The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) celebrated its 44th Foundation Day on 16 July 2025 at The Lalit Hotel, Chandigarh.

Dr. Arvind Sharma, Hon'ble Minister for Cooperation, Haryana, was the Chief Guest of the function, along with Shri Vivek Shrivastava, Regional Director, Reserve Bank of India; Smt. Nivedita Tiwari, Chief General Manager, NABARD Haryana Regional Office; Shri VK Arya, Chief General Manager, NABARD Punjab Regional Office and Shri Lalit Taneja, Convenor, SLBC Haryana.

Hon’ble Cabinet Minister Dr. Arvind Sharma visited the exhibition by FPOs, SHGs, JLGs, and HPCs, showcasing handmade and processed products. Smt. Nivedita Tiwari, CGM NABARD, apprised him of the initiatives. Dr. Sharma interacted with the exhibitors and encouraged them in their entrepreneurial journey.

Cabinet Minister Dr. Arvind Sharma addressed NABARD’s 44th Foundation Day, aligning his message with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047—a dream cherished by Mahatma Gandhi and now being realized under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Quoting Gandhiji, “Bharat ki aatma gaon mein basti hai,” he emphasized holistic rural development as the core of Viksit Bharat.

Dr. Sharma highlighted the government’s efforts to strengthen the cooperative sector, including the establishment of a dedicated Ministry of Cooperation led by Union Home & Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah. He shared that 13 crore farmers have joined PACS (Primary Agricultural Credit Societies), and the aim is to connect every village to PACS. In this direction, Haryana Chief Minister Shri Nayab Singh Saini has announced a budget for 500 CM PACS; currently, 161 CM PACS are already in place, working to ensure that rural areas progress at par with urban regions.

He stressed bridging the rural–urban divide in terms of development and progress of rural areas through a vibrant cooperative network, which is being supported by a new cooperative policy currently in the pipeline. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Nayab Saini, Haryana is progressing rapidly—becoming the first state to provide MSP on 24 crops and launching farmer-centric schemes.

Dr. Sharma said that the establishment of India’s first Tribhuvan Cooperative University will also be a milestone in promoting cooperative education. He noted that NABARD has computerized 700 PACSs in Haryana, ensuring greater transparency.

He praised NABARD’s pivotal role in implementing the goals of Seva, Sushasan aur Garib Kalyan during the 11 years of Modi Government and lauded the Foundation Day theme, “Voice of Grameen Bharat.” Concluding, Dr. Sharma reaffirmed: “Shashakt Gramin, Shashakt Bharat” and “Sangh Chale, Sangh Bade” — Together we move, together we grow.

Regional Director Shri Vivek Shrivastava emphasized that PACS should evolve into village-level startup incubators, offering capital, training, market access, and digital tools to local entrepreneurs. He proposed a three-tier approach: institutional reforms with transparency and digitization; financial innovation through partnerships and fintech; and social empowerment by prioritizing youth and women, supporting joint village planning, and initiatives like “One Village, One Product.”

Smt. Nivedita Tiwari, Chief General Manager, NABARD Haryana, highlighted NABARD’s instrumental role over the past four decades in advancing agricultural credit, empowering cooperative institutions, creating rural infrastructure, promoting financial inclusion, managing natural resources, and nurturing rural skills and entrepreneurship. Over the past 43 years, NABARD has played a key role in fostering grassroots village institutions, including Farmer Producer Organizations, Self Help Groups, Joint Liability Groups, and Non-Farmer Producer Organizations. In its commitment to inclusive development, NABARD has extended refinance support to cooperative banks, enabling last-mile delivery of financial services. Through infrastructural advancements such as Core Banking Solutions (CBS and CBS+), and the computerization of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), NABARD has persistently worked to strengthen the cooperative sector with technology and operational efficiency.

Cabinet Minister Dr. Arvind Sharma felicitated PACS, DCCBs, and StCBs for their performance under the PACS Computerisation Scheme. Registration Certificates and Equity Grants were given to FPOs, and Micro ATMs were also distributed to dairy societies.

The occasion witnessed the gracious presence of the senior officials from the State Government and public, private, and cooperative banks; as well as representatives from PACS, FPOs, NGOs, and NABARD’s officials.

Note: NABARD’s Foundation Day is on 12th July, but it is celebrated by the NABARD Chandigarh Regional Office on 16th July 2025, i.e., today.

Hindi version please click here.

 **************

PIB Chandigarh: Roos

(रिलीज़ आईडी: 2145219) आगंतुक पटल : 462