Thiruvananthapuram: The state government has increased the welfare pension to ₹2000 per month, raising it by ₹400 from the earlier ₹1600. The Chief Minister announced that ₹13,000 crore will be set aside annually for pension distribution.

The monthly honorarium for Anganwadi workers and helpers has been raised by ₹1000 each, which is expected to cost ₹934 crore annually. The honorarium of ASHA workers will also be increased by ₹1000 per month, incurring an additional annual expense of ₹250 crore.

The honorarium of literacy mission instructors will be raised by ₹1000. Pending installments of DA and DR for state government employees, teachers, and pensioners—two of which have already been sanctioned this year—will now include one more installment. The 4% arrears will be disbursed along with the November salary and pension.

Students undergoing skill development courses will receive government assistance of ₹1000 each. The daily wage of cooks will be increased by ₹50. Guest lecturers’ monthly remuneration will be raised by up to ₹2000.

Women from poor families will receive monthly financial aid. Those holding yellow or pink ration cards, who are not receiving any other pension, will get a monthly Women’s Safety Pension of ₹1000.

The salaries of pre-primary teachers and ayahs will be raised by ₹1000 per month. The support price for rubber under the Rubber Production Incentive Scheme will be increased from ₹180 to ₹200 per kg, while the procurement price of paddy will go up from ₹28.20 to ₹30 per kg.

In the Sabarimala gold theft case, the SIT has found that the gold sheets were not received by a man named Nagesh, as previously claimed, but by another individual named Naresh in Hyderabad in 2019.

According to investigation reports, Unnikrishnan Potti gave a false statement to the Devaswom Vigilance. The gold sheets were first transported to Bengaluru, then to Hyderabad, where Naresh held them for 39 days before delivering them to Smart Creations in Chennai.

The investigation has also traced Kalpesh, a Rajasthan native working at a jewellery store in Chennai, who admitted to transporting the gold from Smart Creations to Roddam Jewellers in Bellary. Kalpesh claimed he was unaware of the gold’s origin and that his employer was paid ₹35,000 for the delivery.

Police recovered 576 grams of gold from Unnikrishnan Potti’s flat in Bengaluru and Bellary jeweller Govardhan’s possession, but a large quantity remains missing. The Special Investigation Team continues its probe to trace the remaining gold.

A political rift has erupted in the LDF government after the Kerala Education Department signed an agreement with the Centre to join the PM SHRI schools scheme, ignoring CPI’s objections.

In protest, CPI ministers will boycott the upcoming Cabinet meeting on October 29. The party’s State Council will convene on November 4 to decide further action.

CPI leaders criticized the Education Department for signing the MoU unilaterally despite assurances from CPI(M) General Secretary M.A. Baby that the issue would be discussed within the front. The party accused the government of violating coalition norms and said the decision undermines Left unity.

Kerala joined the PM SHRI scheme after repeated opposition from CPI, following which the Centre promised to release ₹1,500 crore in pending SSK funds

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned that the ‘Montha’ cyclone, which formed over the Bay of Bengal, is expected to intensify by Tuesday morning. The system is currently moving northwest at a speed of 15 km/h and may turn into a severe cyclonic storm within the next 12 hours.

Heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms is expected as the cyclone nears landfall. Districts such as Kakinada, Konaseema, West Godavari, Krishna, Bapatla, Prakasam, and Nellore in Andhra Pradesh are likely to receive very heavy rainfall on Monday.

In Odisha, a red alert has been issued for Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, and Ganjam districts. Schools and Anganwadis will remain closed till October 30, and tourists have been barred from beaches. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea till October 29, as wind speeds may reach 90–100 km/h.

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls will come into effect in Kerala from midnight tonight, as announced by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The SIR will be implemented across all states going to polls next year. The Election Commission rejected Kerala’s request to start the process only after local body elections.

As part of the revision, the current voter list will be frozen. Data collection will take place from November 4 to December 4, and the draft electoral roll will be published on December 9. The final list is scheduled to be released on February 7, 2026.

Kerala is included in the second phase of the nationwide SIR. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will visit every household three times during the verification process. Each polling station will have a maximum of 1,200 voters, and all members of a family will be included in the same booth. Voters may provide Aadhaar and other documents for verification.

Along with Kerala, states such as Tamil Nadu and West Bengal will also implement the SIR process from midnight. The Commission said the intensive revision conducted earlier in Bihar was a major success. Assam has been excluded from this phase due to the ongoing NRC process there.

Thiruvananthapuram: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heavy rainfall warning across Kerala for the coming days. An orange alert has been declared for Kozhikode, Kannur, and Kasaragod districts on October 27, 2025, indicating the likelihood of very heavy rainfall in isolated places. According to the IMD, very heavy rainfall means precipitation between 115.6 mm and 204.4 mm within 24 hours.A yellow alert has been announced for Alappuzha, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, and Wayanad districts on the same day, warning of heavy rainfall ranging from 64.5 mm to 115.5 mm within 24 hours. On October 26, yellow alerts are in place for Thrissur, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod. On October 28, Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, and Ernakulam districts are also expected to receive heavy rain, with yellow alerts issued accordingly.The IMD has predicted thunderstorms accompanied by lightning in various parts of the state. The five-day rainfall forecast suggests widespread rainfall activity, with isolated areas likely to experience very heavy downpours. Authorities have urged residents, especially in hilly and coastal regions, to remain cautious and avoid venturing into waterlogged or landslide-prone areas.