Find the Weekly Current Affairs for the 2nd week of March 2026. Stay informed with the most important news and events from around the world. Our curated updates provide a comprehensive summary of the week’s key happenings, covering politics, economics, science, technology, sports, and international affairs.
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Highlights of March 2nd Week Current Affairs
- Rising incidents of hate speech in India have renewed debate about the judiciary’s role in safeguarding constitutional values, particularly balancing freedom of speech with the need to maintain public order and social harmony.
- India does not have a precise statutory definition of hate speech, creating legal ambiguities in enforcement despite constitutional restrictions under Article 19(2) and various statutory provisions regulating inflammatory speech.
- Key Supreme Court rulings such as Pravasi Bhalai Sangathan, Shreya Singhal, and Tehseen Poonawalla emphasised legislative responsibility, protection against mob violence, and the need to prevent vague restrictions on free speech.
- Lab-grown diamonds are emerging as a major alternative to mined diamonds because they are chemically and physically identical while being produced in laboratories within weeks using technologies like CVD and HPHT.
- India has become a significant player in the global lab-grown diamond industry, producing over 3 million carats in 2023 and operating thousands of CVD reactors mainly in Gujarat.
- Growing online sales of nicotine pouches in India have raised health concerns, as these tobacco-free products contain highly addictive nicotine and may bypass regulations under existing tobacco control laws.
- The Union Cabinet approved the ₹10,000 crore Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0 to strengthen the startup ecosystem by channeling capital through Alternative Investment Funds that invest in innovation-driven enterprises.
- India’s basmati rice exports are facing disruptions due to geopolitical tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, leading to higher freight costs, shipping delays, and stranded cargo destined for West Asian markets.
- The BioE3 Policy aims to expand India’s bioeconomy to $300 billion by 2030 by promoting sectors such as bio-based chemicals, enzymes, smart proteins, and climate-resilient agriculture.
- Chhattisgarh will host the first Khelo India Tribal Games in 2026, an initiative designed to promote tribal sporting talent and integrate traditional indigenous games into the national sports ecosystem.
- Karnataka has proposed a ban on social media use for children below 16 years, citing concerns about algorithmic addiction, cyberbullying, and sleep disruption, though the move raises federal and privacy issues.
- The proposal faces constitutional challenges because internet and telecommunications regulation falls under the Union List, potentially creating a federal conflict between state authority and central jurisdiction.
- The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 mandates parental consent for processing children’s data and prohibits behavioural tracking and targeted advertising directed at minors.
- The State of India’s Environment 2026 report warns of worsening climate impacts, noting that extreme weather events occurred on 99% of days in 2025, causing thousands of deaths and widespread crop damage.
- The report highlights major environmental concerns including rising flood risks, increasing human–tiger conflicts, and a large air pollution monitoring gap affecting nearly 85% of India’s population.
- The World Health Organization has certified Denmark as the first European Union country to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis after achieving high testing and treatment coverage among pregnant women.
- HIV remains a major global health challenge, attacking the immune system’s CD4 cells, while syphilis is a bacterial infection that can cause severe complications including congenital disease if untreated.
- The ASMITA Athletics League has been launched across 250 locations in India to promote women’s participation in sports and identify athletic talent from grassroots, rural, and tribal communities.
- The Three Seas Initiative is a regional cooperation platform of 13 European Union countries aimed at strengthening transport, energy, and digital connectivity between the Baltic, Adriatic, and Black Seas.
- The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has directed BARC India to temporarily halt the publication of television news channel TRP ratings, which are used to measure audience viewership and influence advertising decisions.
- Karnataka has proposed banning social media use for children under 16 due to concerns about algorithmic addiction, cyberbullying, and sleep disruption.
- The proposal may face constitutional challenges because internet and telecommunications regulation falls under the Union List.
- This creates a possible federal conflict between state authority and the central government’s jurisdiction.
- The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 requires parental consent for processing children’s data.
- The Act also bans behavioural tracking and targeted advertising directed at minors.
- The State of India’s Environment 2026 report states that extreme weather events occurred on 99% of days in 2025.
- The report also highlights growing flood risks, rising human–tiger conflicts, and a major air pollution monitoring gap affecting about 85% of India’s population.
- The World Health Organization certified Denmark as the first EU country to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis.
- The ASMITA Athletics League has been launched at 250 locations to promote women’s participation in sports and identify grassroots talent.
- The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting directed BARC India to temporarily stop publishing television news channel TRP ratings.
- Researchers from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre stated that HALEU–Thorium fuel may not align well with India’s current nuclear reactor systems and long-term nuclear power strategy.
- HALEU–Thorium fuel combines high-assay low-enriched uranium (5–20% U-235) with thorium, potentially enabling higher fuel efficiency and compatibility with advanced reactors such as Small Modular Reactors.
- Technical concerns include reduced effectiveness of reactor shutdown systems, the need for reactor redesign, a long stabilisation period of 7–10 years, and significantly lower plutonium production.
