Background
The Indian Embassy in Havana records that India and Cuba established diplomatic relations after the Cuban revolution of 1959, and that the first head of the Indian mission presented credentials on 12 January 1960. Ernesto 'Che' Guevara visited India from 30 June to 4 July 1959, a visit the Embassy describes as instrumental in consolidating the early ties between the two countries. The Embassy describes the relationship as traditionally warm and friendly, with continued collaboration in the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement and other international fora. Current engagement runs through the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation programme, whose Cuban alumni were celebrated in March 2026, and through cultural work such as the Indian Film Festival held in Cuba in September 2025. India also delivered humanitarian assistance and disaster relief material to Cuba in November 2025.
Credentials presented by first head of Indian mission:
12 January 1960
Che Guevara's visit to India:
30 June to 4 July 1959
Shared fora:
United Nations, Non-Aligned Movement
Training programme:
ITEC
Why it matters for exams: The Havana mission and Che Guevara's India visit are the two anchors of the India-Cuba story.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
ITEC Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation — India's programme of training courses and technical assistance for officials and professionals from partner countries.
Credentials — The formal letter a head of mission presents to the host state before taking charge.
HADR Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief — Aid in the form of relief material and services sent to a country hit by a disaster.
Background
The Lakshadweep Administration's own description of its administrative setup lists 10 sub divisions in all. Eight of them have island-based Sub Divisional Officers, while Minicoy and Agatti have Deputy Collectors. There are five community development blocks, with headquarters at Kavaratti, Amini, Andrott, Minicoy and Kiltan. The Collector functions as Collector cum Development Commissioner and also as District Magistrate, handling revenue, land settlement and law and order. The Administrator is the Inspector General of Lakshadweep Police and has command and control over the force. Lakshadweep Police has a sanctioned strength of 349 personnel for 9 police stations, 2 police out posts and 1 police aid post.
Sub divisions:
10
Community development blocks:
Five
Police sanctioned strength:
349 personnel
Police stations:
9
Why it matters for exams: Who holds which office in a Union Territory without a legislature is asked directly in state and central exams.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
District Magistrate — The officer in charge of law and order and executive magistracy in a district.
Sub Divisional Officer — The revenue and general administration officer in charge of a sub division.
Background
The Lakshadweep Administration describes the Union Territory as 12 atolls, three reefs and five submerged banks. Ten islands are inhabited: Kavaratti, Agatti, Amini, Kadmat, Kiltan, Chetlat, Bitra, Andrott, Kalpeni and Minicoy. Alongside these the administration counts 17 uninhabited islands with attached islets and four newly formed islets. The total land area is 32 sq km, while the lagoon area is about 4,200 sq km. Territorial waters run to 20,000 sq km and the economic zone to about 4 lakhs sq km. The population recorded for the Union Territory is 64429 persons. The uninhabited island of Bangaram was enumerated and returned a population of 61 persons.
Atolls:
12
Reefs:
three
Submerged banks:
five
Land area:
32 Sq.Kms
Lagoon area:
about 4,200 Sq.kms
Population:
64429 persons
Why it matters for exams: The atoll-reef-bank count and the ten inhabited islands are the standard one-mark facts on Lakshadweep.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Atoll — A ring-shaped coral reef enclosing a lagoon.
Lagoon — The shallow sheltered water between an island and its surrounding reef.
Economic zone Exclusive Economic Zone — The sea belt where a coastal state has the sole right to explore and use marine resources.
5 October 2026
The Kerala Public Service Commission's extraordinary gazette dated 31/08/2026 carries Cat.No.130/2026 to Cat.No.150/2026, with 07-10-2026 as the last date to apply.
Cat.No.146/2026 to Cat.No.150/2026 are Beat Forest Officer posts in the Forest and Wildlife Department.
Cat.No.139/2026 to Cat.No.142/2026 are Fire & Rescue Officer (Trainee) posts in the Fire and Rescue Services.
Cat.No.143/2026 is Assistant Prison Officer in Prisons and Correctional Services, and Cat.No.138/2026 is Police Constable (Band/Bugler/Drummer) in the Police Band Unit.
Cat.No.130/2026 is Artist in Information and Public Relations, and Cat.No.136/2026 is Conservation Officer in the State Archives Department.
Cat.No.132/2026 is Plumber by transfer in the Kerala Water Authority, while Cat.No.133/2026 and Cat.No.144/2026 are Laboratory Attender and Electrician in the Ground Water Department.
