NABARD Grade A (Assistant Manager) Syllabus 2026

The complete NABARD Grade A (Assistant Manager) syllabus for 2026 — 5 sections and 51 topics in all, organised exactly as the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) prescribes. Use it as your revision checklist, then test yourself with a free NABARD Grade A (Assistant Manager) mock below.

Economic & Social Issues (Phase I + Phase II — rural focus)11 topics

Nature of Indian Economy — structural and institutional features, sectoral composition, economic transition since 1991
Inclusive growth, poverty alleviation, employment generation and rural livelihoods (MGNREGA, NRLM/Aajeevika, DAY-NULM)
Globalisation, opening of the Indian economy, balance of payments, FDI in agriculture and food processing
Indian financial system — RBI, NABARD, SIDBI, EXIM, NHB, commercial banks, RRBs, cooperative banks, SFBs, Payment Banks, MFIs
Money supply, inflation (CPI, WPI), monetary policy transmission, RBI monetary policy framework (4% +/- 2% inflation target)
Population trends — Census 2011, demographic dividend, fertility, ageing, migration patterns and the deferred 2021 Census
Human Development — Human Development Index (HDI), MPI, Gender Development Index, NITI Aayog SDG India Index
Education and Health — National Education Policy 2020, Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY + Health & Wellness Centres), TB Mukt Bharat target
Social justice schemes — DBT architecture, JAM trinity, Aadhaar-linked benefit transfer, PMJDY financial inclusion data
Sustainable Development Goals (17 SDGs, 169 targets) and India's voluntary national review submissions
Indian budgeting — Union and State Budget, fiscal/revenue/primary deficit, FRBM Act 2003, fiscal federalism and Finance Commission devolution

Agriculture & Rural Development (Phase I + Phase II — high weight)15 topics

Indian Agriculture — share in GDP, cropping pattern (Kharif/Rabi/Zaid), agro-climatic zones (15 NARP zones), cropping intensity
Land reforms — abolition of zamindari, tenancy reform, ceiling laws, consolidation of holdings, Bhoodan/Gramdan movement
Agricultural marketing — APMC Act, Model APLM Act 2017, eNAM (national agricultural market portal), FPO ecosystem (10,000 FPO scheme)
Minimum Support Price (MSP) — 23 crops, A2+FL vs C2 cost concepts, CACP role, PM-AASHA umbrella (PSS, PDPS, PPSS)
Crop insurance — Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY): farmer premium 2% kharif food crops, 1.5% rabi food crops, 5% commercial/horticulture; sum insured based on Scale of Finance
Kisan Credit Card (KCC) — interest subvention 2% (PRI) + 3% prompt repayment incentive = effective 4% on loans up to Rs 3 lakh
Irrigation — major/medium/minor projects, AIBP, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY — Har Khet Ko Pani, Per Drop More Crop)
Rural credit architecture — 3-tier short-term cooperative credit (StCB → DCCB → PACS); 2-tier long-term cooperative credit (SCARDB → PCARDB); RRBs; commercial banks
Priority Sector Lending norms — RBI's 40% PSL target for commercial banks (75% for RRBs), 18% sub-target for agriculture, 8% for small/marginal farmers
Cooperative banking — multi-state cooperatives, Banking Regulation (Amendment) Act 2020 bringing UCBs under RBI, NABARD's supervisory role for StCBs/DCCBs/RRBs
Land use, soil health, water resources — Soil Health Card scheme, neem-coated urea, NMSA, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY)
Animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries — White Revolution (Operation Flood), National Livestock Mission, PM Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), Blue Revolution
Agricultural research and extension — ICAR network, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), agricultural universities, ATMA scheme
Rural infrastructure — RIDF (Rural Infrastructure Development Fund administered by NABARD, corpus from PSL shortfall), PMGSY road connectivity, PMAY-G housing, SVAMITVA land record digitisation
PMFBY operational data, KCC saturation drives, PM-KISAN direct income support (Rs 6,000/year in 3 tranches)

