NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Central govt employees can opt for Unified Pension Scheme till June 30: Central government employees have until June 30, 2025, to opt for the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), which becomes operational from April 1, 2025, providing a three-month window from the start date to make a decision.The UPS is available to employees who joined service on or after January 1, 2004, including those retiring by March 31, 2025, and even the legally wedded spouse of a deceased subscriber can join if the option wasn’t exercised before death.The scheme offers five major benefits: an assured pension (50% of average basic pay over the last 12 months for 25+ years of service), assured family pension (60% of the employee’s pension), assured minimum pension (₹10,000/month for 10+ years), inflation indexation, and a lump sum payment at superannuation alongside gratuity.Under UPS, the government increases its contribution to 18.5% (from 14% in the National Pension System), while the employee contribution remains at 10% of basic pay plus Dearness Allowance, with the corpus split into an individual pension fund and a pool corpus.
2. BHEL Secures ₹7,500 Crore Order for 800 MW Thermal Unit at Ukai Plant in Gujarat: Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has won a ₹7,500 crore order from Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Ltd (GSECL) to establish an 800 MW supercritical thermal power unit (Unit-7) at the Ukai plant in Tapi district, Gujarat.The project, executed on an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) basis, includes designing, supplying, and commissioning equipment like boilers, turbines, and generators, with commercial operations expected to commence within 54 months from March 21, 2025.This order reinforces BHEL’s long-standing partnership with GSECL, dating back to the first thermal unit installed at Ukai in 1976, and highlights its significant contribution to India’s energy sector with over 1,70,000 MW of installed power capacity nationwide.
3. Delhi becomes 28th legislature to join National eVidhan Application Platform: The Delhi Legislative Assembly has signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (MoPA) and the Government of NCT of Delhi for the implementation of the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA), making it the 28th legislature to adopt this digital governance initiative.NeVA aims to transition the Delhi Assembly to a paperless and transparent legislative system, aligning with the “One Nation, One Application” vision by digitizing legislative procedures, enhancing efficiency, and providing real-time access to documents.The platform is hosted on Meghraj 2.0, India’s cloud infrastructure, ensuring scalability, security, and accessibility across various devices, while also offering multilingual capabilities to accommodate diverse users.Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta emphasized the rapid implementation of NeVA, committing to making the Assembly fully paperless within 100 days, marking a significant step towards digital transformation in legislative governance.
4. Govt Scraps 20% Onion Export Duty to Boost Farmer Incomes Starting April 1: The Government of India has withdrawn 20% duty on onion export, effective from 1st April 2025. A notification to this effect was issued by the Department of Revenue today on the communication of the Department of Consumer Affairs.To ensure domestic availability, the government had taken measures to check export by means of duty, minimum export price (MEP) and even to the extent of export prohibition for almost five months, from 8th December 2023 till 3rd May 2024. The export duty of 20% which now stands removed has been in place from 13th September, 2024.Despite export restriction, the total onion export during FY 2023-24 was 17.17 LMT and FY 2024-25 (till 18th March) was 11.65 LMT. Monthly onion export quantity had picked up from 0.72 LMT in September, 2024 to 1.85 LMT in January, 2025. The modal prices in Lasalgaon and Pimpalgoan on 21st March, 2025 were Rs.1330/qtl and Rs.1325/qtl, respectively.
5. Justice Harish Tandon takes oath as Chief Justice of Orissa High Court: Justice Harish Tandon has appointed as the next Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court. He is at present a judge of the Calcutta High Court.The Supreme Court collegium had earlier this month recommended the elevation of Justice Tandon as the Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court.The office of the Orissa HC chief justice fell vacant in January following the retirement of Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh.Justice Tandon was appointed as a judge of the Calcutta High Court in April 2010 and has been functioning there since then.
6. Ashok Singh Thakur elected as Chairman of INTACH :Ashok Singh Thakur has been elected as the new chairman of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) for a period of three years.Delhi-based INTACH, a premier heritage conservation body was established in 1984. It has chapters spread across the country.The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of INTACH was held on March 22 at its head office in New Delhi. The elections were held successfully for the post of chairman and governing council members.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Vikram Sahu to take over as the new Bank of America India Head: Vikram Sahu, head of global equity research of Bank of America, will take over as the new country executive, India.He will replace Kaku Nakhate, who will complete 15 years as the CEO of Indian operations in June.Sahu will relocate from New York in the second quarter of the calendar year to assume overall leadership of the India franchisee, according to an internal memo issued by Jin Su, president of Asia Pacific.
2. 24 March – International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims: The International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims is observed annually on March 24, honoring those who have suffered from severe human rights abuses and recognizing the importance of truth and justice.Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2010, this day pays tribute to the legacy of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero of El Salvador, who was assassinated on March 24, 1980, while advocating for human rights and dignity amidst widespread violations.
3. 25 March – International Day of the Unborn Child: The International Day of the Unborn Child is observed annually on March 25 to honour the value and dignity of unborn children and to promote a culture that respects all human life from conception.It was established in 1999 by Pope John Paul II, this day coincides with the Feast of the Annunciation, symbolising the moment of the Incarnation when, according to Christian belief, Jesus was conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. AIKEYME Maritime Exercise :The Indian Navy is set to conduct maritime exercise named AIKEYME, aimed at enhancing defence cooperation with several African nations. This initiative aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, termed MAHASAGAR, promoting security and growth across regions. The exercise will take place off the coast of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, co-hosted by the Indian Navy and the Tanzania Peoples Defence Force.AIKEYME stands for Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement. It is designed to strengthen maritime security and enhance interoperability among participating nations. The exercise will involve ten African countries: Tanzania, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, and South Africa.
