2 October 2026
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his Jayanti on 2 October 2026.
He highlighted Gandhi's emphasis on Swadeshi, with Khadi as the foremost example.
He urged citizens to purchase at least one Khadi product on 2nd October and take pride in calling it Swadeshi.
He expressed hope that Gandhi's timeless message would continue to guide society towards a better society and a Viksit Bharat, a developed India.
The statement was issued by the Prime Minister's Office.
Date of observance:
2 October 2026
Example of Swadeshi cited:
Khadi
Issuing office:
Prime Minister's Office
Why it matters for exams: Gandhi Jayanti observances and the Swadeshi-Khadi link are recurring one-mark questions in state and central exams.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Swadeshi Swadeshi — The principle of using goods made in one's own country, central to Gandhi's economic thinking.
Khadi Khadi — Hand-spun, hand-woven cloth promoted by Gandhi as the symbol of self-reliance.
2 October 2026
The Kerala government has set up a help desk through NORKA Roots for Malayali students at Lovely Professional University in Punjab, where a clash took place.
The help desk will function 24 hours a day.
Students and families can reach it on the toll-free number 1800 425 3939, and a missed call facility is available on +91 8802 012345.
Support is also available through the NORKA NRK Development Office at Kerala House, New Delhi, on 011 2336 0350 and 011 2334 9202.
The arrangement was announced by the Information and Public Relations Department on October 1, 2026.
Toll-free number:
1800 425 3939
Missed call facility:
+91 8802 012345
Working hours:
24 hours
Delhi office:
NORKA NRK Development Office, Kerala House, New Delhi
Why it matters for exams: NORKA Roots and its helpline machinery are standard Kerala PSC questions on the State's non-resident welfare system.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
NORKA Non-Resident Keralites Affairs — The Kerala government department for Keralites living outside the State and the country.
2 October 2026
Health Minister K Muraleedharan announced that Kerala will bring in legislation to regulate treatment costs in private hospitals.
A four-member committee headed by the Principal Secretary, Health, will prepare the draft Bill. Its other members are the Director of Health Services, the Director of Medical Education and the Managing Director of Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd.
The proposed law will cover medicine prices, charges for laboratory tests, CT and MRI scans, room rent and the cost of procedures and interventions.
Patients are to be told the expected cost of treatment in advance, and bills must set out every charge item by item.
Medicines supplied by private hospitals are to be priced below the maximum retail price.
The Minister said some hospitals are exploiting poor people excessively, and that many people approach the government for help after receiving private hospital bills they cannot pay.
Committee size:
Four members
Chair:
Principal Secretary, Health
Minister:
K Muraleedharan
Medicine pricing rule proposed:
Below maximum retail price
Why it matters for exams: Price regulation of private healthcare is a live governance theme and the committee's composition is an easy factual question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
KMSCL Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd — The State agency that procures medicines and equipment for government hospitals.
MRP Maximum retail price — The highest price at which a packaged product may legally be sold to a consumer.
2 October 2026
Justice Jobin Sebastian, in an order dated September 26, 2026, held that a DNA test of a child born during a valid marriage is not to be directed routinely merely because paternity is disputed.
The court was hearing Criminal Miscellaneous Case No. 2332/2026, filed after a Magistrate refused a husband's request for a DNA test.
The wife and her minor child had moved proceedings under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, seeking maintenance and the return of gold ornaments.
Section 112 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 makes birth during a valid marriage conclusive proof of legitimacy unless it is shown that the spouses had no access when the child could have been conceived.
The court said that without specific pleadings and prima facie material on non-access, a DNA test cannot be ordered, and that the presumption rests on public policy which parties cannot set aside by consent or settlement.
The petition was dismissed and the Magistrate's refusal upheld. The ruling is reported as 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 542.
Judge:
Justice Jobin Sebastian
Order dated:
September 26, 2026
Case:
Criminal Miscellaneous Case No. 2332/2026
Provision:
Section 112, Indian Evidence Act, 1872
Citation:
2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 542
Why it matters for exams: Section 112 and the limits on DNA evidence are recurring questions in law and general studies papers alike.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Non-access Absence of opportunity for marital intercourse — Under Section 112 the presumption of legitimacy falls only if the spouses had no access when the child could have been conceived.
PWDV Act Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 — The law under which the wife sought maintenance and return of her ornaments.
