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Current Affairs 08th March 2026
India's Chief Ministers 2026
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Himachal Pradesh: Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu
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Jharkhand: Hemant Soren
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Karnataka: Siddaramaiah
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Kerala: Pinarayi Vijayan
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MadhyaPradesh: Mohan Yadav
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Maharashtra: Devendra Fadnavis
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Meghalaya: Conrad Sangma
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Mizoram: P. U. Lalduhoma
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Nagaland: Neiphiu Rio
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Odisha: Mohan Charan Majhi
1. YES Bank appoints Vinay Muralidhar Tonse as MD & CEO
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Effective Dates: Mr. Tonse will join as MD & CEO (Designate) on March 12, 2026, to facilitate a smooth handover. He will formally take full charge as MD & CEO on April 6, 2026, for a three-year tenure.
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Succession: He succeeds Prashant Kumar, who is credited with stabilizing the bank post-2020 and will demit office on April 5, 2026, following the completion of his extended term.
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SBI Background: Continuing the trend of leadership from India's largest lender, Mr. Tonse brings nearly four decades of experience from the State Bank of India (SBI), where he most recently served as MD (Retail Business & Operations).
Footnotes: YES Bank's MD & CEO: Prashant Kumar, HQ: Mumbai, Estd: 2003
2. Balen Shah Set to Become Nepal’s PM
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Landslide Victory for RSP: Balen Shah’s Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is heading toward a sweeping victory, leading in over 100 of the 165 directly elected seats. This marks a historic rejection of the "old guard" parties (NC and CPN-UML) that have dominated Nepal for decades.
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Generational Shift (The "Gen Z" Mandate): At 35 years old, the former rapper and Kathmandu Mayor is set to become Nepal's youngest-ever Prime Minister. His rise is fueled by the September 2025 youth-led protests that demanded an end to corruption and traditional political leadership.
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Defeating the Establishment: In a symbolic "giant-killing" move, Balen Shah secured an unassailable lead in the Jhapa-5 constituency, the longtime stronghold of four-time former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, effectively signaling the collapse of the previous political order.
Footnotes: Nepal's President: Ram Chandra Poudel, PM: Sushila Karki, Capital: Kathmandu
3. Anita Shukla appointed as Ambassador of India to Republic of Ecuador
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DiplomaticProfile: Ms. Anita Shukla is a career diplomat from the 2006 batch of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS). Before this appointment, she served as Joint Secretary at the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service (SSIFS) in New Delhi, where she managed training programs for both Indian and foreign diplomats.
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Strengthening Ties: Her appointment comes at a strategic time following the opening of India’s permanent embassy in Quito in November 2025. This move signals India's intent to shift from "concurrent accreditation" (previously managed via Colombia) to a dedicated, full-time diplomatic presence in Ecuador.
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Key Focus Areas: She is expected to lead bilateral cooperation in sectors highlighted during recent high-level visits, specifically in digital technology (UPI/DPI), pharmaceuticals, and critical minerals, while overseeing the next round of Foreign Office Consultations scheduled for the first half of 2026.
4. Karnataka proposes social media ban for children U-16 in Budget
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Policy Objective: The ban targets children under the age of 16 to combat the "adverse effects" of increasing mobile usage, specifically addressing concerns over mental health, digital addiction, and online safety. If implemented, Karnataka will be the first state in India to introduce such a restriction.
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Wider Educational Context: The proposal is part of a broader educational strategy that includes the "Mobile Bidi, Pustaka Hidi" (Leave the phone, pick a book) campaign. To balance this restriction, the budget also allocated funds for a personalized digital tutoring system developed with IIT Dharwad for students in Classes 8–12.
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Implementation & Global Trend: While the budget outlines the intent, specific enforcement mechanisms—such as mandatory age verification or platform penalties—are yet to be finalized. The move aligns Karnataka with a global trend, following Australia’s nationwide ban for under-16s enacted in late 2025.
Footnotes: Karnataka's Governor: Thawar Chand Gehlot, CM: Siddaramaiah, Capital: Bengaluru
5. India’s D Gukesh defeats Spain’s David Anton Guijarro
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Ending the Winless Streak: This victory was significant as it ended Gukesh’s difficult winless run in the tournament. Before this final round, he had struggled with three losses and a series of draws, placing him at the bottom of the standings.
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Creative Endgame: Gukesh showcased his trademark creativity and precision in a well-played game, outclassing Guijarro specifically in the endgame. For Guijarro, this was a third consecutive loss to end the festival.
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Final Standings: Despite the last-round win, Gukesh finished tied for 9th place in the 10-player round-robin tournament. Meanwhile, fellow Indian Aravindh Chithambaram finished joint second, and Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov emerged as the overall winner.
6. Chile Becomes First Country in the Americas to Eliminate Leprosy
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Historic Milestone: Chile is now the first country in the Americas and only the second globally (after Jordan in 2024) to receive official WHO verification for eliminating leprosy. The achievement follows more than 30 years without a single locally acquired (autochthonous) case, with the last one recorded in 1993.
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Vigilant Surveillance: Despite the lack of local transmission, Chile never removed leprosy from its public health agenda. It remained a notifiable condition, meaning health professionals were legally required to report suspected cases. This maintained "institutional memory" and clinical readiness, ensuring that rare imported cases were quickly detected and treated.
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Integrated Care Model: The success is attributed to an inclusive health system that provides universal access to multidrug therapy (MDT) and holistic care. The strategy focuses not just on curing the infection but also on disability prevention, rehabilitation, and reducing the social stigma historically associated with the disease.
Footnotes: Chile's President: Gabriel Boric, Capital: Santiago
7. KV Subramanian becomes 1st Indian Economist to Win Chicago Alumni Award
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Historic First: Prof. Subramanian is the first Indian economist to receive this distinction in the award’s 85-year history (established in 1941). This recognition places him alongside an elite group of past recipients, including 14 Nobel laureates and global thinkers like Paul Samuelson and Milton Friedman.
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Recognition of Indian Policy: The University specifically cited his "landmark" Economic Surveys of India (2018–2021) as providing the intellectual foundation for India’s self-reliance (Atmanirbhar Bharat). It also highlighted his early diagnosis of the COVID-19 crisis as a supply-side disruption and his successful articulation of a V-shaped recovery.
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Triple Crown of Excellence: With this honor, Prof. Subramanian has now achieved the rare feat of receiving Distinguished Alumnus Awards from all three of his alma maters: IIT Kanpur, IIM Calcutta, and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He currently serves as the Executive Director for India at the International Monetary Fund.
8. Kriti K. Karanth received a major conservation award in UK
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Historic Achievement: Dr. Karanth is the first Indian and the first Asian recipient of the Esmond B. Martin Royal Geographical Society Prize. She was named the joint winner of the 2026 award alongside Professor Alexandre Antonelli, Director of Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
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Recognition of Impact: The award recognizes her "crucial contributions to the human understanding of ecosystems" and her work in protecting biodiversity. Specifically, she was praised for changing the narrative around conservation by creating holistic, science-based interventions that support both wildlife and local communities.
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Coexistence Models: Her leadership at CWS has led to the success of programs like Wild Seve, which helps families claim government compensation for wildlife-related losses, and Wild Shaale, an environmental education program that has reached tens of thousands of children living near India’s wildlife reserves.
WHAT HAPPENNED TODAY?
International Women’s Day 08thMarch
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Theme 2026: “Give To Gain”
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The theme highlights that when people support, empower, and invest in women, society as a benefit.
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