DMK wants release of Modi biopic deferred, writes to poll panel

• The Vivek Oberoi-starrer, titled PM Narendra Modi, is expected to hit the theatres in the first week of April
• The letter has been addressed to the chief election commissioner, as well as local election authorities

Karnataka cabinet minister and Congress leader C.S.Shivalli dies at 57

• Shivalli had been aiding rescue efforts in Dharwad district where a building collapsed and had so far claimed the lives of 15 people
• Shivalli, a legislator from Kundagol in Dharwad district, collapsed while talking to locals in the district

President Ram Nath Kovind to visit Croatia, Bolivia and Chile next week

• Kovind will first visit Croatia from March 25-28 in what would be the first visit by an Indian president to the European country
• Kovind will head to Bolivia on March 28 for a three-day visit, the first high-level visit to the country since the establishment of diplomatic ties

Yeddyurappa dismisses Congress' corruption claims

• A 'Caravan' report says Yeddyurappa made payouts of some ₹1,800 crore to BJP’s central leaders during his term as Karnataka CM in 2008-11
• Former Karnataka CM Yeddyurappa threatens legal action if Congress fails to prove the corruption charges

China trade deal will probably happen, says Donald Trump

• America likely to keep a 25% tariff on European light trucks amid separate ongoing trade talks with the European Union
• Companies can avoid it by building factories in the US: Donald Trump

Disinvestment exceeds target at ₹85,000 crore: FM

• Against a goal of ₹80,000 crore in FY19,  divestments have touched ₹85,000 crore,  says FM Arun Jaitley
• The centre was able to garner revenue through IPOs, share buybacks, offer for sale, as well as ETFs

Yasin Malik’s Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front banned

• The Enforcement Directorate on Friday cracked down on separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Yasin Mali
• The special cell of the Delhi police also arrested JeM operative Sajjad Khan from the capital late on Thursday night

Economic affairs secretary SC Garg defends data revisions amid controversy

• Revisions to economic statistics are a fact and the revisions themselves are based on facts, says Subhash Chandra Garg
• 108 economists last week accused the Centre of deliberately revising or withholding statistics that show the government in poor light

India risks fresh bad debt pile up as weak banks resume lending

• India already has the world’s worst bad-loan ratio
• Of the 11 banks on whom tough restrictions were placed since 2014, five have recently been allowed to exit RBI's PCA sanctions

‘Chowkidar’ PM addresses watchmen as authorities get hold of Nirav in London

• The timing of the arrest is significant as India is in the midst of a high-intensity election campaign
• The BJP credited the Prime Minister for the arrest of Nirav Modi, but opposition parties said the timing of the arrest was suspect

CRPF jawan kills 3 colleagues in J&K's Udhampur

• Constable Ajit Kumar shot three of his colleagues from his service rifle at the 187th battalion camp
• Senior CRPF officials in New Delhi confirmed that the incident had occurred at 10 pm 

Mixed bag for Congress in stitching alliances

• The party has struck alliances in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. However, several others are still a work in progress
• A key state in which last-minute talks on division of seats are still on is Maharashtra

Islamabad extends restrictions on its airspace for commercial flights

• Pakistan’s move has caused flight disruptions for domestic and foreign airlines operating in India
• A Pakistani civil aviation official, requesting anonymity, said that talks were on with the government to lift the restrictions

PM Modi feeds on the optics of Nirav Modi arrest, ‘chowkidar’ outreach

• PM Modi’s outreach puts corruption on the centre stage and strengthens the optics of the BJP’s poll pitch 
• The day also marked the arrest of diamond tycoon Nirav Modi, accused in a $1.8 billion PNB fraud case

Samjhautha Express trial carried out in transparent manner: Indian envoy to Pak

• Four improvised explosive devices were planted on the train on 18 February 2007, in which 68 lives were lost
• At least 42 of the dead were Pakistani nationals

Govt looks at providing Jet Airways' unused airport slots to other airlines

• Civil Aviation Secretary said the ministry would discuss with Jet Airways about its requirements, including how many slots are being used
• Cash-strapped Jet Airways, which is looking to raise fresh funds, has grounded at least 47 planes due to non-payment of lease rental

Congress workers join Sumalatha’s Lok Sabha nomination procession in Mandya

• Sumalatha will take on Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy’s son, Nikhil Kumaraswamy
• The Congress is trying hard to keep its alliance intact with the JD(S) in Karnataka

Setback for NCP as Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil joins BJP

• Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil is likely to contest from the Madha Lok Sabha seat in Solapur district
• This is the second big exit from Congress-NCP alliance this month

Defence Ministry clears proposal to buy 10 lakh 'Made in India' hand grenades

• The new hand grenades will replace the existing inventory, HE-36 grenades manufactured by the Ordnance Factory Board
• The multi-mode grenades have been developed by the DRDO while the project is worth more than ₹500 crore

New CM Pramod Sawant wins Goa floor test

• Twenty MLAs voted for the motion of confidence in the two-day old government, while 15 opposed it
• Pramod Sawant was sworn in as chief minister during the wee hours of Tuesday