Dehradun: National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has entered the 44th year of service to the nation on 12 July 2025. On this special occasion, the 44th Foundation Day Celebration of NABARD was celebrated with joy and gaiety at NABARD, Uttarakhand Regional Office located at IT Park, Sahastradhara Road under the chairmanship of Cooperatives, Health and Higher Education Minister Dr. Dhan Singh Rawat. On this occasion, the Cabinet Minister visited the stalls set up by Self Help Groups and Farmer Producer Organizations and appreciated the products made by them. In the program, the journey of 44 years of NABARD in the building of the nation and various schemes currently run by NABARD were showcased through a short film. On the occasion of NABARD Foundation Day celebrations, a panel discussion was organized in which various dignitaries shared their views on the topic “Promoting Rural Enterprise for Inclusive Growth”. Shashi Kumar, General Manager, NABARD, in his welcome address, apprised everyone of the important achievements of NABARD and its contribution dedicated to the agriculture and rural development of the country during the last four decades and the various initiatives and projects implemented by NABARD in the state of Uttarakhand. Pankaj Yadav, Chief General Manager, NABARD, in his address apprised the House of the glorious and effective journey of NABARD in nation building through loan planning, supervision and developmental works to rural financial institutions and said that NABARD is committed to the empowerment of farmers, cooperative institutions and rural communities so that development of every corner of Uttarakhand can be ensured. Cabinet Minister Dr. Dhan Singh Rawat, Minister of Cooperation, Health and Higher Education, while mentioning the important role of NABARD in the development of Uttarakhand, told about the activities of NABARD dedicated to the promotion of rural India and thanked NABARD for its important contribution in agriculture and rural development. In his address, the Cabinet Minister expressed concern that the number of farmers in Uttarakhand and the entire country is continuously decreasing, which is a matter of concern and NABARD and the government will have to work together to solve this. The Minister informed that with the aim of promoting women empowerment in the field of cooperation, a provision of 33% reservation has been made for women in this sector. Provision of Model by-laws Act has been made for the appointment of Secretary in Multipurpose Cooperative Societies. The Minister expressed hope that with the cooperation of NABARD, the state of Uttarakhand will develop more rapidly and move towards self-reliance. Dr. Surendra Narayan Pandey, Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare congratulated NABARD on its 44th Foundation Day and appreciated the developmental work being done by NABARD. Apart from this, Pandey emphasized on promoting climate friendly agriculture as well as FPO.
Four Multipurpose-Primary Agricultural Credit Societies including Motahaldu M-PAX Nainital, Semandidhar M-PAX, Tehri Garhwal, Sahaspur M-PAX, Dehradun and Nai M-PAX, Nainital and three District Cooperative Banks including District Central Cooperative Bank, US Nagar, Chamoli and Kotdwar were awarded during the program for excellent implementation in various fields.
During the program, a brief presentation was presented on the glorious journey of 44 years of NABARD dedicated to national service and the contribution of NABARD in the context of Uttarakhand.
In the program, NABARD General Manager Dr. Suman Kumar assured to make appropriate efforts from NABARD on various action points raised during the program.
Dr. Surendra Narayan Pandey, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Secretary, Vinod Kumar, Deputy General Manager, State Bank of India, Rajiv Pant, SLBC Convenor, Heads of various departments, Harihar Patnaik, Chairman, Uttarakhand Gramin Bank, Pradeep Mahrotra, Managing Director, Uttarakhand State Cooperative Bank, representatives of various commercial banks and other institutions, NGOs and NABARD staff members were present in this ceremony.
