Current Affairs October 18th 2022| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the first-ever all-IIT R&D showcase at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi:

• Union Minister for Education and Skill Development, Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated IInvenTiv, the first-ever all-IIT R&D showcase at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
• IITs have become instruments of transformation.
• They are repositories of knowledge and experience and a bridge to the future.
• IInvenTiv will be the start of a revolution and emerge as a key forum that will provide solutions to complex global problems.
• The R&D Fair is being organized in commemoration of the 75th year of India’s Independence in line with the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ initiative.
• It has brought over 300 representatives from the industry.
• There are 75 projects and 6 Showcase projects on diverse themes being exhibited at the event.
• The projects are aligned with the vision of Make in India, Digital India, and Atmanirbhar Bharat.

PM GatiShakti National Master Plan has the potential to save over Rs. 10 Lakh Crore by improving logistics efficiency:

• According to the Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution and Textiles, the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan has the potential to save over Rs. 10 Lakh Crore annually by improving logistics efficiency.
• The PM GatiShakti National Master Plan was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 13, 2021.
• It is a digital platform to bring 16 Ministries including Railways and Roadways together for integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects.
• It will facilitate the last-mile connectivity of infrastructure and reduce logistics costs.
• It will incorporate the infrastructure schemes of various Ministries and State Governments like Bharatmala, Sagarmala, inland waterways, dry/land ports, UDAN, etc.
• Economic Zones like textile clusters, pharmaceutical clusters, defense corridors, electronic parks, industrial corridors, fishing clusters, and agri zones will be covered to improve connectivity & make Indian businesses more competitive.
• It will also leverage technology extensively including spatial planning tools with ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) imagery developed by BiSAG-N (Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics).

PM Gati Shakti is based on six pillars:

• Comprehensiveness: It will include all the existing and planned initiatives of various Ministries and Departments with one centralized portal. Every Department will now have visibility of each other’s activities providing critical data while planning & comprehensively executing projects.
• Prioritization: Through this, different Departments will be able to prioritize their projects through cross-sectoral interactions.
• Optimization: The National Master Plan will assist different ministries in planning for projects after the identification of critical gaps. For the transportation of goods from one place to another, the plan will help in selecting the most optimum route in terms of time and cost.
• Synchronization: Individual Ministries and Departments often work in silos. There is a lack of coordination in the planning and implementation of the project resulting in delays. PM Gati Shakti will help in synchronizing the activities of each department, as well as of different layers of governance, holistically by ensuring coordination of work between them.
• Analytical: The plan will provide the entire data in one place with GIS-based spatial planning and analytical tools having 200+ layers, enabling better visibility to the executing agency.
• Dynamic: All Ministries and Departments will now be able to visualize, review and monitor the progress of cross-sectoral projects, through the GIS platform, as the satellite imagery will give on-ground progress periodically and the progress of the projects will be updated regularly on the portal. It will help in identifying the vital interventions for enhancing and updating the master plan.

The government has accorded infrastructure status to data centers with over 5-megawatt capacity of IT load.

• Data centers with over 5 megawatts (MW) capacity of IT load has been given infrastructure status by the government.
• As per the government notification, Data Centre has been included in the Harmonized Master List of Infrastructure sub-sectors by insertion of a new item in the category of ‘Communication’.
• The notification says Data Centre housed in a building for storage and processing of digital data applications with a minimum capacity of “5 MW of IT load” will be eligible for infrastructure status.
• In the budget speech for 2022-23, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that data centers will be granted infrastructure status.
• As per the ICRA report, data centers’ capacity expansion in India by both foreign and local firms will add investments of ₹1.05 lakh to ₹1.2 lakh crore over the next 5 years.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Israel & Lebanon agree to sign ‘historic agreement’ on maritime borders

• Israel and Lebanon reached a historic agreement to resolve a long-running maritime border dispute following months of negotiations mediated by the United States.
• This is the first agreement between Israel and Lebanon.

