NEWS &
VIEWS|||SARASIJ|||17th MARCH2026
TUESDAY| VOL—V/2026/MARCH
OPINIONATED, FOR FREE CIRCULATION.
*कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥*
This ‘Shlokam’ from GEETA needs no translation. We should work with above
in mind.
INDIA: (GOI, SWARAJYA, VISHWAMITRA, HINDU POST, INDIA TODAY).
|
Bangladesh
is set to import an additional 45,000 tons of diesel from India by April,
marking a significant resumption in bilateral energy trade amid regional
challenges. Can we seek some concession?
|
The Rajya Sabha took up
discussion on the Appropriation Bill 2026. The Bill seeks to authorize payment
and appropriation of certain further sums from and out of the Consolidated Fund
of India for the services of the financial year 2025-26. Lok Sabha had already
passed the bill last week.
NDA has won all five Rajya Sabha seats from Bihar. The winning
candidates include Nitin Nabin and Shivesh Ram from the Bharatiya Janata Party,
Nitish Kumar and Ramnath Thakur from the Janata Dal (United), and Upendra
Kushwaha from the Rashtriya Lok Morcha.
PM Modi recently virtually inaugurated the 120 MW Lower Kopili
Hydroelectric Project in Assam. The project is an important step towards
strengthening clean energy infrastructure in Northeast India and enhancing
regional power generation capacity. It also supports India’s broader goals of
expanding renewable energy and improving electricity availability in remote and
hilly regions.
Maharashtra's new Freedom of Religion Bill 2026 introduces stringent
measures against religious conversions through coercion, fraud, or marriage,
sparking debate over constitutional rights and religious freedom in the state.
In view of the upcoming assembly election in West Bengal in an
unprecedented decision the Election Commission has directed all the police
stations in the state to submit a detailed report on the law-and-order
situation in their respective areas by next Thursday.
UPSC has revised rules for appointing State DGPs after Supreme Court
directions. States must seek Supreme Court approval for delays in sending DGP
empanelment proposals, and the court clarified that appointing an acting DGP is
not legally valid.
The Indian Army has inducted its seventh Pinaka rocket regiment, with an
eighth set to become operational by year-end, marking a significant ramp-up in
long-range firepower along the western and northern borders.
Indian Embassy in Iran has strictly advised Indian nationals currently
in Iran not to approach or attempt to cross any land border of Iran for onwards
travel without prior and explicit coordination with the Indian Embassy in
Tehran.
WORLD: (REUTER, AP, AFP, BLOOMBERG, CNN, WP)
As
the Iran war enters its third week, Trump has intensified calls for allies to
help unblock the Strait of Hormuz to mitigate the war’s economic impacts. European
Union officials are discussing the matter in a meeting today. Trump increased
the pressure yesterday, telling the Financial Times that it would be “very bad
for the future of NATO” if U.S. allies did not help reopen the strait. Japan negated its participation.
The United Kingdom and Germany have rejected US President Donald Trump’s call stressing
that the conflict is not a mission for the alliance.
THE RESPONSE IS AT BEST LUKEWARM
SO FAR!USA SHALL QUIT NATO. AND FORM “METO”—Middle East Treaty Organization.
Trump
threatened to target the island’s oil infrastructure if Iran does not fully
reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Attack on KHARGA Island is responded by Iranian
Foreign Minister that Tehran would retaliate by targeting U.S.-linked energy
facilities nearby.
The U.S. military buildup in the region
continues, with the United States deploying additional warships and thousands
of marines to the Middle East, multiple news outlets reported Friday.
However—response by MISSILE and DRONES by Iran
reduced considerably. But, though there are no confirmations by IRAN, we can
safely conclude the followings:
·
UNDERGROUND
TUNNELED RAT HOLE ZONE is compromised,
most of the entry-exit points are collapsed, and is reasonably isolated.
·
Main
missile manufacturing plant is destroyed, and most of the Launching Stations
are destroyed.
·
No
central command, there is infight at the top, and IRGC is responding to the
attack independently, in an un-controlled manner.
·
But—Iran’s
Nuclear facility, which is built at an
estimated depth of 80 to 100 meters under solid granite, dug into a mountain
ridge called Kūh-e Dāgh Ghū'ī, making it potentially immune to even the most
powerful U.S. "bunker-buster" bombs, like the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance
Penetrator.
·
Current
Status: Satellite imagery from early 2026 shows ongoing work, including the
hardening of tunnel entrances and the construction of a security perimeter.
·
USA
bombed it by several GBU-57s, but post bomb satellite image I couldn’t find out.
An Israeli military spokesperson told CNN
yesterday that Israel planned for at least three more weeks of war, and its
military announced ground operations in southern Lebanon today.
WHAT EMERGE:
·
All
Military gains planned by ISRAEL is not achieved
yet.
·
Iran
may still make some ‘DIRTY BOMBs’, and Launch.
·
USA-ISRAEL
started the war. But the ‘END DATE’ is uncertain. Iran has no intention to
surrender—as of now.
