March 2026 Current Affairs

English summary for quick revision and MCQ practice.

MARCH 2026 CURRENT AFFAIRS SUMMARY

A. IMPORTANT DAYS - MARCH 2026

National Science Day

  • - Date: February 28
  • - Theme: "Women in Science: Catalysing Viksit Bharat"
  • - Raman Effect discovered on February 28, 1928, by C.V. Raman
  • - Observed since February 28, 1987 (40th anniversary in 2026)

Janaushadhi Week 2026

  • - Date: March 1-7
  • - Theme: "Jan Aushadhi – Affordable and Trustworthy, Good Health with Savings"
  • - Under PMBJP scheme
  • - 18,000+ centres; target 25,000 by March 31, 2027

World Wildlife Day

  • - Date: March 3
  • - Theme: "Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Conserving Health, Heritage and Livelihoods"
  • - CITES signed on March 3, 1973
  • - Declared by UN General Assembly

International Women's Day

  • - Date: March 8
  • - Theme: "Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls"
  • - First observed in 1911
  • - National Women's Commission established in 1992

CISF Raising Day

  • - Date: March 10
  • - Established on March 10, 1969, under CISF Act 1968
  • - HQ: New Delhi
  • - DG: Praveer Ranjan

International Day of Women Judges 2026

  • - Date: March 10
  • - 5th observance
  • - Theme: "Women Judges on the Bench and Beyond: Protecting Access to Justice"

No Smoking Day 2026

  • - Date: March 11
  • - 2nd Wednesday of March every year
  • - Theme: "Smoke-Free Life Starts With A Smoke-Free Day"
  • - First observed in 1984

World Kidney Day

  • - Date: March 13
  • - Theme: "Kidney Health for All – Caring for People, Protecting the Planet"

Pi Day

  • - Date: March 14
  • - Pi = 3.14 (ratio of circle circumference to diameter)
  • - UNESCO declared March 14 as International Mathematics Day in 2019
  • - India celebrates December 22 as National Mathematics Day (Ramanujan's birthday)

World Consumer Rights Day

  • - Date: March 15
  • - Theme: "Safe Products, Confident Consumers"

National Vaccination Day & National Immunization Day

  • - Date: March 16
  • - Theme: "Immunization for All is Humanly Possible"
  • - First free polio vaccine in India: 1995

World Sparrow Day

  • - Date: March 20
  • - 17th observance in 2026
  • - Theme: "Creating Bird-Friendly Cities & Communities"

International Forest Day

  • - Date: March 21
  • - Theme: "Forests and Economies"

World Water Day

  • - Date: March 22
  • - WMO established on March 23, 1950
  • - HQ: Geneva, Switzerland

World Meteorological Day

  • - Date: March 23
  • - Theme: "Observing Today, Protecting Tomorrow"

Bhagat Singh Memorial Day

  • - Date: March 23
  • - Born on September 28, 1907
  • - Executed on March 23, 1931, at Lahore Jail along with Sukhdev & Rajguru
  • - 24 people killed in La Lajpat Rai case (reason for execution)

World Tuberculosis Day

  • - Date: March 24
  • - Theme: "Yes! We can end TB! Led by countries. Powered by people."
  • - TB = Mycobacterium tuberculosis
  • - Discovered in 1882 by Dr. Robert Koch
  • - Nobel Prize in 1905

International Day of the Unborn Child

  • - Date: March 25
  • - Pope John Paul II advocated for unborn children's right to life

World Theatre Day

  • - Date: March 27
  • - Theme: "Theatre and a Culture of Peace"
  • - ITI (International Theatre Institute) founded in 1961

Mahavir Jayanti 2026

  • - Date: March 31
  • - 24th & last Tirthankara of Jainism
  • - Born: 599 BC
  • - Father: King Siddhartha
  • - Mother: Queen Trishala
  • - 5 Principles: Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya, Brahmacharya, Aparigraha

B. APPOINTMENTS

Madras HC Chief Justice

  • - Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari (SC Collegium recommended)