About Israel :

• President : Isaac Herzog
• Prime Minister : Yair Lapid
• Capital: Jerusalem
• Currency : New shekel

About Lebanon :

• President: Michel Aoun
• Prime Minister : Najib Mikati
• Capital: Beirut
• Currency: Lebanese pound

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

Nagaland launches Chief Minister Health Insurance Scheme

• The Nagaland Chief Minister (CM) Shri Neiphiu Rio launched the ‘Chief Minister’s Universal Health Insurance Scheme (CMHIS)’ at Kohima, Nagaland.

Aim :

• To alleviate financial hardships due to hospitalization expenses and prevent inaccessibility to healthcare on account of inability to afford it.
• National Health Authority CEO Shri RS Sharma was present virtually at the program in which the scheme was unveiled.

About CMHIS :

• The scheme has been categorized into CMHIS Employees and Pensioners (EP), and CMHIS (General).
• The government employees, pensioners, MLAs, ex-MLAs, and staff of state PSUs and other autonomous organizations, who are eligible for monthly medical allowance or reimbursement along with their dependent family members will be part of the first category.
• The sum disbursed for this category is Rs 20 lakh per family on a floater basis.
• For government employees, any additional expenses beyond the sum insured shall be reimbursed on a case-to-case basis on the recommendation of the State Medical Board.
• CMHIS (General) category will comprise all indigenous and permanent residents of the state who are not beneficiaries of the Ayushman Bharat or any other public-funded insurance scheme.
• The sum insured for this category will be Rs 5 lakh per family per annum on a floater basis, similar to Ayushman Bharat.
• The CMHIS (General) beneficiaries will be entitled to more than 1,950 medical and surgical packages.

About Nagaland :

• Governor : Jagdish Mukhi
• Chief Minister : Neiphiu Rio
• Capital : Kohima
• National Park : Intanki National Park

Tamil Nadu is the only State to achieve the Jal Jeevan Mission target for 2022 Q1 and Q2

• According to official data, Tamil Nadu (TN) has emerged as the only State which has achieved the target for 2022 Q1 and Q2 for Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), with 57 lakh households provided with tap connections to date.
• Union Jal Shakti Minister Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat visited Chennai and reviewed the progress of work on the Jal Jeevan Mission for assured potable tap water supply to every rural household by 2024.

Key Highlights :

• To date, out of the 1.25 crore households in Tamil Nadu, 69.57 lakh households have received tap connections. 
• The percentage of households (55.63%) with tap connections in Tamil Nadu is higher than the national average of 53.96%. 
• The target set by the Union government for Q1 and Q2 for 2022 was 12.1 lakh tap connections in Tamil Nadu. 
• However, the TN has provided 16.25 lakh tap connections, registering 134% of the target.
• The target set for 2022-2023 in the State is 48 lakh tap connections.
• The implementation of the work on tap connections for 14.44 lakh households is underway in TN.
• Of the 12,525 villages in TN, the State has reported 2,663 villages as ‘Har Ghar Jal’ villages, with tap water connections in 100% of households. 

Expenditure :

• Of the allocation of ₹3,691 crores from the Union government for the State in 2021-2022, ₹614 crores have been released.
• The expenditure for the State government for providing the tap connections was ₹496 crore in 2021-2022 and the expenditure for the Union government was ₹457 crore in the same period.
• The State government has reported an expenditure of ₹173 crores during 2022-2023.
• The Union government has reported an expenditure of ₹132 crores during the same period.

About JJM :

• The Jal Jeevan Mission was announced by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on August 15, 2019. 
• Under this, every rural household will have a functional tap connection by 2024, with assured water supply in adequate quantity of prescribed quality with adequate pressure on a regular and long time basis.

About Tamil Nadu :

• Governor: R. N. Ravi
• Chief minister: M. K. Stalin
• Capital: Chennai
• Dance : Bharatnatyam, Karakattam
• National Park: Mudumalai National Park, Mukurthi National Park, Guindy National Park, Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Kalakad Wildlife sanctuary, Karikili Bird Sanctuary, Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary
• Tiger Reserve: Anamalai Tiger Reserve
• Biosphere Reserve: Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve

Himachal Pradesh Launches new scheme “HIMCAD” to help farmers

• The government of Himachal Pradesh has launched a new scheme named HIMCAD to provide irrigation facilities to farmers of Himachal Pradesh (HP).
• According to the latest data, about 80% of the agricultural area of Himachal Pradesh is rain-fed. 

