Daily Current Affairs

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), launched three major digital initiatives on 23 March 2026 in New Delhi to strengthen India’s media, broadcasting, and digital sector under the ‘Orange Economy’ vision.

• Initiative 1 — National AI Skilling Initiative: Launched in partnership with Google and YouTube through the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT); targets training 15,000 participants from creative and media sectors at no cost; covers AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics) and media technology.
• Phase I (23 March – 30 June 2026): Foundational AI learning — Google Career Certificates, Generative AI Essentials, Prompting Essentials.
• Phase II (July – December 2026): Advanced specialisation — storytelling, YouTube best practices, tools including Gemini, Veo, and Vertex AI.
• Initiative 2 — MyWAVES Platform: A new citizen creator feature on WAVES OTT (Prasar Bharati’s OTT platform); enables citizens to create, upload, and share content; supports short videos, vertical videos, episodic content; multilingual interface; integrates with Create in India Challenge.
• Initiative 3 — Advanced EPG + In-built Satellite Tuner: New TV sets with built-in satellite tuners allow viewers to watch DD Free Dish channels directly without a separate set-top box — reducing costs and wiring complexity.

The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) operationalised a comprehensive ‘Internal Audit Portal’ to transition from manual audit processes to a real-time, centralized digital system for enhanced transparency across rural development programmes.

• Developed by: National Informatics Centre (NIC), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
• Key Features: Secretary-level access for direct monitoring; automated alerts for compliance delays; Action Taken Reports (ATRs); secure need-based access controls for cross-departmental coordination.
• Programmes Covered: MGNREGS, PMAY-G, and PMGSY — reduces ‘compliance gap’ and speeds up resolution of audit observations.

The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) conferred the National Award for Outstanding Performance in SHG-Bank Linkage 2024-25 to Karnataka Grameena Bank (KGB) during the National Conference on Financial Literacy & Capacity Building and the 25th CLCC meeting held in Hyderabad, Telangana.

• Award Presented by: Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan (MoRD) to V. M. Rukmini Devi, General Manager of KGB.
• KGB Achievement: Extended Rs 2,835 crore credit to 80,904 SHGs; aligned with DAY-NRLM (Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission).
• About KGB: Regional Rural Bank (RRB) formed on 1 May 2025 through amalgamation of Karnataka Gramin Bank and Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank; HQ: Ballari, Karnataka; sponsored by Canara Bank.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) approved wide-ranging regulatory changes covering market intermediaries, foreign investors, Alternative Investment Funds (AIF), and governance norms at its 213th Board Meeting held in Mumbai, Maharashtra in March 2026.

• Social Impact Fund (SIF) Reform: Reduced minimum investment by individual investors in SIF of AIF from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 1,000 — making social investing far more accessible. SIF is a sub-category of Category-I AIF (introduced July 2022) that invests in NPOs registered/listed on the Social Stock Exchange (SSE).
• AIF Flexibility: AIFs now allowed to retain liquidation proceeds beyond tenure under specific conditions (pending litigation, tax liabilities, operational expenses); flexibility introduced for winding up schemes and surrendering registration.

Svatantra Microfin Private Limited (SMPL) completed its amalgamation with Chaitanya India Fin Credit Private Limited (CIFCPL) and Svatantra Holding Private Limited (SHPL), becoming the second largest NBFC-MFI in India by portfolio.

• Approvals from: National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), Mumbai; plus clearances from RBI, CCI (Competition Commission of India), and BSE Limited.
• Outcome: Svatantra Micro Housing Finance Corporation Limited (SMHFCL) became a wholly owned subsidiary of SMPL; merged entity can now offer microloans and secured housing finance.

L&T Finance Ltd. (LTF) became a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), marking a key step in strengthening its ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) framework.

• UNGC Principles: LTF’s long-term strategy aligns with UNGC’s Ten Principles on human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption.
• Climate Commitment: LTF is also a signatory to PCAF (Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials) to measure and manage financed emissions.
• Reporting: LTF will publish annual progress reports on its implementation of the Ten Principles.

S&P Global Ratings raised India’s GDP growth forecast for FY27 by 40 basis points to 7.1% in its ‘Economic Outlook Asia-Pacific Q2 2026’ report released on 25 March 2026. FY26 was also revised upward by 0.4 percentage points to 7.6%.

