In a significant appeal to Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, Nafcard Chairman Dollar Kotecha has requested the integration of Agricultural and Rural Development Banks (ARDBs) into NABARD’s Centralised Digital Credit Infrastructure (CDCI) platform.
Kotecha highlighted the potential of the CDCI platform, currently being developed for Regional Rural Banks (RRBs), noting its multiple benefits, faster loan sanctioning, digital transparency, direct integration with government databases such as land records and Aadhaar, better monitoring of NPAs, cost efficiency, and enhanced competitiveness with private NBFCs and MFIs.
“By joining CDCI, ARDBs will not only provide farmers with quick, transparent, and reliable loans but also reinforce the credibility of the cooperative movement. This will truly bring the vision of ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’ closer to reality,” he emphasized.
In his appeal, Kotecha further suggested that if immediate inclusion in CDCI is not feasible, the Ministry of Cooperation could guide the creation of a parallel digital credit platform exclusively for ARDBs, backed by special funding support through the ministry’s budget or in collaboration with NABARD.
He also expressed gratitude for the government’s historic decision to approve the computerization of ARDBs under the Ministry of Cooperation, calling it a milestone that has revitalized the cooperative credit system.
Stakeholders believe this initiative would not just be a technological upgrade but a transformative reform, instilling fresh confidence among farmers while strengthening cooperative financial institutions for the future.
