Daily Current Affairs – 09-03-2026

Personalities, Awards and Events

R.V. Arlekar to Assume Additional Charge as Tamil Nadu Governor

R.V. Arlekar, the Governor of Kerala, has been given additional charge as the Governor of Tamil Nadu following the appointment of R.N. Ravi as the Governor of West Bengal. The order assigning this responsibility was issued by the President of India on March 5. R.V. Arlekar will arrive in Chennai on March 11 and will take the oath of office as Governor-in-Charge of Tamil Nadu on March 12 at around 12 noon. The oath will be administered by Madras High Court Chief Justice S.A. Dharmadhikari. R.N. Ravi, who served as the Governor of Tamil Nadu for about four and a half years, will be relieved from his position and will depart for Kolkata on March 11.

National News

17-Member Committee Formed to Reform SEZ Policy

The Central Government of India has constituted a 17-member committee to recommend major reforms in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) policy and to design the next phase of the policy framework. The committee will submit a report suggesting comprehensive reforms and will examine the coordination between various export promotion schemes, duty-free import permissions, and capital goods export promotion measures. It will also evaluate the performance of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in attracting domestic and foreign investments, as well as their role in manufacturing, services, value addition, and employment generation. The committee includes representatives from the Department of Commerce, Customs, NITI Aayog, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).

1965 War Hero K.G. George Passes Away

Lance Havildar K.G. George, a recipient of the Vir Chakra for his bravery during the 1965 India–Pakistan War, passed away at the age of 95 in Kottayam, Kerala on March 8. Born in 1931 in Kottayam, he served in the Signal Corps of the Indian Army. During the 1965 India–Pakistan War, he restored communication between the army camp at the Wagah border and the division headquarters while facing Pakistani shelling and aerial attacks. For his wartime bravery, he was awarded the Vir Chakra, which is the third-highest wartime gallantry award in India.

States’ News

Woman Appointed to Guruvayur Devaswom Board After 50 Years

A woman has been appointed to the Guruvayur Devaswom Board after nearly 50 years. M.U. Shinija, representing the Communist Party of India, has been appointed as a member of the 9-member Guruvayur Devaswom Board, which manages the Sri Krishna Temple at Guruvayur in Kerala. Women had previously served as members of the board during the 1970s, but after the amendment of the Guruvayur Devaswom rules in 1978, no woman had been appointed as a member until now. A.V. Gopinath assumed office as the Chairman of the Guruvayur Devaswom Board on March 8.

Punjab Announces ₹1,000 Monthly Allowance Scheme for Women

The Punjab Government, led by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), announced a scheme to provide a monthly allowance of ₹1,000 to women above 18 years in the 2026–27 State Budget presented in the Punjab Legislative Assembly.

The budget was presented by Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema.

Under the scheme, women belonging to the general category will receive ₹1,000 per month, while Scheduled Caste women will receive ₹1,500 per month.

The government has allocated ₹9,300 crore for implementing the scheme.

The application process for the scheme will begin from the Baisakhi festival.

The scheme was earlier announced as an election promise by the Aam Aadmi Party during the 2022 Punjab Legislative Assembly elections.

The Chief Minister of Punjab, Bhagwant Mann, heads the state government.

Sports News

Arshdeep Kaur Tops National Shooting Selection Trials

Arshdeep Kaur of Punjab secured first place in the Women’s T3 25m Pistol event at the National Shooting Selection Trials held at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi on March 8. In the qualification round, Divya finished in second place, while former Asian Games champion Rani Sarnobat secured third place. Rhythm Sangwan, Niveditha V. Nair, national champion Manu Bhaker, Anjali Chaudhary, and Chinki Yadav were among the top eight finishers in the event.

Lin Chun-yi Wins All England Open; Lakshya Sen Finishes Runner-up

At the All England Open Badminton Championship held in Birmingham, Lin Chun-yi of Chinese Taipei won the Men’s Singles title, defeating India’s Lakshya Sen in the final with scores of 15-21, 20-22 in a match lasting about 57 minutes. Lakshya Sen finished as the runner-up and had earlier also reached the final in 2022. In the history of the All England Open, only Prakash Padukone (1981) and P. Gopichand (2001) have won the Men’s Singles title for India. On his way to the final, Lakshya Sen defeated China’s Shi Yu Qi and Li Shi Feng.

