Current Affairs Terms in News This Week: The second week of March 2026 continued witnessing the West Asia crisis escalate with US-Israel airstrikes destroying major oil facilities near Tehran, thus fuelling a global oil price hike. Iran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz but allowed India-flagged vessels to pass. Two Indian tankers carrying LPG safely crossed the strait on March 14, 2026.
Iran's Assembly of Experts officially appointed Mojtaba Khamenei as the country's third Supreme Leader on March 8, 2026, following the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a joint US-Israeli airstrike in Tehran on February 28, 2026.
From India, PM Modi inaugurated two new Delhi Metro corridors, announced projects worth over Rs 33,500 crore in West Bengal and a Rs 10,372 crore outlay for the IndiaAI Mission. The Indian government also assured that India has increased the production of LPG by 25 per cent to ensure a stable energy supply amid West Asia tensions.
In the world of sports, India made history by winning their second consecutive ICC Men's T20 World Cup, defeating New Zealand in the final at Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Meanwhile, Mayank Chakraborty became India's 94th Grandmaster and the first ever from Northeast India.
Stay updated with the most important current affairs. Learn the 5W1H about the key terms in the news from the week of March 8 to 14, 2026.
In this article, we will cover the following terms: Transgender Persons Amendment Bill, Fiscal Health Index, Supplementary Demand for Grants, CE20 Cryogenic Engine, and Friendship Pipeline.
Current Affairs Terms in News This Week (8-14 March 2026)
1. Transgender Persons Amendment Bill
Why in news?
Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Dr Virendra Kumar, on March 13, 2026, introduced the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha. The Bill aims
What is it?
The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, seeks to to amend the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019. The Bill aims to redefine 'transgender person' and remove the right to self-perceived gender identity.
Key Points
- The 2019 Bill was enacted following the Supreme Court's judgement in the NALSA v. Union of India (2014) case, which recognised transgender persons as the third gender and affirmed the right to self-determination of gender identity under Article 21.
- The 2026 Bill proposes redefining a 'transgender person', emphasising biological and socio-cultural markers rathan than self-identification; omission of self-perceived identity; stricter punishments for offences such as forced converson.
2. Fiscal Health Index
Why in news?
NITI Aayog, on March 11, 2026, released the second annual edition of the 'Fiscal Health Index 2026' in New Delhi to evaluate the fiscal performance of Indian states.
What is it?
Fiscal Health Index 2026, released by NITI Aayog, assesses the fiscal performance of Indian states across five pillars: Quality of Expenditure, Revenue Mobilisation, Fiscal Prudence, Debt Index, and Debt Sustainability.
Key Points
- The FHI 2026 analyses fiscal trends over a decade from FY 2014-15 to FY 2023-24. The second edition of the Index covers 18 General Category States and also 10 North-Eastern and Himalayan States.
- Odisha, Goa, Jharkhand emerged as Achievers while Gujarat, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka were Front-runners. Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and Rajasthan emerged as Performers while West Bengal, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Punjab were Aspirational.
- In the North-Eastern and Himalayan states, Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand were Achievers while Assam Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, and Tripura were Performers. Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Nagaland remained in the Aspirational group.
3. Supplementary Demand for Grants
Why in news?
Lok Sabha, on March 13, 2026, approved the second batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants (2025-26), authorising a gross additional amount of Rs 2.81 lakh crore. The net cash outgo of Rs 2.01 lakh crore will be cover expenses for fertilisers, defence, food subsidies, among others.
What is it?
Supplementary Demands for Grants is required when the approved amount for a specific service falls short or found to be insufficient for the current financial year.
Key Points
- Supplementary Demand for Grants is mentioned in Article 115 of the Indian Constitution. Post approval by the Lok Sabha, it passess through an Appropriation Act.
4. CE20 Cryogenic Engine
Why in news?
ISRO successfully conducted a sea level hot test of its Cryogenic engine (CE20), on March 10, 2026 at ISRO Propulsion Complex, Mahendragiri. The engine operated for 165 seconds and generated about 22 tonnes of thrust.
What is it?
The CE20 cryogenic engine powers the upper cryogenic stage of LVM3 launch vehicle. The CE20 engine has demonstrated success in six consecutive LMV3 misisons including Chandrayaan-2, Chandrayaan-3 misison, and two OneWeb missions.
Key Points
- Earlier the sea level tests utilising the Nozzle Protection Sysetm (NPS) were being carried out at 19 tonne thrust level.
- With the aim to enhance the payload capability of the LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark-3), future missions of LVM3 are planned to be operated with an uprated C32 stage with 22 tonne thrust for the CE20 engine.
- Therefore, the success of the sea level test of cryogenic engine at 22 tonne thrust level with a test duration of 165 seconds has enabled the demonstration of key technologies.
5. Friendship Pipeline
Why in news?
On March 9, 2026, India supplied 5,000 metric tonnes of diesel to Bangladesh via the Bangladesh-India Friendship Pipeline, as Bangladesh seeks to maintain stable fueld supplies amid the ongoing Middle East conflict.
What is it?
The India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline, inaugurated in March 2023, is the first-cross border energy pipeline between India and Pakistan. It is 131.5 km long, of which 126.5 km pipeline is in Bangladesh and 5 kms in India, with a 1 million metric tonne per annum (MMTPA) capacity.
Key Points
- Bangladesh imports approximately 95 per cent of its fuel, much of it from the Middle East. Any disruption in the supply routes can lead to shortages in the country.
- The India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline aids in transporting diesel from an Assam-based refinery to Parbatipur in Bangladesh.
- The 5,000 tonnes of diesel via the Frienship Pipeline marked first shipment of diesel being pumped from Numaligarh Refinery in Assam to Bangladesh's Parbatipur depot.
- Under the bilateral agreement, India has committed to supply 180,000 tonnes of diesel annually.
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