2 October 2026
A Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K V Jayakumar directed the Travancore Devaswom Board to exercise greater care while procuring materials for Sabarimala prasadam.
The Bench said future e-tender documents must carry conditions requiring that materials meet quality standards as well as the religious customs and requirements of the temple.
The petition, S J R Kumar v The Travancore Devaswom Board, WP(C) 25645/2021, concerned jaggery carrying a Halal certification mark that was used in Aravana Payasam and Unniyappam.
The supplier, Vardhan Agro Processing Limited of Maharashtra, told the court the marking was affixed for export to West Asia and did not reflect the product's composition.
Testing by the Food Safety Officer found the jaggery satisfactory and free of any substance that made it unsuitable for prasadam.
The petition was disposed of, the court recording the Board's undertaking to be more careful in future procurement. The ruling is reported as 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 541.
Bench:
Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K V Jayakumar
Case:
WP(C) 25645/2021
Citation:
2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 541
Prasadam items involved:
Aravana Payasam and Unniyappam
Why it matters for exams: Devaswom bench rulings on temple procurement combine Article 25-26 questions with the statutory framework of Kerala's Devaswom Boards.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
TDB Travancore Devaswom Board — The statutory board that administers temples of the erstwhile Travancore region, including Sabarimala.
WP(C) Writ Petition (Civil) — A petition filed in a High Court under Article 226 of the Constitution.
2 October 2026
Chief Minister V D Satheesan launched 'Nirmalam - A New Era of Clean Keralam', a five-year waste management campaign, at a function in Kochi.
The campaign fixes March 30, 2031 as the date on which Keralam is to be declared a fully waste-free State.
Satheesan said the State should set up two or three model plants for plastic waste disposal and four or five plants for converting ordinary waste into power.
A new project on 12 acres in the Kochi Corporation area was announced, along with large projects in Kozhikode and Kochi supported by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited.
Waste dumping sites across the State are to be identified within 100 days, and the campaign will run in three phases.
Local Self-Government Minister K M Shaji said the department will set up a dedicated authority for waste disposal, give every local body its own website and put QR codes at local institutions for public feedback.
Campaign:
Nirmalam - A New Era of Clean Keralam
Duration:
Five years
Target date:
March 30, 2031
Plastic waste model plants:
2 to 3
Waste-to-energy plants:
4 to 5
New Kochi project area:
12 acres
Why it matters for exams: A flagship State campaign with a named target date and institutional machinery is standard material for Kerala PSC current affairs and for UPSC questions on urban sanitation.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
LSGD Local Self-Government Department — The Kerala department in charge of panchayats and municipalities, and of waste management under them.
BPCL Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited — A central public sector oil company; it is backing the large waste projects in Kochi and Kozhikode.
1 October 2026
Kelley E. Currie, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, said in Geneva that she was gravely concerned by Malaysia's move to return 5,000 Myanmar nationals, including women and children, under a programme agreed with Myanmar's military authorities.
She said the conditions necessary for a safe, dignified, sustainable and genuinely voluntary return are not currently in place, and that the risk of refoulement is substantial.
She described the military's restrictions on humanitarian access and independent monitoring as severe, including at camps for displaced people in Rakhine State under military control.
The first group of 1,476 people was returned from Malaysia beginning on 29 September.
The statement also recorded that on 28 September the Myanmar military struck the India Market in Pike Thae village, Kyauktaw Township, Rakhine State, killing more than 50 civilians, with many more injured.
Special Rapporteurs are independent experts appointed by the Human Rights Council who serve in an individual capacity and are not United Nations staff.
Myanmar nationals to be returned:
5,000
First group returned:
1,476
Civilians killed at Kyauktaw:
more than 50
Why it matters for exams: A primary United Nations statement that names the mandate, the place and the figures is exactly the kind of source an examiner builds a question from.
UPSC
In plain words
Refoulement Forced return to a place of danger — Sending a person back to a country where they face a real risk of serious harm.
Rakhine State Western coastal state of Myanmar — A state on Myanmar's west coast facing the Bay of Bengal, with a large displaced population.
1 October 2026
A multi-State mock exercise on cyclone and induced disasters was conducted in Goa on October 1, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The exercise covered Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
It was coordinated by the South Goa District Disaster Management Authority at Margao and the Kushavati District Disaster Management Authority, with the State Disaster Management Authority, Goa, and the National Disaster Management Authority.
