NABARD and Rural Poverty Reduction: A Socio-economic Study of Bihar

NABARD and Rural Poverty Reduction: A Socio-economic Study of Bihar Soni Singh* Present study dealt with ‘NABARD and Rural Poverty Reduction: A Socio-economic Study of Bihar’. Rural poverty in Bihar is closely associated with low and unstable household incomes, dependence on agriculture and informal employment, inadequate access to institutional finance, limited livelihood diversification, small and fragmented landholdings, weak market integration, and deficiencies in rural infrastructure. In such a socio-economic environment, the role of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) extends beyond conventional agricultural credit to encompass rural infrastructure development, financial inclusion, Self-Help Group–Bank Linkage, livelihood promotion, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), skill development, micro-enterprise promotion, watershed development and institutional strengthening. The present study examines the role of NABARD in rural poverty reduction in Bihar from a socio-economic perspective. The study is based primarily on secondary information obtained from NABARD reports, Government of India publications, NITI Aayog reports, Bihar-related statistical sources and relevant academic literature. The analysis considers poverty not merely as a deficiency of income but as a multidimensional condition involving livelihood security, access to finance, employment opportunities, productive assets, education, health, housing, sanitation, infrastructure and social participation. NITI Aayog's Multidimensional Poverty Index data show that Bihar's multidimensional poverty headcount ratio declined from 51.89% in 2015–16 to 33.76% in 2019–21, while rural multidimensional poverty declined from 56.00% to 36.95% during the same period. *Research Scholar, Department of Commerce, M.U., Bodh Gaya, Mob. : 6204641381, E-Mail : soni03oct @gmail.com