March 2026 in current affairs: eleven stories for CUET

On 15 March 2026 the Election Commission announced general elections to the legislative assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal and the union territory of Puducherry, with bye-elections in six states.

Assam (126 seats), Kerala (140) and Puducherry (30) voted on 9 April. Tamil Nadu and the first phase of West Bengal voted on 23 April, and West Bengal's second phase on 29 April. All votes were counted on 4 May 2026. Section 135C of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 makes the 48 hours before polls close a dry period in each polling area.

On 10 March 2026 the Union Cabinet approved declaring Madurai Airport in Tamil Nadu an international airport. One of the oldest airports in the state, it serves as the gateway to southern Tamil Nadu and to the temple city's pilgrim traffic.

The Union Cabinet approved the Regional Connectivity Scheme – Modified UDAN on 25 March 2026, with an outlay of ₹28,840 crore running from FY 2026-27 to FY 2035-36. The Ministry of Civil Aviation runs it.

The headline targets: 100 airports developed from airstrips that already exist but are unserved, operation and maintenance support at about 441 aerodromes, and 200 modern helipads for hilly, remote, island and aspirational regions. ₹10,043 crore of the total is proposed as Viability Gap Funding for airline operators over the ten years — a part of the outlay, not the whole of it, which is the pair of figures most easily confused.

The original UDAN was launched in 2016.

On 18 March 2026 the Union Cabinet approved the Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojna (BHAVYA), with ₹33,660 crore to develop 100 plug-and-play industrial parks over six years, 2026-27 to 2031-32. 'Plug-and-play' means land, infrastructure and approvals are ready before an investor arrives.

Up to 50 parks will be chosen in the first phase through a challenge-based competition among states. Parks range from 25 acres in hill states, small union territories and the North-East to up to 1,000 acres near cities. The National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC), under DPIIT, anchors the scheme.

On 18 March 2026 the Cabinet approved the Small Hydro Power Development Scheme for 2026-27 to 2030-31, with an outlay of ₹2,584.60 crore for about 1,500 MW of projects between 1 and 25 MW. North-eastern states and border districts get up to ₹3.6 crore per MW or 30 per cent of project cost (capped at ₹30 crore a project); other states up to ₹2.4 crore per MW or 20 per cent (capped at ₹20 crore). It is run by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

On 10 March 2026 the Union Cabinet extended the Jal Jeevan Mission to December 2028 and restructured it as JJM 2.0, shifting it from building pipelines to delivering a reliable water service. The total outlay rises to ₹8.69 lakh crore, with central assistance raised from ₹2.08 lakh crore to ₹3.59 lakh crore.

Of 19.36 crore rural households, about 15.80 crore (81.61 per cent) now have tap connections, against 3.23 crore (17 per cent) in 2019. Under a new digital framework, 'Sujalam Bharat', every village gets a service-area ID mapping its supply from source to tap, and a gram panchayat may declare itself 'Har Ghar Jal' only once operation and maintenance arrangements are in place. The mission is run by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

On 10 March 2026 the Cabinet eased the rules of Press Note 3 of 2020, under which any investment from a country sharing a land border with India needed government approval. Investors whose non-controlling beneficial ownership from such a country is up to 10 per cent may now come in under the automatic route. Proposals in capital goods, electronic capital goods, electronic components, polysilicon and ingot-wafer manufacturing will be decided within 60 days, provided control stays with resident Indians.

Press Note 3 was issued in April 2020 to stop opportunistic takeovers during the pandemic.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited India from 27 February to 2 March 2026, the first bilateral visit by a Canadian prime minister since 2018. The two sides launched negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, adopted 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (One Earth, One Family, One Future) as the guiding framework for their renewed strategic partnership, and welcomed a CAD 2.6 billion agreement between Cameco and India's Department of Atomic Energy for the long-term supply of uranium.

On 25 March 2026 the Union Cabinet approved India's Nationally Determined Contribution for 2031 to 2035 under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement. It raises the target for cutting the emissions intensity of GDP to 47 per cent below the 2005 level by 2035, and the share of non-fossil sources in installed electricity capacity to 60 per cent by 2035. It also aims at an additional carbon sink of 3.5 to 4.0 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent through forest and tree cover by 2035.

The 2015 targets for 2030, a 33–35 per cent cut in emissions intensity and a 40 per cent non-fossil share, were both met early; non-fossil capacity had reached 52.57 per cent by February 2026. India's net-zero goal remains 2070.

India won the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, completing the win on 8 March 2026, under captain Suryakumar Yadav. The tournament was co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

It was India's third men's T20 World Cup title, after 2007 and 2024, and it made India the first side to retain the title.

On 16 March 2026 the Sahitya Akademi announced its awards for 2025 in the 24 languages it recognises: 8 books of poetry, 4 novels, 6 short-story collections, 2 books of essays, 1 of literary criticism, 1 autobiography and 2 memoirs.

The Hindi award went to the memoir 'Jeete Jee Allahabad', and the English award to the novel 'Crimson Spring'. For the first time, books were invited directly from authors and publishers. Each award carries an engraved copper plaque, a shawl and ₹1,00,000.