- India’s three-stage nuclear power programme aims to use natural uranium in PHWRs first, then plutonium in fast breeder reactors, and finally thorium-based reactors producing uranium-233 for long-term energy security.
- The removal of the Chief Election Commissioner follows the same process as the removal of a Supreme Court judge, requiring a special majority in both Houses of Parliament after an inquiry into proven misbehaviour or incapacity.
- The Union Cabinet has extended the Jal Jeevan Mission until December 2028 to ensure universal rural tap water coverage, with the programme aiming to provide functional household tap connections to all rural households.
- Amendments to the FDI policy for land-bordering countries allow small investments up to 10% through the automatic route while strengthening transparency, disclosure norms, and national security safeguards.
- India’s agricultural and processed food exports have reached about ₹5 lakh crore, making the country the seventh-largest agricultural exporter globally with strong growth in rice, cereals, fruits, and processed foods.
- According to the SIPRI report on international arms transfers, India remains the second-largest arms importer globally with an 8.2% share, though overall imports have declined due to growing domestic defence production.
- India’s first high-speed rail corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad will begin operations with indigenously developed B28 bullet trainsets capable of speeds up to about 280 km/h, marking a step toward domestic high-speed rail technology
- The Supreme Court ruled that parental income alone cannot determine creamy layer status for OBCs and emphasised that the category of the parent’s job position should also be considered.
- The Court noted that children of government employees are assessed based on parental rank while those of private-sector and PSU employees are judged mainly by income, creating an inconsistency in creamy layer determination.
- The creamy layer concept was established in the Indra Sawhney case (1992) to exclude socially and economically advanced members of OBC communities from reservation benefits.
- The Supreme Court recently allowed withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment for a patient in a vegetative state, marking the first practical use of India’s passive euthanasia framework.
- Passive euthanasia is legally permitted in India under Supreme Court guidelines, allowing withdrawal of life support for terminally ill or permanently unconscious patients under strict medical review.
- Growing concerns over bias in artificial intelligence systems have strengthened calls for algorithmic sovereignty so countries can develop AI systems reflecting their own legal, cultural, and governance priorities.
- The IndiaAI Mission aims to build a domestic AI ecosystem with national computing infrastructure, affordable GPU access, and support for indigenous AI models and startups.
- The Fiscal Health Index 2026 released by NITI Aayog ranked Odisha as the top-performing state in fiscal management while states such as Punjab, Kerala, West Bengal, and Andhra Pradesh face fiscal stress.
- The Dandi March of 1930, led by Mahatma Gandhi from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, marked the beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement against British colonial rule.
- Black rain refers to rainfall contaminated with soot, ash, hydrocarbons, or industrial pollutants, often occurring after events such as oil fires, industrial accidents, nuclear explosions, or large wildfires.
- GeodCon-26, India’s first national conference on geodesy and geospatial science, highlighted the importance of the National Geospatial Policy 2022, which aims to democratise access to geospatial data and promote innovation in mapping, navigation, and spatial technologies.
- Geodesy is the scientific study of the Earth’s shape, size, gravitational field, and positioning, forming the foundation for mapping, satellite navigation systems such as NavIC, disaster monitoring, infrastructure planning, and national security applications.
- The National Geospatial Policy 2022 seeks to strengthen India’s geospatial ecosystem by liberalising access to spatial data, encouraging private sector participation, and supporting development sectors such as urban planning, infrastructure, and disaster management.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the 22nd instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, which provides ₹6,000 annually to eligible farmer families through direct benefit transfer to support agricultural inputs and household expenses.
- Section 301 of the United States Trade Act of 1974 allows the U.S. government to investigate and impose tariffs or trade restrictions against countries accused of unfair trade practices, and it has recently been used to initiate investigations against several trading partners including India.
- The V.O. Chidambaranar Port in Tamil Nadu has launched India’s first Digital Twin system, a real-time virtual replica of port operations that integrates technologies such as IoT sensors, LiDAR mapping, drones, and AI-based predictive maintenance.
- The Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Rules, 2025 require large mechanised vessels to obtain digital access passes through the ReALCraft portal to regulate fishing activities and promote sustainable utilisation of marine resources.
- India’s Exclusive Economic Zone extends up to 200 nautical miles from its coastline and covers about 2.4 million square kilometres, giving the country rights to explore, exploit, and manage marine resources including fisheries and seabed minerals.
- India is developing three indigenous Small Modular Reactors under the Nuclear Energy Mission for Viksit Bharat, including the Bharat SMR-200, SMR-55, and a High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor to expand clean nuclear energy capacity and support industrial applications.
- The Defence Research and Development Organisation and the Indian Navy successfully tested the indigenous Air Droppable Container ADC-150, which can deliver up to 150 kg of critical supplies to naval ships at sea using a precision parachute-based aerial delivery system.
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