UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of the past week : From India winning T20 World Cup to suspension of TRPs | March 2 to 8, 2026

— According to the Atlas, India now ranks second globally for children who are overweight and living with obesity after China, beating the US and other Western nations.

— The Atlas presents a series of childhood obesity prevalence projections for the period 2025 to 2040. Estimates suggest that in this period, 20 million children in India will be living with obesity and 56 million will be either overweight or living with obesity.

— In India, altogether 14.9 million children in the five to nine age groups and more than 26 million children in the 10-19 age bracket were overweight or obese in 2025.

— Childhood obesity exposes the young population to similar risks of chronic illnesses as adults, including hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

— It is estimated that by 2040, over 57 million children will show early signs of cardiovascular disease (high triglycerides), while over 43 million will show signs of hypertension.

 

Event

• International Santhal Conference

— President Droupadi Murmu attended the 9th International Santal Conference being organised by the International Santal Council at Darjeeling in West Bengal. The President has expressed her disappointment over the West Bengal Chief Minister and other ministers not giving her a formal welcome.

— It is not a must for chief ministers to receive the President visiting their state, but, going by convention and courtesy, the CM should nominate a minister to receive the President if he or she is unavailable.

— Visits and all related arrangements of the President, Vice-President, and Prime Minister are managed according to the Blue Book, which is prepared and updated time-to-time by the Union Home Ministry and numbered (every copy has a number) copies are circulated to those concerned. At the ground level, in every district, the book is kept in the custody of the District Magistrate and the head of the district police.

— According to the protocol, all three dignitaries visiting a state should be welcomed by the Governor and the Chief Minister. However, on a number of occasions, the Chief Minister designates one of the ministers to receive them.

Art & Culture

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress leader K C Venugopal perform Kalaripayattu with a student at Marian College in Kerala’s Idukki district. (PTI)

• Kalaripayattu

— Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, joined a student of Marian College to perform a few steps of Kalaripayattu.

— Kalaripayattu is the traditional martial art form of Kerala. It is one of the oldest and most scientific martial art forms in the world, aimed at mind and body coordination. It originated and is widely practiced in Kerala. According to mythology, the warrior sage Parasurama is credited with establishing Kalarippayattu. The term “Kalari” in Malayalam refers to a traditional gymnasium where this martial art, known as Payattu, is taught.

— The four stages of Kalaripayattu are:

(i) Maippayattu: It is the body conditioning phase where the person is schooled to prepare their body for a fight. Only after qualifying this stage can the practitioner proceed to the next phase of training.

(ii) Kolthari: In this stage, a person is taught attack and self-defense with the help of wooden weapons such as short sticks, and long sticks.

(iii) Angathari: Once the person overcomes the fear of fighting with wooden weapons, sharp metal objects are introduced — in the third stage.

(iv) Verumkai: This stage includes research-based bare-hand fighting. Students are taught body anatomy so that they know what points they can hit and what they cannot.

— The main ethnic styles of Kalarippayattu found in the three regions of northern Kerala (Malabar) are: 1) Vattenthirippu Style 2) Arappukkai Style 3) Pillathangi Style.

 

Polity

• Television Rating Points (TRPs) withheld for four weeks

— The Centre has asked television rating agency Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) to immediately withhold reporting Television Rating Points (TRPs) for TV news channels for four weeks, or until further orders.

— The directive came as a consequence of certain TV news channels airing “unwarranted sensationalism and speculative content” about the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict, which, the Centre said, may potentially create panic among the general public.

— TRPs represent how many people, from which socio-economic categories, watched which channels for how much time during a particular period. This could be for an hour, a day, or even a week; India follows the international standard of one minute. The data is usually made public every week. TRPs are the main currency for advertisers to decide which channel to advertise on by calculating the cost-per-rating-point (CPRP).

— BARC is an industry body jointly owned by advertisers, ad agencies, and broadcasting companies, represented by The Indian Society of Advertisers, the Indian Broadcasting Foundation and the Advertising Agencies Association of India. Though it was created in 2010, the I&B Ministry notified the Policy Guidelines for Television Rating Agencies in India on January 10, 2014 and registered BARC in July 2015 under these guidelines, to carry out television ratings in India.

