Committee for Great Indian Bustard Preservation appointed by Supreme Court

• CJI DY Chandrachud named an expert committee on March 26, 2024, to address the Great Indian Bustard's urgent endangerment emphasizing the need to balance conservation.
• In Gujarat and Rajasthan, collisions with powerful power cables could face lead to the extinction of the Great Indian Bustard population.
• The Supreme Court has reconsidered its order to subterranean electricity cables in order to safeguard bird species.
• Experts on animals, environmentalists, and government representatives from pertinent departments make up the committe.
• The committee's job is to determine whether installing overhead and subterranean electrical lines in habitats for priority birds is feasible.
• In order to ensure bird conservation, the group will investigate sustainable development alternatives.

Hurun Research Institute Report

• With 92 billionaires, Mumbai overtakes Beijing as the Asian capital of billionaires on March 26, 2024. China has to deal with a decrease in the number of extremely wealthy people.
• 3279 people are on the global rich list. This enormous accomplishment highlights India's growing significance in the distribution of wealth worldwide and represents Mumbai's developing economic environment.
• Mumbai is now the third-richest city in the world with 92 billionaires, after New York (119) and London (97).
•  The Adani Group's Gautam Adani and Reliance Industries' Mukesh Ambani are 2 prominent individuals responsible for Mumbai's billionaire status.
•  India's strong economy, which expanded at a 7.5% annual rate in 2023, enabled the country to welcome 94 billionaires, the most since 2013.

New Digital Markets Act (DMA) law

• The first inquiry under the new Digital Markets Act tech regulations was announced by the European Union on March 26, 2024, and it involved Apple, Alphabet, and Meta.
• The goal of the investigations is to find out if these tech behemoths have broken any laws related to the Digital Market Act (DMA), which aims to control the actions of big tech corporations and encourage fair competition in the market.
• The first 2 probes target Apple's and Alphabet's anti-steering policies in particular.
• Tech companies are not allowed by the DMA to stop companies from telling their consumers about less expensive options for their goods or services that are available outside of an app store.

India’s GDP to grow by 6.8%

• S&P Global's Q2 2024 report, released on March 26, 2024, raises India's FY25 GDP forecast to 6.8%, which is less than the government estimates.
•  The paper focuses on GDP growth projections for different economies, growth trajectory determining factors, and anticipated monetary policy changes.
• India's GDP growth forecast for FY25 is up 40 basis points to 6.8% by S&P Global, compared to a 7% estimate by the government and Central Bank.
• Expects India will rank among the top growth performers in the area in FY24 with a growth rate of 7.6%.
• It will maintain 7% GDP growth forecasts for FY26 and FY27, demonstrating ongoing growth momentum.

IAU approved the name ‘Station Shiv Shakti’

• The Vikram lander of Chandrayaan-3 made landfall on the moon on March 26, 2024, with the name "Station Shiv Shakti," approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
•  The landing location would be called Shiva Shakti, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on August 26, 2023.
•  According to the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, a list of planetary names authorized by the IAU, "Station Shiv Shakti" is a compound phrase from Indian mythology that symbolizes the dual nature of Shiva and Shaktiprana, the masculine and feminine aspects of nature.
• Carrying the Pragyan rover—named for India's space program's founder, Vikram Sarabhai—was the Vikram lander, intended to study the lunar surface and perform scientific research.

Named after ISRO, Researchers find new Isopod species in Kollam

• A new species of deep-sea isopod was found off the coast of Kerala on March 26, 2024, and it was named after the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) by researchers.
•  This new species, which is a member of the genus Brucethoa, was discovered residing inside the Spinyjaw greeneye fish's gill chamber.
•  Brucethoa isro is the unique name assigned to this new species of isopod.
• In the Brucethoa genus, Brucethoa isro is the sole species that has been found in India.

Virat Kohli

• Indian cricket player Virat Kohli made history on March 26, 2024, when he became the first player from his country to amass 12000 runs in the T20 format.
•  During the first Indian Premier League game of 2024 between the Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kohli completed this incredible achievement.
•  With an incredible 14562 runs scored, former West Indies opener Chris Gayle is ranked #1 on the list of all-time T20 run scorers.

Jayant Murthy

• The International Astronomical Union (IAU) named an asteroid in honour of Indian scientist Prof. Jayant Murthy on March 26, 2024.
• The renowned astrophysicist Professor Jayant Murthy has been honored for his outstanding contributions to the discipline with the naming of an asteroid, (215884) Jayantmurthy.
• This asteroid, formerly known as 2005 EX296 and discovered in 2005 at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, USA, circles the Sun every 3.3 years between Mars and Jupiter.
•  Its new name, Jayantmurthy (215884), will always honor the illustrious career of the Indian physicist.
• After serving as the acting director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) from July 2018 to October 2019; Professor Murthy completed his employment there in 2021.

Abhay Thakur 

• Senior Indian diplomat Abhay Thakur was named the nation's next ambassador or senior envoy to Myanmar on March 26, 2024.
• Abhay Thakur is an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer who was hired in 1992. He is currently employed at the Ministry of External Affairs as an Officer on Special Duty.
• When India was the president of the powerful G20, he held the position of sous-sherpa, or deputy representative, for the process.
• The nomination of Abhay Thakur as India's envoy to Myanmar occurs at a pivotal moment.
• Since the military overthrew the government in a coup on February 1, 2021, Myanmar has been the scene of extensive, violent protests calling for the return of democracy.

India’s oldest Temple in Madhya Pradesh

• As the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) excavates 2 mounds in Nachne village, Madhya Pradesh's Panna district, on March 26, 2024, the earliest temple in India will be unveiled.
• The objective of these excavations is to find what might be India's oldest temple.
• The Chaumukh Nath temple constructed by the Kalachuri dynasty and the Parvati temple dating back to the Gupta era are located about 30 m from the excavation sites.
•  Together with the temples in Bhumara and Deogarh, these temples, also called the Nachna Hindu temples, are some of the oldest stone temples still standing in central India.
• Although the Nachna temples' exact date is unknown, their architectural design is reminiscent of buildings from the Gupta Empire's 5th and 6th centuries.

Madarsa Education Act stroked by Allahabad High Court

• The Allahabad High Court's Lucknow bench ruled on March 26, 2024, that the UP Board of Madarsa Education Act of 2004 was unconstitutional.
• The Act, according to the court, violates multiple provisions of the Constitution, including provisions 14, 21, and 21-A, as well as the secularism principle.
•  The act also violated Section 22 of the University Grants Commission Act of 1956, the court decided.
• The Uttar Pradesh government has been ordered by the court to give pupils enrolled in madarsas (Islamic seminaries) a normal education.
• According to the verdict, the states elementary, high school, and intermediate education boards must make accommodations for these children.