• Union Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated and addressed the 13th FICCI Global Skills Summit 2022 on the theme of “Education to Employability – Making It Happen.” in New Delhi.
• Shri Dharmendra Pradhan shared his thoughts on leveraging skills to reap the demographic dividend and making India’s skills ecosystem more vibrant.
• He said that our country is blessed with a demographic dividend. Education and skills have to play an important role in converting our demographic dividend into a transformative powerhouse.
• Shri Dharmendra Pradhan also added that for our economy to be more productive and robust, we must make our workforce more productive. Simplification of labour laws and initiatives like apprenticeship will go a long way in making our workforce more vibrant.
• Further, he added that from academic bank of credit to the upcoming digital university, we are taking a number of initiatives and undertaking policy reforms to make our education and skills ecosystem more vibrant.
• Shri Dharmendra Pradhan also called for building a stronger academia-industry-policymaker connect and work with a collective approach to drive further transformation in the education and skills sector.

• National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Chief Secretary of Haryana to deposit a sum of Rs 100 crore towards environmental compensation for continuing damage to the environment.
• The bench headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel also constituted a nine-member committee, to be headed by the Chairman of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB). The Committee may appraise the performance of the contractor engaged as per the Concession Agreement and if it is found that the contractor has failed to perform as expected, the Committee may make suitable alternative arrangements to replace the contractor, as previously observed by the Tribunal.
• The Tribunal noted that the matters related to the same issue i.e. failure to maintain environmental norms for handling and disposing of legacy municipal solid waste dump sites to the prejudice of environment and public health and also adjoining forest areas.
• The dump site in question is the Bandhwari landfill site at Gurugram where about 33 lacs of Metric tonnes of solid waste is dumped for years.
• The Tribunal was hearing a matter stating that a Waste Management project has been developed and a contract was assigned to a Chinese company– Eco-green Energy Private Limited in the year 2017.
• However, the steps taken are inadequate, the waste is being burnt causing huge air pollution which has the potential to affect not only the inhabitants but also the Asola Bhati Wildlife Sanctuary having 193 species of birds, a large number of medicinal plants and more than 80 species of butterflies, black buck, Golder Jackal, and leopards.
• The State is under the obligation to protect eco-sensitive zone by controlling the adverse impact of violation of the environmental norms, said the Green Court.
• Tribunal while passing the direction on September 23 also said, having regard to the emergency situation, the State authorities may exercise their jurisdiction to use the nearest available land as per the law applicable for a temporary period on payment of user charges. If any plant is required to be established which requires Environment Clearance (EC), such plants will benefit the environment, grant of EC need not be awaited but all the environmental issues may be followed, including with regard to the forest, wildlife and waterbodies.
• NGT further said that the Bandhwari site which is already in existence for many years and 10 acres of land which is already been cleared may be utilized for setting up waste processing facilities to handle the waste generation of the local bodies in question. In case of non-suitability of the land, alternative arrangements should be explored.
• The Committee will be free to coordinate with statutory regulators for a levy of compensation from those who have contributed to the pollution, following due process of law.
• The Committee expected to achieve meaningful progress in the matter within six months with substantial headway within three months, said the NGT order.

• World Tourism Day is being observed on 27th September.
• This day is celebrated every year to foster awareness among the international community on the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value.
• The theme for this year is ‘Rethinking Tourism’ and will be highlighting the tourism sector being recognized as an important pillar for development.
• Tourism helps provide employment to millions of people to an extent that few countries are completely dependent on the tourism sector for financial stability.

• Having two manufacturing units in Ludhiana, Gurugram-based Hero Electric now intends to set up its third manufacturing plant in Rajasthan with an investment of over Rs 1,200 crore. The company has signed an MoU with the Rajasthan Government to set up a mega EV manufacturing hub with an annual production capacity of 20 lakh units.
• Located in Salarpur industrial region, the state-of-the-art plant would be spread over 170 acres and will commence commercial production by the end of 2023. There will be an estimated investment of over Rs 1,200 crore and it will provide direct and indirect employment opportunities. Furthermore, this initiative is a foot forward in making Rajasthan the new EV manufacturing hub for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and ancillaries.
• Naveen Munjal, Managing Director, Hero Electric, said, “This mega manufacturing facility is part of our capacity enhancement to boost EV adoption across India. It will allow the state to spearhead clean mobility solution shift and promote ecological tourism practices.” The two units in Ludhiana have combined manufacturing capacity of three lakh units.
• Sohinder Gill, CEO, Hero Electric, said, “The Rajasthan Government has been very proactive and positive in promoting electric mobility along with us and we will work closely with the government to create the largest and the best electric two-wheeler manufacturing cluster in North India. It will have a complete ecosystem of ancillaries to help the overall development of the rural zones in and around Salarpur. The state is already a popular destination for global tourism and we will endeavor to do our bit in adding the sustainability quotient in that drive.”
• Promoting the ‘Make-In-India’ vision, the facility will manufacture all the current and upcoming Hero Electric two-wheelers. It also aims to streamline the supply chain to achieve the expected production capacity of the Salarpur facility. The company has been electrifying mobility in India for the past 15 years through its varied product portfolio catering to unique customer demands.

• US space agency – NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft successfully crashed into the asteroid Dimorphos at breakneck speed.
• The target was Dimorphos, a 160-metre-tall asteroid. DART slammed into the harmless asteroid 9.6 million kilometres away at 22,500 kilometres per hour.
• The DART mission intentionally crashed on an asteroid to test a unique defence technology. The crash is aimed at giving Earth a defence tool against future asteroids headed our way.
• The 325 million dollar project was the first attempt to move a natural object in space but it will take days or perhaps weeks to assess how much the asteroid’s path was altered.
• The DART, a vending machine-sized spacecraft that was launched in November, used novel navigational techniques created by the mission manager and spacecraft builder, Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory.