— India currently has approximately 230 million television households. However, only about 58,000 people meters (BAR-O-meters) are presently used to capture viewership data, representing just 0.025% of the total TV homes.

• Country’s first semiconductor facility

— Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the country’s first semiconductor facility at Sanand in Gujarat.

— The inauguration of the semiconductor plant – an Assembly, Testing, Marking and Packaging facility – by US-based Micron Technology reflected a deep partnership between India and the United States.

— The Micron facility will manufacture SSD (Solid State Drive) storage devices as well as RAM type DRAM and NAND products, and that the company had invested Rs 22,516 crore for its Sanand plant.

— India announced its Semiconductor Mission in December 2021 with an outlay of around $10 billion, focused primarily on subsidising the setting up of semiconductor fabrication, assembly, and testing plants.

— The Union Budget 2026, announced the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) 2.0 to produce equipment and materials, design full-stack Indian IP and fortify supply chains. The second iteration of the scheme will also have a focus on industry-led research and training centres to develop technology and skilled workforce in the country.

• Committee of Privileges

— Nearly two years after the constitution of the 18th Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla has nominated 15 mem­bers to the Committee of Privileges. It will be chaired by senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad.

— The Committee of Privileges examines all questions involving breach of certain rights, privileges, and immunities enjoyed by MPs. It is a Standing Committee. It examines the cases of breach of the privileges of the House and its members and recommends appropriate action. The Lok Sabha committee has 15 members, while the Rajya Sabha committee has 10 members.

— Parliamentary privilege refers to rights and immunities enjoyed by Parliament as an institution and MPs in their individual capacity, without which they cannot discharge their functions as entrusted upon them by the Constitution.

— According to the Constitution of India, Articles 105 and 122 outline the privileges of Parliament, while Articles 194 and 212 pertain to the privileges of state governments.

— Article 105, there shall be freedom of speech in Parliament. No member of Parliament shall be liable to any proceedings in any court in respect of anything said or any vote given by him in Parliament or any committee thereof.

— Article 122: The validity of any proceedings in Parliament shall not be called in question in court on the ground of any alleged irregularity of procedure. Article 194 and Article 212 are corresponding articles for state legislature.

• Ban on social media for Children

— Karnataka is now the first Indian state to ban social media for children under 16, joining a growing global push to regulate minors’ online access and tackle digital addiction. Andhra Pradesh is also moving to introduce a measure that would prohibit those under 13 to use such services.

— Concerns surrounding children’s ⁠growing ​social media addiction and exposure to unrestricted internet access have fired up a global debate, prompting Australia to become the first country to ban social media for children in December.

— Britain, Denmark, and Greece are also studying the issue and similar considerations are ​taking ​shape elsewhere in India, one of the world’s largest ⁠social media markets.

— French President Emmanuel Macron had called on India to consider banning social media for children during his keynote address at the India-AI Impact Summit last month.

— India is the world’s second-biggest smartphone market with 750 million devices and a billion internet users. Less than one-quarter of Karnataka’s population is under the age of 15, a report ⁠of a 2019-20 ‌survey conducted by India’s federal health ministry showed. The state ​has a population of 67.6 million, a 2025 presentation ‌by Niti Aayog showed.

— Earlier this year, the Economic Survey 2025-26 also called on the government to implement age-based limits for social media usage for children and digital ads targeted at them. The Survey’s recommendation stemmed from larger concerns surrounding “digital addiction” among young users.

 

International 

• Iran-Israel-US conflicts

— Gravity Bombs: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Iranian air defences had been severely degraded over the course of the last four days and that the US military would begin to deploy 500-pound, 1,000-pound, and 2,000-pound precision gravity bombs.

— A gravity bomb, historically known as a “free-fall” bomb, is an unpowered munition. Unlike a cruise missile like the Tomahawk, it lacks an internal engine. Once released, its trajectory is dictated entirely by gravity, aerodynamics, and the speed and altitude of the dropping aircraft.

