1 Only followers of Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist religions are eligible for Scheduled Caste status: Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has ruled that only followers of Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism are eligible for Scheduled Caste status. The Court clarified that conversion to another religion, such as Christianity, results in immediate and complete loss of Scheduled Caste status . Upholding an order of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, the Court stated that once a person converts to Christianity and actively practices that religion, they cannot be considered a member of a Scheduled Caste. A bench of Justices P.K. Mishra and Manmohan ruled that a Dalit convert to Christianity cannot claim protection under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The Court emphasized that this position is clearly established under the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950. According to the Court, the prohibition imposed under Section 3 of the 1950 Order is binding. Under this, any person who follows any religion other than Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism loses the eligibility to be a member of the Scheduled Caste, even if he was born in the Scheduled Caste.
2 Supreme Court grants pension rights to women SSC officers of the Air Force
The Supreme Court has ruled that women officers with short service commissions in the Army, Navy, and Air Force , who were denied permanent commissions due to arbitrary evaluation procedures , will now be entitled to full pension benefits . A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant , Justice Ujjwal Bhuyan , and Justice N. Kotiswar Singh ruled that these officers will be deemed to have completed the 20 years of service required for pension eligibility , even if they have already been discharged. The decision came while hearing several petitions, including one filed by Wing Commander Sucheta Eden, challenging the denial of permanent commissions following policy changes in 2019 and prior decisions of the Armed Forces Tribunal. The Court highlighted serious shortcomings in the evaluation process, stating that the review of women officers’ annual confidential reports was often conducted haphazardly and influenced by the preconceived notion that they would not be granted permanent commissions. Under the Short Service Commission scheme , officers are initially appointed for 10 years , which can be extended to 14 years. Officers who do not receive a permanent commission are required to leave the service upon completion of their tenure, usually do not receive full pension benefits, and have limited opportunities for career advancement or senior command positions.
Nepal has decided to allow foreign trekkers to travel alone to certain restricted areas . This decision eliminates the existing permit system, which previously allowed only groups to travel to these areas. Nepal has declared 15 areas in 13 mountain districts bordering China as restricted areas. Foreign nationals were not allowed to travel to these areas without special permits and fees. These areas include Upper Mustang, Taplejung, Sankhuwasabha, Solukhumbu, Dolakha, Rasuwa, two areas of Gorkha, Manang, two areas of Dolpa, Mugu, Humla, Bajhang, and Darchula. In a notice issued on Monday, the Immigration Department stated that trekking permits will now be issued to solo travelers, subject to certain conditions. Travelers must apply through an agency and a trekking guide will be required . The concerned agency will have to take full responsibility for rescue in case of emergency and follow other legal provisions.
4 BHIM App introduces new feature, now UPI payments up to Rs 5,000 can be made through biometrics.
NPCI BHIM Services Limited (NBSL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), on Tuesday launched a new biometric authentication feature for UPI payments in the BHIM Payments app . This new feature will allow users to approve transactions up to ₹5,000 using their smartphone’s fingerprint or face recognition , making payments faster and easier than ever before. With this feature, users will no longer need to enter their UPI PIN every time for small transactions. This will reduce failed payments due to incorrect or forgotten PINs and improve the user experience. This biometric feature can be used for common transactions such as sending money to friends and family, scanning merchant QR codes, and making online payments.
5 India AI Mission launches “Cancer AI and Technology Challenge (CATCH)” program
The India AI Mission, under the Ministry of Electronics and IT, has launched the “Cancer AI and Technology Challenge (CATCH) ” program. Under this scheme, hospitals and technology companies are encouraged to jointly develop AI-based cancer screening and diagnosis solutions. Selected projects will receive initial funding of up to ₹50 lakh , and further support of up to ₹1 crore upon completion . The Ministry of Health has also launched SAHI (AI in Healthcare Strategy) and BODH (Benchmarking Platform) . SAHI aims to ensure the safe and responsible use of AI in the healthcare sector, while the BODH platform tests AI tools before their large-scale deployment. Under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), a “sandbox” platform has been created where developers can test and integrate their AI-based health tools. Furthermore, the entire digital screening, diagnosis, and treatment process for diseases, including cancer, has been integrated through the National Non-Communicable Diseases Portal (NCD Portal). This portal helps health workers like ASHAs and ANMs enter and monitor patient data through mobile and web apps. The portal is linked to ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account), making patients’ complete health records digitally available and simplifying the treatment process.
