Published on: April 9, 2025
Snippets : 9 APRIL 2024
Snippets : 9 APRIL 2024
- The Finance Ministry has announced that from May 1, 2025, Karnataka will have a single Regional Rural Bank (RRB) under the Centre’s ‘One State, One RRB’ policy. This will involve the merger of Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB), headquartered in Dharwad, and Karnataka Gramin Bank (KGB), headquartered in Ballari. The new entity will retain the name Karnataka Grameena Bank and will be sponsored by Canara Bank. The move aims to improve operational efficiency and cost rationalisation. KVGB has a business size of ₹30,748 crore with 629 branches, while KGB has a business size of ₹63,697 crore and 1,122 branches across 19 districts. After the merger, the unified RRB will be headquartered in Ballari. This development is part of a broader amalgamation plan approved by the Department of Financial Services (DFS), which seeks to reduce the total number of RRBs in India from 43 to 28. RRBs are governed by the RRB Act of 1976 and are jointly owned by the Centre (50%), the sponsor bank (35%), and the State Government (15%).
- The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 seeks to modernize the Waqf Act of 1995 by addressing inefficiencies, improving governance, and eliminating outdated provisions. It redefines waqf formation by removing “waqf by user,” requiring donors to be practicing Muslims for over five years and property owners, and ensures female heirs cannot be denied inheritance in waqf-alal-aulad. Government land can no longer be declared waqf, and disputes over such claims will be handled by the Collector. The Act removes the power of Waqf Boards to unilaterally determine waqf status and transfers survey authority to District Collectors under state revenue laws. The composition of the Central Waqf Council and State Waqf Boards has been revised to include non-Muslims and broaden representation across sects like Shias, Sunnis, Bohras, and Agakhanis, with mandatory inclusion of Muslim women. The amendment also replaces the Muslim law expert in tribunals with a District Judge and a Joint Secretary, and allows appeals on tribunal decisions in High Courts within 90 days. The Central Government is empowered to frame rules for registration, oversee audits through the CAG, and ensure better transparency. In parallel, the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2025 repeals the 1923 Act to establish a uniform and updated legal framework, addressing misuse, legal disputes, and constitutional concerns around exclusivity of waqf laws.
- In a key ruling, the Supreme Court held that a Governor cannot reserve a Bill for the President’s consideration under Article 200 of the Constitution after it has been re-passed by the State Legislature. This ruling came in a case involving the Tamil Nadu Governor, who had initially withheld assent to ten Bills. After the State Legislature re-passed these Bills, the Governor chose to refer them to the President, which the Court deemed not bona fide. The Court clarified that if the Governor wished to reserve the Bills, it should have been done in the first instance. Upon reconsideration and re-passage of a Bill, the Governor is constitutionally bound to grant assent without delay, ideally within one month. The Court emphasized that the use of the phrase “shall not withhold assent” imposes a clear obligation, leaving no scope for discretion. Furthermore, the omission of the discretionary phrase “in his discretion” from Section 75 of the Government of India Act, 1935, in the framing of Article 200 underlines the constitutional intent to limit the Governor’s power in this regard.
- The GenomeIndia Project is a groundbreaking initiative led by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, in collaboration with a consortium of 20 institutions including IISc, NIMHANS, and NCBS. It has successfully created a genomic database of 9,772 sequenced genomes from over 20,000 blood samples, representing 83 diverse Indian population groups. The project identified more than 180 million unique DNA variations, about 60% of which are rare, capturing India’s rich genetic diversity that has been historically underrepresented in global genomics. This database serves as a foundational reference for scientific and medical research, enabling India-specific precision medicine, personalized treatments, improved disease diagnostics, and better understanding of population-specific genetic mutations. By addressing the Euro-centric bias in global datasets, the project aims to enhance healthcare delivery, predict drug responses, reduce health disparities, and foster genome-based research tailored to India’s population.
- According to the Digital Threat Report-2024 by Cert-In and SISA, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven cyberattacks are on the rise, posing a major threat to India’s Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) sector. These attacks are expected to become highly scalable and adaptable by 2025, surpassing traditional cybersecurity defenses. Both attackers and defenders are leveraging AI, with the BFSI sector facing immediate risk due to its interconnected infrastructure, high-value financial data, and complex technologies. There has been a 175% surge in phishing attacks in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. AI is being used to exploit identity vulnerabilities, enhancing social engineering techniques and enabling deepfake-driven impersonation scams such as Business Email Compromise (BEC). India faces a disproportionately high increase in deepfake identity fraud, making it increasingly difficult to maintain digital trust in critical financial systems.
- Karnataka-based writer, activist and lawyer Banu Mushtaq’s short story collection ‘Heart Lamp’, translated from Kannada to English by Deepa Bhasthi, was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025 in London
- Guwahati, Assam’s principal city, will host a meeting of the Chief Information Commissioners of the country
- The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has announced a ₹22,919-crore Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme to boost local production of electronic parts. Approved by the Union Cabinet, this six-year scheme offers capital expenditure and turnover-linked incentives for companies producing passive components, with rewards based on incremental investments and turnover ranging from 1% to 10%. The initiative follows the success of domestic smartphone assembly and aims to increase the domestic value added in electronics manufacturing, which currently stands at 18%, compared to advanced economies like China at 38%. The government aims to double this value by 2030.
- With drones used in several districts of Gujarat for policing activities in recent months, DGP Vikas Sahay (April 4) announced Phase I of the Gujarat Police – Drone Response and Aerial Surveillance Tactical Interventions. Gujarat police have employed quadcopter drones to track fugitives and find missing children, and under the GP-DRASTI program, they will now be actively used at the police station level, especially for crimes related to bodily harm and violence on the streets of major cities.
- China has recently launched the “Three Gorges Antarctic Eye,” a 3.2-metre aperture radio/millimetre-wave telescope, at the Zhongshan Station in Antarctica
- The United Nations has declared 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, marking 100 years since quantum theory began to revolutionise science
