• JSW Steel has joined the United Nations Global Impact (UNGC) initiative.
• The UNGC encourages companies to conduct business responsibly by aligning their operations and strategies with the UN’s 10 principles.
• JSW Foundation, the social arm of the JSW Group, is a member of UNGC and part of the India local network of UNGC.

Key Points:

• A majority of JSW’s strategic focus areas and organizational goals have been formulated to align with the UN SDGs.
• The formal membership with JSW and UNGC will continue executing operations and practices sustainably.
• The initiative also commits companies to take actions to advance broader social benefits through the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• The UNGC holds members from over 160 countries of more than 20,000 companies and over 69 local networks.

What are United Nations Global Compact (UNGC)?

• The United Nations Global Compact is a non-binding United Nations pact to encourage businesses and firms worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies and to report on their implementation.
• The UN Global Compact is a principle-based framework for business, starting with ten principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption.

• India participated at the 6th East Asia Summit Education Minister’s Meeting held in Hanoi, Vietnam.
• Joint Secretary (International Cooperation) Ministry of Education Ms. Neeta Prasad virtually addressed the gathering and informed about the key initiatives of National Education Policy 2020 and India’s collaborative efforts in education and research with partner countries.
• Addressing the meeting, Ms. Neeta Prasad said that NEP – 2020 encourages a holistic, flexible and multidisciplinary approach to education as envisioned by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• She said, it is based on foundational pillars of access, equality, quality, affordability and accountability, and is aligned with SDG 2030 goals.
• Ms Prasad underlined that NEP-2020 focuses on the internationalization of education and building collaborations with other countries.
• She added that India greatly values educational cooperation with partner countries.
• Ms Prasad emphasised India’s commitment to working with EAS member countries.

• To provide irrigation facilities to farmers of Himachal Pradesh, the state government has started a new scheme named HIMCAD.
• According to latest data, about 80% of the agricultural area of Himachal Pradesh is rain-fed.
• 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.

• Komic, the world’s highest village in Himachal, has been connected to Kaza by a metalled road.
• The Public Works Department has metalled the road at 14,400 ft for better road connectivity. Now, tourists visiting Komic village in the Spiti valley will enjoy a comfortable ride from Kaza.
• It is a 22-km distance from Kaza. The village is situated at a height of 15,027 feet.
• Komic village is Surrounded by snow-capped mountains and majestic valleys.
• The road from Kaza to Komic had been metalled at a cost of Rs 25 crore.
• This will help the residents of Komic in transporting their agricultural produce to distant markets in time and fetch better prices.

• Each year, International E-Waste Day is held on 14 October, an opportunity to reflect on the impacts of e-waste and the necessary actions to enhance circularity for e-products.
• International E-Waste Day was developed in 2018 by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment recycling (WEEE) Forum to raise the public profile of waste electrical and electronic equipment recycling and encourage consumers to recycle. 2022 is the fifth edition of International E-Waste Day.
• This year, the main focus of International E-Waste Day will be those small electrical devices that we no longer use but keep in drawers and cupboards or often toss in the general waste bin. This is why International E-Waste Day (#ewasteday) 2022 will be focusing on small items of e-waste, under the slogan “Recycle it all, no matter how small!”. #ewasteday will take place on 14 October 2022.

About E-Waste:

• According to the United Nations, in 2021 each person on the planet will produce on average 7.6 kg of e-waste, meaning that a massive 57.4 million tons will be generated worldwide.
• Only 17.4% of this electronic waste, containing a mixture of harmful substances and precious materials, will be recorded as being properly collected, treated and recycled. Many initiatives are undertaken to tackle this growing concern, but none of them can be fully effective without the active role and correct education of consumers.
• The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) also indicates that e-waste is one of the largest and most complex waste streams in the world. According to the Global E-waste Monitor 2020, the world generated 53.6 Mt of e-waste in 2019, only 9.3 Mt (17%) of which was recorded as being collected and recycled.
• E-waste contains valuable materials, as well as hazardous toxins, which make the efficient material recovery and safe recycling of e-waste extremely important for economic value as well as environmental and human health.

