• The Reserve Bank reported an increase in the value of gold assets caused India’s foreign exchange reserves to climb by USD 204 million to USD 532.868 billion for the week ended October 7.
• The total reserves decreased by USD 4.854 billion to USD 532.664 billion during the previous reporting week.

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

• 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.

• 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.
• Inflation has remained over the RBI’s upper tolerance band of 6% for the ninth straight month.

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) canceled the certificates of registration of eight non-banking finance companies (NBFC) in the four NBFCs are Ashwini Investment Private Ltd, RM Securities Pvt Ltd, Amity Finance Private Ltd, Sehajpal Estates & Finance Pvt. 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

Download Daily GK PDF of 18 October 2022