DAILY GK 12-14 MAR 2026
1.
NATO MILITARY EXERCISE ‘COLD RESPONSE’
·
The North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation (NATO) commenced its biennial
Arctic military exercise named ‘Cold Response 2026’ across Northern Norway and Finland.
·
The exercise is expected to
witness the participation of nearly 25,000 troops from 14 NATO countries
including 4,000 from the United States of America (USA) and Denmark.
2.
RBI REVISES BANK DIVIDEND
FRAMEWORK
·
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
issued RBI(Commercial Banks – Prudential Norms on Declaration of
Dividend and Remittance of Profits) Directions, 2026, governing how commercial banks declare dividends.
·
The RBI repealed its 2025
dividend framework, introducing a revised set of prudential norms that will
take effect from the financial year 2026-27 (FY 27).
·
Under
the revised rules, the maximum dividend payout for banks incorporated in India is capped
at 75% of the Profit
After Tax (PAT) for the year.
·
The
dividend declaration which was primarily linked
to the overall Capital to Risk-Weighted
Assets Ratio (CRAR) and net
non-performing assets (NPAs), will now be linked to the bank’s Common Equity Tier 1 (CET-1)
ratio.
·
Banks
with a CET-1 ratio at or below 8% are
barred from paying any dividend.
3.
RBI REVISES COUNTERPARTY
CREDIT RISK RULES
·
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
released the RBI (Commercial Banks – Prudential Norms on Capital
Adequacy) Third Amendment Directions, 2026, revising its capital adequacy framework for commercial
banks.
·
The amendment introduces
clearer guidelines for how banks should
calculate and maintain capital to cover counterparty credit risk (CCR)
exposures.
·
A commercial bank needs to comply with the capital adequacy ratio requirements at two levels – the standalone level and the consolidated
level.
·
The Amendment provides that
for computation of capital requirement on a consolidated basis, a bank shall
include the CCR exposures of all such entities.
·
Counterparty
Credit Risk (CCR) is the risk
that the other party in a financial transaction
(like derivatives or swaps) may default before the contract is settled.
·
The most significant
operational change is the revision of a table specifying add-on factors used
to calculate Potential Future Exposure (PFE) for derivative contracts.
4.
RBI
CANCELS COR OF 36 NBFCS
·
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cancelled the Certificate of Registration (CoR) of 36 Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs)
as part of its regulatory actions, while
9 other NBFCs surrendered their licences due to business exits, structural
changes, or mergers.
·
RBI
cancelled the CoR of 36 entities prohibiting them
from conducting NBFC activities under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, with
key entities including Excellence Broking
& Finance Pvt Ltd, Jibralter
Traders Ltd, Bahubali Leasing
Limited, and Wintech Telecom Pvt
Ltd.
·
Surrender
of Licences by 9 NBFCs: Three
companies KKR India Asset Finance
Private Limited (Pvt Ltd), Manglam Vanijya Pvt
Ltd, and Mechno Sales Agencies
Pvt Ltd surrendered their CoR after deciding to exit the NBFC business, leading
to cancellation by the RBI.
·
Premier
Ferro Alloys & Securities Limited
surrendered its licence in February 2026 after meeting the criteria of an
unregistered Core Investment Company (CIC), which does not require RBI
registration.
·
Five
entities Unicon Suppliers Pvt Ltd, Atreyi Vincom Pvt
Ltd, Hanuman Forging and Engineering Pvt Ltd, Upwards Capital Pvt Ltd, and
Samuk Holding Pvt Ltd, surrendered their licences as they ceased to exist due
to amalgamation, merger, dissolution or voluntary strike-off.
5.
JAN AUSHADHI DIWAS 2026
– MARCH 7
·
Jan Aushadhi Diwas (Generic
Medicine Day) is annually observed on 7th March across India
to raise awareness about the affordability and effectiveness of generic
medicines and to promote the benefits of the Pradhan MantriBhartiyaJanaushadhiPariyojana (PMBJP) in ensuring access to
quality medicines for all.
·
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi declared 7 March as Jan
Aushadhi Diwason 7 March 2019 to promote awareness
about affordable generic medicines.
·
Jan Aushadhi Diwas Week is observed from 1–7 March each year, with
the final day celebrated as Jan
Aushadhi Diwas.
·
The first Jan
Aushadhi Diwas was observed on 7 March 2019.
6.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
2026 – MARCH 8
·
International
Women’s Day (IWD) of the United Nations (UN) is
annually observed worldwide on 8 March.
·
2026 Theme: “Rights.
Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls”.
·
The UN began observing IWD
in 1975, which was designated as International Women’s Year.
7.
CISF RAISING DAY 2026 –
MARCH 10
·
The Central Industrial
Security Force (CISF) Raising Day is observed annually across
India on 10 March to commemorate the establishment of the CISF
in 1969 .
·
In 1969, CISF was
established under the Central Industrial
Security Force Act, 1968 (Act No. 50 of 1968).
·
It
functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
8.
WORLD KIDNEY DAY 2026 –
MARCH 12
·
World Kidney Day (WKD) is
a global campaign observed on the second Thursday of March each
year .
·
2026 Theme: “Kidney
Health for All – Caring for People, Protecting the Planet.”
·
The concept of WKD was
introduced by the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and the
International Federation of Kidney Foundations (IFKF).
·
The
inaugural WKD was launched on 9 March 2006 (Thursday) and fully inaugurated on 8 March 2007
(Thursday).
