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.
(i) The report of the first round of the RECSS can
be accessed through the following link: RECSS (Sep
2024) round
(ii) The report of the second round of the RECSS can be accessed through the following link:RECSS (Sep
2024) round
Application Format for Seminar
Application Format for Study
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)