Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Grameen Bharat Mahotsav being organised in New Delhi on 4 January 2025. During the inaugural ceremony the Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman, and Union Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary were also present.

The Grameen Bharat Mahostav is being held in New Delhi from 4-9 January 2025.

The Grameen Bharat Mahotsav brings together the leaders from the government, rural economy, and industry to discuss ways and strategies to build a prosperous and self-reliant rural India.

Organiser of the Grameen Bharat Mahotsav

The Grameen Bharat Mahotsav has been organised by the Department of Financial Services, the Union Ministry of Finance, and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).

Theme and Motto of the Grameen Bharat Mahotsav

The theme of the Grameen Bharat Mahotsav is “Building a Resilient Rural India for a Viksit Bharat 2024”.

The motto of the Grameen Bharat Mahotsav is “गांव बढ़े, तो देश बढ़े”(If villages grow, the country grows”).

Objectives of the Grameen Bharat Mahotsav

The following are the main objectives of the Grameen Bharat Mahotsav.

Explore strategies for the implementation of rural development programs

The Mahotsav will provide a platform for the stakeholders to explore and build strategies to implement four key pillars of rural development; Self-reliance for farmers and artisans; rural women empowerment; skill development for the rural youth; financial inclusion for marginalised rural communities.

Platform for rural entrepreneurs to build market linkage

The Mahotsav will provide a platform for rural entrepreneurs to display their rural products like the Geographical Indication (GI) certified goods, organic, tribal goods, handlooms, etc.

It will help rural entrepreneurs and artisans in building links with potential buyers and investors.

High-Level Panel Discussions

The Mahotsav will also host a level panel discussion with a focus on rural development. It will bring together various experts and will discuss issues like organic agriculture, empowering rural women entrepreneurs, inclusive development of the North-East, etc.

About National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)

The National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is an apex rural financial institution in India.

It was set up on the recommendation of the B.Sivaraman Committee set up by the RBI in 1979.

It was set up under the provision of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Act 1981.

It commenced its operation on 12 July 1982.

It is 100 % owned by the government of India.

Function

It has supervisory power over the rural credit institutions in India like the Regional Rural Banks (RRB), State Cooperative Banks(SCB), and District Central Cooperative Banks(DCCB).
NABARD has been given the responsibility to nurture and develop rural credit institutions in India and it provides them financing facilities.
It plays a crucial role in the development and facilitation of the microfinance sector in India.
It doesn't provide loans to an individual but provides loans to rural credit institutions.
It is not the regulator of the rural credit institution.RBi is the regulator of the rural credit institution.
Headquarters: Mumbai