About HIMCAD :

• The scheme will provide end-to-end connectivity of farmers’ fields for better water conservation, crop diversification, and integrated farming.
• Under the scheme, it is planned to provide command area development activities to 23,344 hectares of cultivable command area by March 2024, and the State Technical Advisory Committee has approved 379 minor irrigation schemes worth Rs 305.70 crore.

About HP :

• Governor : Rajendra Arlekar
• Chief Minister: Jai Ram Thakur
• Capital: Shimla (Summer), Dharamshala (Winter)
• National Park: Great Himalayan National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Bandli Sanctuary, Daranghati Wildlife Sanctuary, Chail Wildlife Sanctuary

Coal India to set up 1,190 MW solar power plant in Rajasthan

• The Coal India Limited (CIL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rajasthan Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RVUNL) for setting up an 1190 MW solar power plant in the Bikaner district of Rajasthan.
• RVNUL Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) R K Sharma and Technical Director of Coal India Limited, V Reddy signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the presence of Union Minister of Coal Shri Pralhad Joshi and Chief Minister of Rajasthan Shri Ashok Gehlot.
• The plant will be installed in a 2,000-MW solar park being developed by RVUNL in Poogal, Bikaner.

Key Highlights :

• The Rajasthan government has allotted 4,846 hectares of land to the solar park.
• The plant will be installed in a 2,000-MW solar park being developed by RVUNL in Poogal, Bikaner.
• Out of this, an 1190 MW capacity solar project will be set up by Coal India, while an 810 MW capacity solar project will be set up by RVUNL.

Additional Info :

• Rajasthan becomes the first in the country by setting up 14,825 MW solar power projects.

About CIL :

• Founded: 1975
• Headquarters: Kolkata, West Bengal, India
• Chairman & MD: Pramod Agrawal
• CIL is an Indian central public sector undertaking under the ownership of the Ministry of Coal, Government of India.
• It is the largest government-owned-coal-producer in the

About RVUNL :

• Founded: 2000
• Headquarters: Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
• Chairman & MD: Shri R K Sharma
• The RVUNL is the electricity generation company of the Government of Rajasthan state in India

About Rajasthan :

• Governor: Kalraj Mishra
• Chief minister: Ashok Gehlot
• Capital: Jaipur
• National Park: Keoladeo National Park, Ranthambore National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Desert WL Sanctuary, Jaisamand WL Sanctuary, Ramsagar WL Sanctuary

Ethiopian delegation Visits Andhra Pradesh to implement Rythu Bharosa Kendra concept

• An Ethiopian delegation led by the Agricultural Minister Dr. Meles Mekonen Yimer is in Andhra Pradesh (AP) to study the first-of-its-kind Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs), which have been set up by the Chief Minister Shri Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government.
• Before calling on the CM, the Ethiopian delegation visited the integrated call center at Gannavaram and RBK-2 at Gandigunta village of Yuyyuru Mandal in Krishna district.

About RBKs :

• RBKs are unique seeds-to-sales, single-window service centers for farmers that have been set up across AP.
• They are a one-stop solution to all farmers’ needs and grievances. 
• RBKs sell pre-tested quality seeds, certified fertilizers, and animal feed.
• Over 10,700 RBKs multi-functional kiosks with digital Aadhar authentication equipment have been set up across AP.
• They also provide farm equipment and enable farmers to sell their produce at the prevailing minimum support price (MSP) via supporting systems of e-cropping, geo-tagging, and CM App.
• They provide services like soil testing and consultancy regarding what crops to sow and the quality and type of fertilizer to be used.

About integrated call center :

• The call center established at Gannavaram was set up in March of 2021 to address farmers’ grievances.
• The center has several scientists and 30 experienced call center executives.
• Suggestions and advice will be given to farmers on agriculture and related areas like horticulture, sericulture, veterinary, fisheries, and marketing-related technical queries will be addressed.
• Recently, the RBKs were nominated for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s Champion Awards (CCA), which recognizes the contributions of governments in boosting food security.