TN Governor (additional charge)

  • - Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar (Kerala Governor)

West Bengal Governor (resigned)

  • - C.V. Ananda Bose

Bihar CM (longest-serving)

  • - Nitish Kumar (also elected MP)

TN Info Commissioners (2 new)

  • - Atulya Misra & Abhay Kumar Singh

Nepal PM

  • - Balendra Shah Balen

Iran Supreme Leader

  • - Mojtaba Khamenei

Chief Election Commissioner

  • - Gyanesh Kumar

First woman head of ANUMIN

  • - R.M. Nachammai

TN Police Intelligence (Digital)

  • - Bala Nagadevi

Congo new President

  • - Denis Sassou Nguesso

BHIM App brand ambassador

  • - M.S. Dhoni

Indian Ambassador to China

  • - Vikram Doraiswami

SEBI full-time member

  • - K.V. Ramana Murthy

NCBC Chairman

  • - Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti

New Governors

  • - Tamil Nadu: R.V. Arlekar (prev: R.N. Ravi)
  • - Telangana: Shiva Pratap Shukla (prev: Jishnu Dev Varma)
  • - Maharashtra: Jishnu Dev Varma (prev: C.P. Radhakrishnan)
  • - Nagaland: Nand Kishore Yadav (prev: Ajay Kumar Balla)
  • - Bihar: Arif Hasan (prev: Aarif Mohammad Khan)
  • - Himachal Pradesh: Kavindra Gupta (prev: Shiva Pratap Shukla)
  • - Ladakh (LG): Vinay Kumar Saxena (prev: Kavindra Gupta)
  • - Delhi (LG): Dharmendra Singh Sandhu (prev: Vinay Kumar Saxena)

C. SPORTS

FICCI India Sports Award 2025

  • - Tamil Nadu Champions Foundation

Dubai Duty Free Men's Tennis

  • - Daniil Medvedev (26th ATP title; 2nd in season)

Ranji Trophy 2026 (Cricket)

  • - Jammu & Kashmir (1st title; beat Karnataka; ?2 crore prize)

Merida Open Women's Tennis (singles)

  • - Cristina Bucsa (8th WTA title)

Prague International Chess (Masters)

  • - Aravindh Chithambaram (India, 2nd place)

All England Open Badminton (Men's)

  • - Lin Jun Yi (China, 1st); Lakshya Sen (India, 2nd)

T20 Men's World Cup Cricket 2026

  • - India (3rd title; beat England in Ahmedabad final)
  • - India's 3 consecutive ICC trophies: 2024 T20 WC, 2025 Champions Trophy, 2026 T20 WC
  • - 10th edition | February 7 – March 8, 2026 | 20 teams | 55 matches

FIFA World Cup

  • - Every 4 years (2026: USA, Canada & Mexico host)

BCCI Naman Awards 2026

  • - Best Cricketer: Shubman Gill (captain)
  • - Best Women's Cricketer: Smriti Mandhana (5th time)
  • - Best Emerging Cricketer: Harshit Rana & Sai Sudarshana
  • - Best Team: Mumbai (domestic)

Chinese Grand Prix Formula 1

  • - Kimi Antonelli (Italy, age 19; youngest Italian F1 winner)
  • - 1st: Kimi Antonelli; 2nd: Mercedes; 3rd: Ferrari

Indian Wells Open Tennis (Men's)

  • - Jannik Sinner (Italy)

AFCON Football (Africa Cup of Nations)

  • - Every 2 years | 35th edition held December–January

AFC Women's Asian Cup Football

  • - Japan (3rd title; prev. 2014, 2018)

First National Indoor Athletics Championship

  • - Bhubaneswar (March 24-26; 11 categories; 300 athletes)
  • - 2028: India to host first World Indoor Athletics Championship

Candidates Chess Tournament venue

  • - Paphos, Cyprus
  • - India's R. Vaishali & R. Praggnanandhaa qualified; Gukesh defended title

Asian Cup Archery (Thailand)

