01st-02nd March 2026

1. Union Minister Sonowal Inaugurates Three Inland Waterway Projects on NW-2 in Dibrugarh, Assam
2. Tamil Nadu Launches First Dark Sky Park in Kolli Hills
3. Union Minister JP Nadda to Head Reconstituted Hindi Advisory Committee in Chemicals & Fertilizers Ministry
4. IIFL Home Finance Secures USD 300 Million Loan from ADB to Promote Women’s Housing Finance in India
5. Jio Finance Launches AI-Backed Mobile App ‘Finsider’
6. CBI Signs Distribution Agreement with Canara Robeco AMC to offer MF products
7. Gnani.ai & Razorpay Launch Agentic AI Platform for in-call UPI Payments
8. Sri Lanka’s 1st Blue Bond Dually Listed on NSE IX at GIFT City
9. Sarvam Partners with SBI Life to deploy AI tools across insurance distribution network
10. Padma Shri awardee and Ghoda Nacha Artist Utsav Charan Das Passed Away
11. Mount Abu Renamed Aburaj! Rajasthan Changes 3 Historic City Names
12. Soundala Became Maharashtra’s ‘Caste-Free’ Village
13. T.K. Oommen Passes Away at 88: A Pillar of Modern Indian Sociology Is No More
14. PM Modi to Inaugurate ₹20,000 Crore Micron Semiconductor Plant in Sanand; Micron Opens World’s Largest Semiconductor Clean Room in Gujarat
15. National Science Day 2026
16. Google Launches Nano Banana 2 Powered by Gemini 3.1 Flash Image
17. Central Warehousing Corporation Celebrates The 70th Foundation Day
18. India to Host Bharat Steel Summit in New Delhi from April 16
19. President Droupadi Murmu Dedicates Four Schemes For Women in Delhi
20. B.P. Singh Assumes Charge as DG Naval Armament at Naval Headquarters
21. India, Canada Announce Strategic Energy Partnership, Revive CEPA Talks
22. World Wildlife Day 2026
23. Varanasi Creates Guinness Record for Mega Plantation Campaign
24. Alyssa Healy Smashes 158 in Final ODI For Australia & Bid To Good Bye For Game
25. Kuno National Park Records First Sighting of Endangered Forest Owlet
26. West Bengal Signs MoU with GIZ for Ichhamati & Jalangi Basin Masterplans?
27. Maharashtra Launches Divyang Sahayak Portal for Easy Online Disability Schemes
28. Japan, South Korea, Malaysia Partner with Gujarat to Strengthen Chip Ecosystem
29. For 2nd Consecutive Year Mangaluru Airport Wins 2025 ASQ Best Arrivals Award
30. EPFO retains interest rate on deposits at 8.25%

National News

Hindi Advisory Committee Reconstituted for Chemicals Ministry

• What: Union government reformed Hindi Advisory Committee for Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers with Jagat Prakash Nadda as new Chairman. This promotes Hindi use in official work of the ministry.
• Tell me more:
  • Minister of State Ms. Anupriya Patel acts as Vice-Chairperson of the committee, which totals one Chairman, one Vice-Chairman, 15 nominated members, and 37 official members.
  • The tenure lasts three years from the start date but can change in special cases.
  • Nominated MPs serve until the end of their parliament term, while ex-officio members serve as long as they hold their posts.
  • The committee is headquartered in New Delhi, though meetings can happen anywhere in the country.

Central Warehousing Corporation Marks 70 Years

• What: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi inaugurated Central Warehousing Corporation’s (CWC) 70th Foundation Day. CWC strengthens India’s food security and aims to rank country among top 25 global logistics leaders.
• Tell me more:
  • Managing Director, CWC – Santosh Sinha
  • The Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC), a Central Public Sector Enterprise established in 1957 under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, celebrated its 70th Foundation Day on March 2, 2026, at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.

Ministry of Steel to Host Bharat Steel Summit 2026 in April

• What: Ministry of Steel held meeting with global diplomats to boost steel sector ties before the Bharat Steel Summit, which will be held on April 16–17 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
• Tell me more:
  • Capacity target: 300 million tonnes by 2030, 400 MT by 2035.

