Current Affairs Update – 29th April, 2015

Hello and welcome to ExamPundit. Here are the Important Current Affairs for 29th April, 2015.

• The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India
  (IRDAI) has launched an awareness campaign on motor third-party insurance
  jointly with Cyberabad Police.
• Speaking at the launch of the campaign here on Wednesday, R
  Raghavan, Chief Executive Officer, Insurance Information Bureau (IIB), an arm
  of the insurance regulator, said 55 per cent of the vehicles plying on the
  roads in the country did not have the mandatory motor third-party insurance.
• In number terms, this would translate into seven crore
  vehicles! “India ranks among the top five countries in the world in the number
  of accidents which makes insurance vital. Today is just a beginning. We will
  roll out a national campaign soon,’’ he added.
• Lack of the third-party insurance will not only lead to
  severe social security perils for the victims but also losses to the insurers,
  he added.
• Lack of third-party insurance will attract a Rs. 1,000 fine
  or three months’ imprisonment or both in line with the Motor Vehicles Act.

• Government on Wednesday decided to continue its Rs 1,000 per
  minimum monthly pension scheme in perpetuity, a move which would benefit over
  20 lakh pensioners under social security scheme run by EPFO. The scheme was
  initially effective only till last month.
• “The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
  today gave its approval for continuation of the minimum pension of Rs 1,000 per
  month to the pensioners of Employees’ Pension Scheme, 1995 (EPS) beyond 2014-15
  on perpetual basis.
• Currently, it is effective only up to March, 2015,” an
  official press release said.
• Retirement fund body EPFO had suspended the Rs 1,000 minimum
  monthly pension scheme from April 1.
• The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) had to
  suspend the scheme in the absence of any direction from the government to
  continue with this benefit beyond March 31.
• The scheme was launched with effect from September 2014,
  hiking the pension amount to a flat Rs 1,000 per month for those who were
  getting lower amount earlier.
• The Cabinet also approved corresponding grant of continuous
  annual budgetary support for implementing the minimum pension, which will be to
  the tune of Rs 850 crore per year on a tapering basis.

• Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance today said it has simplified
  its claim settlement norms for the victims of devastating earthquake in Nepal
  and northern and eastern parts of India.
• “In the massive earthquake in Nepal, Indian states of
  Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Sikkim, Delhi, NCR, Uttarakhand,
  Rajasthan and Jharkhand many lost their near and dear ones and some are still
  missing,” a company release said.
• Considering the situation, Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance has
  reduced the documentation for claim applications for the earthquake victims.
• While the requirement for documents has been already
  minimised, procedure for investigation conducted by the insurer may be waived
  if prima-facie documents establish the life assured’s death is due to earthquake,
  it added.
• The company would make the best efforts to settle a majority
  of the claims coming out of this natural disaster within 72 hours.

• Bank of Maharashtra, Dena Bank and Oriental Bank of Commerce
  have been imposed with a monetary penalty of Rs. 15 crore each by the Reserve
  Bank of India (RBI) for violation of Know Your Customer (KYC)/ Anti Money
  Laundering (AML) norms.
• “Failure on the part of these banks to take timely remedial
  measures had aggravated the seriousness of the contraventions and its impact,”
  RBI said in a release.
• The RBI also cautioned eight other banks — Central Bank of
  India, Bank of India, Punjab and Sind Bank, Punjab National Bank, State Bank of
  Bikaner & Jaipur, UCO Bank, Union Bank of India and Vijaya Bank – “to put
  in place appropriate measures and review them from time to time to ensure
  strict compliance of KYC requirements in future.
• RBI said it received a complaint from a private
  organisation, on the basis of which a scrutiny of fixed accounts opened in its
  name in Mumbai based branches of certain public sector banks was undertaken in
  July 2014.

• In a major action against black money hoarders and money
  launderers, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets to the tune of
  Rs. 9,003 crore and filed 173 chargesheets in the financial year 2014-15.
• The agency, as part of its efforts to crack down on illicit
  funds in India and abroad, in the last year registered a mammoth 400 per cent
  rise in the numbers of assets attached, over 500 per cent increase in the
  number of criminal FIRs lodged, over 600 per cent more numbers of arrests made
  of people suspected to be involved in laundering crimes and more than 200 per
  cent jump in the filing of prosecution complaints or charge sheets as compared
  to the 2013-14 fiscal.
• The agency which probes financial crimes under two prime
  laws of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the Foreign Exchange
  Management Act (FEMA) along with some old cases pending under the repealed
  Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) has broken all records of lodging
  complaints and prosecuting the accused of financial frauds, hawala and money
  laundering.

