SSC Exams Current Affairs – March 2026 — Full notes
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SSC Exams Current Affairs – March 2026 — 205 news items
At a glance
the top events
The most important events of this page, and how many news items each topic holds.
Top events
- The Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2026 removed the nearly 30-year-old two-child norm for contesting panchayat elections. People with three or more children can now stand as candidates.
- Mount Abu in Sirohi district, Rajasthan's only hill station, was renamed Abu Raj; the new name is linked to the area's ancient 'Arbuda' references, and the town is famous for its Dilwara Jain temples.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the first nationwide HPV vaccination campaign for adolescent girls from Rajasthan, to protect them from cervical cancer later in life.
- Rajasthan's Agriculture Department signed an agreement with IORA Ecological Solutions for a carbon credit pilot project for farmers, announced by Agriculture Minister Kirodi Lal Meena; it runs under the rules of the 2023 carbon credit trading scheme.
- The stealth frigate INS Taragiri (F41) joined the Indian Navy. It is over 75% indigenous, uses CODOG propulsion, and has supersonic missiles, medium-range air-defence missiles and strong anti-submarine ability.
- Tamil poet and lyricist Vairamuthu won the 60th Jnanpith Award (2025), the first writer honoured for Tamil poetry and the third Tamil winner after Akilan (1975) and Jayakanthan (2002); he has written over 7,000 film songs.
- The WTO moratorium on customs duties on e-commerce (electronic transmissions), 26 years old, was not extended at MC14 for lack of agreement. WTO members are now free to tax such downloads.
- R. N. Ravi moved from Tamil Nadu to become Governor of West Bengal, in a reshuffle of governors and Lieutenant Governors across nine states and UTs approved by President Droupadi Murmu; C. V. Ananda Bose's resignation had already been accepted.
- 8 Mar — India won its third T20 World Cup title by beating New Zealand in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on 8 March 2026, retaining the trophy; India and Sri Lanka co-hosted the event.
- 26 Mar — The 14th WTO Ministerial Conference, the highest decision-making body of the World Trade Organization, was held in Yaounde, Cameroon, from 26 to 29 March 2026. It must meet at least once every two years.
News by topic
- Government & States
- 45 one-liners
- International & Agreements
- 42 one-liners
- Economy & Banking
- 28 one-liners
- Science, Defence & Environment
- 39 one-liners
- Sports, Days & Culture
- 16 one-liners
- Awards, Appointments & Books
- 35 one-liners
Government & States
45 one-liners
Policy · laws · schemes · states.
National
40 one-liners
40 National — 3 Mar – 24 Mar.
National — 40 one-liners
Part 1
14 one-liners
National: 14.
- The Rajasthan Assembly passed the Rajasthan Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) Bill, 2026 in the budget session. It upgrades RUHS into an AIIMS-like autonomous institute in Jaipur that can award MBBS, PG and super-speciality degrees.
- The Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2026 removed the nearly 30-year-old two-child norm for contesting panchayat elections. People with three or more children can now stand as candidates.
- The Rajasthan Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026 replaced jail terms with fines for about 11 minor offences, to make doing business easier.
- Amendments to the Shops and Commercial Establishments law and the Factories law now allow women to work night shifts, provided adequate safety measures are in place.
- The Finance Bill and the Appropriation Bill gave legal force to the budget's tax changes and departmental spending. Without them the government cannot spend budget money.
- The renaming of Mount Abu, Kaman and Jahazpur was announced in the Rajasthan Assembly; the government says the new names show the towns' religious and historical roots and remove names given in the colonial period.
- The renaming fits a wider national trend in which many states revisit place names to strengthen regional pride, language roots and cultural memory.
- Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Patil and Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma reviewed the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB) 2.0 campaign, a community effort under the 'Catch the Rain' campaign.
- In the first phase of Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari, Rajasthan was third in India; in the current phase it leads, with over 88,000 works completed and 42,000 projects still in progress.
- Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari works in Rajasthan are funded through MGNREGA (65% of funds in over-exploited blocks is reserved for water works), the Atal Bhujal Yojana and Finance Commission grants.
- Rajasthan's water-conservation strategy relies on community participation in building and maintaining water structures, use of company CSR funds, and tight cost control for lasting results.
- The campaign's goals include catching rainwater from rooftops cheaply, building recharge pits and putting closed borewells back to use.
- Rajasthan also removed the rule that stopped people suffering from leprosy from contesting local body elections, in line with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 and the principle against leprosy-related discrimination.
- The government argued that the old two-child rule failed to control population and kept many eligible people out of village and city politics, so more people can now contest regardless of family size or past illness.
Part 2
14 one-liners
National: 14.
- Census 2027 will be India's first fully digital census: a secure mobile app replaces paper forms, and families can fill in their details on a self-enumeration portal, which enumerators later check in the field.
- The two mascots of Census 2027 are "Pragati" and "Vikas", showing equal participation of women and men. Census 2027 will be India's first census done fully digitally from start to end.
- The Supreme Court (bench of Justices P.K. Mishra and Manmohan) said that under the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, SC status is limited to followers of Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism.
- The Supreme Court added that a person who converts to any other religion, including Christianity, loses SC status. Such a person also cannot claim protection under the SC/ST Atrocities Prevention Act.