Sites in South Goa district included the Mormugao Port Authority in Mormugao taluka, the Bandekar College of Pharmacy at Farmagudi in Ponda taluka and Marksans Pharma Ltd at Verna Industrial Estate in Salcete taluka.
Sites in Kushavati district included Khairekhatem in Sanguem taluka, the Davkond bridge at Dudhsagar in Dharbandora taluka, a petrol pump in Quepem taluka and Palolem beach in Canacona taluka.
The drill focused on activation of the Early Warning System and on evacuation procedures.
Date of exercise:
October 1, 2026
Timing:
8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
States covered:
Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra
Why it matters for exams: Disaster management machinery and the names of Goa's districts and talukas are standard questions in State and Union civil services papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
DDMA District Disaster Management Authority — The district level authority set up under the Disaster Management Act to plan and coordinate response.
NDMA National Disaster Management Authority — The apex national body for disaster management policy and guidelines.
1 October 2026
A Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K V Jayakumar closed a long-pending petition about jaggery used for prasadam at Sabarimala.
The case is S J R Kumar v The Travancore Devaswom Board and Ors, WP(C) 25645/2021, reported as 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 541.
The jaggery supplied in 2019 by Vardhan Agro Processing Limited carried a halal certification mark, JUH/HRC/437/2018, obtained for the company's exports to West Asia.
Analysis by the Food Safety Officer found the jaggery within acceptable limits for moisture and total sugar, with no substance unfit for preparing prasadam.
The court said the Board ought to have exercised greater care so that the jaggery supplied did not bear symbols, markings or declarations that could give rise to an apprehension of conflict with the religious customs and practices followed at the temple.
The Board was directed to include conditions in future e-tender documents ensuring that materials for nivedyam and prasadam meet both quality standards and temple custom.
Case:
WP(C) 25645/2021
Citation:
2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 541
Supplier:
Vardhan Agro Processing Limited
Halal certificate number:
JUH/HRC/437/2018
Why it matters for exams: The Travancore Devaswom Board, Sabarimala and the High Court's Devaswom Bench are standing Kerala PSC topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Nivedyam Nivedyam — Food offered to the deity in a temple, later distributed as prasadam.
Devaswom Bench Devaswom Bench of the Kerala High Court — A special bench of the Kerala High Court that hears matters about temples administered by the Devaswom Boards.
1 October 2026
A new Monetary Policy Framework Agreement was signed on 1 October 2026 setting Sri Lanka's inflation target at 5% for the next three years.
The target carries a tolerance margin of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
It was signed by Hon. Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and President of Sri Lanka, and Dr P Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
The agreement was entered into under Section 26 of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Act, No. 16 of 2023.
It was published in Government Gazette Extraordinary No. 2508/28 dated 1 October 2026.
Quarterly headline inflation is the simple average of the year-on-year percentage changes in the monthly Colombo Consumer Price Index for the three months of each calendar quarter.
Inflation target:
5%
Tolerance margin:
plus or minus 2 percentage points
Period covered:
Three years
Legal provision:
Section 26 of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Act, No. 16 of 2023
Gazette:
Government Gazette Extraordinary No. 2508/28
Why it matters for exams: Inflation targeting agreements between a finance ministry and a central bank are a standard comparison question alongside India's own 4 per cent target.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Monetary Policy Framework Agreement Agreement setting a central bank's inflation target — It fixes the numerical target a central bank must steer inflation towards.
CBA Central Bank of Sri Lanka Act, No. 16 of 2023 — The law that replaced the Monetary Law Act and gave the Central Bank its present mandate.
1 October 2026
The Reserve Bank of India released the indicative calendar for State Government and Union Territory market borrowings for October-December 2026.
Total borrowing in the quarter is expected to be ₹3,60,820 crore.
The Benchmark Issuance Strategy (BIS) is extended from Q3 FY 2026-27 to Assam, Goa, Haryana, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Actual amounts depend on State requirements, Government of India approval under Article 293(3) of the Constitution and market conditions.
Expected State/UT borrowing, Oct-Dec 2026:
₹3,60,820 crore
New BIS entrants from Q3:
6 States + 1 UT
Approval required under:
Article 293(3)
Why it matters for exams: State borrowing, Article 293 and RBI's debt-management role are standard economy and polity topics.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
BIS Benchmark Issuance Strategy — An RBI framework in which participating States issue securities of benchmark sizes on an announced calendar.