India Wins ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Again

India retained the title in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, defeating New Zealand by 96 runs in the final held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the largest cricket stadium in the world.

With this victory, India became the champion for the second consecutive time in T20 World Cup history, won the title as the host nation, and secured the T20 World Cup title for the third time.

In the final, India scored 255/5, which became the highest score in a T20 World Cup final. Sanju Samson scored 89 runs, the highest individual score in a T20 World Cup final, surpassing Kane Williamson’s 85 runs in the 2021 final, while Abhishek Sharma scored 52 runs and Ishan Kishan scored 54 runs.

New Zealand was bowled out for 159 runs, with Jasprit Bumrah taking 4 wickets and Axar Patel taking 3 wickets.

Previous Winners of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup (Since 2020)

• 2021 – Australia

• 2022 – England

• 2024 – India

• 2026 – India

Assam and Manipur Announce Financial Support for Women

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the governments of Assam and Manipur announced financial assistance schemes for women and their families. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that under the Orunodoi Scheme, about 40 lakh beneficiary families will receive ₹9,000 each through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). The total amount to be disbursed under the scheme is about ₹3,600 crore, making it one of the largest financial assistance programmes in Assam. The Orunodoi Scheme, launched on October 2, 2020, aims to empower women and support poor families. In Manipur, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh announced an allocation of ₹350 crore to provide financial assistance to women affected by the ethnic conflict, which will benefit about 3.5 lakh women in the state.

Brett Randell Creates Record with Five Wickets in Five Balls

New Zealand domestic bowler Brett Randell created a record in the 254-year history of First-Class cricket by taking five wickets in five consecutive balls during a Plunket Shield match. The record was achieved while playing for Central Districts (CD) against Northern Districts (ND) on the second day of the match at McLean Park in Napier. In the same match, Brett Randell finished with bowling figures of 7 wickets for 25 runs. Earlier, Ireland international Curtis Campher had taken five wickets in five balls in a domestic T20 match, becoming the first player to achieve the feat in a professional game.

Jacob Kiplimo Reclaims Half Marathon World Record

Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo regained the Men’s Half Marathon World Record by completing the race in 57 minutes and 20 seconds at an event held in Lisbon. This performance improved the previous world record set in 2024 by Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha by 10 seconds. Jacob Kiplimo had earlier set the world record in 2021 in Lisbon, before Yomif Kejelcha broke it in Valencia by reducing the time by one second. In the women’s category, Ethiopia’s Tsige Gebreselama retained the title by finishing the race in 1:04:48.

George Russell Wins Australian Grand Prix

George Russell of Mercedes won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix held in Melbourne, leading a Mercedes 1–2 finish with his teammate Kimi Antonelli securing second place. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc finished third, while Lewis Hamilton finished fourth. World champion Lando Norris finished fifth and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen secured sixth place after starting from 20th position following a crash in the qualifying round. With this victory, George Russell recorded his sixth Formula One Grand Prix win, which was his first victory since the Singapore Grand Prix last year.

NTCA to Develop MP–Rajasthan Cheetah Corridor

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is coordinating with the governments of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan to develop an interstate cheetah corridor following the movement of two cheetahs, KP-2 and KP-3, from Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh to Baran district in Rajasthan. KP-2 has been located in the Mangrol forest range, while KP-3 entered the Banjh Amli Conservation Reserve, after traveling about 60–70 km from Kuno National Park. The two cheetahs are currently located about 6 km apart near the Parvati River and are being monitored continuously using GPS and radio collars by a joint interstate team. The proposed corridor will connect seven districts of Rajasthan and eight districts of Madhya Pradesh, creating a habitat covering about 17,000 square kilometres. The initiative is linked to Project Cheetah, a programme launched to reintroduce cheetahs in India, where the species was declared extinct in 1952, by relocating cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa, primarily to Kuno National Park.