Area Development
 Rural Haat Scheme
Realising the fact that marketing has a crucial role in development of rural non-farm sector and rural haats being an integral part of a rural market system, it is felt that strengthening of these haats will have a positive impact on marketing of rural non-farm products. NABARD has, therefore, decided to support two Rural Haats to Gram Panchayats (GP) or PACS in each DRIP district and one Rural Haat to GP/PACs in DDM districts for development of infrastructural facilities in the existing/ new haats by providing grant assistance @ 90% of the total project cost with an upper limit of Rs.3 lakh per haat for providing minimum infrastructural facilities in the form of raised platforms with semi-permanenent roofing, sanitation arrangements, provision of drinking water, compound wall/barbed wire fencing, parking, notice board etc for NE states, this scheme has been extended to all distrcts.
Financial support beyond Rs. 3.00 lakh will be extended by way of soft loan through Panchayati Raj Institutions ( PRIs)/ Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) for providing some additional facilities in terms of 10-15 permanent shops with shutters for bringing in other essential services.
Soft loan extended to Gram Panchayat/ PACS shall be repaid to NABARD in 5 to 7 years including an initial moratorium period of one year on half yearly basis. The rate of interest on the soft loan will be such as may be determined by NABARD from time to time.
 Salient features of the scheme
- Project Holder - Gram Panchayat (GP)
- Project Components - Sufficient land owned by GP, Compound wall with barbed wire fencing, raised platforms covered with semi-permanent roofing, drinking water, sanitary arrangements, cycle stand, notice board.
- NABARD's Assistance - 90% of project cost or Rs.3 lakh whichever is less.
- GP/ Zilla Panchayat Share - At least 10% of project cost.
NABARD has sanctioned Rural Haat schemes in various DRIP districts involving grant assistance of Rs. 69.00 lakh.
DRIP has amply demonstrated that with clearly defined objectives, identified potentials, coordinated operational strategy, orientation/ sensitisation/ training, participatory approach and close monitoring, intensification of credit for setting up of NFS units and employment generation are feasible even without subsidy. Demand-led production could be accelerated within proper entrepreneurial environment, institutional linkage and synergy of efforts. Many of DRIP tools/ strategies/ experiments have potential for successful replication.
Collaboration with National Level Institutions
NABARD took the initiative to collaborate with National Institute of Fashion Technology, an institute of international repute in fashion technology, to provide its modern and market savvy students an opportunity to interface with the rural artisans and benefit from their native and traditional skills on the one hand and provide the traditionally skilled artisans to utilise the designs developed by these students in making products of high quality standards and with a competitive edge on the other hand. On a pilot basis a grant assistance of Rs.9.50 lakh was sanctioned for conducting eight programmes (two each in four states, viz,. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal ) on design development and skill upgradation during the year 2004-05. The programme has been successfully implemented in Karnataka on wood inlay work in Mysore and sisal fibre craft in Chamrajnagar districts and in West Bengal on Kantha Stich and Solapith (Kuhila Shilpa) in Birbhum district.
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