Gazette date:
31/08/2026
Categories:
Cat.No.130/2026 to Cat.No.150/2026
Last date to apply:
07-10-2026
Why it matters for exams: A closing date two days away is directly actionable, and the department behind each category number is itself asked in Kerala PSC papers.
Kerala PSCSSC
In plain words
Beat Forest Officer Beat Forest Officer — The frontline forest post in charge of a beat, the smallest unit of a forest range.
State Archives Department Kerala State Archives Department — The department that keeps Kerala's historical government records and manuscripts.
5 October 2026
Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, speaking at Kasaragod on 3 October 2026, said the State is not in a position now to spend such a large amount of money on the Loka Kerala Sabha, the forum for Kerala's diaspora.
The Chief Minister's Office has said the Loka Kerala Sabha will be discontinued and that not a single rupee has been allocated for it.
The Kerala Cabinet had decided to dissolve the forum and to work out a new mechanism for expatriate welfare and investment.
All five editions of the Loka Kerala Sabha were held every two years between 2018 and 2026, inside the Kerala Legislative Assembly complex in Thiruvananthapuram.
The Speaker proposed instead bringing 70 distinguished Malayalis onto one platform when the Assembly marks its 70th anniversary in April 2027, and said the idea needs discussion at various levels.
He said the invitees could include artists, writers, cultural figures and prominent people from various fields.
Editions held:
Five, between 2018 and 2026
Assembly's 70th anniversary:
April 2027
Malayalis to be honoured:
70
Why it matters for exams: The Loka Kerala Sabha, its five editions and the Assembly's 70th anniversary year are the kind of Kerala-specific facts the PSC asks.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Loka Kerala Sabha Loka Kerala Sabha — A forum convened by the Kerala government bringing together Malayalis living outside the State and abroad.
Speaker Speaker of the Legislative Assembly — The presiding officer of the Assembly, elected by its members.
5 October 2026
A meeting of senior Health Department officials has proposed a vigilance mechanism inside the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited, the agency that buys medicines for government hospitals.
Health Minister K. Muraleedharan handed over the file carrying the proposal.
The proposed wing would have a police officer, a biomedical engineer, the chief pharmacist of the In-House Drug Bank at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College and a Health Department official.
It is meant to make procurement more transparent and to detect purchases of substandard medicines at inflated prices, quantities overstated on bills, inaccurate stock records and delayed payment of bills.
The file has been submitted and a decision on it is pending.
Kerala has separately moved to overhaul KMSCL procurement, with fresh tenders from October and blacklisting for suppliers of substandard drugs.
Agency:
Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited
Proposed members:
Four, including a police officer and a biomedical engineer
Status:
File submitted, decision pending
Why it matters for exams: KMSCL is the body an aspirant is asked to name as Kerala's drug procurement agency, and the oversight mechanism around it is live policy.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
KMSCL Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited — The State company that procures and distributes medicines and equipment for Kerala's government hospitals.
Blacklisting Blacklisting of a supplier — Barring a firm from future government tenders after its supply or conduct is found wanting.
5 October 2026
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has ordered a vigilance enquiry into the Kerala State Transport Project contract for the development of the MC Road, saying he found substance in the complaint after examining it.
The contract was worth Rs 215 crore for 127 kilometres of road and went to the PATI-BEL Consortium.
The complaint was given by KPCC member Malayinkeezhu Venugopal.
A special team led by the Vigilance Director will carry out the enquiry.
Four vigilance enquiries were ordered in 2006 into the project, covering consultancy awarded to foreign firms, construction lapses, pricing for demolished property and payments for maintenance work.
A Comptroller and Auditor General report put wasteful expenditure and fraud connected with the project at Rs 92.7 crores.
Gyanesh Kumar, now the Chief Election Commissioner, was Kerala's Public Works Secretary in the period of the contract and was moved out of that post in November 2006.
Contract value:
Rs 215 crore
Road length:
127 kilometres
Contractor:
PATI-BEL Consortium
CAG figure:
Rs 92.7 crores
Why it matters for exams: The Kerala State Transport Project, the role of the Vigilance Directorate and CAG audit findings are standard Kerala PSC governance material.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
KSTP Kerala State Transport Project — A State road upgrading programme that rebuilt major Kerala highways including the MC Road.