• Scientists have developed a new 3D-printed wearable ring designed to repel mosquitoes and other insects for a long time.
• The active ingredient is first “encapsulated” and formed into the desired shape, such as a ring, which can then be worn and releases an agent that repels insects.
• The researchers from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) in Germany developed their prototypes using “IR3535,” a common insect repellent.
• “Mosquito sprays containing IR3535 are very gentle on the skin and have been used all over the world for many years. That’s why we’ve been using the agent for our experiments,” said Professor Rene Androsch from the MLU.
• It is usually applied as a spray or lotion and offers several hours of protection.
• However, the team is looking for ways to release the agent over a much longer period, such as by encapsulating it in a wearable ring or bracelet.
• In the research published in International Journal of Pharmaceutics, the team used a special 3D printing technology to insert the insect repellent into a biodegradable polymer in a controlled manner and to shape the mixture of substances in various ways.
• The basic idea is that the insect repellent continuously evaporates and forms a barrier for insects,” said lead author of the study, Fanfan Du, a doctoral candidate at the MLU.
• The rate at which the insect repellent evaporates depends on many different factors, including temperature, concentration and the structure of the polymer used.
• After conducting various experiments and simulations, the team predicts that the insect repellent needs well over a week to evaporate completely at a temperature of 37 degrees Celsius which is the body temperature.
• While the researchers have proven that it is absolutely possible to develop a wearable insect repellent, the rings and other forms created for the study are only prototypes.
• Further study needs to be carried out to determine how well the rings function under actual conditions, the researchers said.
• The encapsulation material could also be further optimised.

• As part of its diversification programme for clean coal energy, the Coal India Limited (CIL), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Rajasthan Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RRVUNL) for developing a solar power plant of 1190 MW in the state.
• The MoU was signed in presence of Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot here at a luxury hotel. It will come up at Poogal Tehsil of the Bikaner district.
• The MoU was signed and exchanged between Pramod Agrawal, Chairman of the CIL and Rajesh Kumar Sharma, CMD, the RRVUNL.
• The proposed project shall come up in Rajasthan state’s upcoming solar park cleared under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s Ultra Mega Renewable Energy Power Parks. It will boost CIL’s pursuit of solar power generation as part of its diversification programme for clean coal energy.
• The project will be implemented in a phased manner and is expected to be an employment generator in the state apart from providing cleaner power.
• The RVUNL has planned to develop a 2000 MW solar plant in Bikaner. The state government has allocated 4846 hectares in Poogal tehsil for the project.
• The CIL has now agreed to set up 1190 MW solar park, and the remaining 810 MW would be done by the state power agency RVUNL.

• India will save Rs 10 lakh crore annually if the country is able to bring down the logistic costs by 4-5 percent through PM Gati Shakti-National Master Plan for Multi-model connectivity, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal.
• In India logistic cost is around 13-14 percent.
• Our effort is to bring down the logistic cost by 4-5 percent in the coming years. It will help India save around Rs 10 lakh crore annually.
• India is improving last mile connectivity through PM Gati Shakti, filling the infrastructure gaps, completing infrastructure projects within a short period of time through PM Gati Shakti, and if we bring down logistics costs from 13-14 percent to single digit or 4-5 percent down, it will save Rs 10 lakh crore annually.
• “Going forward, as our target is to make the country’s economy $30 trillion by 2047, we need to reduce the logistics cost.
• Earlier in the programme, Goyal released LEADS (Logistics Ease Across Different States) 2022 report on the ranking of states. According to the report, Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Gujarat are among the 15 states and UTs categorised as achievers in the logistics index chart 2022. The index is an indicator of the efficiency of logistical services necessary for promoting exports and economic growth. Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Puducherry, Sikkim and Tripura are the other states categorised as fast movers in the ranking.
• The 15 states and UTs ranked in the aspirer’s category include Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa and Mizoram.
• The report ranks the states on the basis of their logistics ecosystem, highlights the key logistics-related challenges faced by the stakeholders and includes suggestive recommendations, according to the fourth LEADS (Logistics Ease Across Different States) 2022 report unveiled by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal.
• The index aims at enhancing the focus on improving logistics performance across states which is essential for improving the country’s trade and reducing transaction costs.
• The first logistics report was released in 2018. No ranking was released last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gujarat was in the first position in both the 2018 and 2019 ranking lists.

