Current Affairs 19th July 2019: Daily gk Updates Quiz

Exp.Researchers at Assam’s Tezpur University have developed a simple and cost-effective filtration system – Arsiron Nilogon – that may help reduce the health burden caused by arsenic and iron contaminated groundwater. The system filters out 99.9% of the arsenic contamination from the groundwater to make it suitable for drinking. The chemicals used in the filtration process are cooking soda for pH conditioning, potassium permanganate for supplying oxygen and ferric chloride for providing solid iron oxide adsorbents of arsenic. The method can remove arsenic even to below 2 ppb (parts per billion) level while the World Health Organization (WHO) has set 10 ppb as the standard level. According to theWHO, arsenic is a natural component of the Earth’s crust and is widely distributed throughout the environment — in air, water and land. However, it is highly toxic in its inorganic form. The long term exposure to inorganic arsenic, mainly by drinking contaminated water, eating food grown or even prepared with this water, can cause skin lesions and cancer.

Exp.Swarup Dutta (78), the veteran Bengali actor, has passed away on July 17, 2019. Born on 22nd June 1941, Dutta was considered to be one of the distinguished actors of the Bengali silver screen during the late 60s and early 70s. He had got his first break in Tapan Sinha’s ‘Apanjan’ (1968). The film was set against the political turmoil in West Bengal in the 1960s. Some of his best-known movies included ‘Sagina Mahato,’ ‘Harmonium’, ‘Pita Putra’ and ‘Maa o Meye’.

Exp.The Sangeet Natak Akademi has named four eminent personalities in the field of performing arts – tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain, dancer Sonal Mansingh, dancer and choreographer Jatin Goswami and Bharatnatyam exponent K. Kalyanasundaram Pillai – for the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellow or Akademi Ratna awards. The Fellowship of the Akademi is the most prestigious and a rare honour, which is restricted to 40 numbers at any given time. The General Council meeting of the Sangeet Natak Akademi also selected 44 artistes from the field of music, dance, theatre, traditional / folk / tribal music/ dance/ theatre, puppetry and overall contribution / scholarship in the performing arts for the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards (Akademi Puraskar) for the year 2018.

Exp. Google India and Tata Trusts initiative is aimed at facilitating digital literacy among women in rural India named “Internet Saathi”. This initiative will be expanded to villages in Punjab and Odisha.

Exp. World Day for International Justice is observed all around the on 17th July world. The aim of the day is to promote international criminal justice and as a way of supporting the work of the ICC.

Exp. The “Find the Incredible You” campaign of the Tourism Ministry, has won the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Award, 2019. The campaign won the award under the “Marketing – Primary Government Destination” category. Minister of state I/C for Tourism in India: Prahalad Singh Patel.

Exp. Maharashtra government increased financial aid to families of jawans martyred in war or war-like situations or conflict related to national security from ?25 lakh to ?1 crore.

Exp. The United Nations observes 18 July every year as Nelson Mandela International Day.

Exp. Asian Development Bank lowered India’s GDP growth rate from 7.2% to 7% for the current fiscal year.

Exp. The Union Cabinet has approved National Medical Commission Bill, 2019. Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare: Harsh Vardhan.