MC Road Main Central Road — The inland highway running from Thiruvananthapuram to Angamaly through central Kerala.
CAG Comptroller and Auditor General of India — The constitutional auditor of the accounts of the Union and the States.
Vigilance Directorate Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, Kerala — The State agency that enquires into corruption by public servants in Kerala.
5 October 2026
Environment Minister Sunny Joseph has said Kerala wants the final Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area notification confined to forest land, with inhabited areas, farmland and plantations completely excluded.
The current draft notification puts Kerala's ESA at 9,993.7 sq km, made up of 9,107 sq km of forest area and 886.7 sq km of non-forest area, already down from the 13,108 sq km of the Kasturirangan report.
Kerala has now asked that the 886.7 sq km of non-forest area be excluded as well, has proposed an extent of 8,590.69 sq km, and has asked that the villages covered be reduced from 131 to 98.
A cadastral map showing ESA boundaries at village level has now been prepared and awaits government approval before publication; it can be searched by place name but does not carry survey numbers.
The revised proposal leaves out the Cardamom Hill Reserve, inhabited areas and plantation regions.
Kasturirangan ESA for Kerala:
13,108 sq km
Current draft ESA:
9,993.7 sq km
Forest / non-forest split:
9,107 sq km and 886.7 sq km
Extent Kerala proposes:
8,590.69 sq km
Villages:
131 to be reduced to 98
Why it matters for exams: The Western Ghats ESA figures, the Kasturirangan report and the village count are asked in both Kerala PSC and UPSC environment papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ESA Ecologically Sensitive Area — An area notified by the Union environment ministry where certain activities are restricted to protect its ecology.
Cadastral map Cadastral map — A survey map that shows land parcels and boundaries village by village.
Kasturirangan report High Level Working Group on the Western Ghats — The 2013 report that recommended marking part of the Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive.
Cardamom Hill Reserve Cardamom Hill Reserve — A large tract of cardamom-growing hill land in Idukki district held under a special land tenure.
5 October 2026
Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas has directed the Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly to take appropriate steps in accordance with law, at the earliest and without undue delay, on the question of the disqualification of Pala MLA Mani C. Kappan.
The petition was filed by Dinesh Menon.
Kappan was convicted on 1 September by the Additional Metropolitan Magistrate, Borivali, in four cheque dishonour cases under the Negotiable Instruments Act.
The sentences were one year in three of the cases and six months in the fourth, adding up to three and a half years, with compensation of Rs 1.2 crore, Rs 1.70 crore, Rs 1.70 crore and Rs 70 lakh.
The Court referred to Article 192 of the Constitution as the mechanism for a question of the disqualification of a sitting member, and to Section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act.
The order was passed on 1 October 2026.
Judge:
Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas
Constituency:
Pala
Total sentence:
Three and a half years
Date of order:
1 October 2026
Why it matters for exams: Disqualification of a legislator under Article 192 and Section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act is a recurring polity question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Article 192 Article 192 of the Constitution of India — It lays down how a question about the disqualification of a sitting member of a State legislature is decided.
Section 8(3), RP Act Section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 — It disqualifies a person convicted and sentenced to imprisonment of not less than two years.
Negotiable Instruments Act Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 — The law that governs cheques and bills of exchange, including the offence of dishonour of a cheque.
5 October 2026
The Kerala Public Service Commission's extraordinary gazette dated 30/09/2026 carries Cat.No.151/2026 to Cat.No.161/2026, with 04-11-2026 as the last date to apply.
Cat.No.151/2026 is Draftsman Grade-II in the Kerala Ports service (Hydrographic Survey Wing).
Cat.No.153/2026 and Cat.No.154/2026 are Forest Boat Driver posts in the Forest and Wildlife Department, Part-I by direct recruitment and Part-II by transfer.
Cat.No.155/2026 is Higher Secondary School Teacher - Statistics, a Special Recruitment for Scheduled Tribes only.
Cat.No.156/2026 is Draftsman Grade-II / Town Planning Surveyor Grade-II, a Special Recruitment for SC/ST.
Cat.No.157/2026 and Cat.No.158/2026 are Higher Secondary School Teacher (Jr.) Arabic, NCA vacancies for SC and ST.
Cat.No.159/2026 is Police Constable Driver / Woman Police Constable Driver, an NCA vacancy.
Cat.No.152/2026, Cat.No.160/2026 and Cat.No.161/2026 are Peon/Watchman posts filled from among the part-time employees of KSFE Ltd.
