Daily Current Affairs 28 March 2026: Noida Airport, Agnite, Urja Suraksha, Vayu Baan and IIED Index

Understanding daily current affairs 28 March 2026 is important for competitive exams. It provides insight into policy changes, global challenges, and technological advancements. This summary explores significant updates in environmental accounting, national security, global food dynamics, and space technology, offering an academic perspective on their implications and importance.

Radiative Forcing Based Accounting

Traditionally, Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions are measured as Carbon Dioxide Equivalent (CO2e), using carbon dioxide as a standard reference. However, this method often overlooks the significant differences in how long various GHGs remain in the atmosphere. For example, carbon dioxide can stay for centuries, while methane dissipates within a few decades.

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To address this limitation, the journal Environmental Research Letters introduced radiative forcing-based accounting. This new framework focuses on studying the climate impact of different global warming gases separately.

• Definition: Radiative forcing quantifies the net change in the Earth system’s energy balance caused by an external disturbance. For GHGs, it measures how increased GHG amounts affect Earth’s atmosphere.
• Focus: This framework considers both the intensity and duration of warming for individual gases. Radiative forcing-based accounting concerns the impact of greenhouse gases on Earth’s atmosphere, not ocean acidification.

Key Features and Benefits

• Accurate Warming Potential: It enables a more actual warming potential assessment, measuring the impact of increased GHG quantities in Watts per square meter (W/m²).
• Lifetime Consideration: This approach explicitly accounts for the lifetime differences of various GHGs.
• Effective Policy Making: It provides better data for developing effective climate policies.
• Carbon Market Efficiency: Enhances efficiency in carbon markets by offering accurate data for carbon credit transactions, which improves mitigation strategies.
• Targeted Mitigation: Promotes targeting specific gases that cause significant greenhouse effects, rather than relying solely on CO2 equivalence.
• Climate-Precise Accounting: Leads to more climate-precise accounting.
• Quick Wins: Identifies opportunities for quick wins, such as addressing methane emissions, which have a relatively short atmospheric lifetime (a few decades), allowing for faster impact on global warming.
• Fair Carbon Market & Transparent Support: Facilitates a fair carbon market and enables transparent support for specific sectors like agriculture or industry.

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Operation Urja Suraksha

This operation was launched to provide protection to energy-carrying vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, especially amidst regional crises.

• Objective: Indian naval ships escort these vessels to ensure their safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz to India.
• India’s Interests:

• Ensuring Energy Security.

• Protecting Sea Lines of Communication (SLOCs).

• Strategic Importance of Strait of Hormuz:

• Approximately 20% of the world’s petroleum passes through this strait.

• It is a major route for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) trade.

• Geography: The Strait of Hormuz is located between Oman and Iran, not Oman and Saudi Arabia.

• North: Iran

• South (tip): Oman

• West: Persian Gulf

• East: Gulf of Oman

IIED Global Food Security Index

The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) released a Global Food Security Index to assess climate-food climate risk within food systems. This comprehensive assessment covers 162 countries and investigates how climate change affects agricultural practices, productivity, and ultimately, food availability.

Methodology & Scenarios:

The index projects challenges for different countries under various temperature rise scenarios, including the current trajectory, 1.5°C, 2°C (as per the Paris Climate Change Agreement and IPCC reports), and 4°C warming.

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Four Pillars of Food Security:

The assessment is based on four critical pillars:

1. Availability
2. Accessibility
3. Utilization (emphasizing nutrition)
4. Sustainability (and highlighting systemic vulnerabilities)

Key Findings & Concerns:

• Temperature Thresholds: The report analyzes impacts when global warming reaches 1.5°C and 2°C.
• Increased Inequalities: Climate risks disproportionately affect poor countries, worsening existing inequalities. South Asia and Sub-Saharan African countries are particularly vulnerable.
• Population at Risk: Approximately 59% of the total world population is already at risk under current global warming scenarios.
• Economic Growth Challenges: Efforts to improve economic growth (GDP) face significant challenges due to climate shocks.
• India’s Vulnerability:

• India is in a low baseline segment with a score of 5.31, which is below the global average.