  • - India: Bronze (Men's compound – Rajat, Rishabh, Uday)
  • - Women's reserve team: Suman Biswas, Keerthi & Reethi also got Bronze

Olympics – Transgender women ban

  • - Olympic Games (World Aquatics banned trans women in women's events)

IPL 2026

  • - 19th Season (started March 28, Bengaluru; RCB vs Chennai; 10 teams)

Hockey India Best Player (Men)

  • - Hardik Singh (Midfielder)
  • - Best Women's Player: Bichu Devi Kharibam
  • - Best Goalkeeper: Sanjay (Men); Best Forward: Sukjeet Singh

Miami Open Tennis (Women's singles)

  • - Aryna Sabalenka (24th career title; "Sunshine Double" achieved)

D. AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Kalaich Semmal Award 2026

  • - 6 recipients (TN Govt Arts & Culture Dept; ?1 lakh each; by CM Stalin)

Professor Anbazhagan Award

  • - For best schools in TN; 76 schools selected this year; announced 2022

60th Jnanpith Award

  • - Vairamuthu (Tamil poet, lyricist & writer)
  • - 3rd Tamil writer to receive it (Akilandam 1975, Jayakanthan 2002)
  • - Prize: ?11 lakh + Saraswati Devi bronze statue + citation

Sahitya Akademi Award 2025 (Tamil)

  • - Sa. Tamilchelvan (for "Tamil Sirukathayin Tadangal")
  • - Sahitya Akademi established in 1954 (first award 1955); prize ?1 lakh

Stockholm Water Prize 2026

  • - Kaveh Madani (Iranian environmental scientist; UNU-INWEH)
  • - World Water Day: March 22

Living Tamil Award for World Literature

  • - ?1 Crore prize (new award announced by writer Jeyamohan)

98th Academy Awards (Oscars) 2026

  • - Most Awards (6): One Battle After Another
  • - Best Picture: One Battle After Another
  • - Best Actor: Michael B. Jordan (Sinners)
  • - Best Actress: Jessie Buckley (Hamnet) – her 1st Oscar; 1st Irishwoman to win
  • - Best Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan (Weapons)
  • - Best Supporting Actor: Sean Penn (One Battle After Another)
  • - Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another)
  • - Best Original Score: Ludwig Göransson (Sinners)
  • - Best Animated Film: KPop Demon Hunters
  • - Best International Feature: Sentimental Value
  • - Best Documentary: Mr Nobody Against Putin
  • - Best Cinematography: Autumn Durald Arkapaw (Sinners) – 1st woman to win
  • - Best Adapted Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another)
  • - Best Original Screenplay: Ryan Coogler (Sinners)
  • - Best Production Design: Frankenstein (Tamara Deverell, Shane Vieau)
  • - Best Costume Design: Frankenstein (Kate Hawley)
  • - Best Visual Effects: Avatar: Fire and Ash
  • - Best Animated Short: The Girl Who Cried Pearls
  • - Best Original Song: "Golden" from KPop Demon Hunters

E. SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Census 2027 Mascots

  • - Pragati (Female) & Vikas (Male)
  • - 4 digital tools also launched
  • - Census Act: 1948

Udyam Portal

  • - MSME registration portal
  • - 61 lakh+ registered in TN

SWAYATT Initiative

  • - Started in 2019
  • - Startups, Women and Youth Advantage Through e-Transactions
  • - 7th year in 2026

TN-CReSt Website

  • - Tamil Nadu Cancer Research and Surveillance
  • - cancer data portal

Sarlaben AI Platform

  • - Amul's AI tool for cattle farmers (24x7 veterinary info, feed guidance)

cVIGIL App

  • - Election Commission of India (ECI) app to report election code violations

Bharat Taxi App

  • - Launched on February 5, 2026
  • - 8 cooperative societies
  • - 21.34 lakh passengers
  • - 2.31 lakh drivers

SATHEE App

  • - Free competitive exam prep (JEE, NEET, CUET, SSC etc.)
  • - Linked with Education Ministry

