UPSC Current Affairs Pointers brings you essential current affairs of the past week, every Monday, to aid you in your Prelims and Mains preparation of UPSC, State PCS, and other competitive examinations.* Please note there was no UPSC Current Affairs Pointers edition for March 9 to March 15, 2026.— The World Happiness Report is published annually by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford.— The rankings are based on people’s self-assessed life evaluations, compiled through surveys conducted by Gallup in partnership with the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.— The 2026 Report notes that 79 countries recorded gains in happiness levels despite rising geopolitical tensions.— Finland remains the happiest country in the world in 2026, holding the top spot for the ninth consecutive year.— The Nordic countries, Iceland (2nd), Denmark (3rd), Sweden (5th), and Norway (6th), also rank among the top 10 happiest countries in 2026.Story continues below this ad— India has improved its ranking from 118th in 2025 to 116th in 2026 with a life evaluation score of 4.536.— This year’s report draws attention to social media’s impact, amid growing moves by countries to regulate its use among youth.Heavy social media use is linked to a significant decline in well-being among young people, with the impact especially severe for teenage girls in English-speaking countries and Western Europe.Young people using social media for less than one hour daily report the highest well-being, higher even than non-users, yet adolescents spend an average of 2.5 hours per day on these platforms. Important DaysWorld Sparrow Day 2026— World Sparrow Day, observed every year on March 20, is an initiative by the Nature Forever Society of India along with the Eco-Sys Action Foundation (France) and other national and international organisations to raise awareness about the bird.Story continues below this ad— In India sparrows are known by various names such as “Goraiya” in Hindi, “Kuruvi” in Tamil and “Chirya” in Urdu.— The house sparrow (scientific name passer domesticus) is a small passerine bird, around 16 cm long and weighs 24–39.5 gm. The male and female birds look different in colour and size.— The male is bigger than the female and has a dark brown colouration with a grey crown. Males have brighter black, white, and brown markings and whitish underparts. The male’s bill is dark grey but black in the breeding season. He has a remarkable black patch on his throat. The female is pale brown in colour with light supercilium with greyish-white underparts.— It is listed as least concern on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with a remark that its population is showing a declining trend.Story continues below this adFYI Interesting Fact: There is a sparrow memorial near Dhal ni Pol in Astodia in the walled city of Ahmedabad, India’s first UNESCO World Heritage city. A sparrow died in police firing during the Navnirman movement and people made a plaque in its memory.International Day of Forest 2026— Every year, March 21 is observed as the International Day of Forest (IDF) by the United Nations to commemorate the green cover around the world and reiterate its importance.— The theme for 2026 is “Forests and Economies”, highlighting the central role of forests in sustaining livelihoods and economic opportunities across sectors.— According to the UN website, the IDF celebrates and raises awareness of the importance of all types of forests. On this day, countries are encouraged to undertake local, national, and international efforts to organize activities involving forests and trees, such as tree-planting campaigns.Story continues below this adWorld Water Day 2026— World Water Day is an annual celebration that takes place on the 22nd of March every year. Since its advent in 1993, this day has been observed to raise awareness about water-related issues and encourage people to take action to address global water challenges.— The theme of 2026 is Water and Gender. According to the UN Water, “the global water crisis affects everyone – but not equally. Where people lack the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, inequalities flourish, with women and girls bearing the brunt. This World Water Day, it’s time to centre women and girls in water solutions. Because where water flows, equality grows.” PolitySC scraps age limit for maternity leave in adoptions— The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, and its successor, the Code of Social Security, 2020, were both amended to include adoptive mothers within the scope of maternity leave.— The carve-out was that only those women who adopted a child below the age of three months would qualify for twelve weeks of leave.Story continues below this ad— The Supreme Court on March 17, while underlining that motherhood under the law cannot depend on the age of a child at the time of adoption, struck down the rule that denied maternity leave to women adopting children older than three months.— The court held that mothers who adopt a child “shall be entitled to maternity benefit for a period of twelve weeks from the date the child is handed over to her.”— The court pointed to what is called the “Wollstonecraft Dilemma”, the tension between expecting women to be caregivers and expecting them to participate equally in paid work.