The Department of Economic Analysis and Research (DEAR) was set up to provide policy and action-oriented research support on issues of relevance to NABARD, the government and other stakeholders. It specializes in knowledge-driven activities relating to agriculture and rural development, as per the mandate of NABARD.

The strength of the department lies in the cadre of professional economists and its ability to network and collaborate with other reputed institutions.

Vision

“To develop into a quality research wing of NABARD that conducts and coordinates research to generate ideas, help evolve policy inputs, evaluate policy alternatives that would help the management in realising the objectives of the organisation and produce research output that improves NABARD’s understanding of the dimensions of rural credit in particular and overall rural development in general.”

Core Functions

A. Provide policy inputs to the management through research studies:

• Conduct in-house studies and other research activities through subject matter specialists within the organisation at the Head Office and Regional Offices.
• Conduct studies in collaboration with reputed research institutions on state/region-specific issues.

B. Managing Research and Development (R&D) Fund

The R&D Fund was established by the bank in accordance with the provisions of the NABARD Act, 1981, to extend grant support broadly for the following purposes:

• Research Projects/Studies

Studies and research projects supported under the R&D Fund aim at acquiring new insights into the problems of agriculture and rural development through in-depth studies, applied research and innovative approaches. In FY 2023-24, the studies sanctioned covered a variety of areas like assessing farmers’ participation and challenges in linking Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) mandi markets by e-National Agricultural Market (e-NAM), an economic analysis of supply chain and post-harvest losses of apricot in the UT of Ladakh, determinants and constraints of credit flow to the agricultural sector in Odisha, etc. During FY 2022-23 and FY 2023-24, the following study reports were completed:

• Research Chronicle

Research Chronicle is a biannual publication of DEAR which aims to facilitate greater readership, outreach and better internalization of the findings of studies supported under Research and Development Fund of NABARD. It is a compilation of research articles wherein the principal investigators (PIs) of the studies summarize the crux of the research undertaken in an article form with a focus on implementable policy recommendations. The following issues of Research Chronicle have been released so far:

• Seminars/Conferences/Webinars, etc.

The R&D Fund is also utilised for sponsoring seminars to help disseminate research findings across stakeholders. By extending support towards seminar publications, NABARD strives to spread research inputs on themes related to agriculture and rural development in multi-fold spheres and help relevant policy formulation.

• NABARD Chair Unit Scheme

The NABARD Chair Unit Scheme is designed to establish strong research linkages with reputed institutions, with the objective of pursuing extensive research in NABARD’s areas of interest.

• Occasional Papers/Research and Policy Series

DEAR brings out Occasional Papers/Research and Policy Series, on topical issues relevant for operations of NABARD. The papers in this series have covered topics ranging from climate change to agricultural price policy, value chain, start-ups, livestock, etc. highlighting various issues, policy relevance, prescription, and suggestions for future papers on the themes of interest to NABARD. These are uploaded on our website to reach out to a larger audience. The papers released under this series are as under:

• Policy Brief

NAB Policy Brief highlights the major findings and policy recommendations prepared in a short and crisp form based on research work carried out by NABARD under R&D Fund. The following issues of NAB Policy Brief have been released so far:

• Student Engagement

NABARD has been engaging with the student community through Student Internship Scheme (SIS) from 2oo5-o6. The objective of the Scheme is to assign short-term tasks/projects/studies useful and relevant to NABARD. We have broadened the ambit of our engagement with the student community and included new schemes to our ambit, namely, (i) NABARD Gold Medal Scheme and (ii) NABARD Citation for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis prize.

C. Annual Report of NABARD

The department brings out the Annual Report of NABARD which documents a comprehensive picture of the major activities undertaken by NABARD in the previous financial year. It also carries the audited accounts for the relevant year along with key statistical statements as an adjunct.

