How to File RTI with NABARD for Kisan Credit Card, SHG Loans and Rural Development Schemes

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is India's apex development financial institution for agriculture and rural development. Established under the NABARD Act, 1981, with the Government of India and the Reserve Bank of India together holding its entire paid-up capital, NABARD is a public authority under Section 2(h) of the Right to Information Act, 2005. Citizens, farmers' groups, researchers, local government representatives, and civil society organisations can file RTI applications with NABARD to obtain data on Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme coverage, SHG bank linkage, rural infrastructure funding, and district-level credit planning.

NABARD's Role: Refinancing, Not Direct Lending

The single most important fact to understand before filing RTI with NABARD is that NABARD does not directly lend money to farmers or borrowers. NABARD is a refinancing institution — it provides funds (refinance) to commercial banks, cooperative banks, and Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) that in turn lend to farmers, rural artisans, and small businesses. NABARD also supervises RRBs and cooperative banks, implements rural development programmes, and prepares district-level credit plans.

What Can You Achieve with RTI to NABARD?

• Obtain KCC scheme guidelines — eligibility criteria, credit limit norms, interest subvention rates, and applicable NABARD / RBI circulars
• Get district-level KCC saturation data — how many farmer households in your district are covered and what the targets are under the KCC saturation drive
• Obtain interest subvention disbursement data — how much subvention NABARD has paid to banks in your state under the Interest Subvention Scheme (ISS)
• Get SHG bank linkage statistics for your district or state — number of SHGs credit-linked, loan amounts disbursed, NABARD's SHG promotion grants
• Find out which RIDF projects (rural roads, irrigation, cold storage, market yards) have been sanctioned in your state and their disbursement status
• Obtain the Potential Linked Plan (PLP) for your district — NABARD's annual assessment of district-level credit potential across agriculture, allied sectors, and non-farm activities
• Get data on NABARD's refinancing support to cooperative banks and RRBs in your state
• Obtain summary data on NABARD's RRB inspection findings (detailed inspection reports are frequently withheld, but aggregate or summary data is disclosable)

Kisan Credit Card (KCC) Scheme: What RTI Can Get You

The KCC scheme provides farmers with revolving credit for crop cultivation, post-harvest expenses, maintenance of farm assets, and consumption needs. Under the scheme, eligible farmers receive a KCC with a sanctioned credit limit, typically at a concessional interest rate with government interest subvention.

NABARD's role in KCC is threefold: it issues operational guidelines to cooperative banks and RRBs on KCC implementation, reimburses interest subvention claims from those banks, and compiles district-level KCC coverage data to monitor saturation.

What RTI to NABARD can obtain for KCC:

Scheme guidelines:

• NABARD circulars or master directions on KCC eligibility (landholding norms, tenant farmers and oral lessees, fishermen, animal husbandry farmers)
• Credit limit calculation norms for KCC — how the limit is determined for different crop types and farm sizes
• Applicable interest rate and interest subvention rate under the current Interest Subvention Scheme

District saturation data:

• Number of KCC accounts outstanding in your district as of a specific date
• Targets set for KCC coverage in your district under the KCC saturation drive and the gap between target and achievement
• Whether NABARD has raised any advisory or concern to banks about KCC coverage in a low-saturation district

Interest subvention reimbursement:

• Total interest subvention reimbursed by NABARD to cooperative banks and RRBs in your state in a given year
• NABARD's procedure for banks to submit interest subvention claims and the applicable verification steps

What RTI to NABARD cannot get for KCC: Individual loan decisions by banks, the reason a specific farmer's KCC application was rejected, or the internal credit appraisal of a specific borrower — these belong to the lending bank, not NABARD.

SHG Bank Linkage: Accessing Programme Data

The SHG-Bank Linkage Programme, promoted since 1992 by NABARD, is the world's largest microfinance programme. NABARD supports the programme by providing refinance to banks that lend to SHGs, funding SHG promotion through its SHG Promotion and Development Fund, and compiling annual SHG bank linkage statistics at the district, state, and national level.

What RTI to NABARD can obtain for SHG bank linkage:

• District-level data: Number of SHGs savings-linked and credit-linked with banks in your district in a given year; total loans outstanding; number of SHGs under NABARD-promoted programmes versus other programmes
• State-level aggregates: State-wise SHG credit linkage statistics published in NABARD's annual Status of Microfinance report (also publicly available on NABARD's website, but RTI can confirm the underlying data)
• NABARD grants to SHG promoters: Whether NABARD sanctioned any grant to a government agency, NGO, or Self-Help Promoting Institution (SHPI) for SHG promotion in your district — the amount, the implementing agency, and the period
• Refinance to banks: Total refinance disbursed by NABARD to banks in your state for SHG-linked lending in a given financial year

A practical use case

If an NGO or panchayat body wants to understand why SHG credit linkage in a particular block is poor despite a high number of SHGs formed, an RTI to the NABARD Regional Office can establish: (a) whether NABARD's records show the SHGs as registered and eligible, (b) whether NABARD has identified the area as a credit gap zone in the PLP, and (c) whether any refinance was available to banks for that area. This creates a factual foundation for advocacy with the district administration or the DCC.

