Short News

• Two initiatives piloted by India under its presidency have seen consensus in the G20 Agriculture Deputies Group.
• Key Initiatives:
  • The “Deccan High-Level Principles on Food Security and Nutrition, 2023”.
  • An international initiative for research on millets and other ancient grains.
• G20 Agriculture Deputies Group: It was created in 2011 during France’s G20 presidency to deal with volatility in global food prices.
  • It has emerged as a key forum to enhance cooperation among G20 members on food security and nutrition in view of challenges posed by Covid-19 and Russia-Ukraine conflict in recent years.

• The West Bengal assembly passed a resolution to observe Poila Baisakh– Bengali New Year Day – as the state day.
• This day is celebrated as Nobo borsho or Bengali New Year.

• Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister intitiated the process of convincing people of Upper Siang and East Siang districts to allow the construction of a barrage across the Siang river.
• About Siang: The Siang is an important river of the Brahmaputra and flows for 1,600 km through southern Tibet as the Yarlung Tsangpo or Yarlung Zangbo before it enters India.
• Siang is also known as Dihang in India. It enters Upper Assam’s Tinsukia district, where it joins the Lohit river to form the Brahmaputra.
• The construction of the barrage, is India’s answer to China’s plans to construct a 60,000 MW hydropower project on the Yarlung Tsangpo river in Chinese-occupied Tibet.

Image Credits: India Today

• The eighth edition of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) will take place between September 10-13 in the city of Vladivostok, the Far East region of Russia.
• About EEF: It was established in 2015 to encourage foreign investments in Russia’s Far East.
• The region encompasses one-third of Russia’s territory and is rich with natural resources such as fish, oil, natural gas, wood, diamonds and other minerals.
• Location: It is geographically placed at a strategic location; acting as a gateway into Asia.
• In 2019, India offered a $1 billion line of credit to develop infrastructure in the region. 

Image Credits: World Atlas