Kerala PSC Current Affairs — 25 April 2026

Daily current affairs for Kerala PSC aspirants. Today’s edition: bilateral economic agreement with the Maldives, sovereign AI compute infrastructure, banking-sector leadership continuity, defence honours, and a major social-justice reservation reform from a southern state.

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Kerala News

1. Kerala Heatwave Continues — Orange Alert in Three Districts

• IMD continues Orange Alert for Kollam, Thrissur, Palakkad for 25-26 April 2026
• Predicted temperatures: Palakkad ~40°C, Kollam ~39°C, Thrissur and Kottayam ~38°C, most other districts ~37°C, Thiruvananthapuram ~36°C — 3 to 4°C above normal
• Schools in Kollam and Thrissur districts ordered closed for the day under district collector orders
• Kerala heatwave criterion (PSC-relevant): maximum temperature ≥ 37°C (coastal) / 40°C (interior) AND departure from normal ≥ 4.5°C
• IMD colour code: Green (no warning) → Yellow (be updated) → Orange (be prepared) → Red (take action)

2. Kerala 2026 Assembly Elections — Counting Prep

• Kerala Legislative Assembly election held on 9 April 2026 for 140 seats; counting and results: 4 May 2026
• Election Commission of India (ECI) directed Appellate Tribunals to expedite electoral-roll appeals by 21 / 27 April 2026 so revised supplementary rolls are ready before counting (per Mostari Banu v. ECI directions)
• Pinarayi Vijayan (CPI(M)) is contesting from Dharmadam (Kannur district), seeking a third consecutive LDF mandate
• PSC relevance: Article 324 (ECI), Section 30 of Representation of the People Act 1951, electoral roll machinery

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National News

3. India-Maldives — ₹3,000 Crore SAARC Currency Swap Approved

• Government of India approved a ₹3,000 crore (≈USD 360 million) currency swap facility for the Maldives under the SAARC Currency Swap Framework (2024-2027)
• Bilateral support agreement between RBI and Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA)
• Cumulative RBI support to Maldives since 2012: USD 1.1 billion
• PSC relevance: SAARC institutions, India’s neighbourhood-first policy, RBI’s external function, balance-of-payments support

4. VM Frames — National Filmmaking Competition Launched

• Ministry of Culture launched ‘VM Frames’ national filmmaking competition marking 150 years of Vande Mataram (Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s 1875 composition in Anandamath)
• Total prize pool: ₹50 lakh
• Three categories: Reels (under 1 min), AI films (≤5 min), Short films (≤15 min)
• Submission deadline: 7 May 2026
• PSC relevance: Vande Mataram history, Bankim Chandra (Bengali Renaissance), national symbols, Ministry of Culture initiatives

5. BharatGen-L&T Sovereign AI Compute Platform — 5-Year MoU

• Five-year MoU signed for India’s sovereign AI compute infrastructure
• Partners:
  • L&T Semiconductor Technologies (LTSCT) — ASIC chip design
  • L&T-Vyoma — 30 MW data centre at Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu
  • BharatGen — large language model (LLM) development
• Approved under IndiaAI Mission by Digital India Corporation
• Focus: multilingual, India-specific AI models
• PSC relevance: IndiaAI Mission, MeitY, semiconductor mission, Atmanirbhar Bharat

6. India-Czech Republic — 13th JCEC in Prague

• Jitin Prasada (Union MoS Commerce & Industry) co-chaired the 13th India-Czech Republic Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation (JCEC) in Prague on 22-23 April 2026
• Protocol signed on bilateral trade and investment
• India-Czech Business Forum inaugurated for B2B linkages
• PSC relevance: India-EU bilateral mechanisms, JCEC structure, MoCI initiatives

7. RBI Lifts Forex Hedging Restrictions

• Reserve Bank of India withdrew the March 27 cap of USD 100 million on related-party forex hedging by authorised dealers (banks)
• Restored: arbitrage trades, Non-Deliverable Forward (NDF) access for banks
• Original cap was meant to manage rupee depreciation pressure during West Asia volatility
• PSC relevance: RBI’s exchange-rate management, FEMA 1999, forex market functioning

8. Jio Financial Services-Allianz — 50:50 Insurance JV

• JFSL and Allianz Europe BV announced an equal-equity (50:50) general and health insurance joint venture in India
• Subsidiary Allianz Jio Reinsurance Limited operationalised
• JFSL contributes digital reach; Allianz contributes underwriting expertise
• PSC relevance: insurance penetration in India, IRDAI, FDI in insurance (currently 74%), foreign-Indian JVs

9. Gen Upendra Dwivedi — US Army War College Hall of Fame

• General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Army Staff, inducted into the International Hall of Fame at the US Army War College (USAWC), Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania
• Third Indian Army Chief to be honoured (after Gen V.K. Singh and Gen Bikram Singh)
• Criterion: outstanding contributions to national security
• PSC relevance: Indian Army leadership, India-US defence cooperation, military diplomacy

10. ACC Approves Tenure Extensions for Public-Sector Bank Chiefs

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) chaired by the Prime Minister approved three-year extensions:
  • Rajneesh Karnatak — MD & CEO, Bank of India — until April 2029
  • Debadatta Chand — MD & CEO, Bank of Baroda — until July 2029
• Continuity for two of India’s largest public-sector banks
• PSC relevance: ACC role, public-sector bank governance, banking nationalisation history

11. Karnataka — SC Reservation Sub-Categorisation

• Karnataka Cabinet approved a 5.25% : 5.25% : 4.5% internal split of the state’s 15% Scheduled Caste reservation across three sub-categories of its 101 SC sub-castes
• Ends a 40-year demand by historically more-deprived SC sub-groups for proportional access
• Aligns with the Supreme Court’s August 2024 judgment in State of Punjab v. Davinder Singh (allowed SC sub-classification)
• PSC relevance: Article 341 (Scheduled Castes), reservation jurisprudence, federalism

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10 MCQs

Q1. The India-Maldives currency swap facility approved on 25 April 2026 was extended under which framework?