• IRIS Dena

— The IRIS Dena, a Moudge-class frigate belonging to the Iranian Navy’s Southern Fleet, was sunk by the US submarine attack leading to the death of at least 80 people.

— The IRIS Dena was one of the 19 foreign warships that participated in the International Fleet Review conducted in Vishakapatnam on February 17 and 18. It is believed to have been returning from the military exercise when it was struck.

— The International Fleet Review 2026 (IFR 2026) is an international maritime exercise held by India in Vishakapatnam to improve the Indian Navy’s relations with other navies in the region.

— The International Fleet Review has been hosted by different nations, with India hosting the 2001 and 2016 editions.

— The latest edition was coupled with the Indian Navy’s mega biennial exercise MILAN, as well as the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Conclave of Chiefs at Visakhapatnam, during which the Indian Navy would assume Chairmanship for the second time (2025-27).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb, waves during the inaugural session of 11th edition of Raisina Dialogue, India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geo-economics, in New Delhi on Thursday. (DPR PMO/ANI Photo)

• India-Finland: Key takeaways

— Finnish President Alexander Stubb was on a state visit to India from 4 to 7 March. This was his first visit to India in his present capacity.

— India and Finland elevated their ties to “Strategic Partnership in Digitalization and Sustainability”. This partnership will provide momentum and new energy to cooperation across several high-technology sectors, from Artificial Intelligence to 6G telecommunications, and from clean energy to quantum computing.

— The two sides signed three pacts on mobility, environment, and statistics, and set the aim to double bilateral trade by ߮ establish a joint working group on digitalisation, a joint task force on 6G and greater connectivity of startup ecosystems; co-host the World Circular Economy Forum in India; and put in place a consular dialogue.

— The visit focused on three Ts: trade, technology, and talent. Trade anchors the economic partnership, technology advances collaboration in digitalization and sustainability, and talent connects the societies through mobility. These priorities also align with PM Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, with Finland’s strengths in innovation, sustainability, and education making it a natural partner for India.

— With the cooperation of Finnish architects, India has built the world’s highest railway bridge over the Chenab River and established the world’s largest bamboo-to-bioethanol refinery in Numaligarh (Assam).

• India-Canada: Key takeaways

— Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, was on an official visit from 27 February to 2 March 2026. This was his first official visit to India.

— New Delhi and Ottawa hope ⁠to ​increase bilateral trade to $50 billion by 2030, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during a joint media appearance with Carney, from nearly $9 billion in 2024-25.

— India and Canada launched negotiations for the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and decided to finalise it soon.

Uranium

— The Indian government and Canada’s Cameco have signed a uranium supply agreement to support India’s nuclear ambitions and to work towards a clean, reliable base ⁠load power. Cameco, the Canadian company, will provide 22 million pounds (about 10,000 tonnes) of uranium, the main fuel in nuclear reactors, between 2027 and 2035. The contract is worth 2.6 billion Canadian dollars ($1.9 billion).

— Two MOUs were signed to intensify cooperation on critical minerals and energy sources, supporting technical and commercial engagement, and diversifying supply chains.

— To create more cultural and educational opportunities, Canada and India launched the new Canada-India Talent and Innovation Strategy to deepen education collaboration.

 

Science and Technology

A total lunar eclipse, also known as Chandra Grahan, captured during peak totality. (Image Source: Freepik)

• Total lunar eclipse

— A total lunar eclipse took place on the afternoon of March 3. The celestial event was visible in various parts of the world, including India.

— This astronomical event occurs when Earth moves directly between the Sun and the Moon, casting its shadow upon our nearest neighbor in space. Because Earth blocks the direct sunlight, only light filtered through Earth’s atmosphere reaches the Moon — and that light takes on a deep coppery or reddish hue. Astronomers call this phenomenon a “blood moon.” 

— As Earth’s shadow sweeps across the Moon, the bright face we normally see gradually darkens. But the Moon never goes completely black. Instead, Earth’s atmosphere bends (or refracts) sunlight, filtering out shorter blue wavelengths and allowing longer red wavelengths to fall on the Moon’s surface. This red glow is the same reason sunsets look reddish on Earth.

