Here is your news summary for today, Tuesday, March 24, 2026, specifically curated for your exams from newspapers, Twitter, and PIB:
Health & Social Policy
* World TB Day 2026: Observed today, March 24, with the theme “Yes! We Can End TB!”.
* TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan: Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda launched the “100 Days Campaign” and the TB Mukt Urban Ward Initiative at Greater Noida to accelerate the elimination of Tuberculosis in India.
* Maternity Benefits for Adoption: The Supreme Court has ruled that all adoptive mothers are entitled to 12 weeks of maternity leave, striking down the previous restriction that only applied to children under three months old as “discriminatory.”
Economy & Trade
* RoDTEP Scheme Restoration: The Government has restored the full rates and value caps for the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) scheme, effective March 23, to support exporters facing high freight costs due to the West Asia/Red Sea crisis.
* PRARAMBH 2026: Launched by the Finance Ministry, this campaign aims to promote the New Income Tax Act and simplify tax compliance for citizens.
* Rare Earth Magnets: India’s first pilot plant for Neodymium-Iron-Boron (Nd-Fe-B) permanent magnets—critical for Electric Vehicles (EVs)—has been established at ARCI Hyderabad.
International Relations & Security
* India-Italy Foreign Office Consultations: The 10th round of talks was held to strengthen the strategic partnership, focusing on defense, digital transition, and the Blue Economy.
* Exercise KAKADU 2026: The Indian Navy frigate INS Nilgiri participated in this multilateral exercise in Australia, winning the Kakadu Shield during the harbor phase.
* WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14): India is set to oppose the US-led proposal for a permanent moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions at the upcoming meeting in Cameroon.
Environment & Agriculture
* National AgriPV Mission: Under PM-KUSUM 2.0, the government is institutionalizing Agri-Photovoltaics (AgriPV) with a 10 GW target to allow solar power generation and crop cultivation on the same land.
* Prakriti 2026: India has launched its Carbon Market Portal, named Prakriti, to facilitate the trading of carbon credits and move toward the Net Zero 2070 goal.
* Assam’s Joha Rice: For the first time, GI-tagged Joha Rice from Assam has been exported to the UK and Italy, marking a milestone for regional agricultural exports.
Appointments & Awards
* National Dental Commission (NDC): Dr. Sanjay Tewari has been appointed as the first Chairperson of the newly formed NDC, which replaces the Dental Council of India.
* 2026 Stockholm Water Prize: Awarded to Kaveh Madani for his research on sustainable water management.
* 26th Chief Election Commissioner: Gyanesh Kumar has taken charge as the head of the Election Commission of India.