Hyderabad: In a fireside chat with Ms. Neetu Chitkara, India Leader of People Organization Practice at BCG, Mr. Shaji KV, Chairman of NABARD, underscored the importance of technology-driven transformation for Rural Financial Institutions. The discussion centered on the theme ‘Lending 2.0: Rethinking Rural Credit for a Digital, Data-Driven Decade.’ He also emphasized NABARD’s journey of transformation, which is powered by data and technology. Mr. Shaji KV shared these insights during the Hyderabad edition of Earth Summit 2025-26.
Speaking about NABARD’s recently launched Sahakar Sarathi Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Shaji KV, Chairman, NABARD, said he envisions it playing a pivotal role in transforming India’s rural ecosystem. “India needs solutions that are rooted in its own context and responsive to its unique conditions. Sahakar Sarathi Pvt. Ltd. is designed as a rural transformation catalyst, supporting nearly 130 million customers across the cooperative banking network. It has the potential to be a true game changer—strengthening technology adoption, elevating governance standards, and streamlining processes within the cooperative sector.”
He added that the initiative focuses on modernising cooperative institutions through digital enablement, capacity enhancement, and improved service delivery. Mr. Shaji also called upon government bodies, cooperative banks, technology partners, and development organisations to join hands, collaborate, and contribute to this forward-looking initiative, emphasising that collective effort will be key to building a more resilient, efficient, and future-ready cooperative ecosystem for rural India.
Speaking at the same conference, highlighting the critical role NABARD is playing, Mr. Goverdhan Singh Rawat, Deputy Managing Director, NABARD, said, “We are developing an entire cooperative stack, which is not only digitising the entire base level structure or the primary agricultural credit societies, but also promoting new cooperative societies. This will have a broader outreach at the ground level. Through this cooperative structure, we want to deliver not only credit but also other non-credit services to the farmers.” Mr. Rawat was part of a panel discussion titled ‘Agri Exports & Global Value Chains’ along with Mr. R P Naidu, Regional Head, RO Hyderabad & Visakhapatnam, APEDA, and Mr. Sachin Sharma, Vice President & Head, Agribusiness, ITC. The session was moderated by Ms. Aparna Bijapurkar, Managing Director and Partner, BCG.
The Earth Summit 2025–26 is a collaborative event organized by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI). This two-day summit aims to unite policymakers, startups, financial institutions, digital platforms, climate-tech innovators, and energy enterprises from South, East, and North-east India to envision a brighter future for rural India. This year’s Earth Summit kicks off in Hyderabad, with future editions planned for Gandhinagar and Delhi.
The Summit is supported by key national institutions, including the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, and the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India. Their involvement reflects a coordinated effort to strengthen rural development through technology and policy alignment. Centered around the theme ‘Empowering Rural Innovation for Global Change’, the Hyderabad edition is being held at HITEX Exhibition Centre on November 20-21, 2025. It will host 2,000+ attendees, 80+ speakers and panelists, 50+ exhibitors, 25+ sessions, participation from 15 States and UTs, and 1 flagship hackathon.