Current Affairs in Short: 17 July 2019

Sangeet Natak Akademi awards - 2018 announced

•    Sangeet Natak Akademi has been selected Sonal Mansingh, Zakhir Hussain, K Kalyanasundaram Pillai and Jatin Goswami for Akademi Ratna category for the year 2018.
•    44 artists from the field of Traditional/Folk/Tribal Music/Dance/Theatre, Music, Dance, Theatre, Puppetry and Overall contribution have been selected.
•    Three joint awards are also included in these 44 awards. These awards will be conferred by President of India Ram Nath Kovind at a special ceremony.

Kids will be given eggs at home: Chhattisgarh Govt.

•    Chhattisgarh government announced that if parents have issues with serving eggs in mid-day meals at the school, authorities should arrange to serve eggs to the students whose families have no objection at home.
•    School education department suggested this year that eggs or food item with equivalent nutrition value should be served to the students.
•    However, students who don’t eat eggs will be provided Soya Milk, protein crunch, fortified pulses etc.

First female President of European Commission

•    Germany's Ursula von der Leyen has been elected as the First female President of the European Commission by the European Parliament.
•    Von der Leyen has resigned from the post of Germany's Defence Minister to take over the new role at the European Union's executive body.
•    She will succeed Jean-Claude Juncker who is set to step down on October 31.

Bill Gates overtaken by Arnault as world’s second richest person

•    A report released by Bloomberg said that Microsoft Co-founder Bill Gates is no longer the world's second-richest person as his wealth was surpassed by French luxury goods tycoon Bernard Arnault's wealth.
•    Now, Gates is the world's third-richest person with USD 107 billion as compared to second-richest person Arnault's USD 108 billion wealth.
•    Arnault derives most of his wealth from his holdings in Louis Vuitton owner LVMH.

Maharashtra Govt. raised aid for martyrs' kin to Rs. 1 crore

•    The Maharashtra Cabinet approved an increase in the financial assistance given to families of martyred and disabled soldiers hailing from the state.
•    Kin of martyred soldiers will now get Rs. 1 crore as opposed to the current Rs.25 lakh assistance.
•    The government will provide Rs. 60 lakh to soldiers left 51-100% disabled, instead of the current Rs. 15 lakh.