Kerala PSC Current Affairs — 26 April 2026

Daily current affairs for Kerala PSC aspirants. Today’s edition: e-Visa expansion, NITI Aayog reconstitution, environmental rule-making, space-debris management, breakthrough gene therapy, and a major industrial accident.

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Kerala News

1. Kerala Heatwave — Yellow Alert in Four Districts

• IMD issued Yellow Alert for four Kerala districts for 26-29 April 2026 ahead of an incoming monsoon trough
• Heat continues but with incoming rain expected from mid-week — short-lived afternoon thunderstorms possible in interior districts
• Yellow Alert criterion: maximum temperature 2-3°C above normal for 2+ consecutive days
• District authorities continued advisory on hydration, school timing changes
• PSC relevance: IMD warning hierarchy, monsoon onset (Kerala normal: 1 June), pre-monsoon thunderstorm patterns

2. Kerala Election — Counting Day Preparations

• Kerala Legislative Assembly election — counting and results scheduled 4 May 2026 at 140 counting centres across 14 districts
• ECI training of counting officers underway in district headquarters
• Strongroom security: paramilitary deployment at all polling-cum-counting centres
• Postal ballots and service voters (defence, paramilitary, foreign diplomatic missions) ballots to be counted first per ECI protocol
• PSC relevance: Conduct of Elections Rules 1961, ECI counting protocol, postal ballot under RPA 1951

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National News

3. e-Visa Expansion — 14 New Seaports Designated

• Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) designated 14 additional commercial seaports as official Immigration Check Posts for e-Visa entry
• e-Visa system: fully digital, 172 countries eligible, processing within 72 hours
• 13 sub-categories include e-Tourist, e-Business, e-Medical, e-Ayush, e-Conference
• Requirements: 6+ months passport validity; excludes diplomatic-passport holders and persons of Pakistani origin
• PSC relevance: MHA Bureau of Immigration, tourism revenue, foreign-exchange earnings

4. NITI Aayog Reconstituted — Ashok Kumar Lahiri Named Vice Chairman

• Government reconstituted NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India)
• Ashok Kumar Lahiri — former Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) — appointed Vice Chairman
• NITI Aayog (formed 1 January 2015, replacing Planning Commission) — Chairperson is the Prime Minister
• Vice Chairman holds rank of Cabinet Minister; advises the PM and steers the Aayog
• PSC relevance: NITI Aayog vs Planning Commission distinctions, structure, three-year action agenda framework

5. Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2026

• New rules notified by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)
• Mandate 30% recycled content in rigid plastic packaging by 2026
• Rises to 60% by 2028-29
• Linked to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework
• NITI Aayog has prepared parallel action plans for End-of-Life Vehicles, Waste Tyres, E-waste, and Lithium-ion Batteries
• PSC relevance: Polluter Pays Principle, EPR, India’s circular-economy ambition (USD 2 trillion by 2050), Net-Zero 2070

6. Indian Railways — 90% Drop in Train Accidents Since 2014-15

• Railway Ministry data: train accidents reduced from 135 (2014-15) to 16 (2025-26) — about 90% reduction
• Track infrastructure: 55,000 km tracks renewed since 2014
• Tracks supporting ≥110 km/h rose to ~80%; tracks supporting ≥130 km/h rose to ~23%
• Kavach (indigenous Train Collision Avoidance System / TCAS) deployment expanded
• PSC relevance: Indian Railways modernisation, PM Gati Shakti, Kavach tech, Make in India

7. ISRO — Record 140 Collision-Avoidance Manoeuvres in 2025

• ISRO performed a record 140 Collision-Avoidance Manoeuvres (CAMs) in 2025 — highest since 2010
• 1.5 lakh collision alerts issued by tracking systems through the year
• Distribution: 14 in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), 4 in Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO), 2 for Chandrayaan-2, 1 for NISAR
• Driven by rising Kessler Syndrome risk in LEO due to commercial mega-constellations
• PSC relevance: ISRO operations, space debris, Kessler Syndrome, NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) mission

8. First Gene Therapy for Genetic Hearing Loss — Otarmeni

• US FDA approved Otarmeni — the first gene therapy for hearing loss caused by OTOF gene mutations
• Uses Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) as the gene-delivery vector
• 80% of treated children regained hearing/speech perception within 24 weeks
• Treats severe congenital sensorineural hearing loss
• The OTOF gene encodes otoferlin protein, essential for sound transmission at the inner-ear hair cell synapse
• PSC relevance: gene therapy, AAV vectors, sensorineural deafness, biotechnology

9. Pachpadra Refinery Fire — HRRL Inauguration Delayed

• Major fire at HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited (HRRL) at Pachpadra, Barmer district, Rajasthan
• HRRL ownership: HPCL 74%, Government of Rajasthan 26%
• India’s first greenfield integrated refinery producing BS-VI grade fuels
• Inauguration delayed; investigation ordered
• Project envisaged to create 1+ lakh jobs on full commissioning
• PSC relevance: refinery industry, BS-VI norms, joint-venture PSU structure, Rajasthan industrial policy

10. Gurbax Singh Grewal — Olympic Hockey Medallist Passes Away

• Gurbax Singh Grewal, member of India’s bronze-medal winning hockey team at the 1968 Mexico Olympics, died at the age of 84 following a heart attack
• Punjab-born midfielder represented India across multiple international tours in the 1960s
• 1968 Mexico Olympics: India bronze, Pakistan gold, Australia silver — India’s only Olympic hockey medal between 1964 and 1972
• PSC relevance: India’s Olympic hockey legacy, sports awards, Punjab sports culture