- The Gujarat Assembly passed the Gujarat Uniform Civil Code, 2026. Gujarat became the second state after Uttarakhand to enact a Uniform Civil Code.
- Gujarat's UCC creates one legal framework for marriage, divorce, succession and live-in relationships. It bans polygamy and makes registration of live-in couples compulsory. Scheduled Tribes and some protected groups are kept out.
- President Droupadi Murmu changed Governors and Lieutenant Governors in 9 states and Union Territories in March 2026.
- Narendra Modi completed over 8,931 days as head of an elected government (Gujarat CM from 2001 and PM from 2014). He became the longest-serving one in India, breaking the record of Pawan Kumar Chamling.
- Modi is the first head of a non-Congress government to win a majority on his own without allies. He is also the first Prime Minister born after Independence.
- The IVFRT scheme (immigration, visa and foreigners registration) was extended for five years to March 2031 with a total budget of ₹800 crore. The Home Ministry will run it through the Bureau of Immigration.
- In the QS World University Rankings by subject (2026), 99 Indian institutions appeared, with 20 new entries. India is now the world's fourth-largest higher-education system.
- The Supreme Court allowed withdrawal of life-sustaining nutrition and hydration for Harish Rana, 32, unconscious for about 13 years; it is the first real use of passive euthanasia after the Aruna Shanbaug (2011) and Common Cause (2018) rulings.
- Stuti Pradhan of Sikkim was chosen as India's representative at the World Youth Parliament; she had earlier topped her state at the 2025 Viksit Bharat Youth Parliament.
- The Census 2027 will include a full caste count of every community, the first such count since 1931.
Part 3
3 Mar – 24 Mar
National: 12.
- The Union Cabinet gave Madurai airport (Tamil Nadu) international status; it already had flights to Colombo, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and the move helps foreign pilgrims visiting the Meenakshi Amman temple.
- India now has the world's third-longest metro network, after China and the US: over 4,743 km runs in 29 cities and about 936 km more is under construction.
- India's first metro opened in Kolkata in 1984, the first underwater metro tunnel was also built there in 2024, and Kochi is the country's first water-metro city.
- The Cabinet extended Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 to December 2028 and raised its budget to ₹8.69 lakh crore (Centre's share ₹3.59 lakh crore), shifting focus from laying taps to lasting service.
- Tap-water coverage of rural homes has risen from about 17% in 2019 to about 87.6%; Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 adds the Sujalam Bharat digital framework, Jal Arpan, Har Ghar Jal certification and Jal Utsav.
- 3 Mar — The Committee of Privileges of the Lok Sabha examines breach of privilege by MPs and contempt of the House; its basis is Article 105 of the Constitution.
- 6 Mar — The Rajasthan Disturbed Areas (Protection of Property) Bill, 2026, based on the Gujarat model, lets the government declare a "disturbed area" where property sales need the District Collector's prior permission. Violation draws 3 to 5 years' punishment.
- 6 Mar — The Rajasthan Assembly passed the Rajasthan Disturbed Areas (Control of Transfer of Immovable Property) Bill, 2026 on 6 March 2026 to control the sale and transfer of property in declared 'disturbed areas'.
- 6 Mar — The Disturbed Areas Bill lets the government declare an area 'disturbed' for a fixed time if riots or communal tension threaten peace, and the Collector checks that a sale is not a forced one made under fear or pressure.
- 6 Mar — Another aim of the Disturbed Areas Bill is to stop communities from being driven out of their old areas and the creation of separate neighbourhoods with one-type populations.
- 24 Mar — On 24 March 2026 PM Modi announced seven groups to handle the long-term effects of the West Asia crisis. The strategic issues group is headed by the Foreign Secretary.
- 24 Mar — The seven groups cover strategic issues, economy and supply chains, petroleum and energy, fertiliser and farm inputs, essential goods prices, transport and logistics, and public communication.
States & UTs
5 one-liners
5 States & UTs — SSC Exams Current Affairs – March 2026.
- BPCL set up India's first LPG ATM in Gurugram, Haryana. After mobile OTP verification, users can pay by UPI or debit card and take a light composite cylinder of about 5 kg at any hour.
- India's first riverine lighthouses are being built on National Waterway-2 at Bogibeel, Pandu, Silghat and Vishwanath Ghat in Assam. Each is about 20 metres tall and solar-powered.
- PM Modi opened the first phase of Noida International Airport at Jewar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi-NCR's second international airport, built with Zurich Airport International. It starts at 1.2 crore passengers a year and may grow to 7 crore.
- The Delhi government launched the ANMOL scheme for free screening of newborns for 56 genetic and metabolic disorders through a heel-prick blood test; earlier, only Kerala ran such full newborn screening.
- Delhi's Durga Yojana, announced by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta in Delhi Budget 2026-27 with ₹220 crore, helps women and transgender people earn by driving e-autos; phase one covers 1,000 women and 100 transgender people with permit subsidy and interest relief.
International & Agreements
42 one-liners
World · summits · MoUs · exercises.
International
27 one-liners
27 International — 8 Mar – 26 Mar.
International — 27 one-liners
Part 1
14 one-liners
International: 14.
- Iran hit back with missile and drone attacks on US and allied military bases in several places across West Asia, and tension rose near the Strait of Hormuz, a route that carries a large share of the world's oil.
