Daily Current Affairs: 29 & 30 March 2026

Current affairs of 29 & 30 March 2026: Maternal Mortality in India: Lancet Data and MMR Trend; PLFS Annual Report 2025: LFPR 59.3%, Unemployment 3.1%; Tunguska 2K22M Air Defence System: Rs 445 Cr Deal, and 11 more topics. Key facts for every exam, with a quiz.

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In this issue: 14 topics

National Affairs

Maternal Mortality in India: Lancet Data and MMR Trend
Alex Fitzpatrick Wins First DP World Tour Title
APSEZ Operationalises India’s First Port of Refuge

Government Schemes

PM E-DRIVE Revised: New Deadlines and Price Caps

Banking & Finance

RBI Penalties on Union Bank, Central Bank, Bank of India and Pine Labs
RBI Releases Payments Vision 2028 for India’s Digital Payments

Economy

RBI Caps Bank Net Open Forex Positions at $100 Million to Back Rupee

International Affairs

India-EU Aviation: DGCA and EASA Sign Working Arrangement

Environment & Ecology

International Day of Zero Waste 2026: Zero Waste Starts on Your Plate

Defence & Security

Tunguska 2K22M Air Defence System: Rs 445 Cr Deal
IAF Issues RFP to Fit ASRAAM Missiles on MiG-29UPG Jets
India Takes IONS Chair for 2026-28; IMEX TTX Held in Kochi

Reports & Indexes

PLFS Annual Report 2025: LFPR 59.3%, Unemployment 3.1%

Awards & Persons

Gurjant Singh Retires from International Hockey

National Affairs

Health & Social Issues

1. Maternal Mortality in India: Lancet Data and MMR Trend

A Lancet report says India has roughly 1 in 10 of all maternal deaths worldwide.
India recorded about 24,700 maternal deaths in 2023, against about 2.4 lakh globally.
India's MMR fell from 508 in 1990 to 116 per 1 lakh live births in 2023.
Progress slowed after 2015; Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh carry a heavy burden.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Sports

2. Alex Fitzpatrick Wins First DP World Tour Title

Alex Fitzpatrick claimed his first DP World Tour title.
Eugenio Chacarra was his rival at the 18th green in the finish.
The day saw fortunes swing sharply, with scores and drives both erratic.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Economy

3. APSEZ Operationalises India’s First Port of Refuge

Adani Ports and SEZ (APSEZ) operationalised India's first Port of Refuge in March 2026.
Dighi Port covers the west coast and Gopalpur Port the east coast.
A tripartite arrangement links APSEZ with SMIT Salvage of the Netherlands and Gujarat's Maritime Emergency Response Centre.
Services include salvage, firefighting, pollution containment and emergency coordination.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Government Schemes

4. PM E-DRIVE Revised: New Deadlines and Price Caps

The government revised the PM E-DRIVE Scheme, with a total outlay of ₹10,900 crore.
Electric two-wheelers stay eligible until 31 July 2026; three-wheelers until 31 March 2028.
Price caps are ₹1.5 lakh for E2W and ₹2.5 lakh for E3W.
It is a fund-limited incentive scheme.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Banking & Finance

5. RBI Penalties on Union Bank, Central Bank, Bank of India and Pine Labs

RBI imposed monetary penalties on four entities: Union Bank of India, Central Bank of India, Bank of India and Pine Labs.
Penalty amounts: Union Bank ₹95.40 lakh, Central Bank ₹63.60 lakh, Bank of India ₹58.50 lakh, Pine Labs ₹3.10 lakh.
Lapses related to KYC, Priority Sector Lending, electronic transaction rules and Prepaid Payment Instrument norms.
Pine Labs issued full-KYC PPIs without proper KYC verification.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Banking & Finance

6. RBI Releases Payments Vision 2028 for India’s Digital Payments

The RBI released Payments Vision 2028, titled 'Shaping India's Payment Frontier'.
The roadmap has 15 initiatives and runs through December 2028.
It proposes a switch on/off facility for digital payments and a Shared Responsibility Framework for fraud liability.
It also backs TReDS interoperability and a Payments Switching Service for moving standing instructions between banks.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Economy

7. RBI Caps Bank Net Open Forex Positions at $100 Million to Back Rupee

RBI capped banks' net open forex positions at $100 million, with a deadline of 10 April 2026.
The aim is to stop the rupee sliding towards ₹95 per dollar amid West Asia tensions and rising crude prices.
The earlier limit was 25% of a bank's net worth; banks may book losses while unwinding.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