— Citing ILO data, the court said that when paid work and unpaid domestic work are taken together, employed women work longer hours on average than employed men.Story continues below this adRELIEF Scheme— The government has announced a Rs 497-crore RELIEF scheme to ease pressure on exporters facing trade disruption due to widespread logistical challenges, including near doubling of freight and fuel costs owing to the ongoing war in West Asia.— It would include automatic extension of export obligations, logistical support, and potential financial measures to manage shipping delays.— It would mainly include consignments destined for delivery or trans-shipment to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Israel and Yemen.— It is announced under the Export Promotion Mission (EPM). The Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECGC) of India has been designated as the nodal implementing agency responsible for verification, claim processing, disbursement, and monitoring.Story continues below this adBHAVYA Scheme— The government has approved Rs 33,660 crore Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojna (BHAVYA) to develop 100 plug-and-play industrial parks across the country.— The scheme aims to develop world-class industrial infrastructure, unlocking manufacturing potential and driving India’s growth story.— Under the scheme, industrial parks ranging from 100 to 1,000 acres will be taken up for the development with financial support of up to Rs 1 crore per acre.— These parks will have core infrastructure like internal roads, underground utilities, drainage, common treatment facilities, ICT and administrative systems. The support for external infrastructure will also be provided up to 25% of the project cost.Jal Jeevan Mission— The Union Cabinet has approved the extension of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) till 2028, with an allocation of Rs 1.51 lakh crore.— According to an official statement, a uniform national digital framework called “Sujalam Bharat” will also be set up to digitally map the supply system “from source to tap”.— Under the new digital framework, the official statement said, “every village shall be assigned a unique Sujal Gaon/ Service Area ID, digitally mapping the complete drinking water supply system from source to tap”.— The Jal Jeevan Mission, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15, 2019, aimed to provide functional household tap connections (FHTC) to about 16 crore rural households to achieve saturation coverage by 2024.Supreme Court ruling on OBC creamy layer— The Supreme Court on March 11 ruled that income cannot be the sole criterion to decide the creamy layer among Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and settled the long-pending question of equivalence between PSUs and private sector employees and those in the government sector.— The court noted that while the Official Memorandum (OM) excluded income from salary and agricultural income from the income/ wealth test for determination of creamy layer status, the letter dated October 14, 2004 directed inclusion of salary income of PSU and private sector employees, and this resulted in hostile discrimination between the wards of government servants and those of PSU/private sector employees.— The court ruled, “… treating the children of those employed in PSUs or private employment, etc., as being excluded from the benefit of reservation only on the basis of their income derived from salaries, and without reference to their posts (whether Group A or B, or Group C or D) would certainly lead to hostile discrimination between parties who are similarly placed and would amount to equals being treated unequally, thereby attracting the rigour of the equality doctrine under Articles 14, 15 and 16…”— Following the landmark 1992 SC ruling in Indra Sawhney vs Union of India, also known as the Mandal verdict, the concept of ‘creamy layer’ within the OBCs was introduced. On September 8, 1993, the DoPT issued a circular clarifying who is classified as OBC and who belongs to the creamy layer among them. International CooperationIndia’s First National Report on Nagoya Protocol— Recently, India has submitted the First National Report (NR1) on the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol on access and benefit sharing (ABS). The report was submitted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), in collaboration with the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) on 27th February 2026.— The report covers the period from 1 November 2017 to 31 December of last year. It highlights the country’s progress in implementing the Nagoya Protocol while contributing to Target 13 of India’s updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP).— Target 13 is “Access and Benefit-Sharing”. At every level, efficient legal, policy, administrative, and capacity-building measures must be implemented to guarantee and enhance the just and equitable distribution of benefits resulting from digital sequence information, biological and genetic resources, and traditional knowledge related to these resources. This includes facilitating suitable access and benefit-sharing tools.Click here to read in detail.E-transmission duties— India is set to oppose a key US-led World Trade Organisation (WTO) proposal seeking a permanent moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions at the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) set to be held in Cameroon from 26th to 29th March, 2026.