March 18, 2026
76 articles published on this date
Lok Sabha Passes Demands for Grants and Appropriation Bill 2026-27 Under Guillotine
The Lok Sabha cleared the Demands for Grants for various ministries in respect of Union Budget 2026-27, with Speaker Om Birla applying the guillotine to...
Can the ED Claim a Fundamental Right to Probe? West Bengal Challenges Federal Structure at SC
The West Bengal government argued before the Supreme Court that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) — as a department of the Central Government — cannot claim...
US National Debt Crosses $39 Trillion Amid Escalating Iran War Costs
The United States national debt crossed a record $39 trillion in mid-March 2026, with analysts attributing part of the acceleration to military expenditures...
US Intelligence Assesses Iran's Regime Intact Amid Ongoing War
A senior U.S. intelligence official stated publicly that Iran's governing regime remains structurally intact despite three weeks of sustained US-Israel...
Cabinet Approves ₹33,660 Crore BHAVYA Scheme to Develop 100 Plug-and-Play Industrial Parks
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojna (BHAVYA) with a total outlay of ₹33,660 crore to...
QatarEnergy's Ras Laffan Hit: Missile Strike on World's Largest LNG Hub
Iran launched five ballistic missiles at Qatar; four were intercepted by air defences, but one struck Ras Laffan Industrial City — the world's largest LNG...
US Federal Reserve Holds Rates Steady as Iran War Raises Stagflation Fears
The US Federal Reserve voted to hold its benchmark federal funds rate unchanged at 3.5%–3.75% for the second consecutive meeting, citing 'uncertain'...
Maharashtra Passes Freedom of Religion Bill 2026: Becomes 13th State with Anti-Conversion Law
The Maharashtra Legislature cleared the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Bill, 2026, making Maharashtra the 13th state in India to enact legislation against...
India Weighs Joining European Sixth-Generation Fighter Programmes FCAS or GCAP
India is actively weighing the option of joining one of two European sixth-generation fighter jet programmes: France-Germany-Spain's Future Combat Air...
India's Gulf Diplomacy: Modi–Kuwait Call Underscores Hormuz Navigation Priority
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephonic conversation with Kuwait's Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah amid the...
Pakistan's Long-Range Ballistic Missiles Could Potentially Target US: Tulsi Gabbard
US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard, presenting the 2026 Annual Threat Assessment to the Senate Intelligence Committee, warned that...
Syria's Plan to Eliminate Assad's Chemical Weapons: OPCW, CWC, and the Road to Disarmament
Syria's new government, under President Ahmed al-Sharaa (post-Assad, since December 2024), unveiled a plan — supported by Washington — to systematically...
Second Edition of IOS SAGAR Boosts Maritime Cooperation in Indian Ocean Region
The second edition of the Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) SAGAR initiative commenced on March 16, 2026, reaffirming India's commitment to collaborative maritime...
2-3 Drones Sighted at India's Border Every Day: Parliamentary Panel Report
A parliamentary standing committee report, drawing on Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) data, reveals that 2-3 drones are sighted along India's borders every...
Russia's Aqua Titan Makes U-Turn to India: Dark Fleet, Sanctions, and the Oil Trade Reshuffle
The Russian Aframax tanker Aqua Titan, originally carrying 7.7 lakh barrels of Urals crude and headed to the Chinese port of Rizhao, reversed course in the...
India's Energy Security at Risk: 22 Ships on Hormuz Evacuation List
India has 22 ships stranded on the western side of the Strait of Hormuz, carrying over 5 lakh tonnes of LNG and LPG and 16.76 lakh tonnes of crude oil —...
Iran Retaliates Against Gulf Energy Sites After Strike on South Pars Gas Field
Israel, in coordination with the United States, struck Iran's South Pars gas field — the world's largest natural gas field — targeting Phases 3, 4, 5, and...
Supreme Court 9-Judge Bench Revisits Definition of 'Industry': Temples, Hospitals, Charities Under Scrutiny
A nine-judge Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant commenced hearing on March 17, 2026, and concluded arguments on...
India and Vietnam Move Toward Tribal Affairs Cooperation Agreement
India's Tribal Affairs Minister met his Vietnamese counterpart to discuss a draft Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) focused on tribal and indigenous community...
