NABARD’s New Delhi Regional Office marked the occasion of 44^th Foundation Day with a commemorative event graced by Shri Rohit P. Das, Regional Director, RBI New Delhi, as the Chief Guest, and Shri Shailendra Singh Parihaar, Special Secretary (Finance), Govt. of NCT of Delhi, as the Keynote Speaker. The occasion also witnessed the presence of Dr. Hara Gopal Yandra, Managing Director, NABCONS, Shri Mashar Velapurath, Managing Director, AFC India Ltd., Shri Rajesh Kumar, General Manager, SLBC Delhi, and Shri Natarajan Ramachandran, General Manager, SIDBI as Guests of Honour, alongside several dignitaries, officials, and staff from NABARD, NABCONS and partner institutions.

The celebrations began with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp, followed by the cutting of a commemorative cake by the dignitaries.

In his welcome address, Shri Nabin Kumar Roy, GM/OIC, NABARD New Delhi Regional Office, reflected on NABARD’s four-decade-long journey in transforming the rural landscape. He highlighted the institution’s pioneering efforts in shaping rural finance and agriculture through innovations like SHG-Bank Linkage Programme (SHG-BLP) and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs). He also emphasized NABARD’s role in realizing the vision of “Sahakar se Samriddhi” of the Ministry of Cooperation by promoting reforms such as PACS computerisation, conversion of PACS into Multi-Service Centres, and initiatives like Sahakar Saarthi and Common Service Centres. He also shared his vision for expanding Geographical Indication (GI) registration support and touched upon the emerging potential of heritage financing in enriching the rural development landscape.

Dr. Hara Gopal Yandra, MD NABCONS in his address, reminiscence on his journey of almost three decades in NABARD and shared insights into NABARD’s work in direct financing, refinancing and development sectors for strengthening the rural institutional framework.

Shri Shailendra Singh Parihaar, Special Secretary (Finance), GNCTD, lauded NABARD for its grassroots-level impact and compared its work to that of ancient Rishi-Munis, preserving livelihoods and ecosystems by blending agriculture with modern technology. He expressed a keen interest in fostering convergence between GNCTD and NABARD for future collaborative initiatives and assured full support from the State Government.

Shri Rohit P. Das, Regional Director, RBI, extended his heartfelt congratulations to NABARD on its 44th Foundation Day and lauded its distinguished role as a premier development financial institution. He highlighted NABARD’s significant contributions in the areas of rural infrastructure development, ground-level credit delivery, and supervision of rural cooperative banks, all of which are instrumental to accelerating agricultural and rural progress. He expressed the need for better alignment between the Potential Linked Credit Plan (PLP) and the Annual Credit Plan (ACP) targets across the State to ensure a more uniform and effective priority sector lending strategy. Emphasizing the importance of inclusive growth, he noted NABARD’s pivotal role in harnessing India’s demographic dividend and enduring commitment to rural prosperity, expressing hope for continued success in contributing to the vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047.

A brief presentation titled “Journey of NABARD” was showcased, highlighting key milestones, achievements, and NABARD’s evolving role in rural development.

To exhibit NABARD’s support to rural artisans and producers, two exhibition stalls were installed by Maa Dharitiri Terracotta and Allied Producer Company Ltd. and Falah Handicrafts Society, both of which have received assistance from NABARD for obtaining Geographical Indication (GI) registration in the Capital.

A special stakeholder interaction session was also organized. Representatives from Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Grofree FPO, and Satya MicroCapital Ltd, NBFC-MFIs shared their success stories and the transformative role played by NABARD in their development journeys.

The event concluded with a vote of thanks proposed by Shri Samir S. Athalye, Deputy General Manager, NABARD New Delhi RO.