• The Union Cabinet has approved official amendments in the
  Prevention of Corruption Act to help the bureaucracy take faster decisions
  besides making more stringent provisions against corrupt persons. The bill to
  amend the act is currently pending in the Rajya Sabha.
• The amendments, as approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday,
  prescribe extending the protection of prior sanction for prosecution to public
  servants who cease to hold office due to retirement, resignation, etc. Further,
  prior sanction for inquiry and investigation shall be required from the Lokpal
  or Lokayukta, as the case may be, for investigation of offences relatable to recommendations
  made or decisions taken by a public servant in the discharge of official
  functions or duties, a Government statement said.
• However, intentional enriching by public servants will be
  construed as criminal misconduct and possession of disproportionate assets as
  proof of such illicit enrichment. Besides this, non-monetary gratification has
  been covered within the definition of the word gratification.
• Meanwhile, the amendments have provided more stringent
  punishment for the offence of bribery, both for the bribe giver and the bribe
  taker. “Penal provisions being enhanced from minimum 6 months to 3 years and
  from maximum 5 years to 7 years (The seven-year imprisonment brings corruption
  to the heinous crime category),” the statement said.

• Government has accorded ‘in principle’ approval to 10 sites
  for setting up nuclear power projects, Lok Sabha was informed today. The ten sites
  are located in nine states.
• In reply to a question, Minister of State in the Prime
  Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh said indigenous reactors would be established
  at Gorakhpur in Haryana, Chutka and Bhimpur in Madhya Pradesh, Kaiga at
  Karnataka and Mahi Banswara in Rajasthan.
• Reactors with foreign cooperation would be set up in
  Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu, Jaitapur at Maharashtra, Chhaya Mithi Virdhi in
  Gujarat, Kovvada at Andhra Pradesh and Haripur in West Bengal.
• Singh also said that BHAVINI, a Public Sector Undertaking of
  Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) is presently constructing a Prototype Fast
  Breeder Reaction (PFBR) of 500 MWe capacity at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu. In
  addition, two Fast Breeder Reactors of 600 MW are also proposed to be constructed
  at Kalpakkam, he added.
• Responding to another question, he said that PFBR is under
  advanced stage of commissioning. The physical progress achieved as on
  31-03-2014 is 97.64 per cent.

• Union Cabinet on Wednesday gave its nod to NDA government’s
  flagship 100 smart cities project and the new urban renewal mission with a
  total outlay of about Rs one lakh crore.
• A meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved
  Smart Cities Mission for development of 100 smart cities and Atal Mission for
  Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) of 500 cities with outlays of Rs
  48,000 crore and Rs 50,000 crore respectively, according to a statement issued
  by the Urban Development Ministry.
• Smart City is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet project
  aimed at recasting the urban landscape of the country by making cities more
  livable and inclusive besides driving the economic growth. Each selected city
  under the ambitious scheme would get central assistance of Rs 100 crore per
  year for five years.
• AMRUT is the new avatar of the Jawaharlal Nehru National
  Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and has been named after former Prime Minister
  Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
• The Cabinet also approved central funding under AMRUT to the
  projects sanctioned under JNNURM and not completed. JNNURM projects sanctioned
  during 2005-2012 and which have achieved physical progress of 50 per cent
  availing 50 per cent of central assistance released and those sanctioned during
  2012-2014 will be supported till March 2017.

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 28 April
  2015 successfully tested an indigenous cryogenic engine CE-20 at Mahendragiri,
  Tamil Nadu. This engine will enable scientists to put satellites of up to the
  capacity of four tonnes in geostationary orbit.
• The engine will also give boost to India’s interplanetary
  probes and manned space missions. So far India’s GSLVs were being powered by
  cryogenic engines given by Russia. But this development marks a milestone in
  the country’s effort to develop a big cryogenic engine to fly satellites of up
  to five tonnes.

• Government of Delhi on 28 April 2015 gave its approval for
  setting up of a farmer compensation scheme named after Gajendra Singh. Gajendra
  Singh is the person who allegedly committed suicide during an AAP (Aam Aadmi
  Party) rally on 22 April 2015 by hanging himself with a tree.
• The decision on name of the scheme was taken during a
  Cabinet meet chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. As per reports, the
  state government will distribute compensation to rain-hit farmers from first
  week of May 2015.
• Besides, the government also decided to give job to a member
  of Gajendra’s family and martyr status for him, as demanded by the farmer’s
  kin.

• The logo for International Day of Yoga was launched here
  today by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Minister of State for
  AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik.
• The United Nations General Assembly had on December 11
  adopted an India-led resolution declaring June 21 as the ‘International Day of
  Yoga’. This came less than three months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi
  proposed the idea.
• The theme for 2015 International Yoga Day is “Yoga for
  Harmony and Peace”.
• Folding of both hands in the logo symbolises Yoga, which
  reflects the union of individual consciousness with that of universal
  consciousness, a perfect harmony between mind and body, man and nature, the
  holistic approach to health and well being, a senior government official said.
• The brown leaves in the logo symbolise the earth element,
  the green leaves the nature, blue the fire element while the sun symbolises the
  source of energy and inspiration, the official said.

• World Dance Day or International Dance Day was observed
  globally on 29 April 2015. It is observed with an aim to attract the attention
  of the wider public to the art of dance.
• As part of celebrations, the President of the CID annually
  sends the official message for Dance Day which circulates in every country
  around the world.
• International Dance Day was introduced in 1982 by the
  International Dance Council (CID) at United Nations Educational, Scientific and
  Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris, France. CID is the
  official organization for all forms of dance in all countries of the world.

