Asia Current Affairs — Last 12 months
Daily news by your exam, state and topic — each with a short summary, key facts and MCQs.
Wed, 11 Mar 2026
President Murmu leads national event of first Jal Mahotsav under Jal Jeevan Mission
On 11 March 2026 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, President Droupadi Murmu graced the national event of Jal Mahotsav 2026, the first nationwide campaign of its kind under the Jal Jeevan Mission, running from 8 to 22 March.
IEA agrees largest-ever 400-million-barrel emergency oil release; India welcomes it as Associate Member
On 11 March 2026 in Paris, the 32 member countries of the International Energy Agency unanimously agreed to make 400 million barrels of emergency oil stocks available, and India welcomed the decision as an IEA Associate Member.
PM Modi launches ₹11,000-crore projects in Kochi, including a polypropylene unit and a 50-MW floating solar plant
On 11 March 2026 in Kochi, Kerala, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of development projects worth about ₹11,000 crore.
ISA Foundation Day: Pralhad Joshi says the alliance now has 125 member and signatory countries
On 11 March 2026 in New Delhi, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi addressed the International Solar Alliance's Foundation Day, noting that the alliance now has 125 member and signatory countries.
Kavach 4.0 commissioned on 1,452 route km of Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Howrah routes
The Railway Ministry said on 11 March 2026 that version 4.0 of Kavach, India's indigenous automatic train protection system, has been commissioned on 1,452 route km covering the high-density Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Howrah routes.
PM Modi launches ₹5,650-crore projects in Tiruchirappalli, including city gas for Nilgiris and Erode
On 11 March 2026 in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched projects worth about ₹5,650 crore in clean energy, petroleum, highways, railways and rural roads.
Praveen Kumar and Preeti Pal win gold on opening day of World Para Athletics Grand Prix in New Delhi
On 11 March 2026 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, Paralympic champion Praveen Kumar won the men's T44 high jump with 1.96 m and Preeti Pal won the women's 100m T35/T37 in 14.46 s on day one of the World Para Athletics Grand Prix.
Navneet Kaur's hat-trick powers India past Wales 4-1 at Women's Hockey World Cup qualifiers in Hyderabad
On 11 March 2026 at the GMC Balayogi Hockey Ground in Hyderabad, India beat Wales 4-1 at the FIH Hockey Women's World Cup Qualifiers, with a hat-trick from Navneet Kaur, to top Pool B.
Environment Ministry workshop prioritises 77 railway stretches to curb elephant deaths on tracks
On 10–11 March 2026 at the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun, a national workshop by the Environment Ministry's Project Elephant Division prioritised 77 railway stretches across 14 states and recommended 705 mitigation structures to prevent elephant–train collisions.
UIDAI launches its first structured bug bounty programme for Aadhaar platforms
The Unique Identification Authority of India announced on 11 March 2026 its first structured bug bounty programme, with 20 security researchers testing the UIDAI website, myAadhaar portal and Secure QR Code app.
Textiles Minister launches Bharat Tex 2026, to be held at Bharat Mandapam on 14–17 July
Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh launched Bharat Tex 2026 in New Delhi on 11 March 2026; the third edition of the global textile fair will be held at Bharat Mandapam from 14 to 17 July 2026.
Centre approves ₹894-crore MSP procurement of pulses and oilseeds in Telangana for Rabi 2026
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan approved on 11 March 2026 the procurement of 1,25,855 tonnes of gram, urad, groundnut and sunflower worth over ₹894 crore at MSP in Telangana for Rabi 2026.
Tue, 10 Mar 2026
Cabinet extends Jal Jeevan Mission to December 2028 as JJM 2.0 with ₹8.69 lakh crore outlay
The Union Cabinet on 10 March 2026 extended the Jal Jeevan Mission up to December 2028, raising its total outlay to ₹8.69 lakh crore and shifting its focus from building infrastructure to delivering water services under JJM 2.0.
Cabinet eases Press Note 3 rules: up to 10% non-controlling stake from land-border countries via automatic route; 60-day approval for key sectors
The Union Cabinet on 10 March 2026 amended the FDI rules for investments from countries sharing a land border with India, allowing non-controlling beneficial ownership of up to 10% under the automatic route and a 60-day decision timeline for specified manufacturing sectors.