• Key Growth Drivers: Resilient private consumption; modest recovery in private investment; solid exports.
• Inflation: Consumer price inflation projected at 4.3% in FY27; elevated crude prices due to Middle East conflict are a concern.
• Middle East Risk: Baseline assumes Strait of Hormuz disruption until early April 2026; downside scenario (Brent at $185/bbl) could trigger a 25 bps rate hike in H2 2026.
• Medium-term Outlook: FY28 growth revised up 20 bps to 7.2%; FY29 revised up 20 bps to 7.0%.

Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) discovered a new cockroach species named ‘Neoloboptera peninsularis’ in agricultural areas of the Deccan Peninsula, specifically in Nathachiwadi, Pune, Maharashtra. The discovery was published in ‘Records of ZSI’.

• Naming: Named after Peninsular India — peninsularis = of the peninsula.
• Discovery Method: Integrative taxonomy — combining morphological analysis, genitalic study, DNA barcoding, and phylogenetic analysis; first DNA-based cockroach identification in India.
• Features: Glossy yellowish-brown body; fully developed wings; asymmetrical cerci; distinctive whip-like male genital structure; belongs to genus Neoloboptera.
• Record: 3rd species of genus Neoloboptera in India; raises India’s total cockroach species count to 190 (about 3.8% of global cockroach diversity); confirmed endemic to India.

Ram Navami (also called Shri Ram Janmotsav) is celebrated on the ninth day (Navami Tithi) of the Shukla Paksha of the Hindu month of Chaitra — marking the birth anniversary of Lord Rama, the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu. In 2026, it falls on Thursday, 26 March 2026 — a Gazetted Public Holiday.

• Puja Timing: Ram Navami Madhyahna Muhurat: 11:13 AM to 1:41 PM (IST); Exact birth moment (Madhyahna Moment): 12:27 PM.
• Navami Tithi: Begins 11:48 AM on 26 March and ends 10:06 AM on 27 March 2026.
• Chaitra Navratri: Ram Navami is the 9th and final day of Chaitra Navratri — nine-day worship of the divine feminine.
• Lord Rama: Born to King Dasharatha and Queen Kaushalya in Ayodhya during Treta Yuga; known as Maryada Purushottam; story chronicled in Ramayana by Sage Valmiki.
• Key Celebrations: Ramayana recitation; Rath Yatras; bhajans & kirtans; fasting; Sita-Rama Kalyanotsavam (ceremonial wedding — especially in South India); Ram Leela performances.
• Ayodhya: Birthplace of Lord Rama; grand celebrations with millions taking a holy dip in River Sarayu.

World Theatre Day is observed globally on 27 March every year. It was initiated at the IX World Congress of the International Theatre Institute (ITI) in Vienna, Austria in June 1961, and first celebrated on 27 March 1962.

• ITI: International Theatre Institute — international NGO in performing arts; founded 1948; UNESCO partner organization; HQ: Paris.
• International Message: A figure of world stature delivers the ITI International Message reflecting on ‘Theatre and a Culture of Peace’; first message written by French poet Jean Cocteau in 1962.
• Significance: Celebrates performing arts, cultural diversity, storytelling, and theatre’s role in fostering peace and global dialogue.

Former Prime Minister of France Lionel Robert Jospin (born 12 July 1937) passed away on 22 March 2026 in Paris at the age of 88, following a serious surgical operation in January 2026.

• Political Career: Served as PM of France from 1997 to 2002, under President Jacques Chirac — a power-sharing arrangement known as ‘cohabitation’; First Secretary of the Socialist Party (1981–1988 and 1995–1997).
• Key Reforms as PM:
  • Reduced working week from 39 hours to 35 hours (the ’35-hour law’ — landmark social reform)
  • Extended free healthcare (universal health coverage)
  • Enacted the Parity Law (equal male/female candidates in elections)
  • Introduced civil unions (PACS) for both LGBTQ+ and heterosexual couples
• 2002 Presidential Election: Eliminated in the first round — lost to far-right Jean-Marie Le Pen for second place; prompted his retirement from politics.
• Later Career: Served on France’s Constitutional Council (2015–2019).
• Tribute: Current PM Sébastien Lecornu praised Jospin’s constancy and sense of responsibility.