1 October 2026
Justice G Girish of the Kerala High Court stayed further proceedings in the criminal trial against IAS officer Sriram Venkitaraman in the 2019 rash driving case.
The order came in a petition by Jaseela C, widow of journalist K M Basheer, challenging the State's refusal to appoint a special public prosecutor.
She had sought the appointment of Advocate Santhosh Kumar; the court called for records of the government decision rejecting it.
The case involves a vehicle hitting Basheer at Museum Junction in Thiruvananthapuram in 2019.
The case is posted for further consideration on 27 October 2026.
Judge:
Justice G Girish
Case:
WP(Crl.) 1485/2026
Next posting:
27 October 2026
Why it matters for exams: Special public prosecutors and interim stays by the High Court are standard topics in criminal-procedure and Kerala PSC current affairs.
Kerala PSCUPSC
1 October 2026
Justice G. Girish stayed the criminal trial on 1 October 2026 in the 2019 rash driving case against IAS officer Sriram Venkitaraman.
The journalist K.M. Basheer died after being struck by a vehicle at Museum Junction, Thiruvananthapuram, in 2019.
The petition (WP(Crl.) 1485/2026) was filed by his widow, Jaseela C., who challenged the government's rejection of her request to appoint Advocate Santhosh Kumar as Special Public Prosecutor.
In August 2026 the court had deferred the trial for a month after recording the State's in-principle commitment to appoint a special prosecutor; the petitioner says the State later made a U-turn.
The court called for the records of the government's decision; the next hearing is on 27 October 2026.
Case number:
WP(Crl.) 1485/2026
Petitioner:
Jaseela C.
Next hearing:
27 October 2026
Why it matters for exams: The role of the Public Prosecutor and the State's power to appoint a Special Public Prosecutor under the CrPC are standard law-and-governance points.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Special Public Prosecutor Prosecutor appointed for a particular case — A prosecutor the government appoints to conduct the prosecution in a specific case, apart from the regular Public Prosecutor.
1 October 2026
On International Day of Older Persons, 1 October 2026, the Government of Kerala published a note on a new direction for senior citizen welfare. An order has been issued forming a Department of Senior Citizens, separated from the Social Justice Department. The note says Kerala is the first state in India to form a Senior Citizens Commission; a chairperson and four members have been appointed under the Kerala State Senior Citizens Commission Act (2025), and the commission's work includes implementing the provisions of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007. A first-in-India 'Age-Friendly Office Certification' scheme has begun, under which offices are to receive Gold, Silver or Bronze status after assessment. A six-month Care Giver Certificate Course through nursing colleges and selected hospitals and a 'Dementia-Friendly Kerala' programme are also mentioned.
Day of the note:
1 October 2026 (International Day of Older Persons)
Certification tiers:
Gold, Silver, Bronze
Care Giver course:
Six months
Why it matters for exams: Kerala PSC regularly asks about welfare departments, commissions and the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
MWPSC Act Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 — A central law making children and relatives responsible for maintaining senior citizens.
1 October 2026
The Information and Public Relations Department announced on 1 October 2026 that a gathering of fisherwomen entrepreneurs and the inauguration of electric scooter distribution under the state-level 'She Scooter' scheme will be held on 5 October at 10 am. The venue is the Vellayambalam Jimmy George Indoor Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. Chief Minister V D Satheesan will inaugurate it. The programme is part of the government's hundred-day action plan. Fisheries Minister V E Abdul Gafoor will preside, and Transport Minister C P John will distribute financial assistance to enterprises.
Launch date:
5 October 2026, 10 am
Venue:
Vellayambalam Jimmy George Indoor Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram
Vehicles:
Electric scooters
Why it matters for exams: New schemes launched under the Satheesan government's hundred-day action plan are likely Kerala PSC current-affairs questions.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Hundred-day action plan Government's first-100-days programme — A set of time-bound projects a new government commits to complete in its first hundred days.
1 October 2026
The UN General Assembly met on Thursday to examine a Security Council veto cast by China and Russia.
The vetoed draft was backed by the United States and concerned a sanctions panel of experts on Iran's nuclear facilities.
The Assembly's veto initiative, established in 2022, requires it to meet within 10 working days of any veto in the Council.
The permanent members are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States; a vote against by any one of them makes a resolution fail.
Assembly President Khalilur Rahman will send a summary of the debate back to the Security Council.
