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Daily Current Affairs 23rd March 2026 Daily GK Update
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National News
Ayush Ministry Signs MoU with CISF to Promote Preventive Healthcare and Wellness
- The Ministry of Ayush has signed an MoU with Central Industrial Security Force to promote preventive healthcare and wellness among personnel.
- The initiative focuses on AYUSH-based practices including yoga, stress management, and holistic well-being for CISF personnel and their families.
- The Ministry of Ayush will provide technical support and expert guidance, while CISF will ensure implementation across its units and establishments.
Cabinet Approves ₹1,718.56 Crore MSP Funding to Strengthen Cotton Procurement and Support Farmers
- The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Narendra Modi, approved MSP funding of ₹1,718.56 crore to Cotton Corporation of India for the 2023–24 cotton season to support farmers.
- The funding ensures direct price support as the government procures cotton at MSP when market prices fall, providing a safety net to farmers based on recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices.
- Cotton Corporation of India acts as the central nodal agency, procuring Fair Average Quality (FAQ) cotton without any quantity limit across major cotton-growing states.
- To strengthen procurement, CCI has set up over 508 centres in 152 districts and introduced tech initiatives like Bale Identification and Traceability System (BITS) and the “Cott-Ally” mobile app for better transparency and farmer outreach.
GSI Declares Kalinjar Fort Hill a National Geo-Heritage Site
- The Geological Survey of India has declared the hill region around Kalinjar Fort (Banda district of Uttar Pradesh) as a National Geo-Heritage Site on 16 March 2026, recognising its geological, historical, and cultural importance.
- The site features the rare Eparchaean Unconformity, where ~2.5 billion-year-old Bundelkhand granite is overlain by ~1.2 billion-year-old Kaimur sandstone, offering key insights into Earth’s geological evolution.
- Located in the Vindhya Range, the region is expected to boost geo-tourism and be part of a tourism circuit linking Kalinjar, Khajuraho, and Chitrakoot.
Punjab Launches ‘Sikhya Kranti 2.0’ with ₹3,500 Crore Investment to Transform School Education
- The Punjab Government has launched ‘Punjab Sikhya Kranti 2.0’ in collaboration with the World Bank to strengthen and modernize the state’s school education system.
- The programme aims to make Punjab’s education system globally competitive by improving quality, infrastructure, and learning outcomes.
- The initiative involves a total investment of ₹3,500 crore over six years, including ₹2,500 crore from World Bank assistance and ₹1,000 crore from the state government.
About Punjab
- Capital – Chandigarh
- Chief Minister – Bhagwant Mann
- Governor – Gulab Chand Kataria
India and Bhutan Sign MoU to Boost Postal Cooperation and Technology Collaboration
- India and Bhutan signed an MoU on Postal Cooperation to strengthen collaboration between India Post and Bhutan Post.
- The agreement focuses on postal operations, technology development, logistics, capacity building, philately, and knowledge exchange.
- Both countries aim to enhance cooperation in the technology domain, sharing best practices and experiences related to modern postal systems.
International News
Finland Tops World Happiness Report 2026 for 9th Year
- Finland remains the world’s happiest country for the 9th consecutive year, continuing the dominance of Nordic nations in global happiness rankings.
- The World Happiness Report 2026 highlights that excessive social media use is reducing happiness levels among young people, especially in Western and English-speaking countries.
- India ranks 116th out of 147 countries, showing a slight improvement from its 118th position in 2025.
- The report is published by the Wellbeing Research Centre in partnership with Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
Banking And Financial News
Core Industries Growth Rises to 2.3% in February 2026
- The Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) grew by 3% (provisional) in February 2026 compared to February 2025.
- Cement, Steel, Fertilisers, Coal, and Electricity sectors recorded positive growth during February 2026.
- The ICI tracks performance of eight core industries (including coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, etc.) and has a 40.27% weight in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
- The final growth rate for January 2026 stood at 4.7%, while the cumulative growth (April–February 2025-26) was 2.9% (provisional).
RBI Imposes ₹31.80 Lakh Penalty on HSBC for Non-Compliance
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a ₹31.80 lakh penalty on HSBC for regulatory non-compliance.
- The penalty was due to violation of RBI guidelines related to “Inoperative Accounts / Unclaimed Deposits in Banks – Revised Instructions.”
Recent Penalties imposed on Financial Institution
- Manappuram Finance (₹2.7 Lakh) by RBI – for violating guidelines related to compensation of Key Managerial Personnel (KMP).
- Cashfree Payments India Private Ltd (₹1 lakh) by RBI – for non-compliance with regulatory directions.
- Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services (Rs 11.50 lakh) by RBI – due to violations found during the annual inspection for FY ending March 31, 2025.
- UCO Bank (₹38.60 lakh) by RBI – for non-compliance with certain regulatory directions
- Bank of Maharashtra (₹32.50 lakh) by RBI – for non-compliance with regulatory directions.
Sports News
India to Host World Indoor Athletics Championships 2028 in Bhubaneswar
- India will host the World Indoor Athletics Championships 2028 in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, marking a major boost for India’s global sports profile.
- The hosting rights were granted by the World Athletics Council, reflecting confidence in India’s sporting infrastructure and organizational capacity.
- The event will take place at the Kalinga Stadium Complex, while the 2025 edition is being held in Toruń, Poland.
Lionel Messi Becomes Second Footballer to Score 900 Career Goals
- Lionel Messi became only the second men’s footballer to score 900 official goals, achieving the milestone for Inter Miami CF against Nashville SC in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
- He joins Cristiano Ronaldo, who reached the 900-goal mark earlier in 2024 and currently leads with 965 goals, aiming for the historic 1,000-goal milestone.
- Messi reached 900 goals in 1,142 matches, faster than Ronaldo (1,236 games), while Pelé ranks third on the all-time list with 765 goals.
FIFA Fines Israeli FA $190,700 Over Anti-Discrimination Violations
- FIFA imposed a fine of $190,700 on the Israeli Football Association for breaching anti-discrimination rules.
- The action was taken due to failure to address racist behaviour associated with Beitar Jerusalem.
Important Days
20 March – World Sparrow Day
- World Sparrow Day is observed annually on March 20 to raise awareness about the declining population of sparrows.
- Theme 2026 – Creating Bird-Friendly Cities & Communities
- The day highlights the need for conservation of house sparrows and protection of their natural habitats.
- It was first celebrated in 2010, initiated by the Nature Forever Society of India.
21 March – World Forestry Day
- World Forestry Day (also known as International Day of Forests) is observed annually on March 21.
- Theme 2026 – Forests and Economies
- The day aims to raise awareness about the importance of forests and their role in sustaining biodiversity and climate balance.
- It was established by the United Nations to promote forest conservation and sustainable management worldwide.
21 March – World Poetry Day
- World Poetry Day is observed annually on March 21 to celebrate the power of poetry and promote linguistic diversity.
- Theme 2026 – Poetry as a Bridge for Peace and Inclusion
- The day encourages reading, writing, publishing, and teaching poetry across cultures worldwide.
- It was established by UNESCO in 1999 to support poets and revive oral traditions of poetry.
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