About Ethiopia :

• President: Sahle-Work Zewde
• Capital: Addis Ababa
• Currency: Ethiopian birr

About AP :

• Governor: Biswabhusan Harichandan
• Chief minister: YS Jagan Mohan Reddy
• Capital: Amaravati
• National Park: Papikonda National Park, Rajiv Gandhi (Rameshwaram) National Park, Sri Venkateswara National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary, Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary, Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary, Gundla Brahmeswaram Wildlife Sanctuary

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING & FINANCE

RBI cancels registration certificates of 8 NBFCs

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) canceled the certificates of registration of eight non-banking finance companies (NBFC) in
• Four NBFCs surrendered their certificates of registration to the RBI.

The four NBFCs are :

1. Ashwini Investment Private Ltd
2. RM Securities Pvt Ltd
3. Amity Finance Private Ltd
4. Matrix Merchandise Ltd.

• Separately, the RBI suo-moto canceled certificates of another 4 NBFCs – SRM Properties and Finance Company Pvt Ltd, North East Region Finservices Ltd, Sowjenvee Finance Ltd, and Opel Finance Ltd.
• The above companies shall not transact the business of a non-banking financial institution, as defined in clause (a) of Section 45-I of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.

About RBI :

• Established: 1 April 1935
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Governor : Shaktikanta Das
• Deputy governors: Mahesh Kumar Jain, Rajeshwar Rao, Michael Patra, and T. Rabi Shankar

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

IRDAI Grants Approval To Merger Of Exide Life Into HDFC Life

• Insurance sector regulator Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has granted final approval to HDFC Life Insurance Company Ltd (HDFC Life) to merge Exide Life into the company.
• This marks the completion of the first-ever merger and acquisition (M&A) transaction in the Indian life insurance sector.
• In January 2022, HDFC Life acquired a 100% stake in Exide Life Insurance Company from its parent firm Exide Industries for Rs 6,687 crore to increase its presence in the south India market.
• With the transfer of its life insurance business to HDFC Life, Exide Industries acquired a 4.12% stake in HDFC Life.
• In Sep 2022, IRDAI received approval from the Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for the merger of Exide Life into itself.

About IRDAI :

• Established: 1999
• Headquarters: Hyderabad, Telangana
• Chairperson: Debasish Panda
• IRDAI is a regulatory body under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
• It is tasked with regulating and licensing the insurance and reinsurance industries in India.

About HDFC Life Insurance Company Ltd :

• Founded: 2000
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• MD & CEO : Vibha Padalkar
• It is a joint venture between Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd (HDFC), one of India’s leading housing finance institutions, and Abrdn, a global investment company.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND REPORTS

FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking India was placed at 67:

• FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking, which will be used to determine the seedings for the Draw for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023.
• India dropped three spots to 61st position behind Panama, but ahead of Cameroon.
• The three teams at the top in the August 2022 ranking are still there, with one slight change in the order.
• Though the USA (1st, -) remain out front, Sweden (2nd, plus 1) has jumped into second place at the expense of Germany (3rd, minus 1). England (4th, -) and France (5th, -) complete the top five.
• Two new teams have joined since the publication of the previous ranking in August: Syria (157th) and Pakistan (160th).
• This takes the total number of FIFA member associations now included in the women’s ranking to 187.
• FIFA has 211 member associations in all.
• India has 1406 points, a total of 20 points less than last quarter and stays in 12th position in the Asian (AFC) Women’s rankings.
• In South Asia, India remains in the top spot ahead of Nepal (103rd), Bangladesh (140th), Sri Lanka (155th), the Maldives (159th), Pakistan (160th) return to the rankings and Bhutan (177th).

About FIFA:

• FIFA is an international governing body of association football, beach football, and futsal.
• It was founded in 1904.
• President: Gianni Infantino, Headquarters: Zürich, Switzerland.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

GAME signed an MoU with NRLM to enable financial access for the growth of 10 lakh women entrepreneurs:

• Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (GAME) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with DAY-National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) to enable financial access for the growth of 10 lakh women entrepreneurs over 3 years.
• As per the MoU, GAME, and NRLM will strengthen non-farm livelihoods by building the capacity of women entrepreneurs (WEs) to access finance and grow their enterprises.
• The program will focus on capacity building of stakeholders and bankers from public sector banks, digitally-led NBFCs, and small finance banks.
• In line with this, another key objective is to identify and train ‘VittaSakhis’ from Self Help Groups (SHGs) who can help WEs.
• VittaSakhis will educate WEs on how they can apply for and benefit from government schemes/ compliances and onboard them onto digital tools for building their enterprise.

