Daily Current Affairs- 6th March 2026

Daily Current Affairs- 6th March 2026

IBM Launches First Infrastructure Innovation Centre in Bengaluru to Power India-Led AI Development

In the News: IBM launched its first Infrastructure Innovation Centre — named the Sangam Infrastructure Innovation Center — in Bengaluru, housed within its India Systems Development Lab (ISDL) campus. The centre is designed to accelerate enterprise-scale AI development, hybrid cloud innovation, and advanced infrastructure engineering, strengthening India's role as a strategic global hub in IBM's technology ecosystem.

Key Points:

• Name of Centre: Sangam Infrastructure Innovation Center — IBM's first Infrastructure Innovation Centre globally, launched on March 5, 2026.
• Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka; housed within IBM's new India Systems Development Lab (ISDL) campus.
• Purpose: A collaborative engineering hub designed to co-create AI solutions with clients, Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), Global System Integrators (GSIs), Global Capability Centers (GCCs), and ecosystem partners.
• Focus areas: Enterprise-scale AI development, hybrid cloud technologies, data architectures, automation, and advanced infrastructure engineering — covering the entire computing stack.
• India Systems Development Lab (ISDL): The largest development hub in IBM's global infrastructure business; focuses on mainframes, servers, storage systems, cloud technologies, and Technology Lifecycle Services (TLS).
• IBM's India development labs: Located in Bengaluru, Pune, and Hyderabad; engineers from these labs contribute to developing next-generation processors and operating systems for IBM's global enterprise infrastructure platforms.
• IBM Institute for Business Value study findings: 58% of Indian organisations have increased infrastructure investments due to rising AI demand; 19% projected growth in infrastructure budgets in 2025; 43% of organisations establishing or planning AI Centres of Excellence.
• IBM's global reach: IBM operates in more than 175 countries; thousands of government and corporate entities in critical sectors (financial services, telecom, healthcare) rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift.

Home Minister Amit Shah Launches ‘Pragati’ and ‘Vikas’ Mascots for Census-2027

In the News: Union Home Minister Amit Shah soft-launched four digital tools and unveiled two mascots — 'Pragati' and 'Vikas' — for Census 2027 in New Delhi, marking a major step towards India's first fully digital census. The census, to be conducted in two phases in 2026 and 2027, is expected to be the world's largest enumeration exercise, involving over 3 million enumerators, supervisors, and officials across India. It is the 16^th census of India costing Rs. 11,718 crore.

Key Points:

• Event: Union Home Minister Amit Shah soft-launched digital tools and unveiled mascots for Census 2027 in New Delhi.

• First fully digital census: Census 2027 will be India's first fully digital census, replacing the traditional paper-based process with advanced digital platforms.
• Scale: Expected to be the world's largest enumeration exercise, involving more than 3 million enumerators, supervisors, and officials across India.
• Gazette notification: The government formally initiated the census process through a Gazette notification issued on June 16, 2025.
• Developed by: Four digital platforms were developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) to streamline operations and enhance field monitoring.
• Mascots: 'Pragati' (female enumerator) and 'Vikas' (male enumerator) were unveiled as the public faces of the census campaign, symbolising equal participation of women and men in building a Developed India by 2047. They will be used in public outreach and awareness campaigns.
• Self-Enumeration (first-ever): For the first time in India's census history, citizens can submit household details online via a secure web portal in 16 languages before the door-to-door survey. A unique Self-Enumeration ID will be generated and verified by enumerators during field visits.

Conflict Zones in the US - Israel - Iran War

In the News: The United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes against Iran beginning March 1, 2026, hitting approximately 4,000 targets in the first four days — outpacing any recent US air campaign including the Gaza war (Oct 2023) and the anti-ISIS campaign (2014). Iranian retaliatory strikes have hit GCC states, US military bases, and Israeli cities, triggering a multi-front regional conflict involving Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iraqi militias across critical maritime chokepoints including the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, and the Indian Ocean.