Veto cast by:
China and Russia
Assembly must meet within:
10 working days
Veto initiative established:
2022
Assembly President:
Khalilur Rahman
Why it matters for exams: UN Security Council veto powers and the General Assembly's 2022 veto initiative are staple UN-structure questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Veto Latin: 'I forbid' — The power of a permanent Security Council member to block a resolution by voting against it.
Panel of experts — A small group of independent experts that monitors how UN sanctions are applied.
1 October 2026
Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan said a comprehensive law giving legal guarantees to senior citizens will soon be brought before the State Assembly.
He was inaugurating the State-level International Day of Older Persons celebrations in Thiruvananthapuram on October 1.
The draft Bill is being prepared by the new Department for Senior Citizens and will soon be published.
There will be a register of senior citizens and a caregivers' course to build a workforce for elderly care.
The Chief Minister said older people are projected to make up nearly 38 per cent of Kerala's population by 2036, against a projected national average of 19 per cent.
Projected elderly share by 2036, Kerala:
Nearly 38 per cent
Projected national average:
19 per cent
Occasion:
International Day of Older Persons
Why it matters for exams: New welfare legislation and the Department for Senior Citizens are likely Kerala PSC polity and social-justice questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
1 October 2026
The State government is preparing a Bill to regulate treatment costs in private hospitals, Health Minister K. Muraleedharan said.
A four-member committee headed by the Principal Secretary (Health) will draft the recommendations.
The other members are the Director of Medical Education, the Director of Health Services and the Managing Director of the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd (KMSCL).
It will examine charges for medicines, diagnostic tests, room rent and procedures, and whether private hospitals can buy medicines through KMSCL.
Proposed measures include telling patients the expected cost before treatment and showing every item and its charge in the bill.
Extending government-sponsored health insurance to more private hospitals will also be examined.
Committee size:
Four
Committee chair:
Principal Secretary (Health)
Health Minister:
K. Muraleedharan
Why it matters for exams: Health governance and State legislation on private-sector charges are standard Kerala PSC polity and health current-affairs topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
KMSCL Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd — The State agency that procures medicines and equipment for government health facilities.
1 October 2026
Inaugurating the State-level International Day of Older Persons event at Ayyankali Hall, Thiruvananthapuram, Chief Minister V D Satheesan said a comprehensive law will be introduced in the Assembly to secure senior-citizen care as a legal right.
He noted that Kerala is the first State in the country to form a separate department for senior citizens, and cited a study projecting about 38 per cent of the population as senior citizens by 2036.
A Governing Council chaired by the Chief Minister, an expert technical advisory committee, a directorate and district-level Senior Citizens Cells will be set up.
A digital registry from a State-wide survey, a Vulnerability Registry, a 24-hour helpline, a Dementia-Friendly Kerala project and caregiver courses in medical institutions from the next academic year were also announced.
Retired experts will serve as Techno Mentors in startups and MSMEs under the 'silver economy' approach.
Projected senior share by 2036:
about 38 per cent
Council chaired by:
Chief Minister
Helpline:
24 hours
Venue:
Ayyankali Hall, Thiruvananthapuram
Why it matters for exams: Welfare departments, legislation and ageing-population data feature regularly in Kerala PSC general knowledge and social-justice questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Silver economy — An approach that treats older people's experience and spending as an economic resource.
Vulnerability Registry — A planned list of older people who need special attention and care.
1 October 2026
Separate official websites are now live for all 1,200 local self-government institutions in Kerala.
They cover 941 grama panchayats, 152 block panchayats, 14 district panchayats, 87 municipalities and six municipal corporations.
Chief Minister V D Satheesan inaugurated the websites and a QR-code citizen feedback system, part of the government's 100-day action programme; Local Self-Government Minister K M Shaji was present.
Citizens can scan the QR code shown at a local body's front office to rate staff conduct, waiting time, cleanliness and facilities such as forms, stationery and internet.
The sites link to K-SMART and other digital systems for certificates, property tax, licences and complaint redressal.
Local bodies with websites:
1,200
Grama panchayats:
941
Municipal corporations:
6
Launched by:
V D Satheesan
Why it matters for exams: Local self-government structure and e-governance reforms are standing topics in Kerala PSC and UPSC polity papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
K-SMART Kerala Solutions for Managing Administrative Reformation and Transformation — The State's integrated digital platform for local body services such as certificates and property tax.
Municipal corporation — The highest tier of urban local body, found in Kerala's six largest cities.