About GAME:

• The Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship founded by Ravi Venkatesan, Madan Padaki, and Mekin Maheshwari, was officially launched in August 2018, to unlock ME’s potential and as a convening body that brings alignment within the ecosystem and mobilize action to address systemic challenges.
• Suresh Gundappa, CEO, GAME.

NHIDCL has signed an MOU with CSIR-CRRI, IIT Roorkee, IIT Kanpur, and NSDC to help introduce innovative technologies:

• National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL), a CPSE under the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, has signed a memorandum of understanding with CSIR-CRRI, IIT Roorkee, IIT Kanpur, and NSDC to help introduce innovative technologies and find a pragmatic solution to the highways construction issues in challenging hilly and border areas.
• Earlier, MoUs were signed with IIT Bombay & IIT Guwahati for sharing knowledge of innovative ideas and technologies in the field of highway engineering to upgrade the skill and capacity of the core engineering professionals of NHIDCL who are working tirelessly for the construction of Highways, tunnels and other infrastructure in the very tough geographical areas of NE region, UT of Ladakh, UT of J&K and UT of Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
• The latest MoU with IIT, Patna was signed.
• The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited is a fully owned company of the Government of India, set up in 2014.
• Managing Director: Chanchal Kumar.

UNDP has partnered with Arya. ag for agri-value chain intervention, enterprise promotion, and skilling in the agriculture sector:

• UNDP has partnered with the integrated grain commerce platform ag and Friends of Women’s World Banking India (FWWB India) for agri-value chain intervention, enterprise promotion, and skilling in the agriculture sector.
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is implementing Project Excel in Jamnagar and Dwaraka Devbhumi districts of Gujarat to improve the incomes of 10,000 farmer households through enterprise promotion, agri-value chain interventions, skilling, employment, and social protection.
• This partnership aims to create a cadre of community resource persons for mentoring and supporting entrepreneurs and promoting individual and group enterprises by December 2023.

About FWWB:

• Friends of Women’s World Banking, India, often shortened to Friends of WWB, India, or just FWWB, is an Indian APEX organization that assists microfinance and microenterprise organizations. Founded in 1982 by Ela Bhatt, it is located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.

About UNDP:

• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Headquarters – New York City, Head – Achim Steiner.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

India’s annual wholesale price-based inflation (WPI) eased in September to 10.70%:

• India’s annual wholesale price-based inflation (WPI) eased in September to 10.70% as against 12.41% recorded in August 2022 and 11.8% in September last year
• September is the 18th consecutive month of double-digit WPI inflation.
• This year, the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) touched a record high of 15.88% in May.
• Earlier this week, government data showed that India’s retail inflation accelerated to a five-month high of 7.41% in September, driven by soaring food costs, adding pressure on the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to act aggressively to slow price increases.
• Inflation has remained over the RBI’s upper tolerance band of 6% for the ninth straight month.
• The RBI mainly looks at retail inflation to frame monetary policy. RBI’s monetary policy committee (MPC) hiked the repo rate for the fourth time in a row on 30 September, taking the policy rates to a three-year high of 5.9%.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Bandhan Bank appoints Sourav Ganguly as brand ambassador

• Bandhan Bank has appointed former Indian Cricketer Sourav Ganguly as its brand ambassador. 
• He will help amplify the brand message of the Bank and endorse the products and services of the Bank.

About Sourav Ganguly :

• Sourav Chandidas Ganguly is an Indian cricket administrator, commentator, and former national cricket team captain.
• He is affectionately known as Dada
• He is the 39th and current president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). 
• He is popularly called Maharaja of Indian Cricket.

About Bandhan Bank :

• Founded: 2015
• Headquarters: Kolkata, West Bengal, India
• MD & CEO: Chandra Shekhar Ghosh
• Bandhan Bank is an Indian commercial bank that focuses on underbanked and underpenetrated markets. 
• It is India’s first example of a microfinance organization converting into a universal bank.

