Daily Current Affairs Quiz: March 20, 2026

Notes:
Kaveh Madani has been named the 2026 recipient of the Stockholm Water Prize, which is considered the world’s most prestigious award for water-related work. The prize has been awarded annually since 1991 by the Stockholm Water Foundation in collaboration with the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It recognizes individuals or organisations that make outstanding contributions to the conservation and protection of water resources and to the well-being of the planet and its inhabitants.

Notes:
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved Minimum Support Price (MSP) funding to the Cotton Corporation of India for the cotton season 2023–24. The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) was established on 31 July 1970 and functions as a Public Sector Undertaking under the Companies Act, 1956. It operates under the administrative control of the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India.

Notes:
Bhumika Shrestha has become Nepal’s first transgender woman lawmaker, marking a historic step toward inclusivity in South Asia. She officially entered Parliament on 16 March 2026 through the proportional representation system and is associated with the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP). Her achievement follows political changes after 2025 protests, which led to fresh elections and the rise of new leadership in Nepal. It represents a major breakthrough for LGBTQ representation, giving the community a voice at the highest political level.

Notes:
The U.N.-backed World Happiness Report 2026 was released on 18 March 2026, highlighting global well-being trends and ranking Finland as the world’s happiest country for the ninth consecutive year. The report emphasizes that heavy social media use is harming young people’s well-being, prompting some countries to consider or implement legislative restrictions on social media for youth. Top 10 happiest countries are Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Costa Rica, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Israel, Luxembourg, Switzerland. Costa Rica achieved fourth place, marking the highest-ever ranking for a Latin American country. Among 147 countries, India ranks 116th, showing a slight improvement from 118th in 2025.

Notes:
Historian and author William Dalrymple has won the Mark Lynton History Prize 2026 for his book The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World. The prize recognizes works of history that combine scholarly rigor with literary elegance and carries a $10,000 cash award. It is part of the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize, administered by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism and Columbia University School of Journalism.