- The WTO moratorium on customs duties on e-commerce (electronic transmissions), 26 years old, was not extended at MC14 for lack of agreement. WTO members are now free to tax such downloads.
- A WTO relief arrangement under TRIPS (intellectual property), which developing countries wanted to keep for public health, also lapsed at MC14.
- At MC14, talks to cut harmful fishing subsidies will continue towards MC15. India and African countries again asked for a permanent solution on public stockholding (PSH) for food security.
- At MC14, 66 countries made progress on global e-commerce rules such as data flows and online consumer protection.
- Argentina formally left the WHO in March 2026, a year after it gave notice on 7 March 2025. The USA had already left the WHO in January 2026.
- The FATF added Kuwait and Papua New Guinea to its grey list at its plenary in Mexico City. The list now has 22 countries that are weak in stopping money laundering and terror financing.
- India was represented at Chile's swearing-in by Union Minister of State Kirti Vardhan Singh.
- Nepal's new PM Balendra Shah, chief of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), replaced caretaker PM Sushila Karki, who led the country after the 2025 political crisis.
- US lawmakers and analysts criticised Operation Epic Fury, saying that no clear legal basis had been given for the attack and that no exit plan had been announced.
- The World Happiness Report 2026 ranked Finland first for the ninth year in a row, followed by Iceland, Denmark, Costa Rica and Sweden; Costa Rica's fourth place is the highest ever for a Latin American country.
- The World Happiness Report, prepared by Oxford University's Wellbeing Research Centre with Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, uses six factors: GDP per person, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity and perceived corruption.
- India ranked 116th in the World Happiness Report 2026 with a life-evaluation score of 4.536, behind Pakistan (104th) and Nepal (99th); China, Russia and Iran ranked 65th, 79th and 97th.
- Afghanistan ranked last in the World Happiness Report 2026, followed by countries such as Sierra Leone, Malawi and Zimbabwe.
Part 2
8 Mar – 26 Mar
International: 13.
- In the Global Terrorism Index 2026 by the Institute for Economics and Peace (Sydney), covering 163 countries, Pakistan was the country most affected by terrorism.
- About 70% of terrorism deaths in the Global Terrorism Index 2026 occurred in Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Niger and the DR Congo; the Sahel region had over half of all deaths in 2025, against under 1% in 2007.
- The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP, founded 2022) won the 2026 Nepal election with the slogan 'Generation Change', and Balen Shah beat four-time PM K. P. Sharma Oli by a large margin in his stronghold Jhapa-5.
- Nepal's old government fell in late 2025 after youth protests against corruption, unemployment and digital censorship, and an interim administration ran the country until the 2026 elections.
- Balen Shah is also the first leader from the Madhesi community of Nepal's southern Terai to reach the country's top post.
- Nepal banned discrimination based on sexual orientation in 2007, recognised a 'third gender' in 2013 and allowed registration of same-sex and transgender marriages in 2023, a path continued by Bhumika Shrestha's win.
- Indonesia banned children under 16 from opening accounts on major platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live and Roblox, the first country in Southeast Asia with such a nationwide rule.
- Indonesia's ban aims to protect children from online bullying, fraud, obscene content and screen addiction; companies must verify age, and existing accounts of under-age users will be closed gradually.
- 8 Mar — After Ali Khamenei's reported death in a US-Israel air strike, a three-member interim council (Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, the president and the chief justice) ran Iran until Mojtaba Khamenei was named its third Supreme Leader on 8 March 2026.
- 8 Mar — Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Ali Khamenei, was born in Mashhad, studied religion in Qom, has been linked to the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) since 1987, and is seen as a stronger supporter of the nuclear programme than his father.
- 8 Mar — Critics called Mojtaba Khamenei's rise hereditary rule, which the 1979 revolution rejected; Trump called it 'unacceptable' and him a 'weak leader', Israel hinted he could be a target, but Russia and China backed the appointment.
- 26 Mar — The 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14) was held at Yaoundé, Cameroon, from 26 to 30 March 2026, chaired by Cameroon's trade minister. Piyush Goyal led India's team. A draft "Yaoundé Package" will be taken up in Geneva.
- 26 Mar — At MC14, India did not accept China's "Investment Facilitation for Development" (IFD) proposal inside the WTO.
Summits, Agreements & Exercises
15 one-liners
15 Summits, Agreements & Exercises — 4 Mar – 27 Mar.
- India and Uzbekistan launched a Pharma-Nutraceutical Corridor to give Indian firms easier access to CIS and Eurasian markets. Business in Tashkent will formally start in May 2026.
- Romania became a full member of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) by formally approving its framework agreement, which it had signed in 2023.
- The ISA was formed on India-France initiative at COP-21 in Paris in 2015. Its headquarters is in Gurugram; India is president and France co-president. It promotes solar energy, mainly in countries between the Tropics.
- NATO's exercise Cold Response 2026 was held in Norway and Finland with about 25,000 troops from 14 countries, to build military strength in the Arctic.
- India, the USA, Japan, Australia and New Zealand took part in the US-led Sea Dragon 2026 at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, to train in anti-submarine warfare.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first Indian PM to address Israel's parliament, the Knesset, and received its highest honour, the Speaker of the Knesset Medal; talks covered defence, technology, peaceful nuclear energy, space and a free trade agreement.
