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