Written by Faiz Sir, NABARD Grade A mentor at Clarity4Sure, with experience across multiple NABARD Grade A and UPSC CSE exam cycles. Updated . Companion pages: NABARD ESI · NABARD ARD weightage · NABARD Grade A guide.← 2025 questions · All years & cut-offs · 2023 questions →
Try each question before opening the answer. For cut-offs, year-wise analysis, subject-wise trends and videos, see the NABARD Grade A PYQ repository (2021–2025).
NABARD 2024 questions with answers
NABARD 2024 Phase 1 ARD Questions with Answers (40)
Heavy on static fundamentals (soil, seed, irrigation, animal physiology, extension), with statistics, PMFBY and one numerical question. C4S’s topic analysis grouped them under schemes, current affairs, reports, agronomy, finance and marketing, animal husbandry, soil, water, plant protection, meteorology, horticulture, engineering, extension, ecology, rural development, forestry and seed science.
▶ Topic videos with PYQs: Agronomy · Soil & Water · Seed, Forestry & Environment · Extension & Engineering · Horticulture · Animal Husbandry
- Hordeum vulgare
- Pennisetum glaucum
- Sorghum bicolor
- Vigna radiata
- Oryza sativa
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) Hordeum vulgare.
Analysis: The distractors are bajra, sorghum, moong and rice. NABARD regularly tests scientific names of major cereals, pulses and oilseeds.
Revise with it:
- Triticum aestivum (wheat)
- Zea mays (maize)
- Cicer arietinum (chickpea)
- Mehsana
- Murrah
- Nili-Ravi
- Jaffarabadi
- Surti
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (b) Murrah.
Analysis: Murrah, native to Haryana, is India’s most widely used dairy buffalo, averaging around 1,800–2,500 litres per lactation.
Revise with it:
- Native tracts of each breed
- Rashtriya Gokul Mission
- Black soils
- Red soils
- Alluvial soils
- Lateritic soils
- None
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (c) Alluvial soils.
Analysis: Alluvial soils cover roughly 40% of India’s land area, mainly in the Indo-Gangetic and coastal plains.
Revise with it:
- Khadar vs bhangar
- Red and laterite soil distribution
(i) Involved in the structure of chlorophyll (ii) Maintains the structure of the cell membrane (iii) Maintains the plant’s shape and structure [NABARD ARD 2024]
- (i) only
- (ii) only
- (i) and (ii) only
- (ii) and (iii) only
- All of the above
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (d) (ii) and (iii) only.
Analysis: Calcium is structural: calcium pectate in cell walls and membrane integrity. Magnesium, not calcium, is the central atom of chlorophyll, which is the trap in statement (i).
Revise with it:
- Secondary nutrients: Ca, Mg, S
- Deficiency symptoms
- Vegetables > fruits > plantation crops > spices > flowers
- Vegetables > plantation crops > fruits > spices > flowers
- Fruits > vegetables > plantation crops > spices > flowers
- Fruits > plantation crops > vegetables > spices > flowers
- Plantation crops > fruits > vegetables > spices > flowers
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) Vegetables > fruits > plantation crops > spices > flowers.
Analysis: Vegetables account for roughly 60% of horticultural output and fruits about 30%. This is dynamic: check the latest estimates, especially the close plantation-crops-versus-spices order.
Revise with it:
- Latest advance estimates
- Top producing states
- 2.5%
- 1.0%
- 1.5%
- 5.0%
- 2.0%
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (e) 2.0% of sum insured.
Analysis: Farmer premiums are 2% for Kharif, 1.5% for Rabi, and 5% for commercial and horticultural crops. All three appear as distractors, so learn them as a set.
Revise with it:
- Mid-season adversity (below 50% of normal yield)
- Prevented sowing
- Drip
- Sprinkler
- Furrow
- Border strip
- Canal
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (c) Furrow irrigation.
Analysis: Water is applied intermittently in on–off cycles along furrows. This improves uniformity and reduces deep percolation.
Revise with it:
- Border
- Basin
- Subsurface drip
- Virus
- Bacteria
- Fungi
- Protozoa
- Viroid
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) Virus.