- Modi is among the few world leaders who have received top honours from both Israel and Palestine, showing how India balances ties with both sides in West Asia.
- The Raisina Dialogue, India's biggest international conference on geopolitics and geo-economics, is organised by the Ministry of External Affairs together with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF).
- The WTO meeting produced a first draft called the Yaounde Package. It has a trade-and-health declaration and steps to help small economies, and its final approval will be given later in Geneva, Switzerland.
- 4 Mar — Finnish President Alexander Stubb visited India from 4 to 7 March 2026. India and Finland raised ties to a strategic partnership, focusing on digital technology, AI, quantum computing, green hydrogen and 6G.
- 5 Mar — Raisina Dialogue 2026 was held in New Delhi from 5 to 7 March, with the Finnish President as chief guest. The MEA and Observer Research Foundation host it; the theme was "Samskara: Assertion, Accommodation, Advancement".
- 9 Mar — India and Seychelles held the joint exercise LAMITIYE-2026 from 9 to 20 March at the Seychelles Defence Academy, Victoria. For the first time the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force all took part, with INS Trikand and a C-130.
- 26 Mar — The 14th WTO Ministerial Conference, the highest decision-making body of the World Trade Organization, was held in Yaounde, Cameroon, from 26 to 29 March 2026. It must meet at least once every two years.
- 26 Mar — Union Minister Piyush Goyal led India at the WTO conference in Yaounde. The main issues were WTO reform, fisheries subsidies, e-commerce and agriculture.
- 27 Mar — The Indian Navy held IMEX TTX 2026 at Kochi on 27 March. It was the third meeting of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) and India chairs IONS for 2026-2028.
Economy & Banking
28 one-liners
RBI · markets · trade · reports.
Economy & Banking
28 one-liners
28 Economy & Banking — 26 Mar.
Economy & Banking — 28 one-liners
Part 1
14 one-liners
Economy & Banking: 14.
- The Mahi Banswara plant, on the Mahi river, will use indigenous PHWR (pressurised heavy water reactor) technology with natural uranium fuel and heavy water. PM Modi laid its foundation stone in September 2025; estimated cost is about ₹42,000 crore.
- Anushakti Vidyut Nigam Limited, a joint company of NPCIL and NTPC, is building the Banswara project under India's "fleet mode" programme, where many reactors of one design are built together to cut cost and time.
- Rajasthan's Agriculture Department signed an agreement with IORA Ecological Solutions for a carbon credit pilot project for farmers, announced by Agriculture Minister Kirodi Lal Meena; it runs under the rules of the 2023 carbon credit trading scheme.
- The carbon credit pilot began in three areas: Bansur (Kotputli-Behror), one area in Dausa district, and Malpura (Tonk).
- Farm practices in the carbon credit pilot include tree planting, micro irrigation, farm ponds, solar pumps, fertiliser management, crop residue management, soil carbon enhancement and rotational grazing.
- A carbon credit is a permit to emit a fixed amount of greenhouse gas; a farmer or unit that emits less than its share can sell the unused credit in the market.
- Farmers who adopt climate-friendly practices in the pilot will be paid per hectare in line with the emission cut, raising income, improving soil health and linking farming with the green economy.
- Rajasthan Semiconductor Policy-2026 came into force in March 2026. It focuses on the OSAT framework, assembly-test-packaging facilities and innovation in chip design.
- The Union Cabinet approved the BHAVYA scheme (Bharat Industrial Development Scheme) worth ₹33,660 crore to build 100 plug-and-play industrial parks across India.
- BHAVYA parks will cover 100 to 1,000 acres each and will be chosen through a competitive Challenge Mode. Up to 25% of the total cost can be spent on external connectivity.
- A Small Hydro Development Scheme worth ₹2,584.60 crore will run from 2026-27 to 2030-31. It targets about 500 MW of small hydro projects (up to 25 MW each), with higher support for the North-East and border states.
- The revised UDAN scheme will run for ten years, from 2026-27 to 2035-36, with a budget of ₹28,840 crore. It aims to connect unserved and underserved areas by air.
- Revised UDAN will add new destinations and boost trade and tourism in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. About 4 crore passengers are expected to benefit.
- The RELIEF scheme (₹497 crore) helps exporters hurt by the West Asia crisis. It runs under the Export Promotion Mission through ECGC Limited and eases higher logistics and insurance costs.
Part 2
26 Mar
Economy & Banking: 14.
- Under RELIEF, insured exporters get extra risk cover, and uninsured MSMEs can get compensation of up to ₹50 lakh.
- Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched the PRARAMBH 2026 awareness campaign on the Income Tax Act 2025, which applies from 1 April 2026. Income Tax website 2.0 and the AI chatbot "Kar Saathi" were also launched.
- The subsidy window for electric two-wheelers under PM E-DRIVE was extended to 31 July 2026; the scheme runs to 2028. Of the ₹10,900 crore budget, ₹3,679 crore is for purchase incentives on vehicles costing up to ₹5 lakh.
- The ₹7,280 crore government scheme behind the rare earth magnet plant aims to make India self-reliant for electric vehicles, defence and energy, with a target of 6,000 tonnes of yearly capacity.
