RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT FUND (RIDF) 

The RIDF was set up by the Government in 1995-96 for financing ongoing rural Infrastructure projects. The Fund is maintained by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). Domestic commercial banks contribute to the Fund to the extent of their shortfall in stipulated priority sector lending to agriculture. The main objective of the Fund is to provide loans to State Governments and State-owned corporations to enable them to complete ongoing rural infrastructure projects. The shortfall in disbursements of RIDF funds as compared to sanctions continues to remain a matter of concern in the implementation of RIDF. The Government has taken a number of steps to address this problem. The scope of RIDF has been widened to include activities such as rural drinking water schemes, soil conservation, rural market yards, rural health centres and primary schools, mini hydel plants, shishu shiksha kendras, anganwadis, and system improvement in the power sector. From RIDF V onwards, the ambit was extended to projects undertaken by Panchayat Raj institutions and projects in the social sector covering primary education, health and drinking water.

The activities to be financed under RIDF X include minor irrigation projects/micro irrigation, flood protection, watershed development/reclamation of waterlogged areas, drainage, forest development, market yard/godown, apna mandi, rural haats and other marketing infrastructure, cold storage, seed/agriculture/horticulture farms, plantation and horticulture, grading and certifying mechanisms such as testing and certifying laboratories, etc.,community irrigation wells for irrigation purposes for the village as a whole, fishing harbour/jetties, riverine fisheries, animal husbandry and modern abattoir.