China's Strategic Calculus: Lessons Drawn from the US-Iran War for the Indo-Pacific
China's military and strategic community have been studying the US-Israel campaign against Iran as a live-fire laboratory, scrutinising American offensive...
HAL's Order Book: 34 Dhruv, 180 Tejas Mk1A, 156 Prachand Helicopters
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) informed a parliamentary standing committee on defence that it holds current orders for 34 Dhruv advanced light...
Lok Sabha Clears ₹53 Lakh Crore in Spending via Guillotine; PLI Solar Disbursements Pending; Uranium Mining Projects Advance
Lok Sabha passed the Demands for Grants for all ministries totalling over ₹53 lakh crore for Union Budget 2026-27 using the guillotine procedure on March...
India Extends Domestic Sourcing Mandate to Solar Wafers and Ingots, Effective June 2028
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has extended the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) framework to include solar ingots and...
El Niño Forecast for 2026: Rising Temperatures and Erratic Monsoon Risk for India
The APEC Climate Centre (APCC) has warned that a drought-inducing El Niño is likely to emerge around July 2026, coinciding with the middle of India's...
BHAVYA Scheme: Cabinet Approves ₹33,660 Crore for 100 Plug-and-Play Industrial Parks
The Union Cabinet approved the Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojna (BHAVYA), allocating ₹33,660 crore to develop 100 plug-and-play industrial parks across India...
Indian-Flagged Vessels Stranded in Strait of Hormuz: Over 1.7 MMT of Energy Cargo at Risk
Official data confirmed that 22 Indian-flagged vessels are stranded on the western side of the Strait of Hormuz, collectively carrying over 1.7 million...
Cabinet Approves ₹1,718 Crore MSP Support to Cotton Corporation of India for Cotton Season 2023–24
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved MSP (Minimum Support Price) funding of ₹1,718.56 crore...
India Offers States 10% Extra Commercial LPG Amid Hormuz-Driven Supply Crunch
Facing a domestic LPG supply crunch caused by the Strait of Hormuz closure, the Indian government has offered states a 10% additional allocation of...
Cabinet Approves ₹2,584 Crore Small Hydro Power Development Scheme for FY 2026–31
The Union Cabinet approved the Small Hydro Power (SHP) Development Scheme for FY 2026-27 to 2030-31 with a central outlay of ₹2,584.60 crore, targeting...
India Holds Firm on Food Stockholding at WTO as Yaounde Draft Sidesteps Core Issues
Ahead of the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Yaounde, Cameroon (March 26-29, 2026), a draft text on agriculture has sidestepped India's demand for...
Indian Tanker Jag Laadki Reaches Mundra with UAE Crude Amid Hormuz Tensions
The Indian-flagged crude oil tanker MT Jag Laadki docked at Adani Ports Mundra (Gujarat) on March 18, 2026, carrying 80,886 metric tonnes of crude oil...
Large Hadron Collider Discovers Xi-cc-plus: A New Doubly-Charmed Baryon
The LHCb (Large Hadron Collider beauty) experiment at CERN has discovered a new subatomic particle named 'Xi-cc-plus' (Ξcc+), making it the 80th particle...
Fuel, Fertilizer, and Food: How the Iran Conflict Ripples Into India's Economy
The ongoing West Asia conflict, triggered by US-Israeli strikes against Iran from late February 2026, has disrupted the Strait of Hormuz, through which...
India's Semiconductor Market Projected to Reach $300 Billion by 2035: Deloitte Report
A Deloitte report titled 'Technology, Media, and Telecommunications Predictions 2026' projects India's semiconductor market will grow from approximately...
From Sponsors to Adversaries: The Taliban's Fractured Relationship with Pakistan
Pakistan launched an airstrike on a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul on March 16, 2026, which the Taliban government says killed over 400 people (the UN...
One Nation One Election Could Free 26 Lakh Teachers from Poll Duty, Says PM-EAC Paper
A paper by the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council (EAC-PM) argues that simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies would reduce...
Israel Kills Iran's Intelligence Minister; South Pars Gas Field Struck in Major Escalation
Israel confirmed the killing of Iran's Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib on March 18, 2026 — one day after killing Iran's national security chief Ali...