The United States struck $57 billion worth of
deals with Asia-Pacific allies at an energy forum in Tokyo over the weekend,
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told Fox News. The agreements signed at the
forum included a commitment by the U.S. Export-Import Bank to finance up to
$4.2 billion of Japanese and South Korean nuclear fuel purchases from a
California-based company.
Exit polls suggest a majority of Kazakhs voted
to approve a new constitution in a referendum yesterday. The changes would
consolidate executive power by creating a new body of presidential appointees
that can introduce legislation and referendums.
Canada and the five Nordic countries—Denmark,
Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden—pledged at an Oslo meeting yesterday to
cooperate more closely on areas such as defense production. Canada is weighing buying submarines from
Norway and Germany and warplanes from Sweden as it aims to boost its defenses.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and
Chinese Premier He Lifeng are concluding a two-day meeting in Paris today
intended to lay the groundwork for Trump’s planned trip to China later this
month. Trump said Sunday he might delay his trip as he urges China to help
unblock the Strait of Hormuz, and China’s commerce ministry on Monday
criticized the latest U.S. trade probe into China.
Russia has agreed to stop recruiting Kenyans to
fight in the war in Ukraine, Kenyan Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi told
reporters today after meeting in Moscow with his Russian counterpart.
Havana: Cuba’s electrical grid suffered a total
collapse across the entire island on Monday, the country’s power operator said,
marking the latest nationwide blackout in recent years, and the first since the
US effectively shut off the flow of oil to the island of roughly 10 million
people.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense has confirmed
that it carried out a targeted drone strike on a Pakistani military camp in the
Wana area of South Waziristan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
MISHAPS??:
In
Balochistan, eight people have reportedly gone missing in separate incidents
across different districts, and the families are alleging involvement of
Pakistani security forces.
AWARDS:
Sahitya
Academy has announced the winners of the Sahitya Academy Awards 2025 in 24
Indian languages. The Awardees include noted Hindi Writer Mamta Kalia for her
memoir ‘Jetée Jee Allahabad’, and diplomat Navtej Sarna for his English novel
‘Crimson Spring’. The awards will be presented on the 31st of this month in New
Delhi.
ENVIRONMENTAL:
In
Jammu & Kashmir, the Asia’s largest Tulip Garden in Srinagar was opened.
Located on the foothills of the Zabarwan Range overlooking the Dal Lake, the
garden has been fully prepared to welcome local, domestic and foreign tourists.
SCIENCE &
TECHNOLOGY:
Naval Group India commissioned a
state-of-the-art Pneumatic RAM Test Facility at its technical workshop in
Karwar, Karnataka. This occurred on 13 March 2026, underscoring the nation's
growing prowess in submarine maintenance.
ENTERTAINMENT :
Hollywood actress Jessie Buckley won the Best
Actress award at the 98th Academy Awards for her performance in the film
Hamnet.
Indian animation received global
recognition after the animated short film CHYIMI won the Best Director Award at
the New York Short Animation Festival (NYSAF) 2026. The film is directed by Dr.
Partha Sarathi Mahanta, who currently serves as Inspector General of Police
(IGP) in Assam and Commissioner of Police, Guwahati.
CRIME & PUNISHMENT:
The Special NIA Court at Patiala House Court
in Delhi remanded seven foreigners for 11 days of National Investigation Agency
(NIA) custody. The seven foreigners include three Ukrainians, who were arrested
in Delhi, three from Lucknow, and one US citizen from Kolkata.
The Anti-Terror Squad of the Uttar
Pradesh police has arrested a student of BDS 2nd year for his alleged link with
ISIS. The press release of ATS says that the agency had information that some
people in other states of India, including Uttar Pradesh, are active as members
of the terrorist module of the banned terrorist organisation, ISIS, with the
aim of establishing a Shariah-based caliphate system in the entire world,
including India.
GAMES & SPORTS: -
Tomorrow, the NCAA Men’s Division I
basketball tournament, better known as March Madness, begins in Dayton, Ohio.
DAS KAPITAL:
The World Bank has approved a loan of
about USD 300 million to support Uttar Pradesh’s efforts to improve air quality
through a comprehensive clean air transition programme. The funding will
support the Uttar Pradesh Clean Air Management Program, which aims to address
pollution across sectors such as transport, agriculture, and industry.
Indian
Share Market: -
*BSE
SENSEX* 75,502.85 +938.93 (1.26%)
*NIFTY*
23,408.80 +257.70 (1.11%)
BULLIONS:
*GOLD*
: ₹ 15,700/ 01gm (24 krt)
*SILVER*
: ₹ 269,000/KG
Currency
Exchange Rates:
*Euro*
: ₹107/-*USD* ₹ 92/- *China¥* : ₹ 13/-
WHAT
IS NEXT:
Ø
Today, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney
visits the UK.
Ø
Today, the UN Security Council discusses
Afghanistan.
Ø
Today, the European Union Foreign Affairs
Council meets in Brussels.
THE END.
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