— The controversial moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions provides that members of the WTO would not impose customs duties on e-transmissions, effectively ensuring that digital trade remains tariff-free. It has been renewed every two years since it was first instituted in 1998.— This arrangement has prevented the imposition of tariffs on cross-border digital flows. The moratorium enables individuals and businesses worldwide to access, share, and deliver digital content and services electronically without incurring additional costs at national borders.— According to a WTO report, digitally delivered services exports have touched about $5 trillion, nearly double the level they had reached in 2017.— The US has forced several trade partners to agree to a moratorium under bilateral trade pacts. India has been arguing against any extension to the moratorium because digital trade has been dominated by big tech and developed countries, and the moratorium squarely favours the developed nations.— Experts say that India loses about $1 billion in tax revenue annually by foregoing duty on e-transmission.India-Myanmar pulse agreement extended— India has decided to extend its agreement with Myanmar for the import of pulses for another five years beyond 2025-26, which is expected to expire by the end of March this year.— In June 2021, India and Myanmar signed an agreement to promote the trading of Urad and Tur dals.— As per the agreement, India made a commitment to import an annual quantity of 2.5 lakh metric tonnes of Urad and 1 lakh tonnes of Tur from Myanmar, through private trade, over the five years — from 2021-22 to 2025-26 (April-March).— The move comes at a time when the US and Israel’s war with Iran has caused global supply chain disruptions, posing threats to fuel and fertilizer security.— India’s annual pulses demand is 28-29 million tonnes, but its production has remained about 24-25 million tonnes during the last three years, leaving the country dependent on imports to meet the demand.Operation Ghazab Lil Haq— Pakistan had launched a retaliatory operation named “Ghazab Lil Haq” following the alleged attacks by the Afghan Taliban on its several border posts.— According to Dawn, the Arabic phrase ‘Ghazab Lil Haq‘ is translated as “Righteous Fury” in English, emphasising Pakistan’s retaliation rather than aggression against the Afghan Taliban regime. Science and Technology The Kannur crime branch arrested Parveen Babu (55) and her daughter Sakeena Fathima (32) from Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain last week. Parveen’s son Askar Ali is still absconding, police said. (Express Photo)Gandiva— Recently, Kannur crime branch arrested 55-year-old Parveen Babu and her 32-year-old daughter Sakeena Fathima, solving a decade-old murder. The crime branch used the Gandiva (which is part of NATGRID), an advanced AI-driven analytical tool for tracking down and identifying the accused persons.— National Intelligence Grid is a platform that connects to various government and private databases.Dimethyl Ether (DME) technology— The ongoing crisis in West Asia has adversely impacted India’s energy imports. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – National Chemical Laboratory in Pune has developed the Dimethyl Ether (DME) technology, which may hold the key to solving such a problem.— DME is a clean-burning fuel that can be produced domestically from sources such as methanol, coal, biomass, or even captured carbon dioxide. Moreover, DME can be blended with LPG and used in stoves with little to no modifications. This blending has been tested by the CSIR-NCL in collaboration with the LPG Equipment Research Centre.— This technology was developed by improving both the catalyst or the material used, and the engineering design. The team has developed a special catalyst that helps convert methanol into DME quickly and efficiently.— This technology uses Mathanol to produce DME. However, India currently imports methanol from countries including Iran, which could still pose a challenge. To this, the team notes that methanol can be produced from several sources available domestically, such as coal, agricultural waste (biomass) or even captured carbon dioxide.— Methane is the main part of natural gas. It does not directly produce DME, but serves as a starting material. It is first converted into syngas (CO and H2), and then into methanol, which is used to produce DME. Methane can be sourced from both fossil fuels and renewable sources, DME production is flexible and future-ready.Anavaran-Deforestation Alert System— The Forest Survey of India (FSI)’s Anavaran-Deforestation Alert System has not been updated since November 2025. FSI has stopped issuing the fortnightly alerts through which it has kept a watch on deforestation activities in near-real time for more than two years.— The portal, which has been operational since January 2024, has been using satellite data and machine learning to enable FSI to issue location alerts on the loss of forest cover to states every 15 days so that targeted field inspections can be carried out.— The Anavaran alert system is based on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform, and uses Sentinel-2 satellite images as input data. For continuous monitoring during cloudy and monsoon seasons, this is further integrated with Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data.Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) — The construction of a major gravitational wave observatory, LIGO, in Maharashtra’s Hingoli district, one of the country’s biggest science projects, remains in limbo with the Rs 1,600-crore work tender floated in April last year yet to be awarded, according to records accessed by The Indian Express under the RTI Act.— The showpiece Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) is designed to work in sync with two similar facilities in the United States which, in 2015, detected gravitational waves for the first time — exactly 100 years after their existence was predicted in Albert Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity.— The ability to detect gravitational waves gives scientists a new vision to track cosmic events that light or other electromagnetic waves are not able to capture. The LIGO is designed to work in sync with two similar facilities in the United States.— LIGO observatories have two 4-km-long arms built at 90-degrees to each other. These are vacuum chambers with reflective mirrors at their ends. Beams of lasers are reflected off these mirrors and are used to detect gravitational waves.— The first such wave was detected in 2015, which was caused by the merger of two black holes 1.3 billion years ago. The measurement of these waves requires unprecedented accuracy as their effects are extremely small. Places in News Map Work: Places that are in the news due to the ongoing crisis in West Asia.South Pars — Israel has struck Iran’s key offshore South Pars natural gas field. It is in the Persian Gulf and accounts for up to three-fourth of Iranian gas production. It is shared between Iran and Qatar.— South Pars is the world’s largest gas field. The entire South Pars reservoir contains an estimated 1,800 trillion cubic feet of usable gas — enough to supply the entire world’s needs for 13 years — according to a Reuters report.Ras Laffan— Hours after Israel hit South Pars Iranian missiles on March 19 struck the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City.— Qatar is India’s largest source of LNG. India depends on LNG imports to meet roughly half of its natural gas demand, and over two-fifths of the country’s LNG comes from Qatar — almost all of it from Ras Laffan. Eight places approved for excavation by the ASI (Express photo)ASI approves excavation at 8 sites in Tamil Nadu— After months of back-and-forth between the Tamil Nadu government and the Centre, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has granted approval for excavations at eight sites across Tamil Nadu.— Keeladi: It is located near Madurai, where excavations will enter their 11th phase. Located along the Vaigai river basin, the site has already yielded evidence of an urban settlement dating back to at least the early historic period, with Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions, brick structures and drainage systems suggesting a literate and organised society.— Vellalore: Further west, Vellalore in Coimbatore points to a different layer of history, one shaped by trade. Previous findings, including Roman coins and bead-making evidence, suggest the region was part of a wider commercial network linking Tamilakam (the ancient Tamil-speaking region of southern India) with the Mediterranean world.— Along the coast, Nagapattinam and Pattinamarudur offer clues to maritime activity. Nagapattinam, historically associated with a Chola-era port and Buddhist influences, reflects a period of religious and commercial exchange. Pattinamarudur, where a shell-based ornament industry is believed to have existed, could deepen understanding of coastal economies and craft production.— In the northern and central regions, sites like Manikollai and Thelunganur speak to industrial and technological histories. Manikollai has yielded Indo-Pacific glass beads tied to long-distance trade networks extending to Southeast Asia, while Thelunganur, an Iron Age site, is significant for evidence of early metallurgy — a field that has seen renewed attention after recent studies suggested iron usage in Tamil Nadu dates back several millennia.— Further south, Adichanur (also Adichanallur), an Iron Age burial site, and Karivalamvanthanallur in Tenkasi district add to the picture of early settlement patterns, mortuary practices and regional variations in material culture. Kharg Island is very close to the Iranian mainlandMilitary sites on Kharg Island— Kharg Island — an eight-km-long coral island in the Persian Gulf around 50 km from the Iranian mainland — has been “heavily bombed”.— Referred to as the “orphan pearl” of the Persian Gulf, the island, which sits barely 25 kilometres off Iran’s coast, processes 90 per cent of Tehran’s crude oil exports and serves as the jugular of the country’s cash-strapped economy.— Kharg Island is arguably Iran’s most sensitive economic target, playing a major role in its economy and oil revenues. It has huge oil storage facilities, and pipelines from the island are connected by sea to some of Iran’s largest oil and gas fields.— Bombing the island’s oil infrastructure would neutralise 90% of Iran’s daily crude exports — and trigger a massive spike in the already surging oil prices.— Kharg is particularly significant for Iran since most of that country’s coastline is too shallow for very large crude carriers to dock. Kharg is close to deep waters and has jetties built in on its eastern shore. This helps large oil tankers to dock there easily. SportsWorld Indoor Championship — India will be hosting the 2028 World Indoor Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar at the Kalinga Indoor Athletics Stadium.