Analysis: Cowpox is an orthopoxvirus; Jenner’s smallpox vaccine came from it.
Revise with it:
- FMD
- Lumpy skin disease
- Bacterial vs viral livestock diseases
- Uttar Pradesh
- Rajasthan
- Punjab
- Madhya Pradesh
- Haryana
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) Uttar Pradesh.
Analysis: Uttar Pradesh leads in recent Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics, followed by Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. This is dynamic: recheck the latest BAHS.
Revise with it:
- Egg, meat and wool leaders
- Per-capita milk availability
- Foundation seed
- Nucleus seed
- Certified seed
- Registered seed
- Truthfully labelled seed
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) Foundation seed.
Analysis: The seed chain is nucleus → breeder → foundation → certified. Certification tags: breeder seed golden yellow, foundation white, certified azure blue.
Revise with it:
- Seeds Act, 1966
- Truthfully labelled seed
- Floating weeds
- Emergent weeds
- Submerged weeds
- Marginal weeds
- None
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (b) Emergent weeds.
Analysis: Rooted plants whose leaves float or rise above the water (such as water lily and lotus) are grouped as emersed or emergent weeds. Free-floating weeds such as water hyacinth are not rooted in the bed.
Revise with it:
- Aquatic weed classification
- Biological control of water hyacinth
- Pathogens
- Parasitoids
- Predators
- Antagonists
- Parasites
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (d) Antagonists.
Analysis: Trichoderma and Pseudomonas fluorescens are classic biocontrol antagonists. Parasitoids and predators control insect pests, not pathogens.
Revise with it:
- IPM
- Biopesticides
- To minimise evaporation and suppress weeds
- To protect soil from sunlight
- To kill pests
- To increase soil temperature
- None
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) To minimise evaporation and suppress weeds.
Analysis: Mulch also moderates soil temperature and reduces erosion, but its primary purposes are moisture conservation and weed suppression.
Revise with it:
- Plastic vs organic mulch
- Crop water-use efficiency
- Consumptive use efficiency
- Field water-use efficiency
- Economic yield efficiency
- None
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) Crop water-use efficiency.
Analysis: Crop WUE uses ET as the denominator; field WUE uses the total water applied.
Revise with it:
- Irrigation efficiency
- Water productivity
- Kisan Call Centre
- Krishi Samvad
- Kisan Sabha
- Kisan Vikas
- None
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (b) Krishi Samvad.
Analysis: Kisan Call Centres are telephone-based (toll-free 1800-180-1551); Krishi Samvad is the internet-based interface.
Revise with it:
- Kisan Suvidha app
- Kisan Sarathi
- Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980
- National Forest Policy, 1988
- Indian Forest Act, 1927
- Forest Act of 1878
- Forest Rights Act, 2006
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.
Analysis: Prior central approval is needed for diverting forest land. The Act was renamed the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam in 2023.
Revise with it:
- CAMPA
- National Forest Policy 1988 (asked in 2025)
- Maintenance of lactation
- Synthesis of milk from epithelial cells
- Milk secretion
- Milk let-down
- None
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) Maintenance of lactation.
Analysis: Lactogenesis is the initiation of milk secretion; galactopoiesis is its maintenance; let-down is driven by oxytocin.
Revise with it:
- Prolactin and oxytocin roles
- Kinnow
- Nagpur
- Coorg
- Khasi
- Darjeeling
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (b) Nagpur mandarin (santra).
Analysis: Nagpur santra belongs to the Ponkan group. Kinnow is a hybrid (King × Willow Leaf), mainly grown in Punjab.
Revise with it:
- Citrus varieties by region
- GI-tagged fruits
- HD 3386
- HD 3368
- HD 2967
- HD 2864
- HD 3249
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) HD 3386.
Analysis: Track newly released varieties, including climate-resilient and biofortified ones. The similar-looking numbers test precise recall.
Revise with it:
- Biofortified varieties
- DBW series (IIWBR)
- Sugarcane
- Cotton
- Tobacco
- Paddy
- Coconut
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) Sugarcane.