List of Outcomes: Visit of Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney to India

State News

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Inaugurates Key Waterway Projects on Brahmaputra

• What: Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched three inland waterway projects on National Waterway-2 (River Brahmaputra) in Dibrugarh. These boost logistics, trade, tourism, and growth in Northeast India.
• Tell me more:
  • Projects include Customs and Immigration Complex at Bogibeel, Customs and Immigration Complex at Dhubri, and renovated Heritage Building of Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) at Dibrugarh.
  • Bogibeel, Dibrugarh, and Dhubri are places located along the Brahmaputra River in Assam.

Tamil Nadu Launches First Dark Sky Park

• Tamil Nadu government launched its first Dark Sky Park at Ariyur Shola Reserve Forest in Kolli Hills, Namakkal district. This spot helps people see stars clearly and boosts science learning.

Rajasthan Renames Three Historic Tourism Spots

• What: Rajasthan government renamed Mount Abu to Abu Raj, Kaman to Kamvan, and Jahazpur to Yagyapur. This preserves cultural heritage while keeping attractions same for tourists.
• Tell me more:
  • Abu Raj (Mount Abu): Only hill station in Aravalli hills at 1,722m height.
  • Kamvan (Kaman): In Bharatpur near Mathura-Vrindavan, Krishna temple town.
  • Yagyapur (Jahazpur): In Bhilwara with ancient fort and temple ruins.

Soundala Became Maharashtra’s First ‘Caste-Free’ Village

• Soundala village in Maharashtra passed resolution on February 5 to become caste-free. This stops discrimination by caste, religion, or race to keep peace among 2,500 people.
• Gram sabha led by sarpanch Sharad Argade passed the rule.

PM Modi Inaugurates Micron’s Semiconductor Plant in Sanand

• What: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Micron Semiconductor Technology India Private Limited’s Assembly, Test and Packaging (ATMP) facility in Sanand. This starts India’s first commercial semiconductor production under India Semiconductor Mission (ISM).
• Tell me more:
  • The project held its ground-breaking ceremony in September 2023 and became the first proposal approved under the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM). Total investment was ₹22,500 crore.
  • The facility has now started commercial production and shipment of the first made-in-India semiconductor memory modules.
  • Once fully operational, the Sanand facility will include about 500,000 square feet of cleanroom space, making it one of the largest raised-floor cleanrooms in the world.
  • Cleanrooms are special rooms where dust, germs, and tiny particles are strictly controlled. They are used in industries like semiconductors, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology where even a tiny particle can damage products.

President Murmu Launches Four Schemes for Delhi Women

• What: President Droupadi Murmu dedicated four schemes to Delhi women. These boost women’s respect and power as key to a strong nation.
• Tell me more:

Varanasi Sets Tree Planting World Record

• Varanasi planted over 2.51 lakh saplings in one hour. This beats China’s record and creates urban forest for green cover.

Rare Owl Found in Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh

• What: Kuno National Park (KNP) spotted Forest Owlet for first time. Forest Owlet is endemic and endangered.
• Tell me more:
  • International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists it as Endangered.
  • Forest Owlet has 250-999 adults worldwide.
  • Also known as Blewitt’s Owl, the endemic bird was first discovered in 1872 by Irish officer and naturalist F.R. Blewitt in eastern Madhya Pradesh and was considered extinct after 1884.
  • It was rediscovered after 113 years in 1997 in Maharashtra’s Nandurbar district. It now lives in central Indian forests.

West Bengal Signs MoU for Development of Ichhamati and Jalangi River Basins

• What: The Government of West Bengal signed an MoU with German enterprise GIZ and State Mission for Clean Ganga (SMCG) to prepare a basin-based master plan for Ichhamati and Jalangi river basins.
• Tell me more:
  • The project was announced in the 2025–26 state budget under the ‘Nodi Bandhan’ initiative.
  • Ichhamati River
    • Origin: The Ichhamati originates in the upper Ganga delta region of West Bengal.
    • Trajectory: It flows for about 200 km between West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh, and for some stretches forms the international border between the two countries.
  • Jalangi River
    • Origin: The Jalangi is a distributary of the Ganga River.
    • Trajectory: It branches from the Ganga/Padma river (in Bangladesh), flows through Murshidabad and Nadia districts of West Bengal, and joins the Bhagirathi–Hooghly distributary of the Ganga.

