Daily GK Update [28th March 2015]

1. Maharashtra collaborates with Israel on Smart Cities

i. In a key stride in collaboration between the State and Israel, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai agreed to cooperate in building smart cities.

ii. Maharashtra has decided to create sustainable and friendly urban spaces that integrate the use of technology, social media, community participation and e-governance to build smart cities of Maharashtra like Nagpur, Mumbai, Amravati, Aurangabad and Nashik to a global standard.

iii. Mr. Fadnavis will attend an exhibition on agricultural technology, Agritech Israel 2015,  and explore areas of co-operation including in emergency preparations and crises management technologies.  

iv. Agritech Israel 2015 is one of the world's most important exhibitions in the field of agricultural technologies.

2. Haryana announces Rs 1,092 crore farmer compensation

i. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced compensation of Rs 1,092 crore to farmers affected by inclement weather conditions, to be disbursed by May 15.

ii. Of the total amount, Rs 720 crore will be provided by the Centre while rest will be provided by the state government.

iii.  3.17 lakh acres was hit with crop loss between 76 to 100 per cent, 1.92 lakh acres with crop loss between 51 to 75 per cent and 8.24 lakh acres between 25 and 50 per cent.

3. Chennai-born Raja Rajeswari is New York’s first Indian-American woman judge

i. Chennai-born Raja Rajeswari has been sworn-in as a criminal court judge in New York by Mayor Bill de Blasio.

ii. She became the first India-born woman to be appointed a judge in New York City.

iii. Ms. Rajeswari, 43, who had migrated to the U.S. from Chennai as a teenager, previously worked with the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office for her entire career in several bureaus including Criminal Court, Narcotics, Supreme Court, and the Sex Crimes Special Victims Bureau, where she last served as Deputy Chief.

iv. Currently, there are two male judges of Indian descent in civil court settings — Jaya Madhavan on the New York City Housing Court in Bronx County, and Anil C. Singh of New York County Supreme Court, 1st District.

4. TMC emerges clear winner in Bengal civic polls

i. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) party retained control of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) apart from emerging the winner in 73 other municipal bodies in West Bengal.

ii. The TMC extended its tally in KMC from 93 seats in 2010 to 115 this year, out of a total of 144 seats.

iii. The BJP managed to secure only seven seats, trailing the Left Front, which claimed twice as many.

5. 5.5 Magnitude Earthquake Jolts Pakistan's Northwest

i. Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was hit by a 5.5 magnitude earthquake, with the epicenter close to the border with Tajikistan.

ii. Tremors were also felt in other regions such as Malakand and Swat, leading to fears among locals as it comes days after the devastating Nepal earthquake, that has killed over 4000. 

iii. The depth of the earthquake was 144 kilometres, according to the meteorological department. 

6. Corporation Bank, New India Assurance Company signs MoU on PMSBY

i. Corporation Bank and New India Assurance Company Ltd signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for implementing Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana [PMSBY], central government`s scheme to provide security against personal accidental risk and permanent or partial disability. 

ii. Under PMSBY, Bank`s Aadhar-linked SB account holders will be eligible for coverage against personal accidental risk, permanent/partial physical disability up to Rs 2 lakh. One has to pay a nominal premium of Rs 12 plus service tax.

iii. New India Assurance Company Ltd will issue a master policy under group insurance scheme, which is voluntary for the customers. 

iv. The social security scheme is meant for all Aadhar linked SB account holders who are not covered under any other social security scheme, whose age is in between 18 to 70 years can enroll in to the scheme by paying a premium amount, a bank communique here states.