 

Persons in News

Balendra Shah, Rastriya Swatantra Party’s prime ministerial candidate, after defeating former PM K P Oli, Saturday. (AP)

• Balendra Shah

— Balendra Shah’s Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is set to become the new Prime Minister of Nepal after the Gen Z protests in September 2025 that unseated the coalition government led by Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli. He will be the first Madhesi prime minister of Nepal.

— Balendra Shah, popularly known as Balen, is a rapper-turned-politician who won a resounding victory to become the mayor of Kathmandu in May 2022. During the Gen Z protests, he supported the youths’ calls for the prime minister’s resignation, urging protesters not to destroy property.

— Rabi Lamichhane, the 51-year-old chairperson of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), and the 35-year-old Shah formed an alliance ahead of the election. Both leaders pledged to address the demands of the younger generation following September’s protests.

 

Places in News

(Just FYI: The location of the place is important, considering that UPSC has asked several questions about places that were in the news, such as Aleppo and Kirkuk, in the 2018 UPSC Prelims. The best way to remember them is to plot them on a world map.)

• Karnataka’s Lakkundi village

— Recently, a 14-year-old high school student Prajwal Ritti, while helping his family in expanding their house, discovered a pot filled with hollow gold coins, bracelets, a bangle and other items at Lakkundi village of Gadag district, Karnataka.

— The region had human habitation during the Neolithic period — lasting from 12,000 years to 4,000 years ago — was discovered during the excavation carried out in 2003, near Boodi Basaveshwara Temple.

— Historical evidence shows that Lakkundi was an important trade and cultural centre between the 10th and 13th centuries AD, during the rule of Kalyana Chalukyas, and was patronised by dynasties such as Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas and the Vijayanagara kingdom.

— Lakkundi village is situated just 80 km from Hampi, a popular UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring the expansive ruins of the Vijayanagara Empire.

Interiors of the Golestan Palace sustained some damaged after shocks from US-Israel strikes (Photo – X)

• Golestan Palace

— Golestan Palace, a world heritage site in the Iranian capital, was reportedly damaged due to an airstrike in its vicinity.

— It is a lavish monument of the Qajar era (1789 to 1925). According to the UNESCO website, it embodies “the successful integration of earlier Persian crafts and architecture with Western influences.”

— Built around a garden featuring pools as well as planted areas, the Palace’s most characteristic features and rich ornaments date from the 19th century.

— It became a centre of Qajari arts and architecture of which it is an outstanding example and has remained a source of inspiration for Iranian artists and architects to this day.

— It represents a new style incorporating traditional Persian arts and crafts and elements of 18th-century architecture and technology.

• Natanz enrichment plant 

— The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed entrances to Iran’s underground Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP) were bombed.

— Long regarded as Iran’s main enrichment site, Natanz, located 220 km southeast of Tehran, is home to two enrichment plants- Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP) and Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP)- that were operational at the start of Israeli attacks in June 2025.

— FEP was a vast underground facility designed to house 50,000 centrifuges, the uranium-enriching machines. It had 17,000 installed centrifuges, of which 13,500 were operational and enriching uranium up to 5% in June.

— However, the plant’s electricity infrastructure was destroyed in Israeli airstrikes, with the IAEA telling the BBC last June that all operational centrifuges were likely “severely damaged if not destroyed altogether”. The ISIS report confirmed that the site remained destroyed with no repairs or reconstruction for the damage from the bunker-busting GBU-57 bomb.

 

Sports

(Just FYI: With the unpredictability of the UPSC examinations and questions like the ICC World Test Championship question 2021, you can’t be sure of anything. It is wise to know what it is and not go into too much detail.)

• T20 World Cup 2026

— India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on 8th March, thus becoming the first team to successfully defend their World T20 crown.

— India also became the first team in history to win a T20 World Cup at home. This is India’s record-extending third T20 World Cup title.

— Jasprit Bumrah became the Player of the Match and Sanju Samson won the Player of the tournament.

