30 March 2026

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India, in its off-cycle meeting, unanimously decided to maintain the benchmark repo rate at 6.25%. The Standing Deposit Facility (SDF) rate remains at 6.00% and the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate at 6.50%. RBI retained its stance as "withdrawal of accommodation" to keep inflation durably at 4% CPI target under the Flexible Inflation Targeting framework.

A seven-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court delivered a judgment permitting state governments to sub-classify Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for reservation purposes to ensure equitable distribution of benefits among more backward groups within the category. The verdict overruled the earlier two-judge bench judgment in E.V. Chinnaiah v. State of Andhra Pradesh (2004) and follows the 2024 Constitution Bench ruling in Punjab v. Davinder Singh.

India's first designated Dark Sky Reserve was officially inaugurated at Hanle in eastern Ladakh at an altitude of 4,500 m. The reserve, declared under the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary, will restrict artificial lighting within a 20 km radius to protect pristine night-sky conditions for the Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) operated by IIA Bengaluru. The IAO houses a 2 m optical Himalayan Chandra Telescope.

India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) signed a landmark Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) covering Mode 1 (cross-border supply), Mode 2 (consumption abroad), and Mode 4 (movement of natural persons) across sectors including IT, healthcare, education, and construction. The GCC comprises Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman. India's services exports to GCC stood at $22 billion in 2024-25.

INS Nilgiri, the lead ship of the Project 17A (Nilgiri-class) guided missile frigates, was commissioned into the Indian Navy at Mumbai. The warship is indigenously built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDSL) and features advanced stealth features, indigenous sonar systems (Shakti IRST), and the Barak-8 Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile system. Seven Project-17A frigates are on order — four from MDSL and three from GRSE, Kolkata.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) notified Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) around 13 Protected Areas in the Western Ghats states (Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra), delineating buffer zones of 1–10 km. ESZs prohibit commercial mining, polluting industries, and large hotels but permit limited agriculture and eco-tourism. The Western Ghats is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world's eight biodiversity hotspots.

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), launched on August 28, 2014, surpassed 55 crore accounts with total deposits of over ₹2.5 lakh crore. Women account holders constitute 55.8% of total enrollees. PMJDY accounts provide zero-balance savings facility, RuPay debit card with ₹2 lakh accidental insurance cover, and direct benefit transfer (DBT) linkage. 86% of accounts are operational.

The Ministry of Environment notified the Brahmaputra River stretch from Dibru-Saikhowa to Kaziranga in Assam as India's first riverine (lotic) Ramsar Wetland, distinct from lake-type (lentic) sites. The site supports the Gangetic river dolphin (Platanista gangetica), Irrawaddy dolphin, and the gharial. India now has 89 Ramsar sites covering over 13.5 lakh hectares — the highest in Asia.

The National Museum, New Delhi, inaugurated a special exhibition titled "Panchadhatu: The Chola Bronze Tradition" featuring 78 Chola-period bronze icons spanning the 9th to 13th centuries CE. The Chola bronzes, cast using the lost-wax (cire perdue) technique, represent the pinnacle of Indian metal casting. The exhibition coincides with India's continuing efforts to repatriate stolen icons under the Project Pari initiative.

Dr. Sanjay Malhotra, who succeeded Shaktikanta Das as RBI Governor in December 2025, completed his first 100 days in office. During this period he presided over one rate cut cycle (25 bps in February 2026) and constituted a new External Advisory Committee on financial inclusion. The RBI Governor is appointed by the Government of India under Section 8 of the RBI Act 1934 for a term of three years.