10 March 2026

The Office of the Economic Adviser released WPI data for February 2026 showing headline inflation at 1.8%, easing from 2.4% in January 2026, driven by falling prices in manufactured products (-0.3%) and fuel and power (-1.1%). Food articles WPI remained elevated at 4.2% due to unseasonal rains. WPI data is released monthly by the Ministry of Commerce under the new WPI series (Base Year 2011-12).

ISRO successfully launched PSLV-C61 in its proven XL configuration, placing the EOS-09 (RISAT-1B) radar imaging satellite into a 500 km Sun-Synchronous Orbit. EOS-09 carries a C-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) capable of all-weather imaging and will serve agricultural monitoring, disaster management, and border surveillance. It is ISRO's 60th PSLV mission.

India deposited its instrument of ratification for the Minamata Convention on Mercury and released an updated National Action Plan identifying 45 mercury-emitting industrial clusters for remediation. Key sectors include chlor-alkali plants, artisanal gold mining, and coal-fired thermal power plants. Mercury waste management will be integrated into the Hazardous Waste Management Rules, 2016.

India and France formalised a government-to-government contract for 26 Rafale Marine multi-role carrier-borne fighters worth approximately EUR 7.4 billion. The aircraft will operate from INS Vikrant. The deal includes an offset clause of 50%, with HAL and Safran to co-manufacture engine components in India under the Make in India framework and technology transfer provisions.

The Delimitation Commission released a draft delimitation report for Jammu & Kashmir, Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland based on Census 2011 data. The J&K proposal increases assembly seats from 83 to 90 and creates 9 scheduled tribe reserved constituencies for the first time. Objections can be filed within 30 days under the Delimitation Act, 2002.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) announced that cumulative Aadhaar-based authentication transactions crossed 100 billion (10,000 crore), with 95 crore transactions in February 2026 alone. Authentication is used across DBT, banking, telecom, and health sectors. UIDAI operates under the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies) Act, 2016.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) announced discovery of a 2,200-year-old Mauryan-era township near Jaugada, Odisha — the site of one of Ashoka's Major Rock Edicts. Excavations revealed a grid-planned urban settlement, fired-brick structures, punch-marked coins, and a terracotta drainage system. The find provides evidence for Ashoka's administrative penetration into Kalinga post-Kalinga War (261 BCE).

India and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states signed the Digital Connectivity Protocol for Secure Cross-Border Data Exchange at the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting in Islamabad, establishing interoperable e-governance standards. India participated via video link due to the diplomatic protocol of not attending in-person in Pakistan. The protocol excludes sharing of personal data and defence data.

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), constituted under Article 338 of the Constitution, submitted a report to the President recommending inclusion of the Meghwal (Rajasthan), Madiga (AP & Telangana), and Dom (Bihar) communities in the Central SC list. Modifications to the SC list require a Presidential Order under Article 341(2) and Parliamentary approval.

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certified Odisha's Multi-Hazard Cyclone Preparedness Model as the world's first standardised zero-casualty evacuation protocol, setting benchmarks now adopted by the IMD's National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP). The model integrates early warning, NDRF pre-positioning, and shelter management and has guided Odisha's zero-mortality cyclone responses since 2013.