India's First Nagoya Protocol Report: Progress and Gaps in Access and Benefit Sharing
India submitted its first national report on the Nagoya Protocol to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on February 27, 2026, covering the period...
Kaveh Madani Wins 2026 Stockholm Water Prize: From 'Water Terrorist' to Water Laureate
Kaveh Madani, 44, Director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), was awarded the 2026 Stockholm Water...
BHAVYA Scheme: Cabinet Approves Rs 33,660 Crore for 100 Plug-and-Play Industrial Parks
The Union Cabinet approved the Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojna (BHAVYA), allocating Rs 33,660 crore for developing 100 plug-and-play industrial parks across...
Iran's Nuclear Doctrine Unchanged; Calls for Post-War Hormuz Protocol
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated that the country's nuclear doctrine is 'unlikely to change' despite the ongoing US-Israel conflict, signalling...
Cabinet Reimburses Rs 1,718 Crore to CCI for Cotton MSP Operations in 2023-24
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved ₹1,718.56 crore as reimbursement to the Cotton...
BHAVYA Scheme: Cabinet Approves Rs 33,660 Crore for 100 Plug-and-Play Industrial Parks
The Union Cabinet approved the Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojana (BHAVYA) scheme on March 18, 2026, with a financial outlay of Rs 33,660 crore over six years...
Cabinet Clears Rs 54,926 Crore Package: BHAVYA Industrial Parks, Cotton MSP Support, UP Highway, Small Hydro
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, approved a Rs 54,926 crore package of proposals in a single sitting on March 18, 2026. The biggest...
CCEA Approves Rs 1,718.56 Crore for CCI to Fund Cotton MSP Procurement
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved Rs 1,718.56 crore as funding support to the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) for MSP procurement...
India's Privatisation Drive Stalls: IDBI Bank, Shipping Corporation, HLL Lifecare Sales in Doubt
India's privatisation programme has hit a significant setback, with three planned stake sales under consideration for shelving due to weak investor...
Cabinet Approves Rs 1,718 Crore MSP Funding for Cotton Corporation of India: 2023-24 Season
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved Rs 1,718.56 crore in MSP funding to the Cotton...
India Dispatches First Medical Aid Shipment to Iran Amid West Asia Conflict
India dispatched its first medical aid shipment to Iran on March 18, 2026 — Day 19 of the US-Israel war against Iran — comprising essential medicines...
Six Ukrainians Held for Terror Plot; Kyiv Seeks Consular Access and Quick Release
Six Ukrainian nationals — Hurba Petro, Slyviak Taras, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Stefankiv Marian, Honcharuk Maksim, and Kaminskyi Viktor — were arrested by India's...
Graduate Unemployment Crisis: Two-Thirds of India's Unemployed Youth Hold Degrees
The State of Working India 2026 report, released by Azim Premji University, reveals that 67% of unemployed Indians aged 20–29 are graduates — up sharply...
Supreme Court Nine-Judge Bench Revisits "Industry" Definition in Light of 1991 LPG Reforms
A nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, is examining whether to revisit the 1978 Bangalore Water Supply &...
Pakistan Airstrike on Kabul Drug Rehabilitation Centre Kills 400; India Condemns Attack
On the night of March 16, 2026, Pakistan conducted airstrikes on targets in Kabul including the state-run Omid Hospital — a 2,000-bed drug rehabilitation...
Quantum Teaching Labs Approved for 23 Institutions Under National Quantum Mission
The Ministry of Science and Technology approved the establishment of quantum technology teaching facilities and undergraduate laboratories at 23 academic...
Women's Reservation: Parliament Moves to Delink Quota from Delimitation
The Central Government is actively consulting Opposition leaders on amending the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023 — the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam...
Jal Jeevan Mission Phase 2: Centre Signs Reform-Linked MoUs with MP and Rajasthan
The Centre signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan for the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) 2.0, following the...
VBSA Bill: Parliament Panel Divided Over Federal Character of Higher Education Overhaul
The 31-member Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill, 2025 has become divided, with Opposition...
Supreme Court's 9-Judge Bench Takes Up the Question: What Is an 'Industry'?