Theruvukalam App

  • - TN govt app
  • - Competitive exam services (TNPSC, TRB, TNUSRB)

ICEGATE

  • - Indian Customs Electronic Gateway
  • - Digital identity of Indian customs

tngraffiti.in

  • - TN Archaeology Dept website for graffiti marks & inscriptions found in TN

F. STATE & SCHEME

Operation Hanuman

  • - Andhra Pradesh

Under-16 social media ban

  • - Karnataka

Under-13 social media ban

  • - Andhra Pradesh

India's first coastal riverine lighthouse lanterns

  • - Assam

India's first Ring Metro Rail route

  • - Delhi

Project GANGA

  • - Uttar Pradesh

First state with new criminal laws

  • - Uttarakhand

India's first nano air purification tower

  • - New Delhi

Religious Liberty Bill 2026 passed

  • - Maharashtra

Anti-conversion law

  • - Chhattisgarh

Second state to implement UCC

  • - Gujarat (1st: Uttarakhand)

India's first 24x7 LPG editing system

  • - Gurugram

India's largest LPG emergency centre

  • - Mangaluru

India's first Ministry of Space

  • - Established in Delhi

Noida International Airport inaugurated

  • - PM Narendra Modi

?25,000 incentive (2-child family)

  • - Andhra Pradesh

First National Indoor Athletics Championship

  • - Bhubaneswar

G. TAMIL NADU SCHEMES

Nalam Kaakkum Stalin Scheme

  • - Started on August 2, 2025
  • - Free comprehensive health screenings
  • - 1,256 camps
  • - 18,52,561 beneficiaries
  • - 50,190 new health cards

Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam

  • - Started on August 5, 2021 (Krishnagiri)
  • - 2,58,80,625 beneficiaries
  • - UN award received

Innuyir Kaapom 48 hrs Scheme

  • - Started on December 18, 2021
  • - Free treatment within 48 hrs of accident
  • - 500 high-accident spots
  • - ?5,000 hospitalization
  • - ?2 lakh coverage
  • - 5,22,908 lives saved

H. TAMIL NADU

CII Best State for Promotion of Sports 2025

  • - Tamil Nadu

The Hindu SPORTSTAR ACES Award 2024

  • - Tamil Nadu

First Formula 4 night car race in India

  • - Chennai

44th Chess Olympiad hosted

  • - Mamallapuram

Athletes given govt jobs under 3% reservation

  • - 301 (incl. 70 differently-abled)

Prize money given to athletes

  • - ?215.78 crore (6,689 athletes)

Sports City under construction

  • - Semmanecheri, Chennai (?261 crore)

Olympic Academies opened in

  • - Chennai, Madurai, Trichy, Nilgiris

International & national events in TN (5 yrs)

  • - 40+

Small sports arenas in all constituencies

  • - Being set up; 104 new coaches appointed

I. WORLD & INTERNATIONAL

Nepal PM

  • - Balendra Shah Balen

Iran Supreme Leader

  • - Mojtaba Khamenei

Congo new President

  • - Denis Sassou Nguesso

Myanmar President

  • - Min Aung Hlaing (resigned)

FIFA World Cup 2026

  • - USA, Canada & Mexico (June 11 – July 19)
  • - Iran women's team ban by Australia

AFC Women's Asian Cup

  • - Japan champion (3rd title)

AFCON 35th edition

  • - Senegal vs Morocco (final stage)

J. DEFENCE

CISF Raising Day

  • - March 10
  • - Est. 1969
  • - Under MHA
  • - DG: Praveer Ranjan
  • - Protects airports, metro, industries, monuments

India's Ambassador to China

  • - Vikram Doraiswami

L. NATIONAL

Census 2027

  • - Mascots: Pragati & Vikas
  • - Census Act: 1948 (empowers central govt)

UCC 2nd state

  • - Gujarat (1st: Uttarakhand)