Analysis: FRP is fixed by the Centre on CACP’s recommendation; states may add a State Advised Price. MSP covers 22 crops, and FRP applies to sugarcane.
Revise with it:
- CACP
- MSP crops list
- January–February
- December–January
- April–March
- May–June
- June–July
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (c) April–March.
Analysis: Wheat procurement starts in April. The Kharif Marketing Season runs October–September.
Revise with it:
- Procurement agencies
- Decentralised procurement
Show answer & analysis
Answer: Liquid nitrogen.
Analysis: Germplasm, semen and embryos are stored at about −196°C in liquid nitrogen.
Revise with it:
- NBPGR gene bank
- Orthodox vs recalcitrant seeds
- Method demonstration
- Result demonstration
- Field trial
- Field visit
- None
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) Method demonstration.
Analysis: Method demonstration shows how to do something; result demonstration shows why to adopt it.
Revise with it:
- Individual, group and mass methods
- National Horticulture Board
- APEDA
- NABARD
- Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
- None
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) National Horticulture Board.
Analysis: NHB runs credit-linked back-ended subsidy for commercial horticulture, including protected cultivation.
Revise with it:
- MIDH
- Protected cultivation
- Tea Board
- Gum and Resin Board
- Rubber Board
- Spices Board
- Tobacco Board
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (b) Gum and Resin Board.
Analysis: Tea, Rubber, Spices, Tobacco and Coffee Boards are under the Ministry of Commerce. The Coconut Development Board comes under Agriculture.
Revise with it:
- Commodity boards and headquarters
- River
- Forest
- Lake
- Agricultural field
- Ocean
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (d) Agricultural field.
Analysis: Croplands, aquariums and gardens are man-made ecosystems.
- Recessive genes
- Dormant genes
- Dominant gene
- Lethal gene
- None
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (c) Dominant gene.
Analysis: Stenospermocarpic seedlessness in grapes is linked to a dominant regulator gene in common breeding models. GA3 is used commercially to increase berry size.
Revise with it:
- Parthenocarpy vs stenospermocarpy
Show answer & analysis
Answer: Weaning.
Analysis: Know the weaning ages for different species.
- Conditioning
- Precooling
- Pulsing
- Temperature regulation
- None
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (b) Precooling.
Analysis: Pulsing is treating cut flowers with a sugar or chemical solution, and conditioning is rehydration. Both are distractors from the same chapter.
Revise with it:
- Hydrocooling
- Forced-air cooling
Show answer & analysis
Answer: Dew point.
Analysis: Learn it alongside relative humidity and vapour pressure deficit.
- <2,000
- <2,500
- <3,000
- <5,000
- <7,500
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (d) <5,000.
Analysis: The Census treats places with 5,000+ population, density of 400/km² or more and 75% of male workers in non-farm work as urban. Areas below these thresholds are rural.
Revise with it:
- Census towns
- SECC deprivation criteria
Show answer & analysis
Answer: Silo (producing silage).
Analysis: Silage is anaerobically fermented green fodder; hay is dried fodder.
- Subsurface drip irrigation
- Sprinkler irrigation
- Drip irrigation
- Furrow irrigation
- Surge irrigation
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) Subsurface drip irrigation.
Analysis: It minimises evaporation and weed growth.
- 75
- 95
- 100
- 125
- 150
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (c) 100 days.
Analysis: UNNATI upskills one adult (18–45) from households that completed 100 days, moving them from partial to full-time employment.
Revise with it:
- Barefoot Technician
- Cluster Facilitation Project
Show answer & analysis
Answer: ₹1,500 (≈₹1,492).
Analysis: Working: 1 HP = 0.746 kW, so 20 HP ≈ 14.92 kW. Then 14.92 kW × 100 h = 1,492 kWh (units). At ₹1 per unit, the cost is ≈ ₹1,492, or about ₹1,500. ARD is not entirely non-numerical.
Revise with it:
- Metric HP (0.735 kW) vs British HP (0.746 kW)
- Balwant Rai Mehta Committee
- Ashok Mehta Committee
- G.V.K. Rao Committee
- L.M. Singhvi Committee
- None
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) Balwant Rai Mehta Committee (1957).
