Current Affairs - Places

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.

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 Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) unveiled the indigenously developed 30 kW Wide Band Gap-based Integrated Drive System for electric vehicles in Chennai. The launch took place at IIT Madras under the National Mission on Power Electronics Technology (NaMPET). The system was jointly developed by C-DAC Thiruvananthapuram, IIT Madras, and industry partner Lucas TVS. This innovation enhances India’s capabilities in advanced power electronics and supports the rapidly growing electric passenger vehicle market. It also contributes to reducing dependence on imported high-performance electric vehicle components, strengthening the country’s push toward technological self-reliance.

Sanand is the city where Micron Semiconductor Technology India Pvt Ltd established its first Assembly, Test, Mark & Pack (ATMP) facility in India. The plant was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and marks the beginning of commercial production of made-in-India semiconductor memory modules. With an investment exceeding ₹22,500 crore, the project is a major milestone under the India Semiconductor Mission. The facility includes around 500,000 square feet of cleanroom space and is designed to process imported DRAM and NAND wafers into finished memory products, strengthening India’s role in the global semiconductor value chain.

Varanasi achieved a historic milestone by planting 2,51,446 saplings within a single hour, surpassing the previous record held by China for eight years. The large-scale plantation drive was conducted on 350 bighas of land in Domari village along the banks of the Ganga. Around 20,000 participants took part in the synchronised effort, which was officially verified by a Guinness World Records judge. The area has been structured into 60 sectors named after prominent Kashi ghats, creating a symbolic urban forest using the Miyawaki method to promote rapid ecological restoration and biodiversity conservation.