• Climate change is a reality and will inevitably cause further impact.

• Structural weaknesses in India include fragmented agriculture, a large number of small and marginal farmers, and significant income inequality.

• Under a 1.5°C warming scenario, India’s score is projected to drop to 4.96, making its population even more vulnerable. A 2°C rise would further degrade this score.

• Impact on Agriculture & Nutrition:

• Direct impact on crop yields, leading to a decrease.

• Reduced affordability of food, making quality nutrition expensive.

• Shift in focus from quality nutrition to merely ensuring basic caloric intake.

• Weak System Resilience: Highlights the need for greater sustainability and consistency in food systems.

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The index serves as an alert that rising temperatures endanger food security. There is an urgent need to adopt climate-resilient agriculture practices and establish an equitable food system to prevent a stark division between “haves” and “have-nots.”

Ignite Engine

Agnikul Cosmos, a Chennai-based startup, has developed a 3D-printed booster engine named Ignite. This engine is designed for use in satellite launching vehicles (SLVs) and marks a significant milestone in space propulsion technology.

Technology: Additive Manufacturing:

• The Ignite engine is produced using additive manufacturing (3D printing), a process that combines materials like plastic, metal, and ceramics.
• This method allows for the creation of an entire engine chamber in a single print, greatly reducing manufacturing time and complexity.

Key Features:

• 3D-Printed, Single-Piece Structure: Unlike traditional engines that require assembling multiple components, Ignite is a single, integrated structure, enhancing reliability and reducing potential points of failure.
• Semi-Cryogenic Propellant: It uses a semi-cryogenic propellant combination of liquid oxygen (LOX) as an oxidizer and kerosene as fuel. The Ignite engine uses liquid oxygen and kerosene as fuel, not solid fuel.

• Advantage: This combination does not require sub-zero operational temperatures, making it easier to handle and operate at normal temperatures.

• Rapid Manufacturing: The use of additive manufacturing allows for the production of an engine in as little as one week.
• Material: Constructed using Inconel, a superalloy from the nickel-chromium family, known for its thermal resilience and structural strength.
• Electric-Driven Pumps: Incorporates electric-driven pumps to ensure efficiency and control during operation.

Advantages & Applications:

• Boost to Space Propulsion Technology: Significantly advances India’s capabilities in space technology.
• Small Satellite Launches: Facilitates easier and more frequent launches of small satellites.
• Cost-Effective and Rapid: Enables rapid, low-cost, and on-demand satellite launch services.
• Reduced Manufacturing Complexity: Simplifies the production process.
• Time Efficiency: Saves considerable time in manufacturing and development.

Agnikul Cosmos

Agnikul Cosmos is an Indian aerospace startup established in 2017 under the National Centre for Combustion Research and Development (NCCRD) at IIT Madras, Chennai. It was founded by Srinath Ravichandran, Moin SPM, and Satyanaarayana Chakravarthy. The company focuses on providing affordable, on-demand satellite launch services. Agnikul Cosmos is an Indian aerospace startup focused on affordable, on-demand satellite launch services.

Key Contributions and Innovations:

• Agnibaan Launch Vehicle: A small rocket designed for easy and on-demand launching of satellites up to 100 kg into Low-Earth Orbit.
• 3D Printing Engine Technology (Ignite): The foundation for their Ignite engine development.
• Dhanush – First Private Launchpad: Developed and launched India’s first private launchpad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
• Semi-Cryogenic Propulsion Breakthrough: Agnikul Cosmos developed the semi-cryogenic propulsion technology utilizing liquid oxygen (LOX) and kerosene propellant, which powers the Ignite engine. This technology was successfully demonstrated in the SARTED mission in 2024.

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