Gazette date:
30/09/2026
Categories:
Cat.No.151/2026 to Cat.No.161/2026
Last date to apply:
04-11-2026
Why it matters for exams: Category numbers, departments and closing dates of live Kerala PSC notifications are directly useful to every Kerala PSC aspirant.
Kerala PSCSSC
In plain words
NCA Noting of Compensatory Appointment vacancy — A vacancy left unfilled from an earlier reserved turn and notified again for that community alone.
KSFE Kerala State Financial Enterprises Limited — A Kerala government company best known for running chitties across the State.
SR Special Recruitment — A recruitment reserved for a particular community to clear a backlog of unfilled reserved posts.
5 October 2026
The Kerala Legislature's own session page carries the notification summoning the Sixteenth Keralam Legislative Assembly to meet for its Second Session at 09.00 a.m. on Monday, 12th October, 2026.
The same page lists the calendar of the Second Session, the list of business, the questions and answers schedule, the papers laid on the table and the allotment of days for ministers to answer questions.
The First Session of the Sixteenth Assembly ran from 21-05-2026 to 01-07-2026 and had 12 sittings.
That First Session was prorogued on 01-07-2026, which is why a fresh summons is needed for the House to meet again.
Assembly:
Sixteenth Keralam Legislative Assembly
Session:
Second Session
Meets:
09.00 a.m., Monday, 12th October, 2026
First Session:
21-05-2026 to 01-07-2026, 12 sittings
Why it matters for exams: Session dates, the number of sittings and the terms summons and prorogation are standard Kerala PSC polity questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Prorogation Prorogation of a session — The formal ending of a session of the House, which does not dissolve the House itself.
List of Business List of Business of the House — The day's agenda of the Assembly, showing the items to be taken up in order.
5 October 2026
A ship carrying 1,479 Myanmar nationals reached Yangon early on Sunday after leaving the Malaysian naval base at Lumut on 29 September 2026.
The staged plan covers as many as 5,000 people, and more than 10,300 are held in Malaysia's immigration detention centres.
The UN refugee agency said its staff were not allowed to meet the Myanmar nationals to confirm whether their decisions to return were genuinely free and informed.
UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection Edem Wosornu said the agency was concerned by these returns at a time when people sent back to Myanmar may face serious risks.
215,600 refugees and asylum seekers are registered with UNHCR in Malaysia, among them more than 126,000 Rohingya.
More than 100,000 people have been killed in Myanmar's civil war since the coup of 2021.
Returned on this voyage:
1,479
Total planned:
5,000
In immigration detention:
more than 10,300
Registered with UNHCR in Malaysia:
215,600
Departure base:
Lumut
Why it matters for exams: Refugee returns test the principle that a person must not be sent back to a place of serious risk, and UNHCR's role in verifying consent.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees — The UN agency responsible for protecting refugees and people forced to flee their countries.
Rohingya Rohingya community of Myanmar's Rakhine State — A largely stateless minority from Myanmar, hundreds of thousands of whom have fled abroad.
5 October 2026
Neither candidate reached the 50 per cent of valid votes needed to win outright in the first round held on 4 October 2026.
Flavio Bolsonaro took 47 per cent of valid votes, about 55.8 million; Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took 44.9 per cent, about 53.2 million.
Brazil's electoral court confirmed on 4 October 2026, with nearly 99 per cent of votes reported, that the two would advance to a run-off on 25 October 2026.
The Superior Electoral Court had said 158.745.463 voters were eligible, 1.46 per cent more than in 2022.
Voters also chose senators and federal deputies on the same day, and right-wing parties led by Bolsonaro's Liberal Party performed strongly in both houses of Congress.
First round:
4 October 2026
Flavio Bolsonaro:
47 per cent of valid votes
Lula:
44.9 per cent of valid votes
Run-off:
25 October 2026
Eligible voters:
158.745.463
Why it matters for exams: Brazil's two-round presidential system and its October 2026 result are the kind of election fact asked in the international affairs section.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
TSE Tribunal Superior Eleitoral (Superior Electoral Court) — Brazil's highest electoral authority, which runs elections and declares the results.
Run-off second round of voting — A further vote between the two leading candidates when no one wins a majority in the first round.
Background
The 10 crore announced for the Khatima school this week is spent by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, and this is how that ministry and its school scheme are built.