Full list of T20 World Cup winners and runners-up

EDITION	HOST NATION	WINNERS	RUNNER-UPS
2007	South Africa	India	Pakistan
2009	England	Pakistan	Sri Lanka
2010	West Indies	England	Australia
2012	Sri Lanka	West Indies	Sri Lanka
2014	Bangladesh	Sri Lanka	India
2016	India	West Indies	England
2021	UAE & Oman	Australia	New Zealand
2022	Australia	England	Pakistan
2024	USA & West Indies	India	South Africa
2026	India	India	New Zealand

• Rule change for Formula 1 in 2026

— The Formula 1 race season-opening Australian Grand Prix was won by George Russell of Mercedes. Season 2026 has introduced the biggest regulation changes in its history, from new chassis and engine rules to the mandatory use of fully sustainable fuels.

— In the 2026 season, the cars are lighter, narrower, and, consequently, nimbler. The maximum wheelbase length — which is the distance between the front and the rear axle — has been lowered by 200 mm to 3400mm. The car’s track width has been reduced by 100 mm. The minimum weight limit was reduced to 768 kg from 800 kg last year. These changes are expected to ensure more wheel-to-wheel racing, apart from adding to power and fuel efficiency.

— Around 50% of the power that the cars use will be electrical, while the remaining will come from internal combustion of sustainable fuels.

— FI racecars now have active aerodynamics. This means they can dynamically adjust the angle of their front and rear wings depending on whether they are zipping past through the straight sections of the track or maneuvering the corners.

— With full active aerodynamics now in place, the similar drag reduction system (DRS) — in place for 15 years — has been replaced with the so-called ‘Overtake Mode’, which offers drivers an electric energy boost when they are within a second of the car in front to deploy power to assist with an overtake.

— Sustainable fuel:  The fuel that the internal combustion engine will use is the ‘advanced sustainable fuel’ that will be sourced from sustainable feedstocks that are not in competition with food crops.

— These feedstocks include municipal waste and non-food biomass; the fuel can also be produced using technologies like carbon capture—harnessing carbon from the air and industrial emissions. The advanced sustainable fuel must be a drop-in fuel, meaning it should be designed to replace fossil fuels without requiring any engine adjustments.

— The fuel that each team used will have to be certified as fully sustainable by a third party on behalf of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the world motorsport governing body. In 2020, the FIA had set the target of using fully sustainable fuels by 2026 as part of its objective of achieving net-zero status for its motorsport activities.

Runner-up Lakshya Sen and Champion Lin Chun Yi of the All England Open 2026. (CREDIT: Badminton Photo)

• All England Open

— India’s Lakshya Sen finished runner-up at the All England Open Badminton Championships 2026 as he lost to Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chun-Yi. With the win, Lin Chun Yi became the first shuttler from TPE to win the men’s singles title at All England, and has extended his record to 5-0 against Lakshya.

— Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand remain the only Indian badminton players to have won the prestigious All England badminton title so far.

— Two-time Olympian PV Sindhu had earlier withdrawn from the tournament after she was unable to make it to Birmingham in time due to the US-Israel-Iran war.

 

Test Your Knowledge

(Note: The best way to remember facts for UPSC and other competitive exams is to recall them through MCQs. Try to solve the following questions on your own.)

(1) Consider the following statements regarding the 2026 Formula One season:

1. This season, the Drag Reduction System (DRS) has been replaced by an ‘Overtake Mode.’

2.  The ‘advanced sustainable fuel’ to be used in the cars will be sourced from sustainable feedstocks.

Which of the statements mentioned above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) None

(2) Consider the following statements:

1. WHO released the World Obesity Atlas 2026.

2. The theme of World Obesity Day 2026 is 8 Billion Reasons to Act on Obesity.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) None

(3) With reference to India’s culture and tradition, what is ‘Kalaripayattu’? (UPSC CSE 2014)

(a) It is an ancient Bhakti cult of Shaivism still prevalent in some parts of South India.

(b) It is an ancient style bronze and brass work still found in the Southern part of the Coromandel area.

(c) It is an ancient form of dance, drama, and a living tradition in the Northern part of Malabar.

(d) It is an ancient martial art and a living tradition in some parts of South India.

Prelims Answer Key

1. (c)     2. (b)    3. (d)

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