Have headroom to raise Rs 35,000 cr from market: Nabard chief

Nabard has headroom to raise about Rs 35,000 crore from the market during the remaining months of the current fiscal to fund its business growth and also support various agricultural and rural development schemes of the government, a top official said. "So far we have raised Rs 20,000 crore and remaining Rs 35,000 crore can be raised depending on demand and requirement," Nabard Chairman Harsh Kumar Bhanwala told PTI.

This includes Extra Budgetary Resources (EBR) borrowing for various flagship schemes of the government, he added. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) raises funds through long term bonds, usually of 10-15 years tenures.

Last financial year, Nabard raised a total of Rs 56,069 crore through non-convertible debentures, of which Rs 33,169 crore was for government schemes and the remaining for the organization's own funding requirements. Some of the government schemes financed by Nabard include Swachh Bharat Mission, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, and Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana.

In 2018-19, Nabard's loan portfolio grew nearly 22 percent to Rs 4.32 lakh crore. Assets under management of the bank were at Rs 4.87 lakh crore at the end of March 2019, up 20 percent since March 2018. Bhanwala also said Nabard's Self Help Group - Bank Linkage Programme (SHG-BLP), benefiting millions of rural women, will soon move to a digital platform that will revolutionize lending to women SHGs.

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