On March 23 , Google DeepMind appointed Jasjit Sekhon as its Chief Strategy Officer . Jasjit will work on Artificial Intelligence (AI) research policy at Google DeepMind. Jasjit was a professor at Harvard University from 1999 to 2005. From 2005 to 2020, Jasjit was a professor of Political Science and Statistics at the University of California . Jasjit started AI Labs in 2023 along with Greg Jensen . Google DeepMind was a British company , which was established in 2010. In 2014, the American company Google bought it and changed its name from DeepMind to Google DeepMind. This company develops video games. Its main work is to develop AI.
7 World Air Quality Report 2025 released
The World Air Quality Report 2025 was released on March 24th . It was released by Swiss IQAir . According to this report , India is the sixth most polluted country in the world , and Pakistan is the second most polluted country , followed by Bangladesh, Tajikistan, Chad, and Congo . According to the report, Loni in Uttar Pradesh is the most polluted city in the world, while New Delhi is at number four . Five of the 10 most polluted cities in the world are in India . These include Ghaziabad and Loni in Uttar Pradesh, Burnihat in Assam, New Delhi, and Ula in West Bengal . Loni’s average PM2.5 level is 112.5 µg/m³, which is 22 times higher than the WHO guideline (5 µg/m³). PM2.5, particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers, are the most dangerous pollutants when dissolved in the air and can penetrate deep into the lungs and blood. This report analyses data from 9,446 cities in 143 countries and according to it, pollution has increased in 54 countries. At the same time, PM2.5 has decreased in 75 countries. 12 new countries have been included in this list. At the same time, only 14% of the world’s cities have met the WHO standards. In the year 2024, India was at number five in IQAir and Pakistan was at number three in this list. Swiss IQAir releases live ranking of countries and cities every year on the basis of PM2.5 and compares it with the pollution standards of the World Health Organization (WHO). The Swiss IQAir organization was established in 1963.
On March 22 , footballer Nicolás Otamendi announced his retirement after the 2026 World Cup . He will play for the last time during Argentina’s North America tour in June. Nicolás has been a successful and experienced defender in Argentina’s history. He made his World Cup debut in 2010 at the age of 22 under Diego Maradona. Nicolás played for Argentina’s Vélez Sársfield and later made his mark playing for top clubs like FC Porto, Manchester City, and SL Benfica. He won the FIFA World Cup 2022 and the Copa América 2021 for Argentina. Nicolás and Lionel Messi have played together for almost 16 years . With this announcement, Messi is the only player remaining who played on the 2014 World Cup-winning team.
9 First Khelo India Tribal Games to be held in Chhattisgarh from March 25 to April 3
The Khelo India Tribal Games will begin in Chhattisgarh on March 25th . They will run until April 3rd . Competitions will be held in seven sports, including athletics, hockey, football, archery, wrestling, weightlifting, and swimming . Additionally , Mallakhamb and Kabaddi have been included as demonstration sports . The Khelo India Tribal Games will be held in three cities in Chhattisgarh: Raipur, Jagdalpur, and Ambikapur . Raipur will host football, hockey, archery, swimming, weightlifting, and Kabaddi. Bastar will host the athletics competition, while Surguja will host the wrestling and Mallakhamb competitions. Over 30,000 tribal athletes and officials from nearly 30 states and union territories will participate. The opening ceremony of the Khelo India Tribal Games will be held in Raipur . Union Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, will inaugurate the games.
World TB Day is celebrated every year on March 24th . The theme for 2026 is ” Yes! We Can End TB ,” which sends a strong message that eliminating TB is possible. This day comes at a time when tuberculosis (TB) still affects millions of people worldwide. In 2024, approximately 10.7 million people will be infected with TB, and 1.23 million will die. However, approximately 83 million lives have been saved since 2000, demonstrating that progress is possible with sustained efforts. World TB Day aims to raise awareness of the health, social, and economic impacts of TB. It urges governments, organizations, and individuals to intensify their efforts to eliminate TB. The date, March 24th, was chosen because in 1882, Robert Koch discovered the TB bacterium, Mycobacterium tuberculosis . This discovery gave a new direction in the field of diagnosis and treatment of TB.