Project GANGA

  • - Uttar Pradesh

First Ring Metro Rail

  • - Delhi

First nano air purifier tower

  • - New Delhi

First Ministry of Space

  • - Delhi

Noida International Airport

  • - Inaugurated by PM Modi

First national criminal law state

  • - Uttarakhand (new criminal codes)

PLI incentive for states (mining auction)

  • - ?5,000 crore

Article 153

  • - One Governor per state

Article 217

  • - HC judge appointment (President + CJI + Governor)

Article 326

  • - Voting right (constitutional)

10th Schedule

  • - Anti-Defection Law (52nd Amendment, 1985)

RTI Act

  • - 2005

Census Act

  • - 1948

Rajya Sabha minimum age

  • - 30 years

High Court judge resignation letter

  • - to President of India

Sikkim joined India

  • - 1975 (22nd state)

M. ECONOMY

GeM (Govt e-Marketplace)

  • - Started August 2016

SWAYATT Initiative

  • - 2019 (7th year in 2026)
  • - Promotes e-transactions for startups/women/youth

Udyam Portal

  • - MSME registration
  • - 61 lakh+ in TN

Bharat Taxi App

  • - ? 2.31 lakh drivers
  • - 21.34 lakh passengers

N. INDEX & REPORT

CII Best State for Sports 2025

  • - Tamil Nadu

SPORTSTAR ACES Award 2024

  • - Tamil Nadu

Ranji Trophy Winners 2026

  • - J&K (1st time)

98th Oscar Best Film

  • - One Battle After Another (6 awards)

T20 World Cup 2026 Champions

  • - India (3rd title)

Formula 1 Chinese GP Winner

  • - Kimi Antonelli

O. OBITUARY

(Notable passings covered in the PDF - refer detailed section)

P. SUMMITS

World Meteorological Day Summits

  • - WMO HQ: Geneva
  • - Est. March 23, 1950

FIFA World Cup 2026

  • - June 11 – July 19
  • - USA, Canada, Mexico

Q. BOOKS & AUTHOR

"Tamil Sirukathayin Tadangal"

  • - Sa. Tamilchelvan (Sahitya Akademi Award 2025)
  • - Covers Tamil short stories 1913–1970
  • - 900+ pages
  • - Published by Bharati Puthakalayam

R. MISCELLANEOUS (KEY POINTS)

IPL 2026 (19th season) started Mar 28 in Bengaluru (RCB vs CSK)

Ranji Trophy 2026 - J&K won for 1st time (beat Karnataka); ?2 crore prize by CM Omar Abdullah

Prague Chess Masters - Aravindh Chithambaram 2nd (India); Women: Divya Deshmukh 3rd

T20 World Cup 2026 - India won (3rd consecutive ICC title in 3 years)

Kimi Antonelli (19, Italy) - 2nd F1 win at Chinese GP

Mayank Chakraborty (16) - India's 94th Chess Grandmaster (from Assam)

Aryna Sabalenka - Miami Open & Indian Wells titles (Sunshine Double)

Jannik Sinner - Indian Wells Men's title

BCCI Naman Awards Best Cricketer - Shubman Gill; Best Women - Smriti Mandhana (5th time)

44th Chess Olympiad - Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu

First Formula 4 Night Race in India - Chennai

Bharat Taxi App launched Feb 5, 2026 (8 cooperative societies)

Census 2027 Mascots: Pragati (F) & Vikas (M)

Vairamuthu - 60th Jnanpith Award (3rd Tamil writer)

Jessie Buckley - 1st Irish woman to win Oscar for Best Actress (Hamnet)

"One Battle After Another" - Most Oscars at 98th Academy Awards (6 awards)

CISF Raising Day - Mar 10 (est. 1969, 57th year in 2026)

Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru - executed Mar 23, 1931 (Lahore)

Mahavir Jayanti - Mar 31 | 24th Tirthankara | 5 principles of Jainism

World Wildlife Day - Mar 3 | CITES signed 1973

Stockholm Water Prize 2026 - Kaveh Madani (Iran)

Living Tamil Award for World Literature - ?1 crore

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