Boult Audio appoints Saif Ali Khan and Suryakumar Yadav as brand ambassadors

• Boult Audio Private Limited, a company that imports and sells Chinese-made electronics products like earphones and smartwatches has roped in actor Saif Ali Khan and cricketer Suryakumar Yadav as its new brand ambassadors.
• Yadav is the highest run-getter in T20Is this year and is currently ranked 2nd in the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20I rankings.

About Boult Audio :

• Founded: 2017
• Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi
• Co-Founder & CEO: Varun Gupta

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE NEWS

INS Arihant carries out successful launches of Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile

• India’s first ballistic missile nuclear submarine Submersible Ship Ballistic Missile Nuclear (SSMN), Indian Naval Ship (INS) Arihant successfully launched a Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) validating India’s second strike nuclear capability.
• The trial was significant to prove crew competency and validate the SSBN (Ship Submersible Ballistic Nuclear Submarine) program. 

About INS Arihant :

• Launched in 2009, INS Arihant was commissioned in
• Builder: Shipbuilding Center (SBC), Visakhapatnam.
• INS Arihant, a 6,000-tonne submarine is the lead ship of India’s Arihant class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines built under the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project. 
• The Advanced Technology Project (ATV) project began in the 1980s and the first of them, Arihant, was launched into the water in 2009 by then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.
• Its design is based on the Russian Akula-1 class submarines and its 83MW pressurized light-water reactor with enriched uranium has been built with significant Russian assistance.
• Under the Rs, 90,000 crores top-secret ATV project, India is currently building three more SSBNs to follow INS Arihant.
• The missile was tested to a predetermined range and impacted the target area in the Bay of Bengal with very high accuracy and all operational and technological parameters of the weapon system have been validated.
• A robust, survivable and assured retaliatory capability is in keeping with India’s policy to have ‘Credible Minimum Deterrence‘ that underpins its ‘No First Use’ commitment.
• The second such submarine, INS Arighat, is slated to become fully operational in 2023. 
• The vessel will be followed by two 7,000-tonne SSBNs under the ATV project.
• There is also a plan to build 13,500-tonne SSBNs with more powerful 190MW reactors. 

About SSBN :

• SSBNs are that class of submarines that can go deep beneath the ocean making them virtually undetectable for months, they also carry nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles.
• It is capable of carrying ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads.
• It is armed with the K-15 Sagarika missiles with a range of 750 km.
• Later, it will also be armed with K-4 missiles, being developed by the DRDO, which are capable of striking targets at a distance of up to 3,500 km. 
• These ‘K’ series of missiles are named after former President APJ Abdul Kalam. 

Note :

• Currently, India is the 6th country, alongside China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States to have nuclear-powered submarines armed with ballistic missiles.

About the Indian Navy :

• Founded: 26 January 1950
• Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi
• Chief of Defence Staff:  General Anil Chauhan
• Chief of the Naval Staff: Admiral R. Hari Kumar

Rajnath Singh launches Maa Bharati Ke Sapoot website for citizens to contribute to the Armed Forces fund

• Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh launched the ‘Maa Bharati Ke Sapoot’ (MBKS) website (www.maabharatikesapoot.mod.gov.in) for contribution to the Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund (AFBCWF) at a function organized at the National War Memorial Complex in New Delhi.

About AFBCWF :

• The AFBCWF is a Tri-Service fund, which is utilized to grant immediate financial assistance to the families of soldiers/sailors/airmen who lay down their lives or get grievously injured in active military operations.
• The website was launched to simplify the process for patriotic Indians to join the noble cause.
• It will enable people to contribute online directly to the fund.
• Amitabh Bachchan will be the ‘Goodwill Ambassador’ of the initiative.

About MoD :

• Union Minister: Rajnath Singh
• Minister of State: Ajay Bhatt
• Defence Secretary: Dr. Ajay Kumar

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES

Harry Potter actor Robbie Coltrane Passes away

• Scottish actor and comedian Robbie Coltrane, best known for playing the lovable half-giant Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies, has Passed away at the age of 72.

