1 Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana becomes ‘Fit India’ icon
In March 2025 , Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana was named the official ‘ Fit India Icon ‘ by Union Minister Mansukh Laxmanbhai Mandaviya , Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) during the inaugural ceremony of the first ever Fit India Carnival event , a 3-day event held in New Delhi, Delhi stressing on the importance of fitness. With this, Ayushmann has joined Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s Fit India.
2 Education Ministry’s ‘Childhood Poetry Initiative’ will be launched
The ‘ Balpan Ki Kavita Initiative ‘ to revive Indian poems/folk songs among young children will begin from March 26. It has been initiated by the Ministry of Education . Its aim is to develop a better understanding of Indian poems/folk songs among young children at an early stage. It also aims to introduce children to the world through easy and fun poems in their mother tongue. Participants of the competition can send folk songs and poems in three categories Pre Primary, Grade 1 and Grade 2. Participants can send their entries in all Indian languages including English. They can also send poems and folk songs in regional languages of Indian cultural significance. The competition will run on the MyGov website till April 22. There is no entry fee to participate in it.
3 India’s social security coverage to double from 24.4% in 2021 to 48.8% in 2024: International Labour Organisation
There has been a significant increase in social security coverage in India . According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), India’s social security coverage will double to 48.8% in 2024 as compared to 24.4% in 2021. Citing the ILO World Social Security Report 2024-26, Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that social security benefits have expanded in the workforce. He emphasized the government’s commitment to skilling and empowering India’s youth. This will ensure that the talent of the youth has an impact at the global level. Dr Mandaviya was addressing a post-budget webinar on ‘Investing in People’. Highlighting employment measures, he said that 17 crore 10 lakh jobs were created between 2014 and 2024. Of these, 4 crore 60 lakh jobs were created in the last year itself. He said that the unemployment rate has come down from 6% in the year 2017-18 to 3.2% in the year 2023-24. However, the participation of women workforce has increased from 22% to 40.3%.
4 India develops its first indigenous MRI machine, to be installed at AIIMS, New Delhi for testing
To achieve self-reliance in medicine , India has succeeded in making the first indigenous Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine . Till now, patients in Indian hospitals are examined through MRI machines manufactured in Japan, Korea, America and China, but Fisher Medical Ventures Ltd. (FMVL) company has handed over the first indigenous machine to India. It will be installed for testing at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi by October . Its aim is to reduce the cost of treatment and reduce dependence on imported medical equipment. Currently 80 to 85 percent of medical equipment is imported. The indigenous MRI machine will help make India more self-reliant in medical technology. Delhi AIIMS has signed an MoU with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to participate in the clinical trial of the indigenous machine.
5 India and Singapore sign Letter of Intent for Green and Digital Shipping Corridor
India and Singapore have signed a letter of intent for the Green and Digital Shipping Corridor -GDSC . It aims to digitise and decarbonise the shipping corridor . The Singapore-India Green and Digital Shipping Corridor will enhance cooperation between the two countries and accelerate the development and adoption of zero or near-zero greenhouse gas emission -GSG technologies and digital solutions, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and the Ministry of Shipping in a joint release.
6 Former Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba appointed full-time member of NITI Aayog
Former Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba has been appointed as full-time member of Niti Aayog . Gauba, a 1982 batch IAS officer from Jharkhand cadre, was the Cabinet Secretary for five years from 2019 to August 2024. He played a key role in implementing key policy decisions, including handling Covid-19 and economic reform strategies. Mr Gauba also served as Union Home Secretary, Secretary in the Ministry of Urban Development and Chief Secretary of Jharkhand. After the appointment is approved by the Prime Minister, Mr Gauba will render the same services as other full-time members of Niti Aayog.
7 Kerala established India’s first Senior Citizens Commission
On 19 March 2025 , Kerala became the first state in India to pass a dedicated legislation called the ‘ Kerala State Senior Citizens Commission Bill, 2025 ‘ after approval by the Kerala Legislative Assembly to establish a Senior Citizens Commission to ensure protection of the rights, welfare , and rehabilitation of senior citizens in the state . The commission will be responsible for collaborating with various state departments to protect and promote the well-being of the elderly population.
8 After Uttarakhand, Gujarat will become the second state to implement Uniform Civil Code
After Uttarakhand , Gujarat will become the second state in the country to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) . State Law Minister Rushikesh Patel said in the state assembly that the UCC is a step towards ensuring equal justice for all the people of the state and realizing the concept of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat. Mr Patel said that to speed up the judicial process, the state government has made provision for three new arbitration tribunals in Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara district headquarters. It has also been decided to hear the cases of municipalities and panchayats in the state in the arbitration tribunal.
9 America: President Donald Trump signed an executive order to change the country’s election process
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to make sweeping changes to the country’s election process. Under these changes , documentary proof of citizenship will be required for voter registration . It will also ensure that all ballots are received by election day. According to this order, America has failed to implement basic and necessary election security. It has urged the states to share voter lists and cooperate with federal agencies to prosecute election-related crimes. It also warned that states where election officials fail to follow the law may face a cut in federal funding.
10 Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology organized IWBDC to develop indigenous web browser
In March 2025, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has organized the Indian Web Browser Development Challenge (IWBDC) , aimed at developing an indigenous web browser under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative . Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, MeitY announced the winners of this challenge at an event organized by MeitY in New Delhi. Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Bangalore , Karnataka managed this initiative.
Top Winners :
Zoho Corporation – First Prize (Rs 1 Crore)
Team Ping – Second Prize (Rs 75 Lakh)
Team Ajna – Third Prize (Rs 50 Lakh)
Jio Vishwakarma – Special Mention
11 Córdoba, Fortaleza and Greater Manchester honored at 2025 Partnership for Healthy Cities Summit in France
On 21st March 2025 , three cities Cordoba (Argentina), Fortaleza (Brazil) and Greater Manchester (United Kingdom, UK) were honoured for their significant efforts in preventing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and injuries at the 2 025 Partnership for Healthy Cities Summit held in Paris, France . The awards recognised the measurable improvements made by the three cities in tackling NCDs such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and injuries, which cause more than 80% of global deaths according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) .
12 Tunisian President appoints new Prime Minister
On 21 March 2025, Tunisian President Kais Saied dismissed Prime Minister (PM) Kamel Madouri and appointed Sarra Zaafrani Zenzari as the new head of government. This is the fourth prime ministerial change since Kais Saied became president in July 2021. Sarra Zaafrani Zenzari became the second female PM of Tunisia after Najla Bouden (October 2021-August 2023).
13 Uniala keralensis: A new plant species identified in Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve, Kerala
In March 2025 , researchers have discovered a new plant species ‘ Uniala keralensis ‘ (family Asteraceae) in the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve (ABR) in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala . It is a dense shrub with light purple flowers and has been confirmed as a separate species of the genus Uniala, differentiating it from Vernonia. The species is named after the state of Kerala. The discovery of this plant was published in the journal Phytotaxa .
14 Sunil Kumar won bronze medal at Asia Wrestling Championship in Amman, Jordan
Indian wrestler Sunil Kumar won the bronze medal by defeating China’s Jiaxin Huang in the 87 kg Greco Roman wrestling competition of the Asian Championship in Amman , Jordan . Earlier, Sunil defeated Sukhrob Abdulkhaev of Tajikistan 10-1 in the quarter-finals. At the same time, India’s Sagar Thakran won the qualifying match of the 77 kg category . But he lost to Jordan’s Amro Saadeh 10-0 in the quarter-finals.
