NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Chhattisgarh Signs MoU with Nasscom to Boost Development and Employment: The Chhattisgarh government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) to boost the state’s development and generate employment opportunities.Under its new industrial policy, Chhattisgarh has attracted investment proposals worth ~4.4 trillion.
2. Cabinet approves release of an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance to Central Government employees: The Union Cabinet has approved an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to the Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners from effective from January 1, 2025.The Centre said 48.66 lakh Central Government employees and 66.55 lakhs pensioners will get 2% increase over the existing rate of 53% of the basic pay or pension. It will cost ₹ 6,614.04 crore per annum to the exchequer.
3. Cabinet approves Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme for making India Atmanirbhar in electronics supply chain: The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Modi has approved the Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme with a funding of Rs.22,919 crore to make India Atmanirbhar in electronics supply chain.This scheme aims to develop a robust component ecosystem by attracting large investments (global/domestic) in electronics component manufacturing ecosystem, increasing Domestic Value Addition (DVA) by developing capacity and capabilities, and integrating Indian companies with Global Value Chains (GVCs).The scheme envisages to attract investment of Rs.59,350 crore, result in production of Rs.4,56,500 crore and generate additional direct employment of 91,600 persons and many indirect jobs as well during its tenure.
4. Cabinet approves construction of 4-Lane greenfield and brownfield Patna-Arrah-Sasaram corridor (NH-119A) (120.10 km) in Bihar: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the construction of 4-lane access controlled greenfield and brownfield Patna – Arrah – Sasaram corridor starting from Patna to Sasaram (120.10 km) in Bihar. The project will be developed on Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) at a total capital cost of Rs. 3,712.40 crore.Currently, connectivity between Sasaram, Arrah and Patna relies on existing State Highways (SH-2, SH-12, SH-81 and SH-102) and takes 3-4 hours due to heavy congestion including in Arrah town. A greenfield corridor, along with 10.6 km of upgradation of existing brownfield highway, will be developed to reduce the increasing congestion, catering to the needs of densely built-up areas in places like Arrah, Grahini, Piro, Bikramganj, Mokar and Sasaram.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Dr Jay Bhattacharya confirmed as Director of NIS of the United States: Indian-American scientist Jay Bhattacharya has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the country’s top health research and funding institutions.Bhattacharya, a professor of Health Policy at Stanford University, was confirmed by a 53-47 vote.Dr Jay Bhattacharya was nominated by Donald Trump as the 18th NIH Director after being elected as the 47th President of the US in November 2024.
2. 28 March – Universal Acceptance Day: Universal Acceptance Day is observed on March 28 every year to promote the idea that all domain names and email addresses should be treated equally and accepted by all internet-enabled applications and systems.Theme 2025 – Connecting the Unconnected – Building a Multilingual Internet for Viksit Bharat.Universal Acceptance is a concept that aims to ensure that all domain names, including those with non-ASCII characters, and email addresses are accepted and validated equally by all internet applications and systems.The first Universal Acceptance Day was observed on 28 March 2023, and since then, it has been celebrated every year.
3. Earthquake Hits Myanmar and Thailand: The National Centre for Seismology reported damage due to soil liquefaction and the earthquake’s frequency matching the natural vibrations of buildings. The earthquake’s epicentre was near Mandalay, Myanmar, and it registered a magnitude of 7.5. Aftershocks followed, complicating rescue efforts and increasing damage.Magnitude measures the energy released during an earthquake. The moment magnitude scale (Mw) is now used for accurate assessment. This scale considers the fault area and seismic wave size. It replaced the older Richter scale due to its limitations in accuracy and applicability.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. CDS Anil Chauhan inaugurates ‘Techkriti 2025’: Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan has inaugurated Techkriti 2025, Asia’s largest intercollegiate technical and entrepreneurial festival, at IIT Kanpur.This year’s theme, “Panta Rhei” (Everything Flows), highlights the continuous evolution of technology and innovation. Techkriti 2025 promises to be a remarkable celebration of technology, entrepreneurship and collaboration, pushing the boundaries of discovery and innovation.A special segment, ‘Rakshakriti’, a dedicated Defence Expo to showcase the cutting-edge defence technology, was a key feature of Techkriti 2025. Driving further synergy between armed forces, academia and defence industry, Gen Anil Chauhan interacted with budding technologists.
2. Ex Indra:14th edition of India, Russia bilateral naval exercise set to take place off Chennai :The 14th edition of the India-Russia naval exercise Indra will take place off Chennai from March 28 to April 2, 2025, reinforcing the strategic naval cooperation between the two nations.The exercise will be conducted in two phases—the Harbour Phase (March 28-30) in Chennai, featuring subject matter expert exchanges and pre-sail briefings, and the Sea Phase (March 31-April 2) in the Bay of Bengal, including tactical maneuvers and live drills.The exercise will see participation from Russian Naval Ships Pechanga, Rezkiy, and Aldar Tsydenzhapov, along with Indian Naval Ships Rana, Kuthar, and maritime patrol aircraft P8I.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. What is Semicryogenic Engine?: Recently, ISRO achieved breakthrough in space propulsion technology with the successful hot test of its Semicryogenic engine. This engine is designed to power the Semicryogenic booster stage of the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3) and boasts a thrust of 2,000 kN. The test, conducted at the ISRO Propulsion Complex in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu, validated various critical subsystems and marked a very important step towards enhancing India’s space capabilities.The Semicryogenic engine uses Liquid Oxygen and Kerosene as propellants. These non-toxic and non-hazardous materials provide enhanced performance compared to the existing L110 liquid stage. The new engine, designated SE2000, is expected to increase the payload capacity of LVM3 from 4 tonnes to 5 tonnes in Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. Insurers can deny health claims for alcohol-related hospitalisation: The Supreme Court has ruled that insurers can deny health insurance claims if a customer had not explicitly disclosed their alcoholism at the time of purchasing a policy.This judgment serves as a wake-up call in the insurance ecosystem. The principle of utmost good faith will bind both the insurer and the insurer.Non-disclosure could give the insurer a ground to repudiate the claim, when the claim is arising out of alcohol consumption,” said Alay Razvi, managing partner, Accord Juris.The case involved a man who bought a policy called Jeevan Arogya from Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) in 2013. While completing his application, he did not disclose his long-term heavy alcohol consumption.Less than a year after purchasing the policy, he was hospitalised in Jhajjar, Haryana, due to severe stomach pain. Following a month of treatment, he suffered a fatal heart attack.
2. Govt to mobilise Rs 8 lakh cr via bonds in first half of FY26.: The Centre plans to raise Rs 8 lakh crore through dated securities during April-September period of 2025-26 to fund the revenue gap.Out of gross market borrowing of Rs 14.82 lakh crore estimated for 2025-26, Rs 8 lakh crore, or 54 per cent, is planned to be borrowed in the first half (H1) through issuance of dated securities, including Rs 10,000 crore of Sovereign Green Bonds (SGrBs).Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Budget proposed to borrow Rs 14.82 lakh crore by issuing dated securities to meet revenue shortfall in the next financial year.Fiscal deficit, the gap between the government’s total revenue and total expenditure, is estimated to be 4.4 per cent of GDP for FY26 as compared to 4.8 per cent of the GDP estimated for the current financial year. In absolute terms, the fiscal deficit is pegged at Rs 15,68,936 crore for the financial year 2025-26.To finance the fiscal deficit, the net market borrowings from dated securities are estimated at Rs 11.54 lakh crore. The balance financing is expected to come from small savings and other sources.
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