Current Affairs July 13&14, 2019

In this post, GKToday presents Current Affairs of July 13&14, 2019 in Short Notes form for preparation of IBPS, Banking, CLAT, SSC, Railway, UPSC, IAS/PCS, UPPSC, BPSC, MPPSC, RPSC, TNPSC, MPSC, KPSC and all other competitive examinations of India.

1. In Madhya Pradesh, continuous rain has damaged Asia's largest solar Power project in Rewa. The damage was caused after heavy rain triggered a mudslide. Now the rain has stopped, and experts are busy repairing this power plant. As per the estimates, this project has suffered a loss of more than Rs 20 crores by rain. The production of the solar plant has also been affected and it has reduced about 90 MW. Generally, this solar plant produces 740 MW of electricity. Due to a sudden rise in the water level the many solar plates and other equipment were submerged. Water also reached inside the switch control board.

2. Anshula Kant, Managing Director of State Bank of India (SBI), has been appointed as MD and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the World Bank (WB). She will be responsible for financial and risk management of the organisation. Her work will include oversight of financial reporting, risk management, and working closely with the World Bank CEO on the mobilization of the International Development Association (IDA) and other financial resources. IDA is the part of the World Bank that helps the world's poorest countries.

3. In Table Tennis, the Indian pair of G. Sathiyan and Anthony Amalraj won the bronze at the 2019 World Tour Platinum Australian Open after they went down 12-14, 9-11, 8-11 to top seed Korean pair of Jeoung Youngsik and Lee Sangsu in Geelong near Melbourne on July 13. This was India's first ever medal in the Australian Open, which is a Platinum event. The Korean pair could not be pinned down despite being extended in the first game. But credit must be given to the Indian duo who fought really well before bowing out in the semifinal.

4. M J Radhakrishnan (60), the well-known Malayalam cinematographer , has passed away in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on July 12, 2019. Starting his career as a still photographer, Radhakrishnan later worked as an associate of renowned cinematographer-turned-director Shaji N Karun. His well-acclaimed works include: Deshadanam, Karunam and Naalu Pennungal. Radhakrishnan had won three International awards besides being a 7-time winner of the Kerala State Award for Best Cinematography. One of his works, Marana Simhasanam (English: Throne of Death; French: Le Trone de la mort), won Camra d'Or (Golden Camera Award) in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival.

5. Uttarakhand will host the first-ever Himalayan states` conclave in Mussoorie on July 28 where the prime focus will be on sustainable development. The conclave will deliberate on the problems faced by Himalayan states. It will be attended by the chief ministers of all Himalayan states - Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Mizoram and Nagaland, along with administrators and specialists. The conclave will discuss methods to protect the Himalayan eco system from global warming, water conservation measures to be adopted besides working out an action plan for sustainable development in the Himalayan region and submitting its draft to Niti Ayog.

6. In 2019, the AIIMS Centre for Dental Education and Research will undertake the largest nationwide oral health survey in collaboration with the Ministry of Health to collect data that would act as a baseline for planning preventive and treatment strategies. The aim of the survey is to record specific, representative data on the most prevalent dental diseases in the country like dental decay, gum diseases, dento-facial deformities, cancerous lesions, dental fluorosis and dental trauma among others. Some of the unique aspects of this round of the survey are collection of oral health data of the children in early years of life, assessment of prosthetic treatment needs in the geriatric groups considering the increasing life expectancy, the impact of traditional oral hygiene practices and high sugars diet on oral health.

7. The rare footage of an iconic Marathi film Vande Mataram (1948) has become part of the Pune-based National Film Archives of India (NFAI). A Video Home System (VHS) cassette containing about 35 minute footage of the film is part of the collection that was donated to NFAI by Dinesh Thakur ( nephew of Sunita Deshpande) and film historian Satish Jakatdar, along with U-Matic tapes containing rare footage of Harmonium playing by P.L. Deshpande. The film Vande Mataram is considered a very important as the story was based on India’s freedom movement and struggle. The legendary writer and playwright P L Deshpande played a major role along with his wife Sunita Deshpande. The script, dialogue and lyrics were written by renowned writer G.D. Madgulkar whereas the music was composed by stalwart composer Sudhir Phadke. The iconic film was directed by renowned filmmaker Ram Gabale. The film was released a year after independence and presented narratives woven with patriotism and humanist affection. Songs like “Ved Mantrahun Vandya…” became very popular and are remembered even today. The shooting for the film took place in early 1948 at Shalini Studio in Kolhapur.

8. The researchers in the United States (US) have found that Electronic Cigarettes (ECs) produce a stress response in brain stem cells. They identified the mechanism underlying EC-induced stem cell toxicity as “Stress-Induced Mitochondrial Hyper-fusion (SIMH) using cultured mouse neural stem cells. The study showed that exposure of stem cells to e-liquids, aerosols, or nicotine produces a response that leads to SIMH. Stem cells are present throughout life & become specialized cells with more specific functions, such as brain cells, blood cells, or bone. ECs are nicotine-delivery devices that aerosolize nicotine and flavour chemicals through heating. The high levels of nicotine in ECs lead to a nicotine flooding of special receptors in the neural stem cell membrane. If the nicotine stress persists, SIMH collapses, the neural stem cells get damaged and could eventually die. If that happens, no more specialised cells, astrocytes and neurons, for example, can be produced from stem cells. Then, damaged stem cell mitochondria could accelerate aging and lead to neurodegenerative diseases. Nicotine exposure during prenatal or adolescent development can affect the brain in multiple ways that may impair memory, learning, and cognition

9. An Agri-Business Incubation Centre has been set up by the Union Agriculture Ministry in the Indira Gandhi Agriculture University of Raipur in Chhattisgarh. The Centre is set up under the National Agriculture Development Scheme- RAFTAAR. The objective of the scheme is to make farming a remunerative economic activity by strengthening farmer’s efforts, risk mitigation and promoting agri-business entrepreneurship. Under the scheme, guidance, technology and infrastructure will be provided to youth and entrepreneurs for start-ups in different areas of agriculture. The Agri-Business Incubation Centre in Raipur, with focus on innovations, skill building and entrepreneurs development in agriculture and allied sectors, will act as catalyst for developing an ecosystem conducive for the growth of agri-preneurship in the state and foster a start-up culture.

10. On 11th July 2019, the centuries-old annual Kharchi Puja festival has started with great pomp & show at Puran Agartala in Tripura. The word ‘Kharchi’ is derived from the word Khya which means earth. Kharchi Puja is basically done to worship the earth. Originally a Hindu tribals’ festivity, it is now observed by all communities and religions. The royal fest, which lasts for 7 consecutive days, is meant to cleanse the sins of mortal souls. It involves the worship of the 14 deities – Shiva, Durga, Vishnu, Laxmi, Saraswati, Kartik, Ganesha, Brahma, Abadhi (God of water), Chandra, Ganga, Agni, Kamdev and Himadri (Himalaya) - forming the dynasty deity of the Tripuri people.


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