About Robbie Coltrane :

• Coltrane was born on 30 March 1950 in Rutherglen, Scotland.
• He was appointed an OBE in the 2006 New Year Honors by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to drama.
• He gained worldwide recognition as Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter film series (2001–2011), and as Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky in the James Bond films GoldenEye (1995) and The World Is Not Enough (1999).
• He gained fame for playing a crime-solving psychologist on the popular TV series Cracker.

Awards & Honors :

• In 1990, Coltrane received the Evening Standard British Film Award – Peter Sellers Award for Comedy. 
• He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2006 New Year Honors for his services to drama.
• In 2011, he was honored for his “outstanding contribution” to film at the British Academy Scotland Awards.
• In 2017, he received the Royal Television Society Award for Best Actor – Male & he received Monte-Carlo Television Festival for Long Fiction Program, Broadcasting Press Guild Award for Best Actor.

Daily CA on October 18:

• Union Minister for Education and Skill Development, Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated IInvenTiv, the first-ever all-IIT R&D showcase at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
• According to the Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution and Textiles, the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan has the potential to save over Rs. 10 Lakh Crore annually by improving logistics efficiency.
• Data centers with over 5 megawatts (MW) capacity of IT load has been given infrastructure status by the government.
• FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking, which will be used to determine the seedings for the Draw for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023.
• Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (GAME) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with DAY-National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) to enable financial access for the growth of 10 lakh women entrepreneurs over 3 years.
• National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL), a CPSE under the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, has signed a memorandum of understanding with CSIR-CRRI, IIT Roorkee, IIT Kanpur, and NSDC to help introduce innovative technologies and find a pragmatic solution to the highways construction issues in challenging hilly and border areas.
• UNDP has partnered with the integrated grain commerce platform ag and Friends of Women’s World Banking India (FWWB India) for agri-value chain intervention, enterprise promotion, and skilling in the agriculture sector.
• India’s annual wholesale price-based inflation (WPI) eased in September to 10.70% as against 12.41% recorded in August 2022 and 11.8% in September last year.
• Israel and Lebanon reached a historic agreement to resolve a long-running maritime border dispute following months of negotiations mediated by the United States.
• The Nagaland Chief Minister (CM) Shri Neiphiu Rio launched the ‘Chief Minister’s Universal Health Insurance Scheme (CMHIS)’ at Kohima, Nagaland.
• According to official data, Tamil Nadu (TN) has emerged as the only State which has achieved the target for 2022 Q1 and Q2 for Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), with 69.57 lakh households provided with tap connections to date.
• The government of Himachal Pradesh has launched a new scheme named HIMCAD to provide irrigation facilities to farmers of Himachal Pradesh (HP).
• The Coal India Limited (CIL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rajasthan Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RVUNL) for setting up an 1190 MW solar power plant in the Bikaner district of Rajasthan.
• An Ethiopian delegation led by the Agricultural Minister Dr. Meles Mekonen Yimer is in Andhra Pradesh (AP) to study the first-of-its-kind Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs), which have been set up by the Chief Minister Shri Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) canceled the certificates of registration of eight non-banking finance companies (NBFC) in
• Insurance sector regulator Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has granted final approval to HDFC Life Insurance Company Ltd (HDFC Life) to merge Exide Life into the company.
• Bandhan Bank has appointed former Indian Cricketer Sourav Ganguly as its brand ambassador. 
• Boult Audio Private Limited, a company that imports and sells Chinese-made electronics products like earphones and smartwatches has roped in actor Saif Ali Khan and cricketer Suryakumar Yadav as its new brand ambassadors.
• India’s first ballistic missile nuclear submarine Submersible Ship Ballistic Missile Nuclear (SSMN), Indian Naval Ship (INS) Arihant successfully launched a Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) validating India’s second strike nuclear capability.
• Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh launched the ‘Maa Bharati Ke Sapoot’ (MBKS) website (www.maabharatikesapoot.mod.gov.in) for contribution to the Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund (AFBCWF) at a function organized at the National War Memorial Complex in New Delhi.
• Scottish actor and comedian Robbie Coltrane, best known for playing the lovable half-giant Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies, has Passed away at the age of 72.