From the Joint Director’s Desk

Bankers Institute of Rural Development (BIRD), Kolkata, as a training arm of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), has been in the forefront in skill and capacity building initiatives for the personnel engaged in Rural Financial Institutions viz., Commercial Banks (CBs), Regional Rural Banks (RRBs), Rural Cooperative Banks (RCBs), Government and Non-Government organizations (NGOs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) particularly in the States of East and North-Eastern States including Andaman & Nicober Islands.

The Institute established in 1984 , as a premier training institution, has been actively engaged in organising in-house and on-location training programmes, besides customised programmes for banks, workshops/seminars and studies of current interest, etc., with a team of committed Faculty Members specialized in economics, finance, project appraisal, behavioural science (customer relationship Management, leadership, motivation, stress management) banking law and practice, management and organisation development and bank supervision.

BIRD Kolkata conducts programmes in tune with the current and emerging trends in the banking with due emphasis on Agricultural Finance, Livelihood Finance, Group Finance, including financing of ‘Farmers Collectives’, FPOs, MSME Finance, etc.

Training programmes catering to the bank officers are designed with optimum duration to help banks promote agrilenders with contemporary expertise and commitment. Lecture sessions, field visits, practical case studies, group discussions, interactions with successful agri-preneurs, films and documentaries are the hall-mark of all training programmes with due emphasis on enhancement of knowledge, skill and attitudinal changes among the participants. The basic objective is to make trainees understand, experience and specialize through exposure visits, field demonstration and deliberation.

For rural clientele, NGOs, CSOs and Corporates engaged CSR activities, the Institute designs training programmes with appropriate interventional strategies addressing their development needs with requisite skill and capacity building initiatives.

The training methodology used by BIRD Kolkata is participatory, practical and field oriented. In short, the Institute with thoughtfully designed training programmes make participants ‘Learn, Practice and Excel”, thus, owning their organization with new fervour.

Shri Arobinda Kumar Sarkar