Daily Current Affairs – 16-03-2026

National News

Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections on April 23

The Election Commission of India announced the schedule for the Legislative Assembly elections for the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, and West Bengal, along with the Union Territory of Puducherry, on March 15, 2026. In Tamil Nadu, polling will be conducted in a single phase on April 23. According to the election schedule, filing of nominations begins on March 30, the last date for filing nominations is April 6, scrutiny of nominations will take place on April 7, and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is April 9, while polling will be held on April 23 and counting of votes will take place on May 4. In Puducherry, Kerala, and Assam, polling will be held in a single phase on April 9, while West Bengal will conduct polling in two phases on April 23 and April 29. The schedule was announced by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Dr. S. S. Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi. A total of 2.19 lakh polling stations have been set up across the country and around 25 lakh personnel will be involved in election duties, while Tamil Nadu has 5.67 crore registered voters.

FASTag Annual Fee Increased to ₹3,075 from April 1

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has increased the FASTag annual fee for the financial year 2026–27 from ₹3,000 to ₹3,075, and the revised fee will come into effect from April 1, 2026. The change has been made in accordance with the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008. The revised FASTag fee will apply to non-commercial vehicles traveling through 1,150 toll plazas on National Highways and National Expressways. The FASTag annual fee system was introduced on August 15, 2025. At present, about 56 lakh private vehicle owners across India are using the FASTag annual fee service. Under this system, users can travel through 200 toll plazas in a year by paying a one-time annual FASTag fee instead of paying toll charges at every toll plaza crossing.

Sports News

Guinard–Andreozzi Win Indian Wells Open Men’s Doubles Title

In the Indian Wells Open tennis tournament, the Men’s Doubles title was won by the pair of Manuel Guinard of France and Guido Andreozzi of Argentina. In the final, the Guinard–Andreozzi pair defeated Valentin Vacherot of Poland and Arthur Rinderknech of France with a score of 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, securing their first championship title as an unseeded pair. In the Mixed Doubles category of the same tournament, the pair of Flavio Cobolli of Italy and Belinda Bencic of Switzerland won the title by defeating the top-seeded pair of Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Lloyd Glasspool of Britain with set scores of 6-3, 2-6, 10-7.

India Wins 1 Gold at World Futures Boxing

The World Futures Boxing competition organized by World Boxing was held in Bangkok, Thailand, where India won 1 gold, 3 silver, and 1 bronze medal. In the Women’s 51 kg category, India’s Chandrika Kumari won the gold medal by defeating Mardonova of Uzbekistan in the final. In the 48 kg category, Gunjan of India won a silver medal, and Jaishreedevi of India secured a silver medal in the 54 kg category. In the Men’s 50 kg category, India’s Ambedkar won a silver medal after losing to a Ukrainian boxer in the final. In the Women’s 57 kg category, Radhamani Langjam of India won a bronze medal after reaching the semi-finals. The event was attended by World Boxing President Gennady Golovkin and Boxing Federation of India (BFI) President Ajay Singh.

BCCI Naman Awards 2026

Best Male Cricketer (Polly Umrigar Award) – Shubman Gill

Best Female Cricketer – Smriti Mandhana

Col. C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award – Roger Binny

Col. C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award – Rahul Dravid

Col. C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award – Mithali Raj

Best International Debutant (Male) – Harshit Rana

Best International Debutant (Female) – Srisarania

Best Team in BCCI Domestic Tournaments – Mumbai

Best Senior Female Player in Domestic One-Day Cricket – Shafali Verma

Best Female Player in Domestic Cricket – Ira Jadhav

Best All-Rounder in Ranji Cricket – Harsh Dubey

Chinese Grand Prix – Antonelli Wins

In the Formula One (F1) Chinese Grand Prix, Italian driver Kim Antonelli of Mercedes won the race. George Russell of Britain (Mercedes) finished second, while Lewis Hamilton of Britain (Ferrari) secured third place. With this victory, Kim Antonelli became the first Italian driver to win a Formula One race in the last 20 years, after Giancarlo Fisichella in 2006. At the age of 19, Antonelli also became the second youngest driver to win an F1 race, while Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, who won at 18 years in 2016, remains the youngest driver to achieve this record.

Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden Opens to Public

The Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden, located in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, known as the largest tulip garden in Asia, was opened to the public on March 16. The garden is maintained under the Jammu and Kashmir Horticulture Department. In 2026, around 1.8 million tulip flowers of more than 70 varieties have been planted in the garden. For the convenience of tourists, an online ticket booking facility has also been introduced.

Sarfaraz Ahmed Retires from International Cricket

Former Pakistan captain and wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed has announced his retirement from all formats of cricket. He last played for the Pakistan team in a Test match against Australia in Perth in 2023. Under the captaincy of Sarfaraz Ahmed, the Pakistan team won two ICC trophies.

F1 Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Races Cancelled

The Formula One (F1) races scheduled to be held as the Bahrain Grand Prix and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix have been cancelled due to the ongoing Iran–USA and Israel conflict in the Middle East, as announced by the Formula One administration. The 4th round scheduled in Bahrain from April 10 to 12 and the 5th round scheduled in Saudi Arabia from April 17 to 19 were cancelled due to security concerns arising from the war situation in the Middle East.

Science and Technology News

Indian Army Inducts 7th Pinaka Rocket Regiment

The Indian Army has inducted the 7th regiment of the Pinaka Rocket Launcher system to expand its rocket artillery capability along the borders. The 8th Pinaka regiment has also been raised and is expected to become operational by the end of the year. In 2020, the Ministry of Defence signed contracts worth ₹2,580 crore with BEML, Tata Power Company Limited and Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for six additional Pinaka regiments, which include 114 launchers with automated gun aiming and positioning systems, 45 command posts and 330 support vehicles. At present, the Indian Army operates about 15 rocket artillery regiments, including 7 Pinaka regiments, 3 Russian-origin Smerch systems and 5 BM-21 Grad units.

Gulveer Singh Breaks National Half Marathon Record

Indian distance runner Gulveer Singh set a new national record in the men’s half marathon by completing the 21.1 km distance in 59 minutes 42 seconds at the New York City Half Marathon, finishing third in the race. Adriaan Wildschutt of South Africa won the race with a time of 59:30, while Zouhair Talbi, a Moroccan-born American runner, finished second with 59:41. The previous Indian national record of 1:00:30 was set by Avinash Sable at the Delhi Half Marathon in 2020. Gulveer Singh, who won a medal in the 10,000 m event at the 2022 Asian Games, also holds the Indian national records in the men’s 5,000 m and 10,000 m track events.

Nationwide Manuscript Survey under Gyan Bharatam Mission

The Ministry of Culture has launched a three-month nationwide survey from March 16 under the Gyan Bharatam Mission to identify and document India’s manuscript heritage and create a digital record of these historical sources. The survey will be conducted across the country starting at the district level to identify manuscripts held in institutions, private collections, and with individual custodians. The identified manuscripts will be geotagged and integrated into a National Digital Repository through the central portal of the Gyan Bharatam Mission. According to Culture Secretary Vivek Aggarwal, survey teams will upload data using the Gyan Bharatam mobile application. The digitisation initiative was announced in the Union Budget 2025–26, and India is estimated to possess about one crore manuscripts, considered the largest collection in the world.

Measures Recommended to Strengthen Regional Rural Banks

The Standing Committee on Finance has recommended measures to improve the functioning of Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) following their structural consolidation. Based on the recommendations of the Dr. Vyas Committee, the number of RRBs has been reduced from 43 to 28, creating viable entities across 11 states under the “One State – One RRB” policy. To address the high Gross Non-Performing Assets (GNPA) of 13.8% in education loans, the committee recommended full utilisation of the Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme for Education Loans (CGFSEL), under which the Central Government provides collateral-free guarantees for education loans up to ₹7.5 lakh. It also suggested adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) based Early Warning Signals (EWS) to monitor asset quality and credit risks and encouraging profitable RRBs to raise capital through Initial Public Offerings (IPO). Regional Rural Banks were established in 1975 based on the recommendations of the Narsimhan Committee and under the RRB Act, 1976 to support rural credit. Their ownership structure includes the Central Government (50%), State Government (15%) and Sponsor Banks (35%), and they are regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and supervised by NABARD, with a requirement to lend 75% of total credit to the Priority Sector.