Key Points:

• Scale of strikes: Airwars (UK-based war monitor) reports US–Israel hit significantly more targets per day than any campaign in recent decades, including the Gaza war (Oct 2023) and the US-led anti-ISIS campaign (2014).
• 100-hour record: In 100 hours, US–Israel declared hitting more targets in Iran than in the first six months of the US-led coalition's campaign against ISIS.
• Iranian casualties: At least 1,332 people killed across Iran according to Iranian state media; at least 6 US service members, 11 in Israel, and 3 in UAE killed from Iranian retaliatory strikes.
• Trump's stance: US President Donald Trump stated there will be 'no deal with Iran except unconditional surrender,' signalling intent to continue military operations.
• Israeli escalation: Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir announced plans to intensify attacks, focusing on undermining the Iranian regime and its military capabilities.
• Iranian retaliation strategy: Iran launched missile and drone strikes across the Middle East including GCC states; aims to spread the conflict regionally to raise the cost of war for the US and Israel.
• GCC targeting: Iran targeted airports, oil facilities, US embassies, and military installations in Gulf states to pressure the global economy and force international intervention.
• Nuclear deterrence: Iran has threatened to strike Israel's Dimona nuclear site if the US and Israel attempt regime change.

Russian oil 'waiver' explained: How war in West Asia forced Trump's hand, giving India short-term relief

In the News: Amid the effective blockage of the Strait of Hormuz due to the US–Israel–Iran war, the United States issued a temporary 30-day waiver (March 2026) allowing Indian refiners to purchase Russian crude oil already stranded at sea. The move provides short-term energy relief to India — the world's third-largest oil importer — while also serving Trump's domestic goal of preventing a sustained spike in oil prices ahead of US midterm elections.

Key Points:

• The Waiver: The US Treasury Department issued a temporary 30-day waiver (March 2026) allowing Indian refiners to purchase Russian crude oil already sitting in tankers at sea, despite earlier pressure on India to halt Russian oil imports.
• Why India needed it: The Strait of Hormuz — through which India receives over 40% of its oil imports (~2.5–2.7 million barrels per day) — has been effectively blocked due to the US–Israel–Iran war, cutting off supplies from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Kuwait.
• India's oil import dependence: India is the world's third-largest oil importer with an import dependence of over 88%; the Hormuz blockage posed a severe threat to energy security.
• Background: India had cut Russian oil imports: In recent months, India had significantly reduced Russian oil imports as part of trade negotiations with the US; Washington made halting Russian oil imports a prerequisite for scrapping the 25% additional penal tariff on India. In February 2026, India imported only 1.1 million bpd of Russian crude — almost half of the 2025 peak of over 2 million bpd.
• US–India interim trade deal: In early February 2026, the US and India announced an interim trade agreement under which the 25% tariff linked to Russian oil purchases was scrapped. The US claimed India committed to halt Russian oil imports; New Delhi did not comment.
• Why Trump issued the waiver: The West Asia conflict forced Trump to reverse his position. Ensuring oil supply continuity is critical to prevent a sustained spike in international oil prices, which would raise domestic fuel prices in the US — a politically damaging outcome in a midterm election year.
• Strait of Hormuz significance: The Strait of Hormuz handles approximately one-fifth of global liquid petroleum consumption and global LNG trade — making it the most important oil transit chokepoint globally. It is a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

Skyroot's Vikram-1: India's First Private Orbital Rocket

In the News: Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace is preparing to launch Vikram-1, India's first private orbital rocket, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota. Founded in 2018 by former ISRO engineers Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka, Skyroot successfully launched the sub-orbital Vikram-S in November 2022 and is now set for its orbital debut — a major milestone in India's commercial space sector.

Key Points:

• Vikram-1: India's first privately developed orbital rocket, named after Vikram Sarabhai — the father of India's space programme.
• Specifications: Seven-storey (75 feet tall) rocket with an all-carbon composite structure; payload capacity of ~300 kg to orbit, though the first mission may carry only ~150 kg.
• Propulsion: Three solid-propellant stages — Kalam-1200, Kalam-250, and Kalam-100— with an upper Orbit Adjustment Module (OAM) powered by a 3D-printed liquid engine called Raman-2.
• Launch Site: Initial launch from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota (ISRO); subsequent launches planned from Kulasekarapattinam.
• Founders: Pawan Kumar Chandana (35) and Naga Bharath Daka (36), both former ISRO engineers, founded Skyroot Aerospace in 2018.
• Milestone: Skyroot successfully launched Vikram-S (sub-orbital) in November 2022 on its very first attempt — a feat not achieved even by SpaceX on its maiden mission.
• Infinity Campus: Skyroot's production facility near Hyderabad Airport, designed to manufacture one Vikram-class rocket per month once fully operational.
• Partnerships: MoUs with French newspace operator Promethee (satellite constellation launch), German aggregator Exolaunch, and Indian startups Dhruva Space and Bellatrix Aerospace.