Current Affairs - March 14, 2026 Current Affairs

The Chhattisgarh Cabinet approved the draft of the Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Bill, 2026, under the leadership of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai. The bill aims to prevent religious conversions carried out through force, fraud, misrepresentation, allurement, or undue influence. It is designed to be stronger and more comprehensive than the existing Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Act of 1968. The law also focuses on addressing activities such as “Changai Sabha,” which are alleged to mislead people. The decision comes amid tensions in tribal areas like Bastar related to religious conversions. Along with this bill, the cabinet also approved measures related to recruitment reforms and abolishing the certain property registration cess.

Madhya Pradesh will benefit from the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Oil India Limited and the National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation to improve healthcare infrastructure in tribal and underserved regions. Under this initiative, ₹86.27 lakh has been allocated to upgrade facilities at Community Health Centres and Primary Health Centres in the Rajgarh district, which is recognised as an Aspirational District. The project focuses on enhancing healthcare access for tribal communities by providing essential medical equipment such as ventilators, CPAP machines, BiPAP machines, USG machines, ambulances, and other diagnostic tools to strengthen the public healthcare system in Madhya Pradesh.

ICF Chennai served as the venue for the International Rail Coach Expo (IRCE) 2026, which was inaugurated on March 12, 2026. The event was opened by U. Subba Rao, General Manager of the Integral Coach Factory, and organised in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry. The expo brought together railway manufacturers, technology providers, and industry experts from India and other countries. It showcased innovations in railway coach manufacturing, sustainability initiatives, advanced safety systems, and modern rail technologies. ICF Chennai plays a crucial role in India’s railway modernisation and is globally known for manufacturing passenger coaches and producing the Vande Bharat Express train sets.

Honeywell partnered with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay to establish the IITB-Honeywell Centre of Excellence for Future Skills & Innovation at the institute’s Powai campus. The centre is fully funded by the Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation and focuses on advancing sustainability skills and innovation among students. The initiative aims to train more than 100,000 students by 2030 through specialised programs, research support, and advanced laboratory infrastructure. It will benefit undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral students from across India. The centre will also offer certificate-based programs, hands-on projects, and research grants to address real-world sustainability challenges.

Razorpay introduced an artificial intelligence platform known as Agent Studio to transform how businesses manage payment infrastructure. The platform is built on Anthropic’s Claude Agent SDK and enables companies to automate several payment-related operations using AI agents. These agents can intervene when customers abandon purchases, initiate conversations to encourage payment completion, and integrate with platforms like Shopify, Shiprocket, and WhatsApp to access customer and transaction data. The system also supports a no-code tool that allows businesses to create custom AI agents by defining tasks in plain language. Additionally, Razorpay launched an Agentic Experience Platform that allows payment operations to be handled using natural-language commands.

India has been selected to host the second leg of the Asia Cup Archery tournament in 2027, which will take place in Delhi. This marks an important moment for the country’s archery community because it will be the first major international archery event hosted by India in 22 years. The last major international archery competition organised in the country was the Asian Archery Championships held in Delhi in 2005. The decision was confirmed by World Archery Asia after discussions with the Archery Association of India. Hosting this event will provide Indian archers with a home advantage for ranking points and will also help promote and develop local archery talent.

Parthanil Ghosh has been appointed as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of HDFC ERGO General Insurance, with the appointment becoming effective from April 16, 2026, subject to regulatory approvals. He will succeed Anuj Tyagi, who stepped down from the role to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities. Ghosh brings more than three decades of professional experience in financial services and the insurance sector, including over 16 years in the general insurance industry. He joined HDFC ERGO in 2016 and has held several leadership roles within the company. Before this appointment, he served as the Executive Director of the company, starting on May 1, 2025.

V.O. Chidambaranar Port became the first major port in India to implement a Digital Twin platform, a cutting-edge digital system that creates a real-time virtual replica of the port’s infrastructure and operations. The platform integrates technologies such as IoT sensors, GPS tracking, LiDAR mapping, drone imaging, and CCTV networks to monitor activities like vessel movement, berth occupancy, and crane utilisation. The system also supports predictive maintenance of cargo-handling equipment and intelligent scheduling to reduce congestion. This initiative at V.O. Chidambaranar Port aims to reduce vessel turnaround time by up to 25% and improve energy efficiency while supporting sustainability goals.

The tribal millet-based food menu called ‘Araku Kouni’ was launched by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in the state secretariat at Guntur. The initiative aims to promote traditional millet-based diets and highlight the rich culinary heritage of tribal communities. The menu features dishes such as Korra Payasam, Ragi Chapati, Samala Pulihora, and Corn Vada, which are sourced from indigenous communities in the Alluri Sitarama Raju district. These ingredients are cultivated naturally without chemical fertilisers or pesticides. The project was developed by the district administration with support from the Indian Culinary Institute in Tirupati and tribal anganwadi workers, and it will be introduced in Haritha restaurants.

Joha Rice is a traditional aromatic rice variety from Assam that received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2017. Known for its distinctive fragrance, fine-grain texture, and rich taste, it is highly valued in regional cuisine. Recently, 25 metric tonnes of Joha Rice were exported for the first time to the United Kingdom and Italy, marking an important milestone for Assam’s agricultural exports. The shipment was facilitated by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, Government of Assam. This development helps promote Joha Rice as a premium product in international markets, particularly in Europe.

Andhra Pradesh will host the world’s first autonomous maritime shipbuilding and systems centre near the Juvvaladinne fishing harbour on India’s eastern coast. The project is being developed by Sagar Defence Engineering with support from the state government. Spread across about 29.58 acres in the first phase, the facility will include autonomous shipbuilding infrastructure, testing facilities, a research and development centre, and a maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) unit. The centre will focus on developing Unmanned Surface Vessels and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles for defence, surveillance, security, and research purposes, while also benefiting the local fishing community through training and technical support.