International Affairs

Science & Technology

8. India-EU Aviation: DGCA and EASA Sign Working Arrangement

India's DGCA and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) signed a working arrangement in March 2026.
It follows the January 2026 EU-India Summit.
It aims to align Indian aviation manufacturing with global safety standards.
It supports assembly of Airbus Helicopters H125/AS350 helicopters in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Environment & Ecology

9. International Day of Zero Waste 2026: Zero Waste Starts on Your Plate

The International Day of Zero Waste is observed every year on 30 March, and was first marked in 2023.
The UN General Assembly adopted resolution 77/161 for it on 14 December 2022.
UNEP and UN-Habitat jointly facilitate the observance.
The 2026 theme was 'Zero Waste Starts on Your Plate', which highlights food waste.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Defence & Security

10. Tunguska 2K22M Air Defence System: Rs 445 Cr Deal

The Ministry of Defence signed a ₹445 crore contract with JSC Rosoboronexport for the Tunguska 2K22M for the Indian Army.
Tunguska, NATO name SA-19 Grison, is a self-propelled hybrid of missiles and anti-aircraft guns on one platform.
It provides low-altitude air defence for moving infantry and armoured units.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Defence & Security

11. IAF Issues RFP to Fit ASRAAM Missiles on MiG-29UPG Jets

The Ministry of Defence issued a request for proposals on 25 March 2026 to integrate ASRAAM on the MiG-29UPG.
ASRAAM is a British-made, fourth-generation short-range air-to-air missile developed by MBDA.
It is meant to replace the Soviet-era R-73 missile.
ASRAAM has a range beyond 25 km and speeds above Mach 3.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

International Relations

12. India Takes IONS Chair for 2026-28; IMEX TTX Held in Kochi

India assumed the Chairmanship of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) for 2026-2028.
The 3rd IONS Maritime Exercise Tabletop Exercise (IMEX TTX 2026) was held on 27-28 March at Kochi.
Twelve countries took part; the focus was non-traditional maritime security threats such as piracy, terrorism and trafficking.
It is India's first IONS chair term since 2010.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Reports & Indexes

Economy

13. PLFS Annual Report 2025: LFPR 59.3%, Unemployment 3.1%

MoSPI released the PLFS Annual Report 2025 with overall LFPR at 59.3% and unemployment at 3.1%.
Youth (15-29) unemployment was 9.9%, a decline from the earlier year.
Regular wage/salaried share rose to 23.6% while self-employment fell to 56.2%.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Awards & Persons

14. Gurjant Singh Retires from International Hockey

Indian forward Gurjant Singh retired from international hockey in March 2026.
He played 130 international matches and scored 33 goals between 2017 and 2026.
He won Olympic bronze medals at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.
He received the Arjuna Award in 2021 and was born on 26 January 1995 in Khailara, Amritsar.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

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15 questions from the news of 29 & 30 March 2026, with answers and explanations.

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Daily Current Affairs: 29 & 30 March 2026

In this issue: 14 topics

National Affairs

1. Maternal Mortality in India: Lancet Data and MMR Trend

2. Alex Fitzpatrick Wins First DP World Tour Title

3. APSEZ Operationalises India’s First Port of Refuge

Government Schemes

4. PM E-DRIVE Revised: New Deadlines and Price Caps

Banking & Finance

5. RBI Penalties on Union Bank, Central Bank, Bank of India and Pine Labs

6. RBI Releases Payments Vision 2028 for India’s Digital Payments

Economy

7. RBI Caps Bank Net Open Forex Positions at $100 Million to Back Rupee

International Affairs

8. India-EU Aviation: DGCA and EASA Sign Working Arrangement

Environment & Ecology

9. International Day of Zero Waste 2026: Zero Waste Starts on Your Plate

Defence & Security

10. Tunguska 2K22M Air Defence System: Rs 445 Cr Deal

11. IAF Issues RFP to Fit ASRAAM Missiles on MiG-29UPG Jets

12. India Takes IONS Chair for 2026-28; IMEX TTX Held in Kochi

Reports & Indexes

13. PLFS Annual Report 2025: LFPR 59.3%, Unemployment 3.1%

Awards & Persons

14. Gurjant Singh Retires from International Hockey

Test yourself