Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman launched ‘PRARAMBH 2026’ — Income Tax Department’s nationwide awareness campaign on Income Tax Act, 2025, in New Delhi.
This multimedia initiative, spanning print, radio, television, outdoor, digital and social media, has been designed to build awareness about the key features of the new Act, which is set to come into effect from 01.04.2026.
The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has constituted an Expert Committee on Invasive Alien Species to address the growing ecological and socio-economic risks posed by such species across the country.
The decision follows a suo motu proceeding (O.A. No. 162/2023) by the NGT, which underscored the serious threats of invasive alien species to native biodiversity,
key ecosystems, agriculture, food security, and human and wildlife health, and directed the NBA to undertake a comprehensive study. This was further reinforced by advisory from the MoEFCC to establish a dedicated expert body.
Accordingly, in exercise of its powers under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (as amended in 2023), the NBA has constituted a multi-disciplinary committee to provide strategic guidance on the issue. The Committee has been mandated to prepare a consolidated national list of invasive alien species based on State-wise inputs, identify and prioritise high-risk species,
and recommend science-based management strategies, ecological restoration measures, and national-level guidelines for their prevention, control, and eradication. It will also document and disseminate best practices, identify critical knowledge gaps, and propose research and data generation programmes to strengthen long-term management and policy responses.
The Committee is chaired by Shri Dhananjai Mohan, IFS (Retd.), former PCCF and Head of Forest Force, Uttarakhand, with Prof. (Dr.) A. Biju Kumar, Vice Chancellor, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, serving as Co-Chair, and comprises senior officials and eminent experts from key Ministries and premier scientific institutions,
including representatives from the Zoological Survey of India, Botanical Survey of India, ICAR research bureaus on plant, fish and insect genetic resources, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, Wildlife Institute of India, Forest Survey of India, and State Forest Departments of Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Maharashtra, and Assam,
along with international and academic experts such as IUCN and leading research institutions.
The Committee will function for a period of two years and is expected to significantly contribute to safeguarding India’s biodiversity, enhancing ecosystem resilience, and supporting national and global biodiversity commitments.
Chuck Norris, the martial arts grandmaster and action star whose roles in Walker, Texas Ranger and other television shows and movies made him an iconic tough guy, sparking internet parodies and adoration from presidents has died at 86.
Before he would become a star in movies and on TV, Norris was wildly successful in competitive martial arts. He became a six-time undefeated World Professional Middleweight Karate champion.
He also founded his own Korean-based American hard style of karate known sometimes as Chun Kuk Do and the United Fighting Arts Federation, which has awarded more than 3,300 Chuck Norris System black belts worldwide. Black Belt magazine ultimately credited Norris in its hall of fame with holding a 10th degree black belt, the highest possible honor.
India will host the World Indoor Athletics Championships for the first time in 2028 at the state-of-the-art indoor facility at the Kalinga Stadium complex in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
The International body today awarded the hosting rights of the prestigious event to India at the World Athletics Council meeting in Torun, Poland.
President of the Athletics Federation of India, Bahadur Singh Sagoo, said the development is an indication of the growing stature of Indian athletics on the international stage.
Meanwhile, the World Indoor Athletics Championships 2026 will start in March 2026 Torun, Poland. The Championship typically has 26 events, 13 each for men and women to be competed across three days.
The 4x400m mixed relay will be held for the first time in this edition in Poland.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has received global recognition for a move that could quietly change how Indians experience online banking. The central bank has been awarded the ‘Initiative of the Year Award’ by London-based Central Banking for introducing a dedicated and secure internet framework for banks,
a step aimed at reducing fraud, improving trust, and strengthening the country’s fast-growing digital payments ecosystem.
The RBI rolled out a special internet domain just for banks, so only authorized lenders can use it. Basically, this gives every bank an official, easily recognized digital identity - a big step up, since things weren’t as clear or standardized before.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed a Rs 31.80 lakh penalty on HSBC, citing non-compliance with norms.
Based on the statutory inspection for supervisory evaluation of the bank, with reference to its financial position as on March 31, 2025,
the bank did not host a searchable database of unclaimed deposits on its website and did not generate and assign Unclaimed Deposits Reference Number (UDRN) to certain unclaimed deposits transferred to the “Depositor Education and Awareness” (DEA) Fund.
With microfinance institutions (MFIs) facing higher risk provisions and writeoffs, the government launched for them a Rs. 20,000 crore credit-guarantee scheme, aimed at easing liquidity tightness and increasing credit flow.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes notified the rules for Income-tax Act, 2025 which provided enhanced tax benefit for HRA to salary earner but makes disclosure of landlord-tenant relationship mandatory.
The Income-tax Rules, 2026 will operationalise the simplified direct tax legislation that was approved by Parliament last year and will come into effect from April 1.
The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, observed annually on 21 March, commemorates the Sharpeville Massacre in 1960, when police in Sharpeville opened fire on a peaceful protest against apartheid pass laws, killing 69 people.
The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) is one of the most important international agreements dedicated to combating racism and promoting equality worldwide.
UNESCO first adopted 21 March as World Poetry Day during its 30th General Conference in Paris in 1999, with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard.
World Poetry Day is the occasion to honour poets, revive oral traditions of poetry recitals, promote the reading, writing and teaching of poetry, foster the convergence between poetry and other arts such as theatre, dance, music and painting, and raise the visibility of poetry in the media.
The United Nations General Assembly officially proclaimed March 21 as International Nowruz Day during its 64th session in 2010, recognizing the cultural and historical significance of the holiday.
Meaning “new day,” Nowruz is embraced by more than 300 million people worldwide as the beginning of a new year.
With roots extending back over 3,000 years to the era of Zoroastrianism, Nowruz heralds the arrival of spring and is celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox, usually March 20 or 21. It unites diverse cultures across Iran, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Balkans, and beyond, offering a rich tapestry of customs, traditions, and shared values.
In December 2011, the General Assembly declared 21 March as World Down Syndrome Day (A/RES/66/149). The General Assembly decided, with effect from 2012, to observe World Down Syndrome Day on 21 March each year.
Down syndrome occurs when an individual has an extra partial (or whole) copy of chromosome 21. It is not yet know why this syndrome occurs, but Down syndrome has always been a part of the human condition. It exists in all regions across the globe and commonly results in variable effects on learning styles, physical characteristics and health.
The United Nations has designated 21 March as the annual World Day for Glaciers, starting in 2025, to raise awareness about the critical role of glaciers, snow, and ice in the climate system.
Glaciers are nature’s frozen sentinels, vast rivers of ice and snow that carve the Earth, silently bearing witness to the passage of time and the shifting rhythms of our planet.
UNESCO will celebrate the World Day for Glaciers at its Headquarters in Paris on 18-19 March 2026, closing the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation 2025 and launching the new Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences with dedicated sessions and side events highlighting the vital links between cryosphere, water and gender equality.
Forests and economies is the theme of the 2026 International Day of Forests, celebrating the essential roles of forests in driving economic prosperity.
Since its proclamation by the UN General Assembly in 2012, March 21st has served as the International Day of Forests—a day to celebrate all types of forests and trees around the world.
The Day celebrates and raises awareness of the importance of all types of forests. On each International Day of Forests, countries are encouraged to undertake local, national and international efforts to organize activities involving forests and trees, such as tree planting campaigns.
