Current Affairs 8 & 9 March 2026

National Affairs

GeM Celebrates Seven Years of SWAYATT Initiative to Promote Inclusive Public Procurement

On 6 March 2026, the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) celebrated the 7th anniversary of its SWAYATT (Startups, Women and Youth Advantage through e-Transactions) initiative at its office in New Delhi, Delhi, reaffirming its commitment to promoting social inclusion by integrating startups, women entrepreneurs, and youth into the national public procurement ecosystem.

About SWAYATT Initiative – Commemorative Programme:

• Event: Ajit B. Chavan, Additional Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GeM, presented the opening perspective on the progress and future roadmap of SWAYATT.
• A short documentary showcasing the seven-year journey and impact of SWAYATT was screened during the event.

Launch: SWAYATT was launched on 19 February 2019 under the GeM to promote inclusive public procurement.

• Women: Participation of women entrepreneurs increased significantly, with cumulative order value rising from Rs.1,265.62 crore in the Financial Year 2018-19 (FY2019) to Rs.83,323 crore in FY2026, while orders grew from 1,01,530 to 44,48,894.

India Submits 7th Biodiversity Report to Convention on Biological Diversity

In March 2026, the Government of India (GoI) submitted its 7th National Report (NR7) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), presenting a comprehensive assessment of its progress toward the 2030 global biodiversity goals by evaluating performance across 23 national biodiversity targets aligned with the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).

It represents the first comprehensive progress assessment since countries adopted the KMGBF in 2022.

About 7th National Report (NR7) :

• Preparation: The report was prepared by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) with inputs from 33 central ministries and departments.
• Global Goals: The KMGBF’s targets by 2030 include protecting 30% of the world’s land and marine areas, restoring degraded ecosystems, and halting species extinction.
• Implementation: The report notes that while India has largely completed its national targets, there is still a need for further action to achieve the global goals.