Role of nabard in refinance (investment credit) and ridf in kerala

Abstract

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), as a national level refinance institution has a crucial role to play in agriculture credit and the rural development fund in a state like Kerala, where, budgetary resources are scarce. This Project Work is an attempt to study two major functional areas of NABARD viz., Refinance (Investment Credit) and Rural infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF). The nature and extent of NABARD’s investment Credit refinance is studied using the analysis of share of Kerala in the total refinance disbursement as well as Purpose Wise, Agency Wise, and District wise analysis. The per capita and per hectare refinance disbursement is also studied in this regard. The study reveals that though Kerala has been receiving 4 to 5 percentage of NABARD’s total refinance disbursement for the last 15 years, the per capita and per hectare disbursement is much higher in the state than the All India and Southern Region figures. SCARB is the major disbursement agency and Non Farm Sector is absorbing the major portion of long term refinance. With respect to RIDF, the analysis is done based on parameters such as number of project sanctioned, NABARD Loan and disbursed, State Government’s contribution and Expected benefits. The study reveals that the share of Kerala in the number of projects and loans sanctioned has been decreased from RIDF – I to RIDF – II, the state can hope better results in the matter of expected benefits. Thus the study concludes that, NABARD as a national level institution has been showing justification in every manner to the disbursement of investment credit to the state of Kerala. For RIDF; though the programme has not much matured for an assessment the working of the fund for the last years from 1995 – 96 shows that better results are yet to come.