- In NITI Aayog's Fiscal Health Index 2026, Odisha (score 73.1) ranked first, then Goa and Jharkhand. States are grouped as Achievers, Performers and Aspirational.
- India's textile exports in 2024-25 were about $36,601 million (NIRYAT data). Tamil Nadu led with about $7,998 million (21.84%), followed by Gujarat and Maharashtra.
- The Coal Minister said India ranks fifth in the world in coal reserves, enough for 60-70 years. About 74% of India's electricity still comes from coal, and India is second in coal production and use.
- Reliance Industries invested in a new oil refinery planned at the Port of Brownsville, Texas. It is the first new refinery in the USA in about 50 years.
- Bank of Baroda became India's first bank to offer a UPI credit line of up to ₹5,000 overdraft to women with PM Jan Dhan accounts who belong to self-help groups, with NPCI, IBA and DAY-NRLM.
- A coconut promotion scheme in the Union Budget 2026-27 will replace old, low-yield trees with better varieties; India leads the world with about 30.37% of coconut production.
- The five coastal states that grow the most coconut are West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, according to the notes on the coconut scheme.
- The Hurun Global Rich List 2026 shows India added 57 billionaires to reach 308, third after the US and China; Mumbai stays India's billionaire capital with 95 (Shenzhen now leads Asia), and Mukesh Ambani remains India's richest.
- Adani Ports (APSEZ) started India's first Port of Refuge facilities at Vizhinjam (west coast) and Gopalpur (east coast) for ships in distress, with rescue, firefighting, wreck removal and pollution-control services from SMIT Salvage and a Marine Emergency Response Centre.
- 26 Mar — The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) approved excavation for Units 1 and 2 of the Mahi Banswara Rajasthan Atomic Power Project on 26 March 2026. The project will have four units of 700 MW each, 2,800 MW in total.
Science, Defence & Environment
39 one-liners
Space · tech · forces · ecology.
Science & Technology
23 one-liners
23 Science & Technology — SSC Exams Current Affairs – March 2026.
- The Rajasthan Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy University, Ajmer Bill, 2026 was passed. A separate university in Ajmer will offer higher education and research in these systems.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the first nationwide HPV vaccination campaign for adolescent girls from Rajasthan, to protect them from cervical cancer later in life.
- The HPV campaign gives a single dose of the Gardasil-4 vaccine to girls aged 9 to 14 years, and aims to reach about 1.5 crore girls every year.
- HPV vaccine doses are given at district hospitals, community health centres, government medical colleges and Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (primary health centres), and only with the consent of the girl's parents or guardian.
- Cervical cancer, which affects the cervix (neck of the womb), is a major health concern for women in India, so the HPV campaign is seen as an important public-health step.
- Under the National Quantum Mission, the government approved turning 23 educational institutions into quantum technology labs, to boost teaching, research and skills.
- Chennai start-up Agnikul Cosmos tested Agnite, the world's first fully 3D-printed booster rocket engine. It uses a motor-driven pump system and is made of the nickel superalloy Inconel.
- The Agnite engine is about 1 metre long and is the first of its kind to be tested with a motor-driven pump system.
- Ahmedabad start-up Omspace launched a single-stage sub-orbital sounding rocket from Bavaliyari village near Dholera. Gujarat became the first state to launch a sounding rocket from its soil.
- The Gujarat sounding rocket carried a mini-satellite to collect weather data. It was built under Make in India using carbon fibre and advanced materials.
- ISRO held a successful 65-second hot test of the CE20 cryogenic engine at its Mahendragiri propulsion facility (IPRC) in Tamil Nadu. The engine will strengthen the LVM3 rocket and has had 20 successful hot tests.
- India's first rare earth magnet pilot plant was set up at ARCI, Hyderabad (Telangana). It will make neodymium-iron-boron (Nd-Fe-B) magnets to cut dependence on China.
- The Ministry of Earth Sciences and NIOT are building India's first Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) plant at Kavaratti, Lakshadweep. It will use sea temperature differences to make power and drinking water.
- Chile became the first country in the Americas that WHO confirmed to have eliminated leprosy (Hansen's disease) as a public-health problem, through long surveillance, early detection and free multidrug therapy (MDT).
- India's first OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion) project is being built at Kavaratti, the capital of Lakshadweep, by NIOT (National Institute of Ocean Technology); Minister of State for Science Jitendra Singh inspected it.
- OTEC makes power from the temperature gap between warm surface water (about 29 degrees C) and cold water at about 1,000 m depth; the plant should give 60-65 kW of electricity and about 1 lakh litres of drinking water daily.
- A Kerala start-up handed its Akasha300 3D printer to ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Valiamala; its dual-extrusion head prints two materials together, and it withstands 350 degrees C, with 500 degrees C planned.
- India's first hydrogen train completed its oscillation trial, run by RDSO; built at the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, the 10-coach, about 2,400 kW trainset is called the world's longest hydrogen train.
- The hydrogen train will run between Jind and Sonipat in Haryana, with a dedicated hydrogen plant at Jind; it has zero carbon emissions and releases only water vapour.
- The GARBH-INi programme of the Department of Biotechnology builds AI and genomics models to predict the risk of premature birth, tracking thousands of women in India's largest pregnancy cohort study; a data-sharing platform, GARBH-INi-DRISHTI, was also created.
