• Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi recently rejected the Pakistan PM Sharif’s statement on the Kashmir issue at the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) held in Astana.

About:

• The Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) is a multi-national forum for strengthening cooperation towards promoting peace, security and stability in Asia.
• It was founded by the first President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev, on 5 October 1992, at the 47th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
• India is one of the founding members of Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).
• To be a member of CICA, a state must have at least a part of its territory in Asia.
• The CICA Summit is convened every four years. The Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs is required to be held every two years.
• The CICA Secretariat – administrative body of CICA – is located in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.

About:

• Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) in collaboration with Power-CSIRTs (Computer Security Incident Response Teams in Power sector), successfully designed & conducted the Cyber Security Exercise “PowerEX”.
• The theme of the exercise was “Defending Cyber induced disruption in IT & OT infrastructure”.
• The Objective of the exercise was to “Recognize, Analyse & Respond to Cyber Incident in IT & OT Systems”.

CERT-In:

• The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) is an office within the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
• It is the nodal agency to deal with cyber security in India and strengthen security-related defence of the Indian internet domain.

• The CSIR National Aerospace Laboratories in Bengaluru has successfully conducted the Drone based magnetic survey near Magnetic Hill and Puga Chumthang region of Leh-Ladakh.
• The survey was conducted last month along with the Hyderabad based CSIR National Geophysical Research Institute.
• NAL deployed its OCTA-Copter drone which has a payload capability of 20 kgs at sea level.
• The Director of NAL Dr.Abhay A Pashilkar has issued a statement that its OCTA-Copter drone performed as per the design at the high altitudes of over 3600 meters, withstanding harsh flying conditions of strong and gusty winds.
• The Magnetometer integrated with the drone acquired magnetic data and is being analysed by the National Geophysical Research Institute scientists.
• Pashilkar said that the data will help to plan developmental activities in Ladakh region.

• Education and Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated IInvenTiv – the first-ever all-IITs Research and Development, R&D, Showcase at the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi.
• This event is being organized in line with the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav initiative.
• The first leg of this two-day event has brought over 300 representatives from industry, including start-ups along with government and embassy officials, and global IIT-alumni.
• Mr Pradhan said, that this event bears testimony to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mantra of ‘Jai Anusandhan’ to build an Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
• He said, IITs have become instruments of transformation and a bridge to the future.
• Mr Pradhan stated that in the Amrit Kaal, the Anusandhan-led Bharat would be propelled by innovations at the grass roots level and it would seek the participation of all, especially the rural sector.
• He said, IInvenTiv shall be the start of such a revolution and emerge as a key forum which will provide solutions to complex global challenges.
• A total of 75 projects by the 23 IITs are being exhibited at this event.

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched ‘Maa Bharati Ke Sapoot’ website for contribution to the Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund at a function organised at the National War Memorial Complex in New Delhi.
• This Tri-Service fund, which is utilised for grant of immediate financial assistance to the families of armed personnel of three forces who laid down their lives or get grievously injured in active military operations.
• The amount donated in this fund will provide financial assistance to the families of martyrs and soldiers of all three services.
• Speaking after launching the website, Mr Rajnath Singh said that security is paramount for any society and all sections of the society have an important responsibility towards the welfare of the brave soldiers and their families.
• He also appealed to the countrymen to be associated to this initiative and make contribution for the welfare of the bravehearts.
• On this occasion, the Minister also felicitated the next of kin of fallen heroes and disabled soldiers.
• Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan is the ‘Goodwill Ambassador’ of the initiative, expressed his gratitude towards the families of the fallen heroes and exhorted people to come forward and contribute to the fund.
• Anyone or any organisation can make financial assistance.

• 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.