Current Affairs – 31 March, 2026

Ans> (b) Hardik Singh

💡 Key Highlights:

* The Award: The Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of the Year is one of the most prestigious honors given by Hockey India to recognize the top-performing male player.

* Prize: The award typically carries a substantial cash prize (often ₹25 Lakh) and a trophy to honor outstanding contributions to the sport over the past year.

* Significance: Recognizing these top athletes boosts morale, encourages future talent, and promotes India’s rich legacy in the sport of hockey on a global scale.

Ans> (c) Jupally Krishna Rao

💡 Key Highlights:

* The Awardee: Jupally Krishna Rao, the Tourism and Culture Minister of Telangana, was honored with this prestigious award.

* The Event: He received the ‘Grand Prize for Contribution to World Peace’ from the International Interchange Development Association at the International Buddhist Peace Conference 2026 held in Hyderabad.

* Significance: The award recognizes his ongoing efforts in preserving the region’s rich Buddhist heritage, promoting international cultural exchange, and advancing the cause of global peace.

Ans> (c) Mother Mary Comes to Me

💡 Key Highlights:

* The Award: Renowned author Arundhati Roy won the prestigious US National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) Award in the Autobiography category.

* The Book: Mother Mary Comes to Me is a deeply personal memoir that explores her relationship with her mother, Mary Roy, as well as her own life journey and struggles.

* Significance: This major international accolade further cements her legacy as one of India’s most celebrated contemporary writers, adding to her past honors like the Booker Prize.

Ans> (a) Gerd Faltings

💡 Key Highlights:

* The Winner: Renowned German mathematician Gerd Faltings has been selected for the 2026 Abel Prize.

* About the Award: Often referred to as the “Nobel Prize of Mathematics,” the Abel Prize is awarded annually by the King of Norway to recognize pioneering scientific achievements in mathematics.

* Contribution: He is widely celebrated for his monumental contributions to algebraic geometry and number theory, most notably for his famous proof of the Mordell conjecture.

Ans> (c) Harmanpreet Kaur

💡 Key Highlights:

* The Tribute: The ‘Pink Stand’ at the upcoming Omaxe State Cricket Stadium in Dwarka, New Delhi, has been named in honor of the dynamic Indian women’s cricket team captain, Harmanpreet Kaur.

* Significance: This initiative aims to celebrate her monumental contributions to Indian sports, promote women’s cricket, and inspire the next generation of female athletes.

* The Stadium: The Omaxe stadium is a modern, world-class sports facility being developed under a public-private partnership (PPP) model with the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

Ans> (a) Jannik Sinner

💡 Key Highlights:

* The Winner: Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner clinched the Miami Open 2026 Men’s Singles title, adding another prestigious Masters 1000 trophy to his collection.

* The Tournament: The Miami Open is one of the premier hard-court tennis tournaments on the ATP Tour, held annually in Florida, USA.

* Significance: Sinner’s victory further solidifies his position as one of the dominant forces in modern men’s tennis, showcasing his exceptional form and consistency on hard courts.

Ans> (b) Virat Kohli

💡 Key Highlights:

* The Record: Star batsman Virat Kohli became the first player in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to reach the 4,000-run mark during run chases.

* The Player: He achieved this historic milestone playing for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), further cementing his well-earned title as the “Chase Master” of modern cricket.

* Significance: This incredible feat highlights his exceptional consistency, fitness, and ability to handle high-pressure situations effectively during second-innings batting.

Ans> (b) ₹3,000

💡 Key Highlights:

* The Scheme: Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan (PM-SYM) is a voluntary and contributory pension scheme designed specifically for unorganized sector workers in India.

* Benefits: It provides a guaranteed minimum monthly pension of ₹3,000 after the subscriber reaches 60 years of age.

* Eligibility: It targets workers like street vendors, rickshaw pullers, agricultural workers, and construction workers whose monthly income is ₹15,000 or less.

Ans> (a) March 2026

💡 Key Highlights:

* The Scheme: The PM E-DRIVE (PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement) scheme was introduced by the Ministry of Heavy Industries to accelerate EV adoption, replacing the older FAME scheme.

* Validity: Approved with a massive financial outlay (₹10,900 crore), the scheme is implemented for a period of two years, concluding in March 2026.

* Focus: It provides demand incentives and subsidies for e-2Ws, e-3Ws, e-ambulances, e-trucks, and electric buses, alongside funding for thousands of new public charging stations.

Ans> (a) 1309

💡 Key Highlights:

* The Initiative: The Amrit Bharat Station Scheme was launched by the Ministry of Railways to modernize and upgrade railway station infrastructure across India.

* Scope: It aims to redevelop 1,309 railway stations, significantly enhancing passenger amenities such as improved waiting halls, free Wi-Fi, better passenger information systems, and modern accessibility features.

* Significance: This massive infrastructure drive focuses on long-term development, aiming to transform stations into modern, eco-friendly transport hubs that also reflect local culture and heritage.