NABARD Annual Report 2023-24 offers a look into our interventions towards a sustainable future, inclusive development through community-driven institutions, rural infrastructure financing, the financial health of Rural Financial Institutions (RFIs), what NABARD is doing to improve their effectiveness and efficiency, and how the apex institution is transforming itself through its people, processes, and policies, while ensuring its own financial well-being. This year’s annual report has a theme chapter on “Cooperatives: Tackling Challenges, Building Opportunities” highlighting the critical role of cooperative sector in agriculture and Indian economy. It showcases the history of cooperative movement in India, and current scenario of cooperative sector along with the NABARD’s initiatives in developing the cooperative sector. In line with the theme chapter, cover page unveils the synergy created by the co-operative movement in the socioeconomic scenario of India. The hands symbolise unity, support, and collective effort which reflects the core principles of cooperatives, such as mutual aid, democratic control, and working together for common goals. Part-B of NAR 2023-24 comprises of a section on Corporate Governance owing to SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirement) guidelines and Annual Accounts. Click here to read the full report.

D. Impact Report

NABARD’s initiatives have had multifaceted impact on the rural landscape. It has touched millions of lives, and these numerous stories were waiting to be narrated to the world. To present the ground level impact of NABARD’s endeavours, DEAR has prepared the maiden issue of the ‘Impact Report’ for FY 2022-23. This report has been prepared based on Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI) standards of reporting. It is linked with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN. The Report gives an opportunity to convey the impact of our interventions, initiatives, and innovations, within the triple bottom line approach i.e., People, Planet and Profit.

Click here to read the full report.

E. Tracking the Economy

DEAR had evolved a data tracking system, titled Rural Economy Tracker (RET) by bringing all important data relating to various aspects of the rural economy of India together. The same has now been remodeled and prepared in the form of fortnightly/monthly bulletins (‘EcoWatch’, ‘EcoThink’) highlighting the state of the economy, including outlook on interest rate movement, inflation, bond yields, etc.

F. Support to Committees/Expert Working Groups

DEAR provides inputs to various committees for discussions in various fora on wide ranging topics such as Rural Distress, Value Chains, Doubling Farmers’ Income (DFI), FPOs, Agricultural Growth, Climate Change and Social Stock Exchange. The department and its officers provide academic/secretarial support to the Committees where NABARD has a role.

G. Central Library

DEAR maintains a well-stocked Central Library at its Head Office with over 25000 books besides journals, newspapers, magazines and on-line subscriptions, as knowledge support to its officials.

H. In-House Research/Studies/Publications:

DEAR conducts in-house research and brings out reports on issues of relevance to Indian agriculture and rural development.

(a) In House Booklets

(b) Working Papers

(c) Rural Pulse

NABARD publishes Rural Pulse, a short policy prescription based on analytical research by staff which acts as a platform for knowledge dissemination. To date 39 issues of Rural Pulse have been published. A few such publications are as under:

(d) Insight

Insight is a new series that serves as a mechanism to get quick feedback from the ground on topical issues through our network of District Development Managers. The analysis from the data gathered would be presented in a short and crisp manner. Three editions have been released, of which two were released during FY23.

(e) Eco Focus

Eco Focus is a new initiative of the Department covering thematic notes on contemporary issues such as soaring milk prices, volatility in Tomato, Potato and Onion prices.

Papers/Articles by Officers in reputed journals on topical issues

Officers in NABARD have been contributing articles in reputable journals on topical issues related to the domain of NABARD. The details of recent publications are as under:

I) Conducting Surveys to gather data on the rural economy and contribute to evidence-based policymaking –

1. NABARD All-India Rural Financial Inclusion Survey (NAFIS) 2021-22: NAFIS 2021-22 offers a comprehensive analysis of critical areas such as income, savings, credit, insurance, pension, remittances, and financial literacy. The report provides invaluable insights into the current state of financial inclusion and the livelihood aspects of rural households across the country. to read the full report

2. Rural Economic Conditions and Sentiments Survey (RECSS) - Conducted on a bi-monthly basis on various macroeconomic indicators to track the activities of rural India. The report of the first round of the RECSS can be accessed through the following link:https://www.nabard.org/auth/writereaddata/tender/pub_0910240202031157.pdf

Contact Information

Shri Kuldeep Singh
Chief General Manager
2nf Floor, ‘B’ Wing, C-24, ‘G’ Block
Bandra-Kurla Complex, Bandra (East)
Mumbai-400051
Tel: 022-68120038
E-mail Address: dear@nabard.org

Information under RTI – Section 4(1)(b)