NABARD Chairman Meets Rajasthan Chief Secretary; Major Roadmap Drawn for Water-Secure, Climate-Resilient and Enterprise-Driven Rural Rajasthan
Jaipur, September 26, 2026: A comprehensive roadmap for accelerating rural transformation in Rajasthan took shape on Saturday as Dr. Shaji Krishnan V, Chairman of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), met Shri V. Srinivas, IAS, Chief Secretary of the Government of Rajasthan, for an extensive discussion on the State’s rural development priorities. The high-level meeting focused on a broad range of issues directly linked to the future of Rajasthan’s rural economy, including water security, climate resilience, digital agriculture, rural credit, agricultural markets, cooperative enterprises, rural infrastructure, livelihoods and financial inclusion. The discussions reaffirmed the importance of strengthening the partnership between NABARD and the Government of Rajasthan and moving towards a development model that combines infrastructure creation with faster implementation, stronger institutions, technology-enabled financing and measurable improvements in rural livelihoods.
From Infrastructure Creation to Measurable Rural Transformation
During the meeting, Dr. Shaji Krishnan V highlighted the extensive role played by NABARD in supporting rural development across Rajasthan and emphasised that the next phase of development must move beyond the creation of physical assets. According to the roadmap discussed, the focus increasingly needs to be placed on how effectively these assets translate into stronger rural enterprises, sustainable livelihoods, climate resilience and economic opportunities for rural communities. The approach envisages faster implementation of development projects, greater institutional coordination and stronger financing mechanisms so that investments in rural Rajasthan produce visible and measurable outcomes. The Chief Secretary appreciated NABARD’s contribution to the State’s rural development and discussed the need for continued coordination between the State Government, financial institutions, development agencies and grassroots institutions to ensure that rural development programmes achieve their intended impact.
Water Security Emerges as a Central Pillar of Rajasthan’s Rural Development Strategy
Water security emerged as one of the most important areas of discussion during the meeting, reflecting the critical importance of water availability for agriculture, rural livelihoods and long-term economic development in Rajasthan. NABARD reaffirmed its readiness to expand support for critical water-related infrastructure, including irrigation modernisation, improved water-use efficiency, groundwater recharge, watershed development and river-linking projects. The institution will explore opportunities to scale up financing through the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) and other suitable financing instruments to accelerate the implementation of water-security infrastructure across the State. The broader approach recognises that water management in Rajasthan cannot be treated merely as an agricultural issue; it is closely connected with rural employment, food security, climate resilience, household incomes and the sustainability of rural communities. Strengthening water infrastructure and improving the efficiency of existing resources are therefore expected to remain central to the State’s rural development agenda.
Climate Resilience to Become Integral to Rural Growth
The discussions also placed significant emphasis on building climate resilience into Rajasthan’s rural development framework. With rural communities and agricultural activity increasingly dependent on the availability and efficient management of natural resources, development interventions need to account for environmental and climatic risks while ensuring sustainable economic growth. The proposed approach seeks to combine water security, resilient infrastructure, improved agricultural practices and technology-enabled decision-making so that rural communities are better positioned to withstand climate-related pressures. The upcoming Rural Development Conclave in October is expected to provide a platform for bringing together the relevant stakeholders to identify projects and financing pathways that can contribute to a more climate-resilient rural economy. The objective is to establish measurable priorities rather than limiting the exercise to broad policy discussions.
Cooperatives to Transition from Credit Institutions into Rural Enterprise Engines
A major component of the discussions centred on the transformation of cooperatives into dynamic, self-reliant and enterprise-driven institutions. Dr. Shaji Krishnan emphasised the need to reposition cooperatives from institutions primarily associated with credit delivery into organisations capable of generating livelihoods, creating economic value and developing businesses at scale. Under the proposed approach, Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and other cooperative institutions could diversify their activities beyond traditional lending and increasingly participate in input supply, agricultural procurement, warehousing, custom hiring, processing, value addition, rural retail and other commercially viable activities. Such diversification could help rural institutions develop multiple sources of revenue while bringing essential agricultural and market services closer to farmers and rural communities.
Building an Integrated Cooperative Enterprise Ecosystem
The meeting also underlined the importance of greater convergence between different rural cooperative institutions. PACS, dairy cooperatives, District Central Cooperative Banks, marketing federations and other rural organisations can potentially work together as components of an integrated cooperative enterprise ecosystem. Such convergence can help connect farmers with finance, inputs, procurement, storage, processing and markets while reducing fragmentation across the rural value chain. The objective is to create stronger institutional linkages through which rural producers can gain improved access to financial services and markets while cooperatives themselves develop sustainable business models. NABARD is expected to support this transition through concessional and development-oriented financing, capacity building and business-development assistance.
Digital Agriculture Seen as a Gateway to Faster and More Inclusive Rural Credit
Digital agriculture and technology-enabled rural finance formed another major area of discussion. The meeting examined how the ongoing digitisation of land records, AgriStack and digital crop-survey data could be leveraged to make agricultural and rural credit faster, simpler and more accurate. Digitised agricultural information can potentially reduce the dependence on extensive physical documentation and allow financial institutions to assess credit requirements using verified digital data. The discussions highlighted the potential role of the RBIH Unified Lending Interface (ULI) and the KRISHIKA app in moving towards more seamless, data-enabled rural credit delivery. Such systems could support faster credit assessment and improve access for small and marginal farmers, provided the necessary digital infrastructure, data quality and institutional integration are effectively established.