Maharashtra Launches Integrated Divyang Sahayak Portal for Persons with Disabilities

• What: The Government of Maharashtra launched the Integrated Divyang Sahayak Portal to streamline welfare scheme delivery for persons with disabilities and improve implementation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.
• Tell me more:
  • The platform is connected with Aadhaar through Meri Pehchan.
  • The portal is also integrated with the Direct Benefit Transfer platform.

Gujarat Signs ₹1,600 Cr Semiconductor Deals

• What: Gujarat government signed investment proposals worth over ₹1,600 crore. Deals strengthen semiconductor ecosystem with Japanese and South Korean firms.
• Tell me more:
  • Horiba India signed MoU for R&D centre in Ahmedabad. Centre focuses on mass-flow controllers and instruments.
  • Hotayi Electronic builds ₹250 crore plant at Sanand GIDC. Plant creates 1,000 jobs for precision components.
  • Hi-Spec Ltd invests ₹750 crore for hydrofluoric acid plant. Acid processes semiconductor wafers.
  • Kiansh International invests ₹25 crore in collaboration with a South Korean firm.
  • Rohm Semiconductor partners Suchi Semicon for IC packaging.
  • Kaynes Semicon invests ₹500 crore in SpectraGaze Systems for advancing India’s capabilities in high-tech areas such as outer-space imaging and semiconductor technologies.

Banking and Economy

IIFL Finance Secures $300M Loan for Affordable Homes

• What: IIFL Home Finance signed a $300 million loan with Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other banks. This is IIFL’s first group borrowing from outside India.
• Tell me more:
  • ADB leads the deal and gives $150 million. Other banks Japan’s MUFG, Emirates Bank, Sri Lanka’s Sampath Bank, Hatton National Bank give another $150 million.
  • Money turns into home loans for poor women in cities, small towns, and slow-growth states. Over 25% of this amount goes to green eco-friendly cheap homes.

JioFinance App Launch Redefines Smart Money Tools

• What: Jio Finance Platform and Service Limited (JFPSL) launched JioFinance app with Agentic AI for personal finance. This gives Indians easy control over money matters like loans and investments.
• Tell me more:
  • The AI checks user’s money goals and facts in real time. Shows only matching products on custom screens. Chat finds loans or investments fast.
  • “Finsider” program lets special users try the JioFinance app first, before everyone else. They use it and tell Jio what to fix or add. This helps make the app better for all.

Central Bank Partners with Canara Robeco for Mutual Funds

• Central Bank of India signed deal with Canara Robeco Asset Management Company Ltd (CRAMC). This gives bank customers easy access to mutual fund products for savings growth.

Gnani.ai and Razorpay Launch AI Payment Collections Platform

• What: Gnani.ai partnered with Razorpay to create agentic AI collections platform. This lets AI finish payment transactions during live customer calls, helping businesses collect money faster.
• Tell me more:
  • Voice AI used to just start payment talks and remind customers, like “Please pay now.” It stopped there without collecting money.
  • Now Gnani.ai‘s AI talks to customer during call, checks what they owe, confirms they want to pay, makes safe payment link, sends by SMS or WhatsApp, watches till money arrives, then says “Payment done.”
  • This finishes full collection in one call instead of many reminders. Businesses get paid faster with sure success.

Sri Lanka Lists First Blue Bond in India’s GIFT City

• What: Sri Lankan bank DFCC listed its special “Blue Bonds” worth LKR 3 billion in two places – Sri Lanka’s Colombo Stock Exchange and India’s GIFT City exchange.
• Tell me more:
  • GIFT City in India now trades foreign ocean-protection bonds for first time. It is listed on NSE International Exchange (NSE IX) at GIFT City.
  • Benefits: More global buyers can invest. Helps Sri Lanka fund sea projects. Makes GIFT City big hub for green finance. Builds India-Sri Lanka finance bridge.
  • In November 2025, DFCC Bank introduced blue bonds to raise money from investors for projects that protect and use water and marine resources in a sustainable way.

Sarvam AI Partners SBI Life for Customer Tools

• What: Sarvam AI startup partnered with SBI Life Insurance to roll out AI tools nationwide. This means the AI system works using two layers.
• Tell me more:
  • Samvaad is the chat interface. It manages conversations between the customer and the system. When a customer asks a question or gives a request, Samvaad receives it and sends it to the AI systems.
  • Arya is the brain behind the system. It runs many AI agents at the same time. These AI agents use the company’s internal data to complete different tasks such as finding information, processing requests, or generating responses.