- Denmark became the first European Union country confirmed by WHO to have ended mother-to-child transmission of both HIV and syphilis, and is moving towards 'triple elimination' by adding hepatitis B.
- Over 20 countries, including Botswana, Malaysia and Cuba, had already earned WHO's elimination status for mother-to-child transmission before Denmark.
- WHO treats leprosy as eliminated as a public-health problem when cases fall below 1 per 10,000 people.
Defence & Security
12 one-liners
12 Defence & Security — SSC Exams Current Affairs – March 2026.
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh released Defence Forces Vision 2047, prepared by Integrated Defence Staff Headquarters. It aims at modern, tech-driven, joint armed forces and more use of AI and cyber security.
- The stealth frigate INS Taragiri (F41) joined the Indian Navy. It is over 75% indigenous, uses CODOG propulsion, and has supersonic missiles, medium-range air-defence missiles and strong anti-submarine ability.
- Vayu Baan is an indigenous Indian Air Force project by its Directorate of Aerospace Design. A drone is launched from a flying helicopter, flies over 50 km for about 30 minutes, streams live video and works even if GPS is jammed.
- DRDO and the Navy successfully tested the ADC-150 air-droppable container from a P-8 aircraft off Goa. It can drop up to 150 kg of supplies and emergency medical aid to ships at sea.
- Start-up AquaAirX built AVATAAR, India's first amphibious surveillance drone, which can fly in the air and dive underwater. It has sonar, a camera, AI navigation and underwater communication.
- The Defence Ministry signed deals worth about ₹5,083 crore: 6 ALH Mk-III helicopters for the Coast Guard (about ₹2,901 crore) and the VL-Shtil missile system for the Navy (about ₹2,182 crore).
- The SIPRI report says India was the world's second-largest arms importer in 2021-2025, with an 8.2% share of global imports.
- SIPRI also found India remained the biggest buyer of French arms exports (24%) and the biggest destination of Russian arms exports (48%).
- Amid US-Israel tension with Iran, India began Operation Urja Suraksha to protect its crude oil, LPG and LNG ships in the Strait of Hormuz. More than 15 warships were deployed in the Gulf of Oman.
- INS Nilgiri, the Indian Navy's newest stealth frigate, took part in Exercise Kakadu 2026 in Australia, a multinational naval exercise held every two years by the Royal Australian Navy since 1993 to build maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
- INS Nilgiri, first of the indigenous Project 17A frigates, was launched in September 2019 and commissioned in 2025; it fights on the surface, against submarines and in the air.
- The other six Project 17A frigates are Himgiri, Udaygiri, Taragiri, Dunagiri, Vindhyagiri and Mahendragiri, being built at Mazagon Dock (Mumbai) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders (Kolkata).
Environment & Ecology
4 one-liners
4 Environment & Ecology — SSC Exams Current Affairs – March 2026.
- India's revised climate target for 2031-2035 is to cut the emission intensity of GDP by 47% from 2005 levels by 2035, and to raise non-fossil power capacity from 52% to 60%.
- Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena launched the Indus River Green Corridor at Spituk, Leh, planting about 1,000 oleaster and sea-buckthorn saplings on the river bank and 1,000 cherry-blossom and apricot saplings in Leh, to expand forest cover in two years.
- The IQAir World Air Quality Report 2025 found India's average PM2.5 at 48.9 micrograms per cubic metre, about ten times the WHO limit; 66 of the 100 most polluted cities were Indian, and New Delhi was the most polluted capital for the eighth year.
- Of 143 countries in the IQAir report, about 130 (91%) exceeded the WHO annual air-quality guideline, and Pakistan and Bangladesh were among the world's most polluted countries.
Sports, Days & Culture
16 one-liners
Results · important days · heritage.
Sports
11 one-liners
11 Sports — 8 Mar – 28 Mar.
- Lokesh Sathyanathan became the first Indian to jump over 8 metres in indoor long jump, at the Tyson Invitational in the USA. He finished eighth; American Cordell Tinch won with 8.29 m.
- An Assam player, Mayank Chakraborty, became India's 94th Grandmaster after getting his last norm in Stockholm and crossing the 2500 FIDE rating. He is the first Grandmaster from North-East India.
- Jammu and Kashmir won the Ranji Trophy 2025-26, its first title, by beating Karnataka on first-innings lead in the final at Hubballi. Auqib Nabi (62 wickets) was Player of the Tournament.
- The world's first franchise-based Cycling League of India is being launched, with 8 franchise teams of 10 cyclists each, including junior and international riders.
- The first National Indoor Athletics Championship was held over two days at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar, by the Athletics Federation of India (founded 1946); Bhubaneswar will also host the 2028 World Indoor Athletics.
- Lionel Messi scored his 900th career goal for Inter Miami CF in his 1,142nd match. Only Cristiano Ronaldo (965 goals in 1,236 matches) had reached 900 before.
- In Formula One 2026, George Russell (Mercedes) won the opening Australian Grand Prix, his sixth GP win. At the Chinese GP in Shanghai, Italy's Kimi Antonelli won his first F1 race, with Russell second and Hamilton third.