Second Advance Estimates 2025–26: record foodgrain output; wheat at 1,202.10 lakh tonnes
The Agriculture Ministry released the Second Advance Estimates of crop production for 2025–26 on 10 March 2026, putting Kharif foodgrain output at 1,741.44 lakh tonnes and Rabi foodgrain at 1,745.13 lakh tonnes, both higher than last year.
Fertilizer plants put in 'Priority Sector-2' for natural gas, assured 70% of average use
The Department of Fertilizers said on 10 March 2026 that the Natural Gas (Supply Regulation) Order, 2026 places fertilizer plants in 'Priority Sector-2', assuring them at least 70% of their average gas consumption of the last six months.
CCEA approves ₹4,474-crore fourth lines on Sainthia–Pakur and Santragachi–Kharagpur sections
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved on 10 March 2026 two railway multitracking projects worth about ₹4,474 crore in West Bengal and Jharkhand, adding about 192 km to the network.
UP Cabinet approves Mukhyamantri Gram Parivahan Yojana to bring buses to all 59,163 gram sabhas
On 10 March 2026 in Lucknow, the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath approved the Mukhyamantri Gram Parivahan Yojana-2026 to extend bus services to all 59,163 gram sabhas in the state.
CCEA approves ₹3,839.42-crore four-laning of 80.45-km Badnawar–Timarwani stretch of NH-752D in Madhya Pradesh
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved on 10 March 2026 the four-laning of the 80.45-km Badnawar–Petlawad–Thandla–Timarwani section of NH-752D in Madhya Pradesh at a cost of ₹3,839.42 crore, completing a four-lane link from Ujjain to the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway.
C. R. Paatil opens new NDSA office and launches AI platform NETRA for dam safety
Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Paatil inaugurated the new office of the National Dam Safety Authority in New Delhi on 10 March 2026 and launched its website and the AI-enabled platform NETRA.
Rajnath Singh releases 'Defence Forces Vision 2047' roadmap for a future-ready military
On 10 March 2026 at South Block, New Delhi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh released 'Defence Forces Vision 2047: A Roadmap for a Future-Ready Indian Military', prepared by Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff.
Cabinet declares Madurai Airport in Tamil Nadu an international airport
The Union Cabinet approved on 10 March 2026 the declaration of Madurai Airport in Tamil Nadu as an international airport.
CCEA approves ₹3,630.77-crore revised cost for 31.42-km Jewar Airport link to Delhi–Mumbai Expressway
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved on 10 March 2026 a revised cost of ₹3,630.77 crore for the 31.42-km greenfield road linking Jewar International Airport with the Delhi–Faridabad–Ballabhgarh–Sohna spur of the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway.
Dr Partha Biswas takes charge as Member of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes
Dr Partha Biswas assumed charge as a Member of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), the constitutional body under Article 338, on 10 March 2026.
Textiles Ministry report: India generates 70.73 lakh tonnes of textile waste a year
Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh released the report 'Mapping of Textile Waste Value Chain in India' in New Delhi on 10 March 2026, which estimates India's textile waste at about 70.73 lakh tonnes a year.
Army Hospital (R&R) Delhi performs world's first angiography-guided Hydrus Microstent glaucoma surgery
On 10 March 2026 at the Army Hospital (Research & Referral), Delhi, surgeons performed the world's first implantation of the Hydrus Microstent guided by intraoperative aqueous angiography, together with cataract surgery.
Mon, 09 Mar 2026
Namibian cheetah Jwala gives birth to five cubs at Kuno; India's cheetah count reaches 53
Jwala, a Namibian cheetah, gave birth to five cubs at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, taking India's cheetah population to 53 and Indian-born surviving cubs to 33, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav said on 9 March 2026.
Piyush Goyal at National IP Awards: make India's IP approval system among the world's top five
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on 9 March 2026 called for making India's intellectual property approval system one of the top five in the world for speed and transparency, at the National IP Awards and IP Conference in New Delhi.
Election Commission reviews poll preparedness for West Bengal Assembly elections in Kolkata
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi reviewed preparations for the coming West Bengal Assembly elections in Kolkata on 9 March 2026.
NHAI releases first annual report on National Highways Green Cover Index (NH-GCI) 2025–26
NHAI on 9 March 2026 released the first annual report on the National Highways Green Cover Index, prepared with ISRO's National Remote Sensing Centre, covering about 30,000 km of highways in 24 states.