NABARD played key role in strengthening rural infrastructure in Telangana: Dana Kishore
Hyderabad, July 16 (TNT): Telangana Special Chief Secretary for Panchayati Raj and Rural Development M. Dana Kishore on Thursday said the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has played a significant role in strengthening rural infrastructure in the state through the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF).
Addressing the 45th Foundation Day celebrations of NABARD here, Dana Kishore said the Telangana government has accorded priority to farmer welfare, rural development and sustainable agriculture, and called for greater collaboration among institutions to accelerate the state’s growth.
He said the Foundation Day celebrations assumed added significance as they coincided with the International Year of Women Farmers, highlighting the contribution of women to agriculture, food security, rural livelihoods and community development.
Welcoming the gathering, NABARD Telangana Chief General Manager B. Uday Bhaskar said the institution’s balance sheet had grown from ₹4,519 crore in 1982 to ₹10.96 lakh crore as of March 2026, reflecting its expanding role in rural development.
He said NABARD provides both short-term and long-term refinance to promote capital formation and ensure timely credit flow to farmers.
Bhaskar said the institution had disbursed ₹1.37 lakh crore in Telangana through short-term and long-term refinance during the last 12 years, besides extending concessional refinance to priority sectors.
RBI Regional Director Chinmoy Kumar and State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) Chairman Neelesh Dwivedi also addressed the gathering.
On the occasion, NABARD launched a project titled “Strengthening Seed Delivery through Cooperatives for Sustainable Agri Food Systems in Telangana” by distributing seed packets to four women farmers from Mulugu district.
Three publications — “Unit Cost on Investments in Agriculture and Allied Activities for Financial Year 2026-27,” “Impactful Agri Innovations in Telangana: Success Stories of FSPF Projects and Empowering Communities,” and “Impactful Projects Implemented by NABARD in Telangana” — were released during the event.
Women entrepreneurs, startup founders, District Cooperative Central Banks (DCCBs), Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS), project facilitating agencies and NABARD District Development Managers (DDMs) were felicitated for their contributions.
The programme was attended by Commissioner and Director of School Education Naveen Nicolas, Union Bank of India Chief General Manager M. Ravindra Babu, Canara Bank Chief General Manager Kalyan Mukherjee, SIDBI General Manager Chandramouli Vemuru, and representatives of banks, cooperative institutions, research organisations, farmer producer organisations (FPOs), startups and non-governmental organisations.
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