Land Records, AgriStack and Crop Data to Support Digital Credit Assessment
The potential integration of land records, AgriStack and digital crop-survey information with financial institutions was specifically discussed as a means of improving the efficiency of rural lending. Digital land records can provide financial institutions with more accessible information relating to agricultural holdings, while crop-survey data can contribute to crop-based assessment and digital underwriting. The objective is to create a system where credit decisions can increasingly be supported by reliable digital information, reducing unnecessary paperwork and improving the speed of delivery. For small and marginal farmers in particular, easier access to institutional credit can be an important component of strengthening agricultural productivity and reducing barriers to formal financial services. The discussions therefore placed digital transformation not merely as a technology initiative, but as an instrument for improving the delivery of rural finance.
e-NAM and Agricultural Markets Take Centre Stage
The status and implementation of e-NAM in Rajasthan were also reviewed during the meeting, with emphasis on strengthening its adoption and effectiveness. The next phase of agricultural-market development is expected to focus on greater market integration, stronger digital transactions, improved price discovery and increased transparency. Better linkages among farmers, Farmer Producer Organisations, cooperatives and buyers can potentially strengthen agricultural value chains and improve market access. NABARD will also explore support for marketing federations in Rajasthan in areas such as aggregation, market access, value addition and agricultural marketing infrastructure. The discussions recognised that digitalisation of agricultural markets can become an important mechanism for strengthening value chains and enabling producers to participate more effectively in formal markets.
Strengthening Farmer–FPO–Cooperative–Buyer Linkages
An important underlying objective of the agricultural-market discussions is to improve the connections between individual farmers and organised market institutions. Farmers, particularly small and marginal producers, can face challenges when accessing distant or fragmented markets. Stronger Farmer Producer Organisations, cooperatives and marketing institutions can help aggregate produce, improve bargaining capacity and connect producers with larger buyers. The proposed focus on aggregation, warehousing, processing and value addition seeks to address different stages of the agricultural value chain rather than focusing exclusively on production. A more integrated system could enable rural producers to participate in markets through organised channels while supporting the development of rural enterprises around agriculture and allied activities.
October Rural Development Conclave to Build an Actionable Roadmap
A major outcome of the meeting was the decision to jointly organise a Rural Development Conclave in October 2026, bringing together the Government of Rajasthan, NABARD, financial institutions, development agencies and grassroots stakeholders. The Conclave is expected to serve as a platform for translating the broad development priorities discussed in Jaipur into a comprehensive and actionable roadmap. Rather than focusing solely on policy-level deliberations, the proposed exercise will seek to identify clear priorities, projects, financing pathways, institutional responsibilities and measurable outcomes. The Conclave is expected to bring together multiple stakeholders so that development initiatives can be examined from the perspectives of financing, implementation, institutional capacity and grassroots requirements.
Water Security, Climate Resilience and Digital Agriculture to Form the Core Agenda
The proposed Rural Development Conclave will particularly focus on water security, climate resilience, digital agriculture and rural credit, along with cooperative enterprises, agricultural markets, rural infrastructure, livelihoods and inclusion. These areas are closely interconnected: water availability influences agricultural productivity; climate resilience affects the sustainability of rural livelihoods; digital agriculture can improve access to information and finance; and stronger cooperative enterprises can create new economic opportunities. The proposed framework therefore seeks to approach rural development as an interconnected ecosystem rather than as a collection of separate schemes or projects.
NABARD–Rajasthan Partnership to Drive the Next Phase of Rural Growth
The meeting between the NABARD Chairman and the Rajasthan Chief Secretary underlined the importance of institutional cooperation in implementing the State’s rural development priorities. NABARD’s financial and developmental role, combined with the State Government’s administrative machinery and grassroots institutions, can provide the framework for taking forward projects across water infrastructure, agriculture, rural finance, markets and enterprises. The discussions also highlighted the need for stronger convergence among financial institutions, cooperatives, development agencies and local stakeholders so that resources and expertise can be combined more effectively.
A Vision for Water-Secure, Climate-Resilient and Enterprise-Driven Rural Rajasthan
The broader objective emerging from the meeting is to position Rajasthan’s rural economy around three interconnected pillars: resource security, institutional strength and enterprise-led growth. Water security is expected to provide the foundation for sustainable rural development, climate resilience is intended to strengthen the ability of communities and agricultural systems to respond to environmental pressures, while enterprise-driven cooperatives and stronger market linkages could create additional economic opportunities. Digital agriculture and technology-enabled rural credit are expected to provide another layer by improving the speed and efficiency of financial and agricultural services.
The proposed roadmap represents an effort to shift the focus of rural development from asset creation alone towards the actual economic and livelihood outcomes generated by those assets. With the October Rural Development Conclave expected to bring together key stakeholders, the Government of Rajasthan and NABARD are set to work towards identifying concrete projects, financing mechanisms and institutional responsibilities for the next phase of rural transformation.
The discussions ultimately underscored a shared objective of building a water-secure, climate-resilient, digitally enabled and cooperative-enterprise-driven rural Rajasthan, with stronger agricultural markets, improved access to rural credit, more capable grassroots institutions and greater opportunities for sustainable livelihoods.
