- Chairman Shaji KV calls for tech-led overhaul of Rural Financial Institutions
- Sahakar Sarathi positioned as India’s next big cooperative transformation engine
- Industry leaders hail NABARD’s vision as a decisive shift towards a modern rural economy
NE BUSINESS BUREAU
HYDERABAD, NOV 25
At the Hyderabad edition of the Earth Summit 2025–26, NABARD Chairman Shaji KV underscored the urgent need for digital-first, data-driven reform across Rural Financial Institutions (RFIs). In a fireside chat with Neetu Chitkara, India Leader–People Organization Practice, BCG, he positioned the coming decade as a turning point for rural credit architecture under the theme ‘Lending 2.0’.
Shaji KV highlighted NABARD’s ongoing transformation and emphasised that institutions serving the rural economy must shift from manual, fragmented systems to unified, technology-driven frameworks. “India needs solutions rooted in its own rural realities. Sahakar Sarathi Pvt. Ltd. has been conceptualised as a rural transformation catalyst, supporting nearly 130 million customers across the cooperative banking network. It can be a true game changer—strengthening technology adoption, elevating governance standards and modernising processes at scale.”
He urged State governments, technology innovators, cooperative banks and development institutions to “collaborate boldly” to build a future-ready cooperative ecosystem capable of delivering faster, reliable and diversified services to rural citizens.
‘Cooperative Stack Will Redefine Access’
Addressing a panel on Agri Exports & Global Value Chains, Goverdhan Singh Rawat, Deputy Managing Director, NABARD, revealed that the institution is building a comprehensive “cooperative technology stack”.
“We are digitising the entire base-level structure, including Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), while simultaneously promoting new cooperatives. This structure will enable us to deliver both credit and a wide range of non-credit services to farmers,” he said.
The panel also featured APEDA’s R.P. Naidu and ITC’s Agribusiness Head Sachin Sharma, and was moderated by BCG’s Aparna Bijapurkar.
INDUSTRY REACTION
Leaders Call It a ‘Watershed Moment’ for India’s Rural Economy
Ravikumar, CEO, Bharat FinTech Systems, said the creation of Sahakar Sarathi “bridges the biggest gap—technology capacity within cooperatives. The fact that NABARD is leading this ensures credibility and uniform adoption. Rural borrowers will finally get seamless service.”
Dr. Anita Menon, Agritech Policy Expert, termed the cooperative stack “a foundational reform similar in magnitude to the UPI moment. Rural credit will move from paperwork to pure digital workflows.”
Arvind Jain, Vice President (Rural & Agri Business), a major private bank, commented that NABARD’s approach signals a “clear directional shift from subsidy-driven rural finance to innovation-driven rural growth. The cooperative network is finally being future-proofed.”
A National-Scale Rural Innovation Forum
The two-day Hyderabad summit—jointly organised by NABARD and IAMAI—brings together policymakers, agri-startups, climate-tech innovators, financial institutions, digital platforms, energy enterprises and cooperative leaders. Supported by key ministries including Electronics & IT, Environment & Forests, Skill Development, Panchayati Raj and the Office of the PSA, the summit reinforces India’s commitment to technology-led rural upliftment.
The Hyderabad edition hosts 2,000+ participants, 80+ speakers, 50+ exhibitors, 25+ sessions, representation from 15 states, and a flagship hackathon on rural innovation. The next chapters of the Earth Summit will be held in Gandhinagar and New Delhi.