- India topped the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in New Delhi with a record 208 medals (75 gold, 69 silver, 64 bronze) and its biggest squad of 279 athletes; Preeti Pal and Sumit Antil won golds.
- 8 Mar — India won its third T20 World Cup title by beating New Zealand in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on 8 March 2026, retaining the trophy; India and Sri Lanka co-hosted the event.
- 8 Mar — In the 2026 T20 World Cup, Suryakumar Yadav captained India, Sanju Samson was Player of the Tournament with 327 runs, and Jasprit Bumrah was Man of the Match in the final.
- 28 Mar — IPL 2026 began on 28 March, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) playing as defending champions; RCB is now valued at about $269 million, among the most valuable IPL franchises.
Art, Culture & Tourism
5 one-liners
5 Art, Culture & Tourism — SSC Exams Current Affairs – March 2026.
- Mount Abu in Sirohi district, Rajasthan's only hill station, was renamed Abu Raj; the new name is linked to the area's ancient 'Arbuda' references, and the town is famous for its Dilwara Jain temples.
- Kaman in Bharatpur district, part of the Braj cultural region, was renamed Kamvan; it is mentioned in the Bhagavata and Skanda Puranas and is believed to be the mythical forest of Lord Krishna's childhood.
- Jahazpur in Bhilwara district was renamed Yagyapur, a name chosen to highlight the town's Vedic tradition and its link with yajna (sacrificial) rituals.
- The Geological Survey of India added Kalinjar Fort hill (Banda, Uttar Pradesh) to India's geo-heritage sites. It shows the rare Eparchaean Unconformity, a gap of about 1.3 billion years between Bundelkhand Granite and Kaimur Sandstone.
- Kalinjar Fort, linked to the Gupta, Chandela, Mughal and Maratha rulers, has the Neelkanth Mahadev temple, and Sher Shah Suri died there during the siege of 1545.
Awards, Appointments & Books
35 one-liners
Honours · new posts · books · obituaries.
Awards & Honours
18 one-liners
18 Awards & Honours — 18 Mar – 31 Mar.
| Date | Award | Winner / reason |
|---|---|---|
| · | World's most popular leader (Morning Consult) | PM Narendra Modi, 68% approval |
| · | Para Archer of the Year 2025 (World Archery) | Sheetal Devi |
| · | 60th Jnanpith Award (2025) | Vairamuthu, Tamil poet and lyricist |
| · | 35th Saraswati Samman (2025) | Ramkumar Mukhopadhyay, "Hara Parvati Katha" |
| · | TIME list of influential women 2026 | Safeena Husain (Educate Girls) |
| · | Honorary knighthood (KBE), UK | N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons |
| · | Best Director, New York Short Animation Festival 2026 | "Chyimi" by Dr Parthasarathi Mahanta |
| · | ICJS 2.0 ranking | Uttarakhand (93.46), then Haryana and Assam |
| · | Polly Umrigar Award 2026 (best international cricketers 2024-25) | Shubman Gill (men), Smriti Mandhana (women) |
| · | C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award 2026 | Rahul Dravid, Roger Binny and Mithali Raj |
| · | Sangita Kalanidhi 2026 | Jayanthi Kumaresh, veena artist |
| · | 98th Academy Awards (Oscars 2026) | 'One Battle After Another', six Oscars |
| · | Best Actor, Oscars 2026 | Michael B. Jordan ('Sinners') |
| · | Oscar for a K-pop song | 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' song (first K-pop win) |
| · | Abel Prize 2026 | Gerd Faltings (Germany), arithmetic geometry |
| · | World Food Prize 2026 | Huub Lelieveld (Netherlands), food safety |
| 18 Mar | Stockholm Water Prize 2026 | Kaveh Madani (Iran), youngest winner at 44 |
| 31 Mar | Sahitya Akademi Award 2025 (Hindi) | Mamta Kalia, for 'Jeete Ji Allahabad' |
Appointments
16 one-liners
16 Appointments — 3 Mar – 27 Mar.
| Date | Name | Appointed as |
|---|---|---|
| · | Syed Ata Hasnain | Governor of Bihar |
| · | R.N. Ravi | Governor of West Bengal (transferred) |
| · | Taranjit Singh Sandhu | Lieutenant Governor of Delhi |
| · | Vinai Kumar Saxena | Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh |
| · | José Antonio Kast | 38th President of Chile |
| · | Uchral Nyam-Osor | Prime Minister of Mongolia |
| · | R. N. Ravi | Governor of West Bengal |
| · | Shiv Pratap Shukla | Governor of Telangana |
| · | Nand Kishore Yadav | Governor of Nagaland |
| · | Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti | Chairperson, NCBC |
| · | Kiran Umesh Mahale | Member, NCBC |
| · | Sudarshan Pattnaik | Brand ambassador, Census 2027 |
| · | Balen Shah | Prime Minister of Nepal (youngest ever) |
| · | Bhumika Shrestha | MP in Nepal (first transgender woman) |
| 3 Mar | Ravi Shankar Prasad | Chairman, Lok Sabha Committee of Privileges |
| 27 Mar | Balendra Shah | Prime Minister of Nepal (youngest ever, 35) |
Obituaries
1 one-liners
1 Obituaries — 22 Mar.
- 22 Mar — Lionel Jospin, France's Prime Minister from 1997 to 2002 and a leader of the Socialist Party since 1981, died on 22 March 2026.