SPORTS
1. Oscar Piastri Wins Chinese Grand Prix: Oscar Piastri clinched his third career victory at the Chinese Grand Prix 2025, beating teammate Lando Norris by 6.3 seconds to secure first place.McLaren dominated the race, with Piastri and Norris finishing first and second, respectively, marking the team’s first one-two result since the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.
2. India clinches both Men’s & Women’s Kabaddi World Cup 2025: India has clinched both the Men’s and Women’s Kabaddi World Cup 2025 at Wolverhampton in England.The Men’s team defeated the home side England in the final match 44-41. Earlier, the Indian Women’s Team also defeated England with a dominating score of 57-34 in the final at the same venue.For the first time outside Asia, this tournament saw top kabaddi teams compete across the West Midlands, with matches in Birmingham, Coventry, Walsall, and Wolverhampton.At the inaugural edition, hosted by Malaysia in 2019, India won both the men’s and women’s crowns.
3. Pranati Nayak wins bronze in Women’s Vault at FIG World Cup: In Gymnastics, India’s Pranati Nayak has bagged the bronze medal in the Women’s Vault final at the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) World Cup in Antalya, Turkey.The two-time Asian Championship medallist Pranati scored an average of 13.417 to secure her maiden World Cup podium finish, last evening.Jayla Hang of the United States claimed the gold with a score of 13.667, while her compatriot Clare Pease took silver with a score of 13.567.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Challenges in Eliminating Tuberculosis: Tuberculosis (TB) remains global health challenge. Despite advances in medicine, it affects millions each year. TB is primarily caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It mainly targets the lungs but can also affect other organs.TB can be classified into two main types – pulmonary and extrapulmonary. Pulmonary TB affects the lungs and is the most common form. Extrapulmonary TB can impact other areas, such as the spine, brain, and kidneys. Miliary TB is a severe form that spreads throughout the body, causing various complications.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. Public sector banks’ dividend rises 33% to ₹27,830 crore in FY24: Dividend payout by public sector banks (PSBs) have risen by 33 per cent to ₹27,830 crore in FY24, indicating significant improvement in financial health of these lenders.PSBs declared a dividend of ₹27,830 crore to shareholders in 2023-24 as against ₹20,964 crore in the previous fiscal, registering an increase of 32.7 per cent, according to the government data.Of ₹27,830 crore total dividend, nearly 65 per cent or ₹18,013 crore was paid to the government towards their shareholding in FY24. During 2022-23, the government received ₹13,804 crore as dividend from the public sector banks including State Bank of India (SBI).It is to be noted that 12 public sector banks recorded the highest ever aggregate net profit of ₹41 lakh crore in 2023-24 against the net profit of ₹1.05 lakh crore in 2022-23, and earned ₹1.29 lakh crore in the nine months of the current financial year.
2. Bank of Baroda Unveils ‘mDigiNext’ App to Enhance Corporate Cash Management: Bank of Baroda (BoB) has launched ‘mDigiNext mobile app’ to exclusively cater to the cash management needs of its corporate customers.BoB’s dedicated cash management services app offers payment functionalities that help businesses manage their working capital and cash flows, which, in turn, will bring in greater efficiencies and facilitate faster execution and ease of operations.It provides customers with 24×7 access to essential and advanced financial tools empowering corporates to make swift and informed financial decisions anytime, anywhere.
3. Recent Facilities Launched in Banking & Insurance Sector: HDFC Bank introduced the Embassy Fixed Deposit, a specialized foreign currency term deposit scheme exclusively available in USD, targeting diplomats, non-diplomatic staff, and diplomatic missions as eligible investors.IDFC FIRST Bank introduces “Ace” feature on its mobile app to provide 2500 plus MF optionsSBI Mutual Fund launches two new PSU bank-focused investment schemes named “SBI BSE PSU Bank Index Fund and SBI BSE PSU Bank ETF”Canara Bank becomes the first bank to introduce Online Digital Balance Confirmation Certificate through the PSB Alliance Pvt. Ltd portal.Avanse Financial Services Ltd. (Avanse) launched ‘SWALAKSH’, a specialised education loan tailored for female students aspiring to study abroad.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Hindi Writer Vinod Kumar Shukla Honored with 59th Jnanpith Award: Vinod Kumar Shukla, a renowned Hindi writer, has been selected for the 59th Jnanpith Award in 2024, recognized as India’s highest literary honor for his exceptional contributions to Hindi literature.At 88 years old, Shukla makes history as the first writer from Chhattisgarh to receive the Jnanpith Award, bringing pride to the state’s literary heritage.Shukla is acclaimed for his poetry and novels, notably Deewar Mein Ek Khirki Rehti Thi, which earned him the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1999, known for its simple yet deeply reflective storytelling.The Jnanpith Selection Committee, led by writer Pratibha Ray, chose Shukla for his distinctive creativity and unique narrative style, cementing his legacy in contemporary Hindi literature.
2. Recent Award: Maharashtra Bhushan Award 2024 – Veteran Sculptor Ram SutarOeko-Tex certification from Germany for Eri silk – North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development CorporationStockholm Water Prize 2025 – Austrian hydrologist Günter Blöschl (for his groundbreaking contributions to flood risk management and water resource engineering)Air Service Quality (ASQ) award – Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (for the third consecutive year)
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