• Indian Railways is set to operate freight versions of Vande Bharat trains. According to the Railways Ministry, the freight trains will be operationalized to capture additional high value sensitive cargo, which is presently being transported through other modes of transport.
• The Ministry said, these services are being planned through new freight Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) rolling stock built on Vande Bharat platform. The first service is being introduced between Delhi-NCR and Mumbai The Railways Ministry said, other potential routes for running the freight EMUs will be identified in consultation with potential customers and other stakeholders.
• Freight EMU rakes have the potential to operate at a speed of 160 EMU rolling stock. It is designed for palletized container transportation.
• Under the Make in India initiative, a target has been set to manufacture 400 Vande Bharat trains in the coming years.
• The first Vande Bharat Express train was flagged off in February 2019 between New Delhi to Varanasi.
• The Vande Bharat train is also operating between New Delhi to Katra route. Recently the Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off an upgraded version of Vande Bharat Express train between Gandhinagar to Mumbai.
• The specialty of this new Vande Bharat Express train is that it can achieve the speed of zero to hundred kilometers per hour in just 52 seconds. This train has the capability to run at a speed of 180 kilometers per hour.

• Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE), a Rs 6,600 crore scheme to support infrastructure, industries and other livelihood projects in the Northeastern states, was approved on Wednesday by the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• The new scheme, to be implemented during the remaining four years of the 15th Finance Commission from 2022-23 to 2025-26, is a 100 per cent Central government-funded plan and will be administered by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER).
• Efforts will be made to complete the PM-DevINE projects by 2025-26 so that there are no committed liabilities beyond this year and this implies front-loading of the sanctions under the scheme in 2022-23 and 2023-24 primarily.
• While expenditure would continue to be incurred during 2024-25 and 2025-26, focused attention will be given to completing the sanctioned PM-DevINE projects.
• The PM-DevINE will lead to the creation of infrastructure, support industries, social development projects and create livelihood activities for youth and women, thus leading to employment generation.
• Measures would be taken to ensure adequate operation and maintenance of the projects sanctioned under the PM-DevINE so that they are sustainable e.g to limit construction risks of time and cost overrun, falling on the government projects would be implemented on an engineering-procurement-construction (EPC) basis, to the extent possible.
• The scheme will be implemented by the DoNER ministry through the North Eastern Council (NEC) or central ministries or agencies.
• The objectives of the PM-DevINE are to: fund infrastructure convergently, in the spirit of PM Gati Shakti, support social development projects based on the needs of the NE region, enable livelihood activities for youth and women and fill the development gaps in various sectors.
• There are other Ministry of DoNER schemes for the development of the NE region. The average size of projects under other Ministry of DoNER schemes is about Rs 12 crore only.
• The PM-DevINE will provide support to infrastructure and social development projects which may be larger in size and will also provide an end-to-end development solution instead of isolated projects.
• It will be also ensured that there is no duplication of project support under the PM-DevINE with any of the other schemes of the DoNER ministry or those of any other ministry and department.
• The PM-DevINE is in addition to the quantum of resources available for the development of the NE region. It will not be a substitute for existing central and state schemes.
• While some of the projects to be approved for 2022-23 under the PM-DevINE are part of the budget announcement, projects with substantial socio-economic impact of sustainable livelihood opportunities for the general public (e.g. basic infrastructure in all primary health care centres, comprehensive facilities in government primary and secondary schools, etc.) may be considered in the future.
• The justification for the announcement of PM-DevINE is that the parameters of NE states in respect of Basic Minimum Services (BMS) are well below the national average and there are critical development gaps as per the District Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Index 2021-22 prepared by NITI Aayog, UNDP and the Ministry of DoNER.