• Legendary actress Asha Parekh will be honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2020. The award will be presented to her at the National Film Award ceremony in New Delhi on September 30.
• Announcing the decision, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said that the Dadasaheb Phalke Selection Jury has decided to award Ms. Parekh for her exemplary lifetime contribution to Indian Cinema.
• He also announced that the 68th National Film Awards will be held on 30th September and will be presided over by President Droupadi Murmu.
• Asha Parekh is a renowned film actress, director and producer and an accomplished Indian classical dancer. Starting her career as a child actor, she made her debut as lead heroine in Dil Deke Dekho and has gone on to act in over 95 movies.
• She has acted in various films like Kati Patang, Teesri Manzil, Love in Tokyo, Aya Saawan Jhoom Ke, Aan Milo Sajna, Mera Gaon Mera Desh. Ms. Parekh is also a winner of Padma Shri, which was awarded to her in 1992. She has also served as the head of Central Board for Film Certification from 1998-2001.

About the Dadasaheb Phalke Award:

• The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is the highest honour in Indian cinema.
• The award was instituted in 1969, the award is the highest honour for an artiste in Indian cinema.
• Devika Rani was the first winner, while actor Rajinikanth is the most recent winner of the prestigious honour, in 2021.

• Indian Railways has made nearly 500 railway stations Divyangjan, Aged and Children friendly by installing the lifts and escalators at railway stations across the country under the Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan.
• Indian Railways has been consistently trying to improve passenger amenities at various stations.
• It said that provision of escalators and Lifts at the railway platforms is a part of the Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan and also a necessity in view of the ever-increasing passenger volumes.
• Such facilities would facilitate improvement at exit and entry of passengers at stations.

About Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan:

• Launched by the Prime Minister of India on International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3rd December 2015.
• Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) has launched Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) as a nation-wide Campaign for achieving universal accessibility for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs).

 It has the following three important components:

• Built Environment Accessibility: An accessible government building is one, where persons with disabilities have no barrier in entering it and using all the facilities therein.  This covers the built environment – services, steps and ramps, corridors, entry gates, emergency exits, parking – as well as indoor and outdoor facilities including lighting, signages, alarm systems and toilets.
• Transportation System Accessibility: The term transportation covers a number of areas including air travel, buses, taxis, and trains. An airport is accessible, if a person with a disability has no barrier in entering it, using all the facilities, and boarding and disembarking from airplanes.  This covers the built environment – surfaces, steps and ramps, corridors, entry ways, emergency exits, parking – as well as indoor and outdoor facilities including lighting, signage, alarm systems and toilets.
• Information and Communication Eco-System Accessibility:  Enhancing proportion of accessible and usable public documents and websites that meet internationally recognized accessibility standards. Enhancing the pool of sign language interpreters.

• Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar called upon industrialists to contribute towards making Himachal Pradesh a tuberculosis (TB) free state.
• The Governor, while addressing industrialists at Nalagarh, said, “Though tuberculosis has been eradicated from most of the countries, India still has a large number of TB patients. The Prime Minister has set a target of making the country TB-free by 2024.”
• The Governor said that the state government had decided to achieve the target by 2023. He added that the target could be easily achieved if TB patients were adopted for treatment.
• He said, “We need to work as a social organisation. The Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Industries Association (BBNIA) has always discharged its social responsibility and I hope it will contribute to achieving the target.”
• As per the data, 12.30 lakh TB cases were reported in India in 2021. The total TB notification rate in the state was 191 cases per lakh population.
• The total TB cases in the state last year was 14,492, out of which 2.6 per cent were in tribal areas, 74 per cent in rural and 23.4 per cent in urban areas.
• Rajesh Sharma, Secretary to the Governor, urged the investors to help the 9,000 TB patients in the state, who had given their consent to register themselves on the Nikshay portal.
• Gopal Beri, Deputy Managing Director, National Health Mission, said that Himachal was adjudged the best state in effectively implementing the TB eradication programme.
• Subodh Gupta, president, CII Himachal Pradesh; Gagan Kapoor, vice-president, CII; and Rajender Guleria, president, BBNIA; were also present on the occasion.

• After a gap of nearly two-and-a-half years, the state capital finally got air connectivity with the Alliance Air aircraft from Delhi landing at the Jubbarhatti airport.
• Though the flights were to resume on September 6, inclement weather conditions hampered the restoration of the flights.
• The flight will not just connect the state capital to Delhi but also with Dharamsala and Kullu. Air Alliance has acquired a new fixed-wing aircraft ATR-42 (600). The resumption of flights will give a major impetus to tourism, especially during the festive season.
• Resumption of flights from Shimla has been a long-pending demand of the hoteliers. While the flight between Shimla and Delhi will operate on all days of the week, the flight linking Shimla-Kullu will be operational four days a week while the one between Shimla and Dharamsala will operate thrice a week.
• While the two airports at Bhuntar in Kullu and Gaggal in Dharamsala have regular and reliable air connectivity, the tourism sector in Shimla has suffered due to the absence of regular and dependable flights from Jubbarhatti airport.

• Uttar Pradesh has been awarded Ayushmann Utkrishta award 2022 for adding various health facilities to health facility register.
• The State was conferred this award by the Chief Executive officer (CEO) of the National Health Authority R.S Sharma at the closing ceremony of theAarogya Manthan organised by the National Health Authority in New Delhi on 26 September 2022.
• Uttar Pradesh is the best performing state in the country with 28728 Health facilities added to National health facility register.
• Also, the state is the second-best State in creating Ayushmann Bharat health account (ABHA) with almost 2 crores ABH Accounts.