A separate Ministry of Tribal Affairs was created after Atal Bihari Vajpayee became Prime Minister in 1999, to work systematically on the overall development of tribal communities.
Its stated purpose covered communities such as the Tharu, Boksa and Jaunsari.
The standard capacity of an Eklavya Model Residential School is 480 students, and at Khatima that is split as 240 boys and 240 girls.
In Uttarakhand such schools run at Khatima, Bajpur, Chakrata and the Kalsi area of Dehradun.
Separate ministry created:
1999
Standard capacity of an Eklavya school:
480 students
Split at Khatima:
240 boys and 240 girls
Why it matters for exams: The 1999 creation of the ministry and the 480-student standard capacity are the two facts asked about this scheme.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
EMRS Eklavya Model Residential School — A residential school of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for Scheduled Tribe children.
Scheduled Tribe ST — A community listed in the Presidential order under Article 342 of the Constitution.
Nodal ministry — The one ministry made responsible for a subject across the government.
Background
UCIL, which marked its Diamond Jubilee Year at Jaduguda this week, is a public sector enterprise under the Department of Atomic Energy, and this is the structure above it.
The Department of Atomic Energy was established on 3 August 1954 and works under the direct charge of the Prime Minister.
The Atomic Energy Commission was established on 1 March 1958 through a Government Resolution, which Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru later placed before Parliament.
Under that resolution the Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Atomic Energy is ex-officio Chairman of the Commission. Dr Ajit Kumar Mohanty holds that post.
Its ex-officio members include the National Security Advisor, the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, the Cabinet Secretary, the Foreign Secretary, the Secretary of the Department of Expenditure and the Director of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.
Appointed members include Ms Seema Jain as Member-Finance, Prof. P. Rama Rao, Dr Anil Kakodkar and Dr Ravi B. Grover; Dr Deep Prakash is Scientific Secretary.
Department of Atomic Energy established:
3 August 1954
Atomic Energy Commission established:
1 March 1958
Ex-officio Chairman:
Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy
Scientific Secretary:
Dr Deep Prakash
Why it matters for exams: The ex-officio chairmanship and the 1954 and 1958 dates are the two facts examiners take from this structure.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Ex-officio — Holding a position automatically because of another office one already holds.
BARC Bhabha Atomic Research Centre — India's principal nuclear research centre, at Trombay in Mumbai.
Government Resolution — An executive order of the Union government that sets up a body without a separate Act of Parliament.
5 October 2026
Officers of the Air Intelligence Unit of Chennai Customs intercepted a male passenger who arrived at Chennai International Airport from Bangkok on 2 October 2026, acting on passenger profiling.
The passenger tried to leave through the Green Channel without making any declaration to Customs.
Examination of his checked-in baggage produced 26 transparent airtight packets of dried flowering and fruiting tops of a plant, concealed inside Thai food packets. The contraband is suspected to be high-grade hydroponically cultivated cannabis.
The net weight was 15.02 kilograms and the material tested positive for ganja using a Narcotic Drug Detection Kit. Its illicit market value is about Rs.5.26 Crores.
The seizure was made under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985; the passenger was arrested and remanded to judicial custody.
Chennai Customs warned young people against offers of sponsored foreign travel in return for carrying unknown baggage home.
Net weight seized:
15.02 kilograms
Packets recovered:
26
Illicit market value:
Rs.5.26 Crores
Flight origin:
Bangkok
Why it matters for exams: The Green Channel, the Air Intelligence Unit and the NDPS Act appear together in customs and enforcement questions.
UPSCSSCBank
In plain words
Green Channel — The airport exit lane meant for passengers who have nothing dutiable or prohibited to declare.
Air Intelligence Unit — The Customs team at an airport that works on intelligence and passenger profiling to spot smuggling.
Hydroponic cultivation — Growing plants in a nutrient solution instead of soil, often indoors under controlled light.
5 October 2026
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has seized a cumulative 15.59 kg of amphetamine, cocaine and heroin in three intelligence-led operations conducted on 29 and 30 September 2026. Five persons were arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.
On 30 September, DRI and the Central Bureau of Narcotics signalled a Mahindra Thar to stop at the Ujjain-Dewas Toll Plaza in Madhya Pradesh. The driver broke through the barricade and was intercepted after a chase of about 1.5 hours near Bicholi Mardana, Indore. Twenty-one packets holding 7.116 kg gross of amphetamine were recovered from the spare tyre mounted on the rear door, and all three occupants were arrested.
