NABARD celebrated its 45th Foundation Day on July 12, 2026, with an event held in Ferozepur, Punjab. Established in 1982 under the NABARD Act, the institution highlighted achievements in rural credit, self-help group linkage, Kisan Credit Cards, FPO promotion, and watershed development. The anniversary underscored NABARD's role in agricultural finance, rural infrastructure funding through RIDF, and financial inclusion across India's hinterland, particularly in Punjab's border district of Ferozepur.

NABARD was established on July 12, 1982, following the recommendations of the B. Sivaraman Committee, replacing the Agricultural Credit Department and Rural Planning and Credit Cell of RBI. Its 45th Foundation Day is significant because it coincides with a period of intense focus on doubling farmer income, FPO scaling, and digital rural credit delivery.

Ferozepur's selection as the venue is symbolically important — it is a border district with high agricultural activity and has been a beneficiary of NABARD's rural infrastructure development fund (RIDF) schemes. NABARD's mandate covers refinancing cooperative banks, RRBs, and commercial banks; supervising cooperative banks and RRBs; implementing government schemes like PM-KISAN credit flow; and funding rural infrastructure.

The 45th anniversary highlights bring attention to key metrics examiners love: SHG-Bank Linkage Programme numbers (India has the world's largest microfinance programme via SHGs), KCC saturation targets, and FPO promotion — NABARD is tasked with promoting 10,000 FPOs alongside SFAC and MoA. RIDF, now in its 30th tranche, finances rural roads, irrigation, and social infrastructure.

For NABARD Grade A aspirants, this event is a trigger to revise NABARD's statutory functions, capital structure (GoI + RBI shareholding), supervisory role over 34 State Cooperative Banks, and Annual Report figures on credit flow to agriculture, which crossed ₹20 lakh crore in recent years.