• Margarita, with a Straw directed by Shonali Bose of India in
  the fourth week of April 2015 won the Audience Award for Best Feature Film at
  the Washington DC International Film festival.
• Kalki Koechlin-starrer film is a disability drama. In the
  film, Kalki has played the role of a cerebral palsy patient named Laila. The
  film also stars Revathi and Sayani Gupta in prominent roles.
• The film, through layers of discovery and revelation has
  explored and challenged Indian culture and society in so many ways. The director
  Bose through the film has tried to weave a story in form of a specific culture along
  with simply human story.
• The film, before its release on 17 April 2015 made its world
  premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Later, it was
  screened at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia, BFI London Film
  Festival, Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) and the Santa Barbara
  International Film Festival.

• Flipkart, India’s largest online marketplace, has acquired
  New Delhi-based mobile engagement and marketing automation company Appiterate,
  to strengthen its mobile technology presence. The financial terms of the deal
  were not disclosed.
• Appiterate started out testing products for mobile apps,
  which later on expanded into a full-fledged mobile marketing automation
  platform. The company, in the past, has helped leading e-commerce companies
  combine the power of mobile apps and big data to allow them to do one-on-one targeting
  of their users through push notifications and in-app messages.

• D Harika and Koneru Humpy came up with fine individual
  performances to win a silver and a bronze, respectively, even as the Indian
  eves finished fourth in the women’s world team chess championship here.
• Harika’s silver and Humpy’s bronze though were a big
  consolation for the team, overall it was a disappointing show by the Indian
  girls given the missed opportunities. The medal for the team was always within
  reach, but it failed to finish off well.
• Considering that the Indian team entered the tournament as a
  wild card, a fourth-place finish can be justified as a pretty decent show.
  However, the medal was within the grasp as the team finished just one point shy
  of China, which bagged the bronze.

• Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) on 28 April 2015 won
  5th Senior Men’s National Hockey championship 2015. In the final match played
  in Pune, Maharashtra, Railways defeated Uttar Pradesh Hockey (UPH) by 5-3.
• In the Position match, Air India Sports Promotion Board
  (AISPB) defeated Hockey Gangpur-Odisha by 5-3 to finish at 3rd position in the
  tournament.

• In another setback for Sunil Narine, the West Indies player
  has been barred from bowling off-spinners in all matches organised by the BCCI,
  including the ongoing IPL.
• Kolkata Knight Riders’ ace spinner Narine underwent a
  biomechanical analysis in Chennai after being reported for a suspected illegal
  action again during the IPL tie against SunRisers Hyderabad in Visakhapatnam on
  April 22.
• After reviewing the footage of the game and analysis in
  Chennai, the BCCI has decided to ban his off-spinners.

• China won the World Team Chess Championship which was held
  at Tsaghkadzor, Armenia from 18 April 2015 to 29 April 2015.
• China emerged champion, with 15 points. Ukraine finished
  runner-up with 12 points, while host Armenia was third with 11.
• India finished the championship at ninth position with seven
  points, losing the final round match 3-1 to China.

• Georgia on 29 April 2015 won the Women’s World Team Chess
  Championship. The championship was held at Chengdu, China from 18 April 2015 to
  29 April 2015 under the aegis of FIDE.
• Georgia won the gold with 17 match points by defeating
  China. Russia won the silver medal, with 15 match points while China was placed
  third with 11 match points, claiming the bronze.
• Mariya Muzychuk was declared as the 2015 Women’s World
  Champion.

• Veteran actor Mukesh Khanna, who made his way into the
  hearts of children with his popular superhero TV series “Shaktimaan”,
  has been appointed as the new chairperson of the Children Film Society of India
  (CFSI).
• The 56-year-old actor has taken over the charge from
  actor-director Amole Gupte, who resigned in June 2014.
• Khanna made his debut on the small screen with B R Chopra’s
  “Mahabharat” where he gained much fame after he played Bhisham
  Pitamah in the epic. He was last seen in daily soap “Pyaar Ka Dard Hai
  Meetha Meetha Pyaara Pyaara”.
• Kumar said the organisation expects Khanna to give his
  creative leadership in making good content for children’s programmes and bring
  in his experience and expertise.
• With a catalogue of 250 films in 10 different languages,
  CFSI remains the prime producer of children’s films in South Asia.

• The Oscar-winning cinematographer Andrew Lesnie passed away
  on 27 April 2015 following a fatal heart attack. He was 59.
• Lesnie was famously known for his cinematography in movies
  Lord of the Rings series and The Hobbit. He also shot the remake of King Kong
  (2005), The Lovely Bones (2009) and Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
  during his career.
• Lesnie won the Oscar (Academy Award) as a cinematographer in
  2002 for the first part of Lord of the Rings film- The Fellowship of the Ring.
  He was also inducted into the Australian Cinematographers Society Hall of Fame
  in 2002.

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