States’ News

Nor’wester Thunderstorms

Nor’wester refers to severe pre-monsoon thunderstorms that occur during the period March to May over Eastern and North-Eastern India. These storms produce heavy rain, lightning, thunder, hailstorms, dust storms and strong squalls, and sometimes even tornadoes. Recently, Odisha experienced damage due to strong winds and heavy rainfall caused by Nor’wester storms. In Bengal, this phenomenon is known as “Kalbaisakhi”, while in Assam it is called “Bordoisila” or “Bardoli Chheerha”. These showers are considered beneficial for the cultivation of tea, jute and rice.

International News

Kharg Island

Kharg Island is an island located in the Persian Gulf, about 25 km off the coast of Iran in Bushehr Province. It is the main oil export terminal of Iran, handling a very large share of the country’s crude oil exports. The island contains major oil storage facilities, loading jetties, and pipelines that connect to Iran’s inland oil fields. Because of this, Kharg Island is considered one of the most strategically important energy infrastructure sites in the Middle East.

Historically, Kharg Island played a crucial role during the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988), when it was repeatedly targeted in attacks because it was Iran’s primary oil export center. In recent years, the island has again gained attention due to tensions and conflicts involving Iran, the United States, and Israel in the Middle East. Since Iran’s oil exports pass through Kharg Island, any military escalation in the region raises concerns about global oil supply, maritime security in the Persian Gulf, and international energy markets.

Personalities, Awards and Events

Sahitya Akademi Awards 2025 – Winners

1. Assamese – Karhi Khelar Sadhu (Novel) — Devabrat Das

2. Bengali – Shrestha Kabita (Poetry) — Prasun Bandyopadhyay

3. Bodo – Dwngnwi Lama Mwnse Gathwn (Novel) — Sahaisuli Brahma

4. Dogri – Thakur Satsayie (Poetry) — Khajur Singh Thakur

5. English – Crimson Spring (Novel) — Navtej Sarna

6. Gujarati – Bhattkhadaki (Poetry) — Yogesh Vaidya

7. Hindi – Jeete Jee Allahabad (Memoir) — Mamta Kalia

8. Kannada – Dada Seerisu Tande (Short Stories) — Amaresh Nugadoni

9. Kashmiri – Najdavanek'y Pot Aalav (Poetry) — Ali Shaida

10. Konkani – Konkani Kavyem: Rupani Ani Rupakam (Essays) — Henry Mendonca (H.M. Pernal)

11. Maithili – Dhatri Paat San Gaam (Memoir) — Mahendra

12. Malayalam – Maayaamanushyar (Novel) — N. Prabhakaran

13. Manipuri – Kanglamdriba Eephut (Short Stories) — Haobam Nalini

14. Marathi – Kalyanilya Resha (Autobiography) — Raju Baviskar

15. Nepali – Nepali Paramparik Sanskriti Ra Sabhyata Ko Dukuti (Essays) — Prakash Bhattarai

16. Odia – Padapurana (Poetry) — Girijakumar Baliyar Singh

17. Punjabi – Safety Kit (Short Stories) — Jinder

18. Rajasthani – Bharkhama (Short Stories) — Jitender Kumar Soni

19. Sanskrit – Prasthanacatustaye Brahmaghosah (Poetry) — Sadhu Bhadreshdas

20. Santali – Mid Birna Chenne Saon Inag Sagai (Short Stories) — Sumitra Soren

21. Sindhi – Waghoo (Short Stories) — Bhagwan Atlani

22. Tamil – Thamiz Sirukathaiyin Thadangal (Literary Criticism) — Sa. Tamilselvan

23. Telugu – Animesha (Poetry) — Nandini Sidha Reddy

24. Urdu – Safar Jaari Hai (Poetry) — Pritpal Singh Betab

The Sahitya Akademi Award is given to recognize outstanding literary works published in Indian languages.

It aims to promote Indian literature and encourage writers who contribute significantly to literature.

The award helps preserve linguistic and cultural diversity by honouring works written in 24 recognized Indian languages.