Ans> (a) Rajasthan

💡 Key Highlights:

* The Initiative: The Rajasthan government, led by CM Bhajanlal Sharma, launched this policy to position the state as a future-ready industrial hub aligned with the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ visions.

* Development Models: It encourages the development of world-class industrial parks through private ownership, hybrid land-sharing, and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models. Private parks require a minimum of 50 acres and at least 10 industrial units.

* Incentives: To ensure ease of doing business, the policy offers single-window clearances via the ‘Raj Nivesh Portal’, stamp duty concessions, and up to 50% reimbursement for Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETP) to promote green infrastructure.

Ans> (b) Kochi

💡 Key Highlights:

* The Event: The Indian Navy hosted the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Maritime Exercise (IMEX TTX 2026) at the Maritime Warfare Centre under the Southern Naval Command in Kochi.

* Objective: The exercise focused on addressing non-traditional maritime security threats and complex operational scenarios, aiming to improve coordination and information sharing among participating navies.

* Significance: This high-level multinational exercise gains added importance as India is set to assume the IONS Chairmanship for the 2026-2028 cycle after a gap of 16 years.

Ans> (c) Both of the above (A & B)

💡 Key Highlights:

* The Initiative: Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) has designated these ports to act as a ‘Port of Refuge’ to provide safe haven for ships in distress.

* Locations: The facilities are strategically located on both coastlines—Gopalpur in Odisha on the east coast and Dighi in Maharashtra on the west coast.

* Significance: This critical infrastructure enhances maritime safety by offering emergency repairs, medical assistance, and shelter to vessels facing severe weather, technical snags, or pirate threats.

Ans> (c) India

💡 Key Highlights:

* The Initiative: India recently launched its first formal ‘Port of Refuge’ system to provide immediate shelter to vessels facing distress at sea due to severe weather, technical failures, or security threats.

* Implementation: As part of this system, major port operators like Adani Ports designated facilities (such as Gopalpur in Odisha and Dighi in Maharashtra) to act as safe havens.

* Significance: This move significantly bolsters India’s maritime security framework and fulfills its international obligations to ensure the safety of global commercial shipping routes in the Indian Ocean region.

Ans> (d) INS Sudarshini

💡 Key Highlights:

* The Event: ‘Escale à Sète’ is a prominent biennial maritime festival held in Sète, France, that celebrates maritime traditions by bringing together historic sailing ships from across the globe.

* The Participant: INS Sudarshini, a sail training ship of the Indian Navy, represented India at the festival to showcase the nation’s rich maritime heritage.

* Significance: Participation in such international events provides young naval cadets with invaluable training in traditional seamanship while strengthening bilateral diplomatic and cultural ties with France.

Ans> (b) Nepal

💡 Key Highlights:

* The Appointment: Nisha Mehta recently made history by being sworn in as the new Health and Population Minister of Nepal following a youth-led political shift.

* Background: Notably, she is an alumna of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi, where she completed her BSc in Nursing (2006-2010).

* Significance: Her rise from a nursing graduate to a national policymaker highlights the growing leadership role of healthcare professionals in shaping public policy and strengthening cross-border medical cooperation.

Ans> (d) United Kingdom

💡 Key Highlights:

* The Initiative: The United Kingdom has taken a strong legislative step to completely ban screen usage (smartphones, tablets, etc.) for infants and toddlers under the age of two.

* Health Concerns: This decision was heavily backed by pediatricians and child psychologists, who cited the detrimental effects of early screen exposure on a child’s cognitive development, sleep cycle, and social-emotional skills.

* Global Context: This makes the UK one of the pioneering nations to implement such a strict, nationwide ban, setting a precedent for global child health policies in the digital age.

Ans> (a) 28 March

💡 About Earth Hour:

* Organizer: It is a worldwide movement organized annually by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

* Tradition: It is typically held on the last Saturday of March, encouraging individuals and businesses to turn off non-essential lights for one hour (8:30 to 9:30 PM local time).

* Purpose: The event aims to raise global awareness about climate change, nature loss, and the critical importance of energy conservation.

Ans> (a) Jind-Sonipat section

💡 Key Highlights:

* The Milestone: India successfully completed the oscillation trials of its first-ever hydrogen fuel cell-powered trainset on the Jind-Sonipat section in Haryana.

* The Technology: These green trains run on advanced hydrogen fuel cells, emitting only water and steam, making them a crucial part of Indian Railways’ ambitious “Net Zero Carbon Emission” goal by 2030.

* Significance: This achievement marks a major technological leap for India, placing it among a select group of global nations capable of operating advanced, eco-friendly hydrogen trains.

Ans> (a) Madhubani

💡 Key Highlights:

* Location: Balirajgarh is an important ancient archaeological site located in the Madhubani district of Bihar.

* The Excavation: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has recently conducted excavations at this site, uncovering significant historical artifacts, fortifications, and structural remains.

* Significance: The findings from this site are believed to date back to the Mauryan and Sunga periods, providing valuable insights into the early historic settlements and urban culture of the Mithila region.