State Police Chief, and its operation had earlier been stayed by the High Court.
It would have reconstituted the Kerala Police Association, abolished the KPOA, and redistributed the abolished body's assets, bank accounts and deposits between the Kerala Police Association and the Kerala Police Senior Officers Association in a 60:40 ratio, besides constituting ad hoc committees.
The Kerala Police Association was established in 1979 in implementation of the recommendations of the National Police Commission.
The judgment was delivered by Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas.
Right to form associations or unions:
Article 19(1)(c)
Fundamental rights of forces maintaining public order:
Article 33
Kerala Police Association established:
1979
Asset split proposed in the quashed order:
60:40
Order quashed by the Kerala High Court:
29 September 2026
Why it matters for exams: Article 19(1)(c) read with Article 33 is a standard polity question, and this Kerala judgment gives the examiner a concrete Kerala setting for it.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
KPOA Kerala Police Officers Association — A service association of police officers in Kerala whose abolition by government order was quashed by the High Court.
Article 33 Article 33 of the Constitution of India — It lets Parliament restrict or abrogate fundamental rights for members of the armed forces and of forces charged with maintaining public order.
Background
The International Health Regulations (2005), or IHR (2005), are a binding international legal agreement involving 196 countries, including all the Member States of WHO.
Their purpose is to prevent, protect against, control and provide a public health response to the international spread of disease, in ways that avoid unnecessary interference with international traffic and trade.
The IHR (2005) define a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) as an extraordinary event determined to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response.
An Emergency Committee of international experts gives the WHO Director-General its views on whether an event is a PHEIC, on the Temporary Recommendations to be taken, and on the termination of a PHEIC.
The final determination of a PHEIC and of the Temporary Recommendations is made by the Director-General, not by the Committee.
Temporary Recommendations automatically expire three months after their issuance, so Emergency Committees are reconvened at least every three months.
Members of an Emergency Committee are drawn from the IHR Experts Roster established by the Director-General, and at least one member should be an expert nominated by the State Party in whose territory the event arises.
Instrument:
International Health Regulations (2005)
Countries bound:
196 countries, including all WHO Member States
Declares a PHEIC:
WHO Director-General
Life of Temporary Recommendations:
Three months from issuance
Why it matters for exams: Examiners regularly ask who declares a public health emergency of international concern and under which legal instrument, and the three-month life of Temporary Recommendations is a favourite detail.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
IHR (2005) International Health Regulations (2005) — The binding agreement under which 196 countries report and respond to public health risks that can cross borders.
PHEIC Public health emergency of international concern — An extraordinary event posing a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease, declared by the WHO Director-General.
Background
The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly at Paris on 9 December 1948. It entered into force on 12 January 1951, once the twenty ratifications required by article XIII had been obtained. The term genocide was first used by Raphael Lemkin in his book Axis Rule in Occupied Europe, published in late 1944. General Assembly resolution 96 (I) affirmed that genocide is a crime under international law and mandated the preparation of a draft convention. Drafting ran in three stages: a Secretariat text, a reworking by an ad hoc committee, and negotiation in the Sixth Committee of the General Assembly, which agreed the final text. The Secretariat's experts had divided genocide into physical, biological and cultural genocide, but the Sixth Committee voted to exclude cultural genocide from the Convention. One exception was kept: the forcible transfer of children from one group to another remains a punishable act.
Adopted at:
Paris, 9 December 1948
Entered into force:
12 January 1951
Ratifications required:
twenty, under article XIII
Term coined by:
Raphael Lemkin
Why it matters for exams: The Convention is the first human rights treaty of the United Nations era and its definition, its entry-into-force requirement and the exclusion of cultural genocide are standard question material.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Sixth Committee Sixth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly — The General Assembly's committee that handles legal questions, including treaty texts.