• The Tamil Nadu government in its budget has announced that a new wildlife sanctuary called 'Thanthai Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary' will be formed in Erode district. It will be the 18th such sanctuary in the state.
• Spread across 80,567 hectares in the forest areas of Anthiyur and Gobichettipalayam taluks in Erode district, the sanctuary will include reserve forest areas in Anthiyur, Bargur, Thattakarai and Chennampatti.The proposed sanctuary is expected to house several animal species, including elephants, tigers, leopards, panthers, wild boars and deer.

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired the Regional Conference on 'Drug Trafficking and National Security' in Bengaluru on 24 March. Representatives from 5 southern states and 3 union territories participated in the conference.
• The Union Home Minister also supervised the destruction of 9,298 kg of seized narcotics worth Rs 1,235 crore during the meeting. The Home Minister focused on aspects such as zero tolerance in the regional conference on ways to reduce drug trafficking through sea routes and consequential stringent punitive action on drug traffickers.

• World Tuberculosis Day is observed every year on 24 March to raise awareness about tuberculosis and encourage timely action to combat the global TB epidemic.The theme of the year 2023 is - "Yes! We can end TB!".It aims to urge leaders from around the world to act to stop the TB epidemic.
• The theme emphasizes the importance of increased funding, rapid action, multi-sectoral collaboration, rapid adoption of new WHO guidelines, and adoption of innovation to eliminate tuberculosis.

• Ashneer Grover's new venture Third Unicorn has launched a fantasy sports app called CrickPe, ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 that begins from March 31.The new app aims to take on Dream11 and Mobile Premier League (MPL).
• CrickPe will charge a 10% platform fee on all funds received for any public or private contest.Players above 18 years of age are allowed to create a virtual team of cricket players and enter paid contests to earn cash prizes.The online fantasy sports market is currently dominated by Dream11.

• Egypt has officially become a member of the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) after President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's visit to India. Learn more about the NDB, its objectives, and the benefits of membership.
• The move is aimed at enhancing infrastructure in Egypt and reducing the country's dependence on US dollars.The NDB funding is expected to play a significant role in enhancing Egypt's infrastructure and achieving sustainable development goals.

• Canara Bank has sold its 40% stake in Commercial Indo Bank LLC, a joint venture with State Bank of India, to SBI for approximately Rs 121.29 crore. The joint venture was established in 2003 and operates in Russia.
• The sale agreement between the two banks was executed on November 11, 2022, and the entire transfer of shares was completed on the same day.The agreement was announced in January of the same year, and Canara Bank has now confirmed that it has received the full consideration amount for the sale.

• Axis Bank, India’s third largest private sector bank and Autotrac Finance Limited Ltd (AFL), a Gurgaon based Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) , announced its strategic partnership under the colending model through the Yubi Co.Lend platform.
• Through this partnership, both lenders will offer ‘New Tractor Loans’ for the Agricultural and Allied activities to cater the financial needs of the rural segment in India.The partnership will leverage the wide customer experience of Autotrac Finance and deep financial expertise of Axis Bank to enable easy credit availability for farmers at an optimal interest rate.

• The annual bilateral maritime exercise 'Konkan' between the Indian Navy and UK's Royal Navy was held off the Konkan coast in the Arabian Sea from March 20-22. The joint exercise by both the navies demonstrated operational readiness, enhanced interoperability and improved capability to conduct joint operations.
• INS Trishul, a Guided Missile Frigate, and HMS Lancaster, a Type 23 Guided Missile Frigate, participated in 'Konkan 2023' and conducted several maritime exercises to enhance interoperability and imbibe best practices.

• The Income Tax Department has launched a Mobile app where taxpayers can view and can request to correct any discrepancy in the Annual Information Statement (AIS) so that they can rectify it or calculate their tax liability accordingly.
• Taxpayers can use the app to view their information related to Tax deducted at Source (TDS), interest, dividends, share transactions, tax payments, Income Tax refunds and other Information, including GST Data and foreign Remittances as available in AIS.

• Google Doodle honoured Kitty O'Neil, an American stunt performer and once "the fastest woman in the world", on her 77th birth anniversary. Kitti, who was deaf since childhood, was a legendary American stunt performer, daredevil, and rocket-powered vehicle driver. Today's(24-03-2023) Google Doodle was illustrated by Washington DC-based, deaf guest artist Meeya Tjiang.

Download Daily GK PDF of 24 March 2023