DAILY GK 1-2 MAR 2026

 DAILY GK 1-2 MAR 2026

1.      IRAN’S INTERIM SUPREME LEADER

·         Senior Iranian Cleric Ayatollah Alireza Arafi was appointed as Iran’s interim Supreme Leader following the following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint USA-Israel airstrike.

·         He serves as Deputy Chairman of the Assembly of Experts (AoE) and has been a member of the Guardian Council (GC) since 2019, overseeing leadership selection, candidate vetting, and legislative review.

·         Article 111 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran mandated a three-member Interim Leadership Council to exercise his powers temporarily until the Assembly of Experts appoints a successor.

·         The council comprises President Masoud Pezeshkian, Chief Justice (CJ) Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, and Ayatollah Alireza Arafi as the jurist member from the Guardian Council, selected by the Expediency Discernment Council (EDC).

 

2.      DRUGS CONTROLLER GENERAL OF INDIA

·         The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) chaired by PM Narendra Modi, approved the reappointment of Dr. Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi as Drugs Controller General (India) (DCGI) at the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).

·         He was initially appointed as DCGI on 23 February 2023, and the current reappointment marks his second tenure extension, after his term was earlier extended until February 2026.

 

3.      NEW GOVERNORS FOR 9 STATES AND UTS

·         Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain – Bihar.

·         Jishnu Dev Varma - Maharashtra.

·         Shiv Pratap Shukla - Telangana.

·         Nand Kishore Yadav, - Nagaland.

·         R.N. Ravi - West Bengal.

·         Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar-Tamil nadu.

·         Kavinder Gupta - Himachal Pradesh.

·         Taranjit Singh Sandhu -Lieutenant Governor (LG) of NCT of Delhi.

·         Vinai Kumar Saxena - LG of Ladakh.

 

4.      INDIA, GERMANY STRENGTHEN CLIMATE RESILIENCE

·         JochenFlasbarth, State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry for Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMKUN), announced a new Large Grant for India with a funding volume up to EUR 20 million under the International Climate Initiative (IKI).

·         The announcement was made during a high-level climate dialogue titled ‘From Risk to Resilience: Advancing Adaptation Policy Pathways’ held at the German Embassy in New Delhi.

·         The newly announced initiative aims to improve resilience in high-risk ecosystems across priority regions, including the Himalayas, island regions, the Western Ghats, the North-East (NE) and the Lower Gangetic floodplains.

 

5.      INDIA’S FIRST AI-DRIVEN SKILL CENSUS ‘SAKSHAM’

·         Government of Maharashtra launched ‘Saksham Skill Census’, India’s 1st-of-its kind Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered skill census, in Mumbai.

·         The survey aims to evaluate the skills of youth aged 18–40 years to improve their employability.

·         As per the Maharashtra government, the survey will be conducted by Sapio Analytics over the next few months.

·         The survey will use advanced AI technology and Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping, dividing areas into hyperlocal regions.

·         The state government aims to train 15,000 candidates by 2027, with 5,000 becoming self-reliant through jobs or entrepreneurship.

 

6.      NATIONWIDE ASMITA ATHLETICS LEAGUE TO MARK INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

·         Union Minister of State(MoS) Raksha Nikhil Khadse, Ministry of or Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS), announced a special nationwide edition of the Achieving Sports Milestone by Inspiring Women Through Action(ASMITA) League to mark International Women’s Day (March 8).

·         ASMITA leagues, launched in 2021, have already organised more than 2,600 events across 34 sports in over 550 districts and 700 cities, engaging over 300,000 women athletes nationwide.

·         The initiative is part of the Khelo India Mission’s gender-neutral effort to boost women’s participation in sports and identify talent from the grassroots.

·         It is supported by the Sports Authority of India (SAI), State and District Sports Associations, Khelo India Centres, MY Bharat, and National Centres of Excellence(NCoE).

·         Under this programme, the MYAS will organise athletics competitions at approximately 250 locations across India, featuring 100 metre(m), 200 m, and 400 m races for girls and women in three age categories: U-13, 13–18, and 18+ years.

 

7.      CANADIAN PM MARK CARNEY’S VISIT TO INDIA

·         Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada, paid an official visit to India marking his first official visit to India since his predecessor Justin Trudeau visited India in 2018 to attend the Group of Twenty (G-20) summit.

·         PM Narendra Modi and PM Mark Carney launched negotiations for the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the release of Terms of Reference (ToR).

·         India set a bilateral trade goal of USD 50 billion by 2030.

·         Several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were exchanged between India and Canada across sectors such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), healthcare, agriculture, innovation, education, and culture.

 

8.      4 DIGITAL TOOLS AND MASCOTS ‘PRAGATI’ & VIKAS’ FOR CENSUS-2027

·         Union Minister Amit Shah, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), soft-launched four digital tools and formally unveiled the mascots “Pragati” (female) and “Vikas” (male) for Census-2027 in New Delhi.

·         The four newly launched soft digital tools: Houselisting Block Creator (HLBC) Web Application (app), House Listing Officer (HLO) Mobile App, Self-Enumeration (SE) Portal, and Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS) Portal.

·         They have been developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).

 

9.      JANAUSHADHI SAPTAH 2026

·         The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers (MoC&F) is observing ‘Janaushadhi Saptah 2026’ from 1 to 7 March 2026 to promote awareness about the affordability and quality of generic medicines under Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP).

·         The theme for 2026 is “जन औषधि सस्ती भी, भरोसेमंद भी, सेहत की बात, बचत के साथ” (Jan Aushadhi – affordable and trustworthy, good health with savings).

·         Under PMBJP, over 18,000 PM BhartiyaJ anaushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs) are operational across India.

 

10.  PM NARENDRA MODI’S VISIT TO ISRAEL

·         Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, visited Israel at the invitation of PM Benjamin Netanyahu, State of Israel.

·         He visited Yad Vashem Memorial (YM) in Jerusalem, paying tribute to Holocaust victims by laying a wreath and placing a commemorative stone.

·         PM Narendra Modi became the first Indian PM to address the Israeli Parliament (Knesset).

·         PM Narendra Modi was conferred the ‘Medal of the Knesset’ by Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, becoming the first Indian PM to receive this honour.

·         They announced the establishment of a Special Strategic Partnership for Peace, Innovation, and Prosperity, aimed at strengthening cooperation in defence, security, cyber security, trade, and technology.