Google Launches Nano Banana 2 Image Tool

• What: Google released Nano Banana 2, upgraded image generation tool powered by Gemini 3.1 Flash. This makes picture creation faster and smarter for everyone using Google apps.
• Tell me more:
  • Nano Banana falls under the category of AI Image Generators or Text-to-Image AI Models.
  • Nano Banana 2 lets users pick image sizes from 512px (small) up to 4K (very high quality).

Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation Retains 8.25% Interest Rate for 2025–26

• What: Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) approved an interest rate of 8.25% on Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) deposits for 2025–26, retaining the same rate for the second consecutive year.
• Tell me more:
  • The interest rate decision was approved by the Central Board of Trustees (CBT).
  • The interest rate becomes effective after ratification by the Ministry of Finance.
  • EPF is a government-backed retirement savings scheme for salaried employees.
  • The scheme is managed by EPFO under the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
  • EPFO funds are invested in a combination of debt and equity instruments to produce returns, similar to NPS.

Awards

Mangaluru International Airport Wins 2025 Airport Service Quality Award for Arrivals

• What: Airports Council International (ACI) World named Mangaluru International Airport as the winner of the 2025 Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Award for Best Airport at Arrivals – Globally, recognising passenger satisfaction during the arrival journey.
• Tell me more:
  • Mangaluru International Airport also won the same global arrivals award in 2024. The 2025 recognition marks the second consecutive win for the airport.
    • Mangaluru International Airport is managed by Adani Airport Holdings Limited.
  • ASQ Awards are based entirely on real-time passenger feedback collected through independently administered surveys by ACI.
  • Only six airports worldwide were selected in the Best Airport at Arrivals – Globally category in 2025.
  • The award ceremony will be held in Istanbul, Türkiye as part of the Airport Experience Summit organised by ACI World from August 31 to September 4.
  • A total of 195 awards will be presented.

Important Days

National Science Day 2026 – February 28

• Focal Theme: Women in Science Catalyzing Viksit Bharat
• National Science Day commemorates the discovery of the Raman Effect by eminent Indian physicist C. V. Raman in 1928.
• Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune (IISER Pune) will celebrate National Science Day 2026 on its campus.
• IISER Pune, in collaboration with Pimpri Chinchwad Science Park, will also organise a three-day outreach programme at the Kalpakghar Community Tinkering Centre located at the Science Park premises.
• India’s Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India – Prof. Ajay K. Sood

World Wildlife Day – March 3

• 2026 Theme – Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Conserving Health, Heritage and Livelihoods
• National Zoological Park in New Delhi held marathon under the motto “Each Step Towards Wildlife Conservation”.

Sports

Alyssa Healy Bids Farewell to ODI

• What: Australia’s Alyssa Healy scored 158 runs in her final One Day International (ODI) against India. Her knock powered Australia to victory in Hobart.
• Tell me more:
  • Australia made 409 for 7 wickets. India scored 224 all out in 45.1 overs. Australia won by 185 runs.
  • Venue – Bellerive Oval sits in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Appointments

B.P. Singh Becomes Navy Arms Chief

• Shri B.P. Singh took charge as Director General of Naval Armament (DGONA). DGONA leads Navy weapon management at Naval Headquarters in New Delhi.

Miscellaneous

Padma Shri Ghoda Nacha Artist Utsav Charan Das Passes Away

• What: Padma Shri Utsav Charan Das, Odisha’s Ghoda Nacha folk dance master, died at age 80. His work preserved traditional art and took it to global stages.
• Tell me more:
  • Received Padma Shri on November 8, 2021 for folk art service.
  • Ghoda Nacha is Odisha’s traditional folk dance by fishermen tribes (Keot/Kaibarta). Dancers wear wooden dummy horse frames around waist. Performed during Chaitra month (March-April) for 8 days to honor Vasuli Devi goddess.

JNU Sociologist T.K. Oommen Passes Away at 88

• What: Professor T.K. Oommen, modern Indian sociology pioneer and JNU Professor Emeritus, passed away. His work shaped studies on social justice, identity, and movements in India.
• Tell me more:
  • Authored 20 books, got Padma Bhushan 2008.
  • Awards include V.K.R.V. Rao Prize in Sociology, G.S. Ghurye Prize in Sociology and Social Anthropology, and University Grants Commission (UGC) Swami Pranavananda Award in Sociology.

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