Current Affairs for Competitive Exams: 31 March 2026, Daily Roundup

Current Affairs for Competitive Exams: 31 March 2026,Daily Roundup

Current Affairs- 31 March 2026

Global tensions continued over the West Asia crisis, while India advanced digital census planning, defence modernisation, and financial regulation.

National

• Digital Census 2027: The government finalised the fully digital Census 2027, with house listing from April 2026; caste enumeration will be included for the first time since independence.

• RBI Forex Directive: RBI capped banks’ Net Open Position in INR at $100 million to control currency volatility.

• AP Capital Bill: Government likely to introduce the AP Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, to declare Amaravati as Andhra Pradesh’s sole capital.

• Operation Blue Star Records Case: Punjab & Haryana High Court issued notices to the Centre, Army, and CBI over disclosure of manuscripts seized during Operation Blue Star.

• World Buddhist Peace Conference: Held 27–29 March 2026 in Hyderabad and Buddhavanam (Telangana).

International Affairs

• Multipolar World View: EAM S. Jaishankar noted the global shift toward a multi-polar world order.

• UNESCO Education Report: The Global Education Monitoring Report revealed 1 in 6 children worldwide remains out of school.

• Senegal Law Amendment: President Bassirou Diomaye Faye approved stricter penalties, up to 10 years imprisonment, for same-sex acts.

Global Geopolitical Crisis

• US Hormuz Warning: US President Donald Trump advised nations to secure oil transit themselves or purchase oil directly from the US.

• Iran NPT Exit Threat: Iran’s Parliament reviewed a possible withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

• European Airspace Denial: Spain and Italy denied US requests to use their airspace and bases for West Asia operations.

Defence

• ASW Craft Agray: Indian Navy inducted INS Agray, the fourth Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft, powered by waterjets.

• INS Dunagiri Delivery: The Navy received the stealth frigate INS Dunagiri, strengthening indigenous naval capability.

• MiG-29 Upgrade: IAF upgrading MiG-29 jets with ASRAAM missiles.

• Exercise Dweep Shakti: Tri-service exercise conducted to test island defence readiness.

• IMEX TTX 2026: The Indian Navy hosted a maritime exercise in Kochi.

Science & Technology

• Rocket Pollution Study: Research showed rocket re-entry increases lithium concentration in the upper atmosphere.

• Bhavasagara Repository: Designated as the National Repository for Deep-Sea Fauna under the Biological Diversity Act.

• Bio-Bitumen Technology: CSIR transferred technology converting agricultural residue into road materials.

• Artemis II Countdown: NASA scheduled the Artemis II crewed Moon mission launch for April 1, 2026.

• Floating Solar Project: A 500 MW floating solar plant planned at Kariba Dam, Zimbabwe.

Sports – Current Affairs

• Sheetal Devi Award: Indian para-archer Sheetal Devi was named Para Archer of the Year 2025.

• Sunil Narine Record: Sunil Narine became IPL’s most capped overseas player with 190 matches.

• Ashwin in MLC: Ravichandran Ashwin joined San Francisco Unicorns, becoming the first Indian in Major League Cricket (USA).

• Pramod Bhagat Success: Won 1 gold and 2 silver medals at the Spanish Para Badminton International.

• F1 Record: Italy’s Andrea Kimi Antonelli won the Japanese GP 2026, becoming the youngest F1 championship leader.

Global Observance

• International Day of Zero Waste: Focus on circular economy and municipal zero-waste systems.

• Mahavir Jayanti: Birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir is celebrated nationwide; banks are closed in several cities.

Miscellaneous One-Liners Current Affairs

• West Bengal: Tennis legend Leander Paes joined the BJP.
• Kerala: Health alerts issued due to Shigellosis outbreak.
• Tamil Nadu: Actor Joseph Vijay booked for poll code violation.
• Appointments: Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti appointed NCBC Chairperson.
• Disaster: Storms caused 45 deaths across Afghanistan and Pakistan.
• Zero Waste Initiative: Varkala selected among 20 Cities Towards Zero Waste.