On 29 September, a passenger arriving from Doha at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad, was found carrying seven chocolate tubes that were heavier than their marked weight; they held 207 capsules with 4.9 kg gross of cocaine.
In the third operation on 29 September, officers watching vehicles near Phillaur on the outskirts of Jalandhar, Punjab, recovered 3.574 kg of heroin from a passenger travelling in a rental car-pooling taxi.
The Directorate said the three cases show diverse trafficking routes and new concealment methods.
Total seized:
15.59 kg
Amphetamine from the spare tyre:
7.116 kg (gross)
Cocaine in chocolate tubes:
4.9 kg (gross)
Heroin near Phillaur:
3.574 kg
Arrested:
5
Why it matters for exams: DRI, the Central Bureau of Narcotics and the NDPS Act, 1985 are the three names asked together in enforcement questions.
UPSCSSCBank
In plain words
DRI Directorate of Revenue Intelligence — The central agency under the Department of Revenue that investigates smuggling and customs offences.
CBN Central Bureau of Narcotics — The central agency that controls licensed opium cultivation and enforces narcotics law.
NDPS Act, 1985 Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 — The law that bans the production, sale and transport of listed narcotic drugs in India.
5 October 2026
Former Supreme Court judge Rohinton Nariman said on 4 October 2026 that the right to vote, which he called the heart of the Constitution and of democracy, is at great peril.
He was speaking on 'The Constitution and the Common Man' at Rajkumar College, Rajkot.
He said 90 lakh voters were removed from the electoral rolls in West Bengal during the Special Intensive Revision, that some 22 lakh voters filed appeals, and that of the roughly 1 lakh appeals decided so far, 93 per cent were decided in the voters' favour.
He described the government-controlled appointment of Election Commissioners as a red flag, and noted that two Election Commissioners who objected to decisions of the Chief Election Commissioner took no action under Section 18 of the 2023 Act.
He criticised the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, which replaced the Chief Justice of India with a Cabinet Minister on the selection committee, and recalled Anoop Baranwal v. Union of India (2023).
He urged the Supreme Court's Constitution Bench to decide the validity of the appointment process promptly.
Voters removed in West Bengal:
90 lakh
Appeals filed:
about 22 lakh
Appeals decided so far:
about 1 lakh
Share of decided appeals allowed in the voter's favour:
93 per cent
Venue:
Rajkumar College, Rajkot
Why it matters for exams: Links the 2023 appointments law, the Anoop Baranwal judgment and the Special Intensive Revision in one question-ready chain.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
SIR Special Intensive Revision — An intensive door-to-door revision of electoral rolls ordered by the Election Commission.
Constitution Bench — A Supreme Court bench of at least five judges that hears substantial questions of constitutional law.
Anoop Baranwal v. Union of India — The 2023 Supreme Court judgment that laid down how Election Commissioners should be appointed.
5 October 2026
Keiko Fujimori was sworn in as President of Peru on 28 July 2026, for the 2026-2031 term.
She defeated the left-wing candidate Roberto Sanchez in the June runoff by fewer than 50,000 votes.
She is Peru's ninth president in a decade.
She was 51 at the time of taking office and campaigned on a law-and-order platform.
Her party, Fuerza Popular, holds the largest bloc in Congress.
Her Prime Minister is Luis Galarreta.
President of Peru:
Keiko Fujimori
Sworn in:
28 July 2026
Runoff margin:
fewer than 50,000 votes
Defeated:
Roberto Sanchez
Why it matters for exams: Heads of state and government of major countries are asked directly, and Peru's rapid changes of president make it a likely question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Runoff Second round of a two-round election — A fresh ballot between the top two candidates when no one wins a majority in the first round.
Background
The United Nations lists Peru's date of admission as 31-10-1945.
That places Peru among the original members who joined in the year the United Nations was founded.
The United Nations Charter had come into force earlier the same month.
Peru therefore counts as one of the founding members of the organisation.
Membership of the United Nations is open to peace-loving states that accept the obligations of the Charter.
Date of admission to the UN:
31-10-1945
Why it matters for exams: Dates of admission to the United Nations are a standard objective question in international organisations.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
UN Charter Charter of the United Nations — The founding treaty of the United Nations, which sets out the rights and duties of member states.