Current Affairs - March 5, 2026 Current Affairs

B.P. Singh, a 1994-batch officer of the Indian Naval Armament Service (INAS), assumed charge as the Director General of Naval Armament (DGONA) at Naval Headquarters in New Delhi on March 1, 2026. He succeeded Divakar Jayant, who retired on February 28, 2026, after completing a distinguished career. Before taking up this position, B.P. Singh served as the Chief General Manager of the Naval Armament Depot (NAD) Mumbai, where he handled operational, logistics, and infrastructure responsibilities. He also held key roles at NAD Aluva, Visakhapatnam, Mumbai, and Trombay, contributing significantly to naval armament management and operational efficiency.

Japan renewed its $75 billion bilateral currency swap agreement with India for another three years beginning March 4, 2026. The arrangement was formalised through an exchange of letters between the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Bank of Japan (BoJ). This financial mechanism allows either country to access the other’s currency—Japanese yen or Indian rupee—during times of balance-of-payments pressure or liquidity shortages. The agreement, originally established in 2018 and renewed earlier in 2023, strengthens financial cooperation between the two nations and serves as a safeguard to maintain macroeconomic stability and enhance investor confidence during global economic uncertainties.

Saba Shawl was appointed as the Superintendent of Srinagar Central Jail in March 2026, becoming the first Kashmiri woman to hold this position in the history of the facility. Her appointment represents an important step toward greater gender representation in Jammu and Kashmir’s prison administration. Srinagar Central Jail is one of the oldest and most significant correctional institutions in the Union Territory, housing both undertrial prisoners and convicts. As a senior officer in the J&K Prison Department, Saba Shawl has previously served in several roles, gaining extensive experience in jail administration, inmate welfare, and security management.

The 11th edition of the Raisina Dialogue was held from March 5–7, 2026, in New Delhi, India. It is organised by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs. The Raisina Dialogue is regarded as Asia’s premier conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics, bringing together global leaders, policymakers, scholars, and experts from various sectors. The 2026 theme was “Saṁskāra – Assertion, Accommodation, Advancement.” The event featured discussions on global governance, climate challenges, technological developments, and economic resilience. Finland’s President Alexander Stubb attended as the chief guest and delivered the keynote address.

Telangana introduced a ₹12.66 crore Challenge Fund to promote rural entrepreneurship, particularly among women and youth at the grassroots level. The initiative is implemented through the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) in collaboration with TBIS BITS Pilani Hyderabad, T-Hub, and WE Hub, with support from the Ministry of Rural Development. It aims to transition about 65 lakh Self-Help Group (SHG) women from microfinance participation to formal entrepreneurship and scalable ventures. Around 300 selected entrepreneurs will receive mentoring, enterprise diagnostics, branding support, market access, and help in accessing finance. The programme will be implemented across all 33 districts through a decentralised outreach model.

Safeena Husain, the founder of the non-profit organisation Educate Girls, was included in TIME magazine’s Women of the Year 2026 list for her impactful efforts in promoting girls’ education in rural India. Her initiative has helped bring more than 2 million out-of-school girls back into the education system. What began in 2007 with work in about 50 villages in Rajasthan has expanded significantly to over 25,000 villages across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. In 2025, Educate Girls also received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for community leadership. Her work highlights the importance of grassroots initiatives in improving educational access for marginalised girls.

The AI-powered ‘Saksham Skill Survey’ was launched in Mumbai, specifically in the H-West ward covering areas such as Bandra, Khar, and Santacruz. The initiative aims to assess the education levels, skills, and employment potential of youth aged between 18 and 40 years. Around 55,000 households will be covered through door-to-door enumeration. The project intends to train at least 15,000 individuals and help about 5,000 achieve self-reliance through employment or entrepreneurship. Conducted by Sapio Analytics, the survey collects data on educational qualifications, skills, and training needs, and uses artificial intelligence to develop a decentralised workforce intelligence model.

The International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness is observed annually on March 5. The day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution A/RES/77/51 to raise awareness about the importance of disarmament, arms control, and non-proliferation in maintaining global peace and security. It encourages governments, UN agencies, civil society organisations, educational institutions, and the media to conduct awareness activities. The observance also emphasises educating young people about the risks associated with weapons of mass destruction, illegal arms trade, and emerging military technologies, while promoting dialogue, peacebuilding, and international cooperation to reduce armed conflict worldwide.

Survey of India (SoI) signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding with Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology, popularly known as Kerala Digital University. The collaboration aims to strengthen geospatial research and promote digital innovation by leveraging advanced technologies such as geoinformatics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. The partnership focuses on improving the collection, processing, analysis, and application of geospatial data. It also includes joint research and development activities, capacity-building programs, training initiatives, and higher education opportunities. This initiative is expected to support technological advancement and enhance expertise in geospatial technologies and digital sciences in India.

The ‘HANUMAN’ project (Healing and Nurturing Units for Monitoring, Aid and Nursing of Wildlife) was launched in Andhra Pradesh on March 3, 2026, by Deputy Chief Minister and Forest and Environment Minister Pawan Kalyan. The initiative aims to address the growing issue of human–wildlife conflict caused by expanding human settlements near forest areas and increased wildlife movement into rural regions. As part of the rollout, more than 100 specially equipped vehicles, including rapid response units and wildlife ambulances, were deployed. The project focuses on early warning systems, real-time monitoring, quick rescue operations, and rehabilitation efforts to reduce casualties, crop damage, and retaliatory harm to wildlife.