National Current Affairs
1. Nationwide ASMITA Women’s Sports League Launched
The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports launched the ASMITA League (Achieving Sports Milestone by Inspiring Women Through Action) on 8 March 2026 to mark International Women’s Day.
The initiative aims to increase participation of women in sports and identify grassroots talent across India.
Events are organised across 250 locations in India.
Expected participation: over 250,000 women athletes.
Competitions include athletics events such as 100 metres, 200 metres, and 400 metres.
Participants categories:
Under-13
13–18 years
Above 18 years
The programme is implemented under the Khelo India mission with support from:
Sports Authority of India (SAI)
State Sports Associations
District Sports Associations
Since its launch in 2021, the ASMITA initiative has organised:
2,600+ leagues
Across 34 sports disciplines
Participation of more than 300,000 women from 550 districts.
2. Farmers’ Fair and Agricultural Technology Exhibition Organised at BHU
The Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University (BHU) organised a Farmers’ Fair and Agricultural Industry Exhibition on 7–8 March 2026 in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
Theme of the event: “Viksit Krishi – Samarth Bharat”.
Objective:
Dissemination of modern agricultural technologies.
Promoting scientific farming practices.
Key focus areas of the exhibition:
Artificial Intelligence in agriculture
Natural farming
Protected cultivation
Millets and coarse cereal production
Resource conservation technologies
Farmers were provided access to:
Quality seeds and planting materials
Bio-fertilizers and fertilizers
Modern agricultural machinery
Participants included:
Agricultural scientists
ICAR institutes
Farmer producer organisations
Rural entrepreneurs
Agricultural students.
3. Special Train Announced for ICC T20 World Cup Final
Northern Railway announced a special train service between New Delhi and Sabarmati (Ahmedabad) on 7 March 2026.
The initiative was launched to manage the heavy travel demand for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Finalscheduled on 8 March 2026.
The match venue is Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, the world’s largest cricket stadium with a capacity of around 132,000 spectators.
International Current Affairs
4. ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Final
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Final is scheduled on 8 March 2026.
Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, India.
Tournament period: 7 February – 8 March 2026.
Total teams participating: 20 teams.
Total matches: 55 matches.
Tournament format:
Group Stage
Super 8 stage
Knockout stage
Final match:
India vs New Zealand.
India captain: Suryakumar Yadav.
New Zealand captain: Mitchell Santner.
Match officials:
Umpires: Richard Illingworth (England) and Alex Wharf (England)
Third umpire: Allahudien Paleker (South Africa)
Match referee: Andy Pycroft (Zimbabwe).
India’s previous T20 World Cup titles:
2007
2024.
5. India AI Impact Summit 2026
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 was held in New Delhi from 16–21 February 2026.
Venue: Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
Organised under the IndiaAI Mission by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
It is the fourth global AI summit after:
AI Safety Summit – Bletchley Park (UK), 2023
AI Seoul Summit – South Korea, 2024
AI Action Summit – Paris, 2025
Significance:
First AI summit hosted by a Global South nation.
Next summit in the series will be held in Geneva, Switzerland in 2027.
Economy, Banking and Business
6. Shriram Finance Secures International Funding
Shriram Finance Limited, a major Indian NBFC, secured USD 76 million (around ₹640 crore) in co-financing.
Funding partners:
DEG (German Development Finance Institution)
Citibank.
Objective:
Expand credit access for rural and semi-urban borrowers.
Promote economic inclusion and women entrepreneurship.
Focus sectors:
Micro enterprises
Rural transport
Small business financing.
Sports Current Affairs
7. India vs New Zealand – T20 World Cup Final
Final scheduled on 8 March 2026 at Ahmedabad.
India’s key performers during the tournament:
Abhishek Sharma – leading run scorer for India.
Varun Chakravarthy – leading wicket taker.
New Zealand’s key performers:
Tim Seifert – top batter.
Jacob Duffy – top bowler.
Historical T20 head-to-head record:
India wins: 16
New Zealand wins: 11
Tied matches: 3.
8. UK Open Darts Championship 2026
Venue: Minehead, England.
Tournament start: 6 March 2026.
Final scheduled: 8 March 2026.
Total players participating: 128 Tour Card holders along with qualifiers.
Defending champion: Luke Littler (England).
Tournament is popularly called the “FA Cup of Darts” because of its open draw and no-seeding format.
9. IndyCar Good Ranchers 250 Race
Event: IndyCar Good Ranchers 250.
Venue: Phoenix Raceway, United States.
Date: 7 March 2026.
Significance:
Marks IndyCar’s return to the venue after 2018.
The race forms part of the “Desert Double” motorsport weekend.
Awards and Events
10. Times of India Sports Awards (TOISA) 2026
The 8th edition of the Times of India Sports Awards (TOISA) will be held on 21 March 2026.
Host city: Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
Purpose:
Recognize outstanding achievements of Indian athletes across multiple sports disciplines.
The awards honour both:
Established sports personalities
Emerging athletes.
Important Days
11. International Women’s Day 2026
Observed annually on 8 March.
Theme focus globally: Gender equality, women empowerment and economic inclusion.
In India, several initiatives such as ASMITA League were launched to promote women participation in sports.
Key Facts for Competitive Exams
Largest cricket stadium in the world: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
Capacity: around 132,000 spectators.
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026:
10th edition of the tournament.
Hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
AI Impact Summit 2026:
First global AI summit hosted by a Global South country.
ASMITA programme:
2600+ leagues organised since 2021.
