Current Affairs One-liners — March 2026

Tue, 17 Mar 2026

• The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on 17 March 2026 approved ₹4,525 crore of Public Works Department works, a ₹40 per quintal bonus on wheat procured at MSP in 2026-27, and renamed the Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Department.
• President Droupadi Murmu on 17 March 2026 attended an event at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre to commemorate five billion meals served by the Akshaya Patra Foundation.

Mon, 16 Mar 2026

• India's total exports of goods and services during April–February 2025-26 are estimated at US$ 790.86 billion, 5.79% higher than a year earlier, the Commerce Ministry said on 16 March 2026.
• The Agriculture Ministry on 16 March 2026 released final estimates showing horticulture production of 3,707.38 lakh tonnes in 2024-25 and first advance estimates projecting 3,708.46 lakh tonnes for 2025-26.
• A fire in the trauma care ICU of SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack in the early hours of 16 March 2026 killed 12 patients by the next day; PM Modi announced ₹2 lakh ex-gratia from PMNRF for each deceased.
• Approval has been granted for quantum teaching laboratories in 23 academic institutions under the National Quantum Mission, with 100 more under consideration, the Science Ministry said on 16 March 2026.
• The Election Commission of India on 16 March 2026 appointed Manjeet Singh, a retired IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, as Special Observer for the Assam Assembly election, where polling is on 9 April and counting on 4 May 2026.
• The Centre on 16 March 2026 approved higher commission rates for Arthiyas and cooperative societies procuring wheat and paddy on its behalf from Rabi Marketing Season 2026-27, raising the Arthiya commission on wheat in Punjab and Haryana to ₹50.75 per quintal.
• The Periodic Labour Force Survey monthly bulletin released on 16 March 2026 shows urban unemployment for persons aged 15+ fell to 6.6% in February 2026 from 7.0% in January, while overall LFPR stayed at 55.9%.
• The Embassy of India in Tehran on 16 March 2026 advised all Indian nationals in Iran not to approach or try to cross any land border of Iran without prior and explicit coordination with the Embassy.
• Annual inflation based on the Wholesale Price Index rose to 2.13% (provisional) in February 2026 from 1.81% in January, the Commerce Ministry said on 16 March 2026.
• NHAI said on 16 March 2026 that it has received nine bids for upgrading the around 90-km Jaipur–Kishangarh section of NH-48 in Rajasthan to six lanes on EPC mode, cutting travel time from two hours to one.
• The Competition Commission of India held the 11th National Conference on Economics of Competition Law in New Delhi on 16 March 2026, with NITI Aayog Member Rajiv Gauba as keynote speaker.
• The Commission for Air Quality Management's GRAP sub-committee on 16 March 2026 revoked all Stage-I actions across the National Capital Region after Delhi's average AQI improved from 175 to 119.

Sun, 15 Mar 2026

• The Election Commission of India on 15 March 2026 announced Assembly elections in four States and Puducherry, with polling from 9 to 29 April and counting on 4 May 2026.
• West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced on 15 March 2026 that DA arrears under ROPA 2009 will be paid from March 2026 and raised the monthly honorarium of purohits and muezzins by ₹500 to ₹2,000.
• Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu launched the Guru Dakshina portal on 15 March 2026 to give a one-time financial settlement to teachers of venture institutions whose services were not provincialised.
• India's youth boxers ended the World Boxing Futures Cup 2026 in Bangkok, held from 8 to 15 March, with five medals, led by Chandrika Pujari's gold in the women's 51 kg category.
• Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani addressed a Gramin Dak Sevak Sammelan in Chennai on 15 March 2026 and praised the Tamil Nadu postal circle for ranking second in the country in overall revenue.
• Italy's Jannik Sinner beat Daniil Medvedev 7-6(6), 7-6(4) in the Indian Wells final on 15 March 2026 to become only the third man, after Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, to win all six ATP Masters 1000 hard-court titles.
• The National Highways Authority of India said on 15 March 2026 that the FASTag Annual Pass fee will rise from ₹3,000 to ₹3,075 for 2026-27, effective 1 April 2026.
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the Pragjyotishpur Medical College and Hospital, built at about ₹675 crore, and other Assam government health projects in Guwahati on 15 March 2026.
• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of 127 development works worth ₹363.82 crore in Nepanagar, Burhanpur district, on 15 March 2026.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs opened online nominations for the Padma Awards 2027 on 15 March 2026 on the Rashtriya Puraskar Portal, with 31 July 2026 as the last date.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said at the final of the Aditya Birla Memorial Polo Cup in New Delhi on 15 March 2026 that polo can rightfully be designated a 'Heritage Sport' of India and called for more public-private partnership in sport.

Sat, 14 Mar 2026

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid foundation stones for projects worth ₹23,550 crore in Silchar, Assam, on 14 March 2026, including the ground-breaking of the Shillong–Silchar High-Speed Corridor.
• The Indian women's hockey team lost 0-2 to England in the final of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifiers in Hyderabad on 14 March 2026, but had already qualified for the World Cup.
• The Centre on 14 March 2026 amended the LPG (Regulation of Supply and Distribution) Order, 2000, requiring households with piped natural gas to surrender their domestic LPG connections and barring new LPG connections for them.
• Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia inaugurated the first Samriddhi Kendra, an integrated 'phygital' service centre, at Umri village in Guna district, Madhya Pradesh, under the DoT's Samriddh Gram pilot.
• Union Fisheries Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh announced a ₹100-crore Integrated Aqua Park for Anantnag, J&K, and released Model Guidelines for the Development of Cold-Water Fisheries at a national conference in Srinagar on 14 March 2026.