Current Affairs Quiz - March 2026

Notes:
Defence Research and Development Organisation successfully conducted three consecutive flight trials of the Very Short-Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) at Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the coast of Odisha. VSHORADS stands for Very Short-Range Air Defence System and it is a Man Portable Air Defence System (MANPADS). It is indigenously designed and developed by Research Centre Imarat under DRDO with other laboratories and production partners. It is a lightweight, short-range, surface-to-air missile used to destroy aircraft and helicopters. Maximum range is 8 kilometres and it can engage targets up to 4.5 kilometres altitude.

Notes:
Recently, the Forest Owlet was spotted in Kuno National Park after 113 years. It belongs to the owl family Strigidae. It is endemic to central India and found in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat, including Melghat Tiger Reserve. It lives in tropical and subtropical moist lowland forests, dense and open dry deciduous teak forests. It has an unspotted crown, full throat collar, thickly feathered legs, and heavily banded wings and tail. It is diurnal and hunts during the day.

Notes:
Recently, the Meghalaya government issued an advisory after a meningococcal infection scare, urging people to avoid crowded places and follow health protocols. Meningococcal infection is a severe and rapidly progressing disease caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis. It can lead to meningitis, which is inflammation of the meninges covering the brain and spinal cord, or meningococcemia, which is blood poisoning. It spreads through respiratory and throat secretions like saliva during close or prolonged contact. It is less contagious than common cold or flu infections.

Notes:
Tamil Nadu launched its first Dark Sky Park at Ariyur Shola Reserve Forest in Kolli Hills, Namakkal district to promote astro-tourism. It was inaugurated remotely from Chennai by Forest Minister R S Rajakannappan. Kolli Hills was selected due to high altitude, dense forest cover and minimal light pollution within 1.5 km radius. The park enables clear viewing of stars, planets, Milky Way galaxy and the Moon.

Notes:
An indigenously developed 30 kiloWatt Wide Band Gap based Integrated Drive System for Electric Vehicles was launched by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in Chennai. It was developed by Centre for Development of Advanced Computing Thiruvananthapuram with Indian Institute of Technology Madras and Lucas TVS under National Mission on Power Electronics Technology. It was launched by the Secretary of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology at IIT Madras. The 30 kiloWatt system suits electric passenger vehicles like compact cars and fleet mobility. It reduces import dependence on semiconductor-based Electric Vehicle powertrain systems.

Notes:
A Cessna 172 aircraft crashed into the Hudson River near the Newburgh–Beacon Bridge, bringing focus to the river corridor. Hudson River is a major and historically important river in the United States. It flows mainly within New York State and forms part of the boundary between New York and New Jersey in its final stretch. It connects inland New York to the Atlantic Ocean through Upper New York Bay. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains near Mount Marcy, with Lake Tear of the Clouds as its main headstream source.

Notes:
Tamil Nadu leads India in deceased organ donation under Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu. The state recorded 57 deceased organ donors in the first two months of 2026, almost one per day. Tamil Nadu began a structured deceased organ donation system as early as 2008, ahead of many states. Though slowed during Covid years, the programme was later strengthened through coordination of policymakers, bureaucracy, technocrats, media and civil society. The model is now considered sustainable, based on scientific approach and strong ethical values.

Notes:
Scotland became the first country in the United Kingdom to allow water cremation, also called hydrolysis. The new rules were approved by the Scottish Parliament, marking the biggest funeral law reform since 1902. Hydrolysis uses water and potassium hydroxide at about 150 degree Celsius to break down soft tissues, leaving only bones, which are dried and turned into ashes. In 2023 public consultation, 84 percent supported hydrolysis. The method is already legal in 28 United States states and countries like Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

Notes:
In March 2026, two new moniligastrid earthworm species named Moniligaster girishi and Drawida reynoldsi were discovered in Silent Valley National Park in the Western Ghats and published in Zootaxa. Moniligaster girishi was found in tropical wet evergreen forest near Chembotti and has a unique undivided spermathecal atrial gland and distinct prostatic capsule. It is named after P Girish Kumar of Zoological Survey of India. Drawida reynoldsi was collected from montane grasslands between Sispara and Anginda and has a sausage like prostatic capsule and large spermathecal atrium. It is named after Canadian expert John Warren Reynolds.

Notes:
Korea district, Chhattisgarh has become a model for community-led water conservation through the ‘Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari’ initiative. The initiative is part of the Aawa Paani Jhoki movement, where farmers voluntarily dedicate 5% of their agricultural land for groundwater recharge. Farmers create small recharge ponds and terraced pits to capture rainwater, allowing it to seep into soil and replenish groundwater. Structures improve soil moisture, reduce erosion, and ensure steady groundwater recharge.