RIDF and Rural Infrastructure: Tracking Project Sanction and Disbursement

The Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) is a centrally administered fund maintained by NABARD, funded by contributions from commercial banks that fall short of their agricultural lending targets. State governments borrow from RIDF to build rural infrastructure — roads, bridges, irrigation canals, flood protection works, cold storage, market yards, and rural connectivity projects.

What RTI to NABARD can obtain for RIDF:

• Project list: All RIDF-funded projects sanctioned in your state under a given RIDF Tranche, with project type, location, sanction amount, and implementing agency
• Specific project status: Whether a particular project — for example, construction of a rural road between two specific villages, or a warehouse complex in a specific district — has been sanctioned under RIDF, the sanction amount, and disbursements released to date
• State-level allocation and drawdown: Total RIDF allocation for your state under the most recent tranche and the cumulative drawdown — this is useful for tracking whether the state government is actually utilising its RIDF allocation
• Completion data: Number of RIDF projects completed in your state versus pending, with reasons for delay where recorded

RTI for RIDF is particularly useful for local government representatives, journalists, and civil society groups trying to understand why a specific rural infrastructure project — already listed as sanctioned — has not been built or is behind schedule.

Where to File: NABARD Head Office vs Regional Offices

NABARD has a Head Office in Mumbai and Regional Offices in each state (typically at the state capital) plus District Development Managers (DDMs) posted at the district level. For RTI purposes, the right office depends on what information you need:

NABARD Regional Offices are located in all state capitals. For example: NABARD UP Regional Office (Lucknow), NABARD Maharashtra Regional Office (Pune), NABARD Karnataka Regional Office (Bengaluru), NABARD Rajasthan Regional Office (Jaipur), NABARD Punjab Regional Office (Chandigarh).

How to file online at rtionline.gov.in:

1. Visit rtionline.gov.in and register or log in
2. Click Submit Request
3. Select: Ministry of Finance → National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development → Head Office or the relevant Regional Office
4. Draft your application with the specific data, year, and district/state you are seeking
5. Pay ₹10 online. BPL cardholders are exempt — select the exemption option and attach a self-attested copy of your BPL card
6. Submit and note your registration number for tracking

If you are unsure whether to file with the Regional Office or Head Office, file with the Regional Office for your state — it can transfer your application to the Head Office under Section 6(3) of the RTI Act within 5 days if the information is held there.

What Specific Information Can You Ask For?

Organise your questions by programme area for clear, actionable responses:

KCC Scheme (scheme guidelines and subvention):

1. A copy of the current NABARD circular / Master Direction on KCC implementation by cooperative banks and RRBs — eligibility, credit limit calculation, and applicable interest rate norms
2. Rate of interest subvention available to lending banks (cooperative banks, RRBs) on short-term KCC loans up to ₹3 lakh per farmer under the current Interest Subvention Scheme, and the NABARD circular governing subvention reimbursement
3. Total interest subvention reimbursed by NABARD to banks in State under the ISS in 2023–24

KCC Saturation (district data): 4. Number of KCC accounts outstanding in District Name as on DD/MM/YYYY, and the aggregate credit limit sanctioned 5. Target set for KCC saturation coverage in District Name under the KCC saturation drive and achievement status as on the last reported date 6. Whether NABARD has issued any advisory to banks in District Name regarding KCC coverage gaps

SHG Bank Linkage: 7. Number of SHGs credit-linked with banks in District Name during each of the last three financial years 8. Total loans disbursed to SHGs in District Name in each of those years, disaggregated by bank type (commercial bank, cooperative bank, RRB) if available 9. Whether NABARD has sanctioned any grant under its SHG Promotion and Development Fund to any agency for SHG promotion in District Name — if yes, the amount, agency name, and period covered

RIDF Projects: 10. List of projects sanctioned under RIDF Tranche XXX in State, with project name, district, sanction amount, and implementing agency 11. Current disbursement status of RIDF Tranche XXX for State — total sanctioned, total disbursed, and balance outstanding 12. Whether a specific project — project type/location, e.g., construction of link road / minor irrigation work in District Y — is on the RIDF project list for State, and if so, the sanction date, amount, and current status

Potential Linked Plan (PLP): 13. A copy of the relevant section of the Potential Linked Plan (PLP) prepared by NABARD for District Name for the financial year 2024–25 or 2025–26, showing the credit potential identified for the agriculture, allied sector, and non-farm sector 14. The Annual Credit Plan (ACP) targets set for District Name based on the PLP for the relevant year — disaggregated by crop loans, term loans, and allied sector loans

Appeals

First Appeal (Section 19(1)): If NABARD does not respond within 30 days, or if the response is incomplete or unsatisfactory, file a First Appeal with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) at NABARD within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable.

Second Appeal (Section 19(3)): If the FAA's response is also absent or unsatisfactory, file a Second Appeal with the Central Information Commission (CIC) under Section 19(3) within 90 days of the FAA's decision or the expiry of the First Appeal period. NABARD is a Central Government statutory body — the second appeal always goes to the CIC, not to any State Information Commission. The CIC has the power to direct disclosure and can impose a penalty of up to ₹25,000 on the CPIO under Section 20 of the RTI Act for unjustified refusal or delay.