CURRENT AFFAIRS | MARCH 2026
CLAT Relevance
- Persons in news — Poola Anthony, Narges Mohammadi, Tarique Rahman
- Places — Brahmaputra tunnel, Great Nicobar, Strait of Hormuz, Naneghat caves
- Sports — India U-19 World Cup, WPL 2026, Asian championships, Chess960
- Awards — Global Teacher Prize, Grammy Awards
Persons in News
- Poola Anthony: India’s first Dalit Cardinal, Archbishop of Hyderabad, elected CBCI President (37th general body meeting). 64 years old, heads 2 crore Catholics
- Narges Mohammadi: Nobel Peace Prize 2023 laureate, sentenced to 7 more years in Iran (on hunger strike). Campaigns for women’s rights and abolishing death penalty
- Tarique Rahman: BNP wins 209/300 seats in Bangladesh. Son of PM Khaleda Zia (party founded by Ziaur Rahman in 1978). Returned after 17 years of self-exile
Places in News
Key Facts: Important Places
- Paradip Port Authority: Swachhata Pakhwada Awards 2025 first prize (MoPSW)
- Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve: 272 ha forest diversion for Kopra irrigation project, Madhya Pradesh. Notified 2023, area 2,339.12 sq km, carved from Nauradehi wildlife sanctuary
- Naneghat caves: 1st century BCE, Satavahana dynasty, Brahmi inscriptions. Junnar taluka, Pune. ASI protected site
Brahmaputra Underwater Tunnel
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- Cost: Rs 18,662 crore, length: 33.7 km (including 15.8 km twin tube under river)
- Connects Gohpur (NH-15) and Numaligarh (NH-715), Assam
- India’s first underwater road-cum-rail tunnel, world’s second
- Construction mode: EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction)
- Great Nicobar mega project: NGT nod. Conceived by NITI Aayog 2021. Includes container terminal, township, 450 MVA solar power plant, dual-use airport. Area: 166 sq km. Implemented by ANIIDCO
- Great Nicobar: 910 sq km, southernmost island, Indira Point (India’s southernmost), 170 km from Sabang (Sumatra). MAB UNESCO 2013. Home to Shompen and Nicobarese tribes
Strait of Hormuz — Critical Geography
- Iran closed it temporarily (US tensions)
- Width: 21 miles (33 km), shipping lane: 2 miles (3 km)
- Connects Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman → Arabian Sea
- 20-25% of global oil transit, LNG corridor from Qatar/UAE
- Between Iran and Oman
Sports & Awards
- Devika Sihag: BWF Super 300 (Thailand Masters), 3rd Indian woman after PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal
- India U-19 World Cup: 6th title, 100-run win over England. Captain Ayush Mhatre. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (14): 175 from 80 balls, 15 fours, 15 sixes, first to hit 100 Y-ODI sixes
- WPL 2026: RCB repeat title (6-wicket win over Delhi Capitals). Mandhana — Orange Cap (377 runs), Sophie Devine — Purple Cap (17 wickets)
- Asian Indoor Athletics: Tejaswin Shankar gold (heptathlon). India 6th with 5 medals. China topped (34 medals)
- Asian Rifle/Pistol Championships: India topped — 94 medals (51 gold, 23 silver, 20 bronze). 311 shooters, 20 countries, New Delhi
- Freestyle Chess World Championship: Magnus Carlsen wins (21st world title). Defeated Fabiano Caruana. First official FIDE Freestyle Chess (Chess960) championship. Prize: $300,000
Awards Roundup
- Rouble Nagi: $1 million Global Teacher Prize (World Governments Summit, Dubai). From J&K. 800+ educational centres via Rouble Nagi Art Foundation. Called the “Nobel of Teaching”
- 68th Grammy Awards: Dalai Lama (90) — first Grammy for best audio book. Album of Year: Bad Bunny. Record of Year: Kendrick Lamar with SZA. Song of Year: Billie Eilish
Source: UPSC Essentials, The Indian Express — March 2026
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