One State – One Regional Rural Bank Scheme:
- The Finance Ministry is planning to implement the ‘One State – One Regional Rural Bank’ scheme.
- It has been decided to reduce the total number of Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) from the current 43 to 28 in order to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
- There are currently 28 states and 8 union territories in the country.
- There are also plans to consolidate more than one RRB in a state or union territory.
- RRBs were formed under the ‘Regional Rural Banks Act, 1976’ with the aim of providing credit to small farmers, agricultural labourers and artisans living in rural areas.
- The central government has a share of 50 percent in these banks, the state government has a share of 15 percent and other public sector banks providing services have a share of 35 percent.
- As per the amendment made in the RRB Act in 2015, RRBs were allowed to raise capital not only from the central government, state governments, banks providing services but also from other sources.
- However, the amendment also stated that the share of the central government and public sector banks providing services in RRBs should not fall below 51 percent.
- The number of RRBs was reduced from 196 to 43 through the reforms carried out in 2004-05.
April 7: World Health Day.
- World Health Day (WHD) is celebrated every year on April 7 to mark the anniversary of the establishment of the WHO in 1948.
- This year, 2025, the theme of World Health Day is: “Healthy Starts, Hopeful Futures”.
Important Facts:
- World-renowned sand sculptor Sudarsan Pattnaik has been awarded the Fred Darrington Sand Art award in Britain.
- The “Sandworld 2025 International Sand Art Festival” has begun in Weymouth, UK.
- President Droupadi Murmu is on a state visit to Portugal and Slovakia.
- Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister Luiz Montenegro.
- Slovakia President Peter Pellegrini and Prime Minister Robert Fico.
- India’s Hitesh won a gold medal in the World Cup boxing tournament held in Brazil.