A 9-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, began hearing arguments on March 17, 2026 to reconsider the...
India's Expanding Online Censorship Architecture: From Section 69A to the Sahyog Portal
India's online content-blocking mechanism has expanded significantly beyond the centralised Section 69A pathway (Ministry-level blocking orders) to include...
Right to Self-Identification of Gender Under Threat: Committees Push Back on Amendment Bill 2026
A committee — including members of the Tamil Nadu Trans and Intersex Welfare Board and civil society organisations — urged protection of the constitutional...
Six Indian LPG Ships Carrying 3 Lakh Tonnes of Cooking Gas Stranded in Strait of Hormuz
Six Indian-flagged ships carrying approximately 3 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of LPG — equivalent to roughly 3 days of India's national cooking gas consumption...
Supreme Court Calls for Paternity Leave Law, Strikes Down Adoptive Mothers' Age Cap
On March 17, 2026, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court (Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan) delivered judgment in Hamsaanandini Nanduri v. Union of...
Terror Network Planned India Attacks, Backed Myanmar Rebels: NIA Probe
India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) foiled a major conspiracy involving an alleged American mercenary (Matthew VanDyke) and six Ukrainian nationals...
India Moves Diamond-Studded Gold and Silver Jewellery to Restricted Import List
The Indian government moved diamond-studded gold and silver jewellery to the 'restricted' import category, requiring importers to obtain a prior licence...
Iran Continues Oil Exports to China Through Hormuz Despite War and Western Sanctions
Despite the Strait of Hormuz effectively being shut to most commercial shipping following the US-Israel attack on Iran, approximately 90 ships have crossed...
India's Semaglutide Patent Expiry: Generic Weight-Loss Drugs to Reshape Global Obesity Treatment
The patent on semaglutide — the active ingredient in blockbuster obesity and diabetes drugs Ozempic and Wegovy — expired in India on March 20, 2026...
Iran-Israel-US War: India Sends Medical Aid to Iran, 90 Ships Cross Hormuz
The Iranian Red Crescent Society received its first shipment of medical aid from India amid the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran, signalling India's...
Maritime Chokepoints and Global Trade: Five Straits that Hold the World Economy
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz following the US-Israel conflict with Iran has exposed the structural fragility of global trade, which depends...
US Strikes Iranian Missile Sites Near Strait of Hormuz with Bunker-Buster Bombs
On March 18, 2026, US military forces struck hardened Iranian anti-ship missile sites along Iran's coastline near the Strait of Hormuz using GBU-72 Advanced...
Strait of Hormuz Closure Threatens Global Internet via Undersea Cable Infrastructure
For the first time in history, both the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea are simultaneously effectively closed to commercial maritime traffic, disrupting...
SEC Issues Landmark Crypto Guidance: Token Taxonomy and Safe Harbour Framework
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), under Chair Paul Atkins, issued its first comprehensive guidance clarifying how federal securities laws...
Economic Stabilisation Fund: India Creates ₹1 Lakh Crore Buffer Against Global Shocks
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that ₹57,381.84 crore has been allocated toward the Economic Stabilisation Fund (ESF), the first tranche of a...
ECI's Constitutional Power to Transfer Officers: The West Bengal Election Controversy
Hours after announcing the assembly election schedule for West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam, and Puducherry, the Election Commission of India (ECI)...
PM POSHAN Under Pressure: LPG Shortage Forces School Kitchens Back to Firewood
Government schools running the PM POSHAN (mid-day meal) scheme across multiple states are reverting to firewood and alternative solid fuels for cooking, as...
India Pushes for Global Framework to Cut Remittance Costs Ahead of WTO Ministerial
India is pushing for a multilateral framework to reduce cross-border remittance transaction costs at the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Yaoundé...
Climate Finance Has Failed Africa: Adaptation Gaps, Borrowing Costs, and Reform Paths
Africa faces a climate adaptation financing gap of catastrophic proportions: it receives less than $14 billion annually in adaptation funds against a need...
Maharashtra's Freedom of Religion Bill 2026: Provisions, Controversy, and Constitutional Questions
The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly passed the Freedom of Religion Bill, 2026 on March 16, 2026, making it one of the most stringent anti-conversion laws...