Options: A. ASEAN Currency Swap Arrangement B. BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement C. SAARC Currency Swap Framework D. Bilateral USD-INR swap line

Answer: C

Explanation: The ₹3,000 crore facility was extended under the SAARC Currency Swap Framework (2024-2027), administered through the RBI and Maldives Monetary Authority.

Q2. ‘VM Frames’, the filmmaking competition launched by the Ministry of Culture, marks 150 years of which work?

Options: A. Jana Gana Mana B. Vande Mataram C. Sare Jahan Se Achha D. Anandamath as a novel

Answer: B

Explanation: Vande Mataram was composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1875; ‘VM Frames’ marks 150 years of the composition. While the song first appeared in Anandamath (1882), the composition itself dates to 1875.

Q3. Where is the L&T-Vyoma 30 MW data centre, central to the BharatGen-L&T sovereign AI compute platform, being established?

Options: A. Hyderabad, Telangana B. Bengaluru, Karnataka C. Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu D. Pune, Maharashtra

Answer: C

Explanation: The 30 MW facility is being built at Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, as part of the IndiaAI Mission’s sovereign compute initiative.

Q4. The 13th India-Czech Republic Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation (JCEC) was held on 22-23 April 2026 in which city?

Options: A. New Delhi B. Prague C. Brno D. Mumbai

Answer: B

Explanation: The 13th JCEC was held in Prague, co-chaired by Union MoS Jitin Prasada.

Q5. The RBI cap of USD 100 million on related-party forex hedging — withdrawn on 25 April 2026 — was originally imposed on which date?

Options: A. February 27, 2026 B. March 27, 2026 C. April 1, 2026 D. April 10, 2026

Answer: B

Explanation: The cap was imposed on 27 March 2026 to manage rupee depreciation pressure; it was lifted on 25 April 2026 along with restoration of NDF access for banks.

Q6. Which two public-sector bank MDs received three-year ACC tenure extensions on 25 April 2026?

Options: A. SBI and PNB B. Bank of India and Bank of Baroda C. Canara Bank and Union Bank D. Indian Bank and Bank of Maharashtra

Answer: B

Explanation: Rajneesh Karnatak (BoI) and Debadatta Chand (BoB) received three-year extensions through 2029.

Q7. General Upendra Dwivedi was inducted into the International Hall of Fame of which institution?

Options: A. National Defense University, Washington DC B. US Army War College, Carlisle Barracks C. Royal Military Academy Sandhurst D. Naval War College, Newport

Answer: B

Explanation: Gen Dwivedi was inducted at the US Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania — the third Indian Army Chief honoured there.

Q8. Karnataka’s 25 April 2026 cabinet decision split its 15% SC reservation across how many sub-categories?

Options: A. Two B. Three C. Four D. Five

Answer: B

Explanation: The split was 5.25% : 5.25% : 4.5% across three sub-categories of the state’s 101 SC sub-castes.

Q9. The IMD’s Orange Alert on 25 April 2026 covered which three Kerala districts?

Options: A. Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta B. Kollam, Thrissur, Palakkad C. Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram D. Kottayam, Idukki, Wayanad

Answer: B

Explanation: Orange Alert was issued for Kollam, Thrissur, and Palakkad with predicted temperatures 38-40°C — about 3-4°C above normal.

Q10. The IMD’s heatwave Orange Alert means:

Options: A. No warning B. Be updated C. Be prepared D. Take action

Answer: C

Explanation: IMD colour code: Green (no warning) → Yellow (be updated) → Orange (be prepared) → Red (take action).

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Quick Recap

#	Topic	One-line
1	Kerala heatwave	Orange alert continues; 38-40°C forecast
2	Kerala polls	Counting on 4 May; rolls finalisation directives issued
3	Maldives swap	₹3,000 Cr SAARC framework facility
4	VM Frames	150 yrs of Vande Mataram filmmaking competition
5	BharatGen-L&T	Sovereign AI compute, Kanchipuram TN
6	India-Czech	13th JCEC in Prague
7	RBI forex	March 27 hedging cap withdrawn
8	Jio-Allianz	50:50 insurance JV
9	Gen Dwivedi	USAWC Hall of Fame
10	Bank chiefs	BoI + BoB tenure extension to 2029
11	Karnataka SC	15% quota sub-classified into 3 tiers

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Sources: Press Information Bureau, RBI press releases, Ministry of Culture, Election Commission of India, IMD bulletins, news aggregators (AffairsCloud, PMF IAS, GKToday). Cross-checked at time of publication.