Quick quiz
test yourself
Practice questions on this period. Tap an option to check your answer.
Fill in the blank: one-liner flashcards
- The Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2026_____two-child norm for contesting panchayat elections. People with three or more children can now stand as candidates.
- removed the nearly 30-year-old
- _____ in Sirohi district, Rajasthan's only hill station, was renamed Abu Raj; the new name is linked to the area's ancient 'Arbuda' references, and the town is famous for its Dilwara Jain temples.
- Mount Abu
- _____ in Bharatpur district, part of the Braj cultural region, was renamed Kamvan; it is mentioned in the Bhagavata and Skanda Puranas and is believed to be the mythical forest of Lord Krishna's childhood.
- Kaman
- _____ in Bhilwara district was renamed Yagyapur, a name chosen to highlight the town's Vedic tradition and its link with yajna (sacrificial) rituals.
- Jahazpur
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the first _____ for adolescent girls from Rajasthan, to protect them from cervical cancer later in life.
- nationwide HPV vaccination campaign
- The HPV campaign gives a single dose of the _____ vaccine to girls aged 9 to 14 years, and aims to reach about 1.5 crore girls every year.
- Gardasil-4
- Union Jal Shakti Minister _____ and Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma reviewed the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB) 2.0 campaign, a community effort under the 'Catch the Rain' campaign.
- C. R. Patil
- In the first phase of Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari, Rajasthan was _____ in India; in the current phase it leads, with over 88,000 works completed and 42,000 projects still in progress.
- third
- Rajasthan also removed the rule that stopped people suffering from _____ from contesting local body elections, in line with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 and the principle against leprosy-related discrimination.
- leprosy
- Rajasthan's Agriculture Department signed an agreement with _____ for a carbon credit pilot project for farmers, announced by Agriculture Minister Kirodi Lal Meena; it runs under the rules of the 2023 carbon credit trading scheme.
- IORA Ecological Solutions
MCQs
Which condition for contesting panchayat elections did Rajasthan remove in 2026?
- Minimum education
- Two-child norm
- Age limit
- Property ownership
Show answer
Answer: Two-child norm — The Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2026 removed the two-child norm, which was nearly 30 years old.
Which institution is being upgraded into the AIIMS-like RIMS in Jaipur?
- SMS Medical College
- Rajasthan Technical University
- RUHS
- University of Rajasthan
Show answer
Answer: RUHS — The RIMS Bill, 2026 upgrades the Rajasthan University of Health Sciences into an autonomous institute.
What is the total planned capacity of the Mahi Banswara atomic power project?
- 1,400 MW
- 2,000 MW
- 2,400 MW
- 2,800 MW
Show answer
Answer: 2,800 MW — Four units of 700 MW each will use indigenous PHWR technology.
What is the new name of Mount Abu, as decided in March 2026?
- Abu Raj
- Arbudanchal
- Abu Garh
- Sirohi Raj
Show answer
Answer: Abu Raj — Mount Abu in Sirohi district was renamed Abu Raj.
How much indigenous content does the stealth frigate INS Taragiri have?
- More than 50%
- More than 60%
- More than 90%
- More than 75%
Show answer
Answer: More than 75% — INS Taragiri (F41) is over 75% indigenous and runs on CODOG propulsion.
R. Vairamuthu, chosen for the 60th Jnanpith Award, writes in which language?
- Telugu
- Malayalam
- Tamil
- Kannada
Show answer
Answer: Tamil — Vairamuthu is a Tamil poet and lyricist, the third Tamil writer to win the Jnanpith.
Mayank Chakraborty became which number Grandmaster of India?
- 92nd
- 94th
- 96th
- 100th
Show answer
Answer: 94th — He became India's 94th Grandmaster and the first from North-East India.
India's first LPG ATM was installed by BPCL in which city?
- Noida
- Jaipur
- Pune
- Gurugram
Show answer
Answer: Gurugram — The LPG ATM at Gurugram, Haryana, gives light composite cylinders after OTP check and UPI or debit card payment.
Who was the chief guest at Raisina Dialogue 2026?
- Mark Carney
- Balendra Shah
- Alexander Stubb
- José Antonio Kast
Show answer
Answer: Alexander Stubb — Finland's President Alexander Stubb was chief guest at the 5-7 March 2026 dialogue in New Delhi.
Where was the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14) held in March 2026?
- Geneva
- Nairobi
- Abu Dhabi
- Yaoundé
Show answer
Answer: Yaoundé — MC14 took place in Yaoundé, Cameroon, from 26 to 30 March 2026.
Balendra Shah, Nepal's youngest Prime Minister, belongs to which party?
- Nepali Congress
- CPN-UML
- Rastriya Swatantra Party
- Maoist Centre
Show answer
Answer: Rastriya Swatantra Party — He leads the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and took oath on 27 March 2026 at age 35.
Kalinjar Fort, whose nearby hills became a national geo-heritage site, is in which district?
- Mahoba
- Jhansi
- Chitrakoot
- Banda
Show answer
Answer: Banda — Kalinjar is in Banda district, Uttar Pradesh; the GSI gave the geo-heritage status.