NABARD-Specific Knowledge (Phase I GA + Phase II + Interview)9 topics

NABARD Act 1981 — Section 3 (establishment), Section 4 (capital), Section 21 (refinance for short-term agricultural operations), Section 25 (functions), Section 38 (Board of Directors)
Three core roles of NABARD — Financial (refinance to RFIs), Developmental (capacity building, FPO promotion, MEDP, LEDP, WSHG), Supervisory (inspection of StCBs, DCCBs, RRBs under BR Act and NABARD Act)
Refinance products — Short-Term Crop Loan refinance, Long-Term Investment Credit refinance, conversion/rescheduling, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana refinance for housing
Funds administered by NABARD — Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF), Long Term Rural Credit Fund (LTRCF), Short Term RRB Refinance Fund, Producer Organisation Development Fund (PODF), Tribal Development Fund, Watershed Development Fund (WDF), Climate Change Fund
Self-Help Group Bank Linkage Programme (SHG-BLP) — launched 1992 with a pilot of 500 SHGs, now the world's largest microfinance programme
Joint Liability Groups (JLG), Farmers' Producer Organisations (FPOs), 10,000 FPO scheme (Central Sector, NABARD as one implementing agency)
NABFINS, NABKISAN, NABSAMRUDDHI, NABCONS, NABVENTURES, NABSANRAKSHAN — NABARD's subsidiaries and their distinct mandates
NABARD's relationship with RBI — Section 54 RBI Act linkage, RBI's residual shareholding bought out by GoI in 2018, RBI-NABARD coordination on cooperative bank supervision
Annual Reports, NAFIS (NABARD All India Rural Financial Inclusion Survey), State Focus Papers, Potential Linked Credit Plans (PLPs) prepared district-wise

Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning, English, Computer Knowledge (Phase I)6 topics

Quantitative Aptitude — simplification, number series, quadratic equations, data interpretation (tables, bar/line/pie/caselet), percentage, ratio-proportion, profit-loss, simple/compound interest, time-work, time-speed-distance, mensuration, probability
Reasoning Ability — puzzles (linear, circular, floor-based, scheduling), seating arrangements, syllogisms, inequalities, blood relations, direction sense, input-output, coding-decoding, data sufficiency
English Language — reading comprehension (1-2 passages), cloze test, error spotting, sentence improvement, para-jumbles, fillers, word usage, idioms/phrases
Computer Knowledge — generations of computers, hardware components, operating systems (Windows, Linux basics), MS Office, networking (LAN/WAN, OSI/TCP-IP basics), internet and email, database basics (DBMS, SQL high-level), cyber security awareness
General Awareness — banking and financial awareness (last 6-8 months), national and international current affairs, sports, awards, summits, books, deaths, appointments, RBI/SEBI/NABARD circulars and reports
Decision Making (Phase I only, 10 marks) — situational judgement and managerial scenarios; some sub-items carry no negative marking per the year's notification

Specialist Discipline Papers (Phase II Paper I & II for Specialist streams)10 topics

Finance specialist — Indian financial markets, banking system, accounting standards (Ind AS), corporate finance, risk management (Basel III norms), derivatives, mutual funds, NPA framework and IBC 2016
Statistics specialist — descriptive statistics, probability theory, sampling methods, hypothesis testing, regression and econometric models, official statistics (NSO, MoSPI), national income computation
Computer/IT specialist — programming fundamentals, data structures, DBMS, operating systems, computer networks, cybersecurity, cloud computing basics, software engineering
Civil Engineering specialist — structural analysis, RCC, steel design, geotechnical engineering, hydraulics, environmental engineering, transportation, construction management
Electrical Engineering specialist — power systems, machines, control systems, power electronics, measurements and instrumentation
Forestry specialist — silviculture, forest management, agroforestry, wildlife management, forest economics and policy (Indian Forest Act, FCA 1980 with 2023 amendment)
Food Processing specialist — food chemistry, processing technologies, food safety (FSSAI standards), packaging, dairy and meat processing, post-harvest management
Geo-informatics — GIS, remote sensing, GPS, cartography, applications in agriculture and rural planning
Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Sciences — livestock production, animal nutrition, breeding, veterinary public health, dairy science
Environmental Engineering — water and wastewater treatment, air pollution control, solid waste management, environmental impact assessment, climate change mitigation

Know the syllabus — now see where you stand.

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