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International News

11. Japan — 7.5 Magnitude Earthquake; Tsunami Alert Issued

• 7.5 magnitude offshore earthquake struck northern Japan
• Tsunami warning issued for Iwate, Aomori, Hokkaido prefectures
• Japan country brief (PSC GK):
  • 14,000+ islands; four main islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu
  • Located on Ring of Fire; ~100 active volcanoes; ~73% mountainous
  • Plate convergence: Pacific, Philippine Sea, Eurasian, North American plates meet here
• PSC relevance: tectonic plate boundaries, tsunami early-warning systems, Japan geography

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10 MCQs

Q1. The Ministry of Home Affairs designated how many additional seaports as Immigration Check Posts for e-Visa entry on 26 April 2026?

Options: A. 8 B. 12 C. 14 D. 18

Answer: C

Explanation: MHA designated 14 new commercial seaports as official Immigration Check Posts for e-Visa entry — expanding existing land/air check posts.

Q2. Who was appointed Vice Chairman of the reconstituted NITI Aayog?

Options: A. Suman K. Bery B. Arvind Panagariya C. Ashok Kumar Lahiri D. Rajiv Kumar

Answer: C

Explanation: Ashok Kumar Lahiri, a former Chief Economic Adviser, was appointed Vice Chairman of the reconstituted NITI Aayog. The Prime Minister is the ex-officio Chairperson.

Q3. Per the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2026, what minimum percentage of recycled content must rigid plastic packaging contain by 2028-29?

Options: A. 30% B. 40% C. 50% D. 60%

Answer: D

Explanation: The amendment rules mandate 30% recycled content in 2026, rising to 60% by 2028-29 — linked to the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework.

Q4. ISRO performed a record number of Collision-Avoidance Manoeuvres in 2025. How many?

Options: A. 64 B. 98 C. 120 D. 140

Answer: D

Explanation: ISRO performed 140 CAMs in 2025 — the highest since 2010 — to avoid collisions with space debris in increasingly crowded orbits.

Q5. The first gene therapy for hearing loss, approved by the US FDA, targets mutations in which gene?

Options: A. CFTR B. OTOF C. BRCA1 D. SMN1

Answer: B

Explanation: Otarmeni targets OTOF gene mutations. OTOF encodes otoferlin, a protein essential for sound transmission at inner-ear hair cell synapses.

Q6. The Pachpadra refinery fire occurred at a facility owned by HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited. What is the ownership split?

Options: A. HPCL 51%, Rajasthan Govt 49% B. HPCL 74%, Rajasthan Govt 26% C. HPCL 60%, Rajasthan Govt 40% D. HPCL 100%

Answer: B

Explanation: HRRL is a joint venture: HPCL 74% and Government of Rajasthan 26%. It is India’s first greenfield integrated refinery producing BS-VI grade fuels.

Q7. Indian Railways’ Kavach system is best described as:

Options: A. A passenger reservation platform B. An indigenous Train Collision Avoidance System C. A high-speed rail corridor D. A satellite-based ticketing app

Answer: B

Explanation: Kavach is India’s indigenous Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) — automatic braking when signals or operating limits are breached.

Q8. Train accidents on Indian Railways reduced from 135 in 2014-15 to approximately how many in 2025-26?

Options: A. 8 B. 16 C. 30 D. 50

Answer: B

Explanation: Accidents fell to about 16 in 2025-26 from 135 in 2014-15 — roughly a 90% reduction over the period.

Q9. Gurbax Singh Grewal, who passed away on 26 April 2026, was a member of India’s hockey team that won which Olympic medal?

Options: A. Gold at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics B. Silver at the 1960 Rome Olympics C. Bronze at the 1968 Mexico Olympics D. Gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics

Answer: C

Explanation: Grewal was a midfielder on India’s bronze-medal-winning hockey team at the 1968 Mexico Olympics — India’s only Olympic hockey medal between 1964 and 1972.

Q10. Japan’s tsunami alert on 26 April 2026 followed an offshore earthquake of what magnitude?

Options: A. 6.5 B. 7.0 C. 7.5 D. 8.0

Answer: C

Explanation: A 7.5 magnitude offshore earthquake triggered tsunami warnings for Iwate, Aomori, and Hokkaido prefectures.

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Quick Recap

#	Topic	One-line
1	Kerala heatwave	Yellow alert; rain expected mid-week
2	Kerala polls	Counting day prep for 4 May
3	e-Visa	14 new seaports as Immigration Check Posts
4	NITI Aayog	Ashok Kumar Lahiri named Vice Chairman
5	Plastic Waste	30% → 60% recycled content mandate
6	Indian Railways	90% accident drop since 2014-15
7	ISRO	Record 140 CAMs in 2025
8	Otarmeni	First OTOF gene therapy approved (US FDA)
9	Pachpadra fire	HRRL refinery investigation; HPCL-Rajasthan JV
10	Gurbax Grewal	1968 Mexico Olympics bronze hockey legend
11	Japan quake	7.5M; tsunami alert north Japan

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Sources: Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs, MoEFCC, ISRO press notes, IMD bulletins, news aggregators (PMF IAS, AffairsCloud, Vajiram & Ravi). Cross-checked at time of publication.