— The World Athletics Council awarded the hosting rights of the event to India at its council meeting in Torun, Poland, which is the host for the 2026 World Indoor Athletics Championships.— However, no Indian athlete will be taking part in the World Athletics Indoor Championships 2026. India are yet to claim a medal at the indoor meet.— Organised by World Athletics, the World Indoor Athletics Championships is a biennial track and field competition that first took place in 1985 in Paris, France.— India will become only the fourth Asian nation to host the World Indoor Athletics Championships. The one in Bhubaneswar will be the 22nd edition of the meet. AwardsWinners of Oscar 2026— The 98th Academy Awards ceremony was held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 16. Director Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another swept the ceremony, winning six awards and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners finished the race with four wins.— The 98th Academy Awards ceremony introduced a new category, Achievement in Casting, taking the total to 24. One Battle After Another’s Cassandra Kulukundis became the first person to win an Academy Award for Achievement in Casting, thus making history.CategoryWinnerBest PictureOne Battle After AnotherBest ActressJessie Buckley – HamnetBest ActorMichael B Jordan – SinnersBest DirectorPaul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After AnotherBest International Feature FilmSentimental Value – NorwayBest Supporting ActorSean Penn – One Battle After AnotherBest Original SongGolden From Kpop Demon Hunters – Music and Lyric by Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seon and Teddy ParkSahitya Akademi Award— The Sahitya Akademi announced its 2025 annual awards on March 16, 2026.— Twenty-four winners were named across the languages recognised by the Akademi, including eight in poetry, six in short fiction, four in the novel, two in the essay form, one each in literary criticism and autobiography, and two in memoir.— Winners will be presented with an engraved copper plaque, a shawl, and ₹1 lakh at a ceremony scheduled for March 31.— Among the more prominent recipients is former diplomat Navtej Sarna, honoured in English for his novel Crimson Spring. Hindi writer Mamta Kalia received the award for her memoir Jeete Jee Allahabad, and Tamil scholar Sa Tamilselvan was recognised in the literary criticism category for Thamiz Sirukathaiyyin Thadangal.The full list spans the country’s linguistic breadth:LanguageTitle and GenreName of the AuthorAssameseKarhi Khelar Sadhu (Novel)Devabrat DasBengaliShrestha Kabita (Poetry)Prasun BandyopadhyayBodoDwngnwi Lama Mwnse Gathwn (Novel)Sahaisuli BrahmaDogriThakur Satsayie (Poetry, Couplets)Khajur Singh ThakurEnglishCrimson Spring (Novel)Navtej SarnaGujaratiBhattkhadaki (Poetry)Yogesh VaidyaHindiJeete Jee Allahabad (Memoir)Mamta KaliaKannadaDada Seerisu Tande (Short Stories)Amaresh NugadoniKashmiriNajdavanek’y Pot Aalav (Poetry)Ali ShaidaKonkaniKonkani Kavyem: Rupani Ani Rupakam (Essays)Henry Mendonca (H.M. Pernal)MaithiliDhatri Paat San Gaam (Memoir)MahendraMalayalamMaayaamanushyar (Novel)N. PrabhakaranManipuriKanglamdriba Eephut (Short Stories)Haobam NaliniMarathiKalyanilya Resha (Autobiography)Raju BaviskarNepaliNepali Paramparik Sanskriti Ra Sabhyata Ko Dukuti (Essays)Prakash BhattaraiOdiaPadapurana (Poetry)Girijakumar Baliyar SinghPunjabiSafety Kit (Stories)JinderRajasthaniBharkhama (Stories)Jitender Kumar SoniSanskritPrasthanacatustaye Brahmaghosah (Poetry)Mahamahopadhyaya Sadhu BhadreshdasSantaliMid Birna Chenne Saon Inag Sagai (Short Stories)Sumitra SorenSindhiWaghoo (Stories)Bhagwan AtlaniTamilThamiz Sirukathaiyin Thadangal (Literary Criticism)Sa. TamilselvanTeluguAnimesha (Poetry)Nandini Sidha ReddyUrduSafar Jaari Hai (Poetry)Pritpal Singh Betab Test Your Knowledge(Note: The best way to remember facts for UPSC and other competitive exams is to recall them through MCQs. Try to solve the following questions on your own.)(1) Consider the following statements about the World Indoor Athletics Championships:1. India will host the 2028 World Indoor Athletics Championships for the first time.2. Anju Bobby George is the only Indian to win a medal.3. India is sending its largest-ever delegation to the 2026 edition.Which of the statements given above is/are correct?(a) 1 only(b) 2 and 3 only(c) 3 only(d) 1 and 2 only(2) The ancient city of Adichanallur is located in the state of(a) Karnataka(b) Tamil Nadu(c) Andhra Pradesh(d) Kerala(3) The RELIEF Scheme, which was recently in the news, is related to(a) Rescue operation for Indian citizens stuck in Iran(b) Streamlining the social welfare schemes of the Central government(c) Ease pressure on exporters facing trade disruption due to the crisis in West Asia(d) Decrease the burden of the board examination on Class 10 and Class 12 studentsPrelims Answer Key1. (a) 2. (b) 3. (c)Current Affairs Pointers of the past weekUPSC Current Affairs Pointers | March 2 to 8, 2026UPSC Current Affairs Pointers | February 23 to March 1, 2026For your suggestions and feedback, write to khushboo.kumari@indianexpress.comSubscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for March 2026. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com