Nepal confirms PM Oli's China visit

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli will make his first official trip to China, stressing on Nepal-China ties, Nepal's foreign ministry said. 

The Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed that the four-day official trip is at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, whose letter was handed over to Foreign Secretary Sewa Lamsal. 

Officials said there is no clarity yet on the agenda but Nepal will seek special considerations on bilateral projects including a waiver on the 1,380 million RMB loan that Nepal took to build the Pokhara International Airport and Nepal's elevation as a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation instead of the current status as a "dialogue partner".

Russia's First Dy PM to visit India, focus on economic cooperation

Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov is set to visit India on November 11-12 to hold key discussions on bilateral and global issues with the Indian leadership. 

On November 11, Manturov will participate in the plenary session of the Russian-Indian Business Forum in Mumbai "where the focus will be on expanding economic and business cooperation between the two nations". 

The forum, organised by the Business Council for Cooperation with India and FICCI, will address areas such as industrial collaboration, transport and logistics, finance, digital technologies and enhancing interregional cooperation. 

Fixing a leaky PDS

The government of India knew about large leakages in the PDS, as the High-Powered Committee on Grain Management under Shanta Kumar pointed out in its 2015 report. 

At that time, the leakages were estimated at roughly 46 per cent, based on the HCES of 2011-12. 

In 2016, Gol introduced Point-of-Sale (POS) machines at Fair Price Shops (FPS) to plug leakages by integrating biometric authentication and real-time transaction tracking.

Private property and the 'common good'

The Supreme Court last week delivered a landmark verdict in the Property Owners Association & Ors v State of Maharashtra case. The nine-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud answered two key questions. 

First, what is the status of Article 31C, the key constitutional provision that deals with the right to property, and does it still exist despite amendments to it being struck down by the apex court? 

Second, does Article 39(b) allow the state to acquire private property as "material resources of the community"? 

WHY INDIA HAS LAUNCHED PROJECT TO MONITOR ANIMAL HEALTH

Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh launched a Pandemic Fund project titled 'Animal Health Security Strengthening in India for Pandemic Preparedness and Response' in New Delhi.

What is the project? 

The project aims to enhance the country's capacity to "prevent, detect, and respond to animal health threats." 

It was approved by the Pandemic Fund, which was created by G20 countries in 2022 during Indonesia's presidency, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The basic purpose of the fund is to assist low-and middle-income countries strengthen their capacities to identify, report and contain future pandemics. 

Elephant deaths in Bandhavgarh: when a fungus attack turns millets into poison

Ten wild elephants died in Madhya Pradesh's Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve recently after consuming a "large quantity" of kodo millet plants, which had been infected with a fungus, a toxicology report released last week by ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly, said. 

What is kodo millet? 

Kodo millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum) is a grain believed to have originated in India. It is cultivated in states such as Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, and parts of Tamil Nadu. It is also grown in other countries, including Pakistan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and West Africa.

Kodo millet crops are best suited for tropical and subtropical regions. They are grown on poor soil and widely distributed in arid and semi-arid regions. 

In India, Kodo millet is a staple food for many tribal and economically weaker communities. It is one of the "hardiest crops, drought tolerant with high yield potential and excellent storage properties," according to researchers.