Current Affairs for Competitive Exams: 7 March 2026, Daily Roundup
7 March 2026
On 7 March 2026, the world stood at a crossroads of intense military escalation and historic sporting anticipation.
Current Affairs
National
- Digital Census Mascots: Home Minister Amit Shah and PM Modi officially unveiled ‘Pragati’ (female) and ‘Vikas’ (male) as the mascots for India’s 16th National Census. This fully digital exercise is the largest of its kind in democratic history.
- First Riverine Lighthouses: Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal laid the foundation stone for India’s first riverine lighthouses along the Brahmaputra in Assam, aiming to boost National Waterway-2 tourism and navigation.
- IBM Innovation Hub: IBM launched its first Sangam Infrastructure Innovation Centre in Bengaluru, focused on advancing sovereign AI and hybrid cloud engineering for India.
International Relations & Security
- U.S. Oil Waiver: In a significant diplomatic breakthrough, the U.S. Treasury granted India a 30-day waiver to complete existing Russian crude oil deliveries, stabilising domestic prices amidst the Middle East blockade.
- Heritage Repatriation: The UK returned a 16th-century Thirumangai Alvar bronze to India, marking another success in the government’s cultural restitution efforts.
- Health Milestone: The WHO officially verified Chile as the first country in the Americas to eliminate leprosy as a public health problem.
- MWC– Overview of Mobile World Congress 2026 held in Barcelona, Spain
Global Geopolitical Crisis
- Oil Infrastructure Hits: For the first time in the week-long war, U.S.-Israeli strikes targeted an oil storage facility in Tehran. In retaliation, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards struck Israel’s Haifa oil refinery.
- Strait of Hormuz Blockade: The chokepoint remains closed, with Iran vowing “no surrender.” Over 140 international flights were cancelled across major Indian airports today due to the hazardous Gulf airspace.
- Diplomatic Exodus: Over 150 Iranian diplomats and their families were evacuated from Lebanon to Russia following threats of strikes near the embassy in Beirut.
Sports
- T20 World Cup Final Build-up: The stage is set at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, for final between India and New Zealand.
- World Richest List: Elon Musk was named the world’s richest person (USD 792 billion) in the Hurun Global Rich List 2026, while Roshni Nadar Malhotra emerged as India’s richest woman.
- Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya Unveils Logo of World’s First Franchise-Based Cycling League of India
Defence
- Exercise Sanyukt Kavach: MoS Defence Sanjay Seth witnessed the conclusion of a massive military-civil fusion exercise in Pune, simulating a coordinated response to a chemical (CBRN) attack.
- Space-Defence Alliance: Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and startup Bellatrix Aerospace signed an MoU to develop satellite payloads for Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) operations.
- IRIS Dena Sinks: Confirmed reports state the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena sank off Sri Lanka after a U.S. submarine torpedo attack; the ship had recently participated in India’s MILAN-2026 exercise.
Global Observance
- World Prayer Day: Observed globally for peace and reconciliation, with a specific focus on the ongoing West Asian conflict.
- Alexander Graham Bell Day: Commemorating the anniversary of the first telephone patent.
Miscellaneous One-Liners Current Affairs
- Uttar Pradesh: The 138th Hathi Risala Festival was celebrated in Jalna, featuring traditional elephant worship and processions.
- Andhra Pradesh: The state government announced a ban on social media for children under 13 to promote mental wellness.
- Maharashtra: CM Devendra Fadnavis presented a budget focused on a $5 trillion state economy vision by 2047.
- Jammu & Kashmir: Saba Shawl became the first Kashmiri woman to head the largest high-security prison in the Union Territory.
- Kerala: An AI-powered G-SPIDER robot was deployed for canal cleaning in Thiruvananthapuram to end manual scavenging.
- Uttarakhand: A rare pair of Dusky Eagle Owls was spotted in the Phato Tourism Zone of the Terai West Forest Division.
- Tamilnadu-President Appoints Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari as Chief Justice of Madras HC
- KV Subramanian becomes 1st Indian Economist to Win Chicago Alumni Award