Analysis: It recommended a three-tier system, first adopted at Nagaur, Rajasthan in 1959. Ashok Mehta (1977) recommended two tiers.
Revise with it:
- G.V.K. Rao (1985)
- L.M. Singhvi (1986)
- 73rd Amendment
Show answer & analysis
Answer: Power Take-Off (PTO).
Analysis: The PTO shaft drives attached rotary implements. Implements are physically mounted on the three-point linkage or drawbar.
Note: Implements are attached through the three-point linkage or drawbar; the PTO transmits power to them.
- National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change
- National Mission for a Green India
- NCAP
- None
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change.
Analysis: It is one of the eight NAPCC missions.
Revise with it:
- NMSA
- Green India Mission
- Thar Desert, Rajasthan
- Himalayas (J&K)
- Western Ghats
- Indo-Burma region
- Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) Thar Desert.
Analysis: India has parts of four hotspots: Himalaya, Indo-Burma, Western Ghats–Sri Lanka and Sundaland (Nicobar Islands).
- Endangered
- Rare
- Vulnerable
- Least Concern
- Critically Vulnerable
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (b) Rare.
Analysis: The IUCN categories are EX, EW, CR, EN, VU, NT, LC, DD and NE. “Rare” was dropped from the IUCN system in 1994.
Note: Note that the IUCN category is “Critically Endangered”, not “Critically Vulnerable”.
NABARD 2024 Phase 1 ESI Questions with Answers (40)
Themes: Budget 2024-25 (education loans, space VC fund, Purvodaya, TOD cities, PM-JUGA), monetary policy, schemes (PM-JANMAN, PM VIKAS, MIDH, PMMSY, PM-SYM, PMAY-G), MSMEs, cooperatives, NABARD and banking (RIDF, VVV, RRB bulk deposits, climate funds), labour laws and environment.
▶ Video: ESI question analysis, 2021–2024
(i) Bank Rate (ii) Marginal Standing Facility (iii) Repo Rate (iv) Reverse Repo Rate (v) Standing Deposit Facility [NABARD ESI 2024]
- (i) and (ii)
- (ii) and (iii)
- (i), (ii) and (iv)
- (i) only
- (ii) only
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) Bank Rate and MSF.
Analysis: In August 2024, the repo rate was 6.50%, SDF 6.25%, and MSF and Bank Rate 6.75%. Learn the corridor (MSF = repo + 25 bps; SDF = repo − 25 bps), not the number.
Revise with it:
- LAF corridor
- Fixed reverse repo (3.35%)
- ₹1,000 crore
- ₹2,000 crore
- ₹3,000 crore
- ₹5,000 crore
- ₹6,000 crore
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) ₹1,000 crore.
- UNDP
- World Bank
- Asian Development Bank
- World Food Programme
- UNEP
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) UNDP.
Analysis: SARTHI (Sandbox for Agricultural and Rural Security, Technology and Insurance) is a digital insurance platform for rural households.
Revise with it:
- Kisan Rin portal
- YES-TECH
- WINDS
- 2024-25
- 2025-26
- 2029-30
- 2035-36
- 2045-46
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (b) 2025-26.
Analysis: The E20 target was advanced from 2030 to ESY 2025-26.
Revise with it:
- Ethanol from sugarcane and grain
- SATAT
Show answer & analysis
Answer: SIDBI.
Analysis: Both are interest-subvention and credit-guarantee sub-schemes for green and circular-economy investment by MSEs.
Revise with it:
- RAMP (World Bank-supported)
- CGTMSE
- Vikas Volunteer Vahini
- SHG
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) Vikas Volunteer Vahini (VVV), 1982.
Analysis: VVV clubs, later renamed Farmers’ Clubs, were NABARD’s first community institutions. The SHG–Bank Linkage pilot came in 1992.
Revise with it:
- SHG-BLP (1992)
- Farmers’ Clubs
(i) Adoption (ii) Foster care (iii) After care (iv) Sponsorship (v) Guardianship [NABARD ESI 2024]
- (i) and (ii) only
- (ii) and (iii) only
- (i), (ii) and (iii) only
- (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) only
- All
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (d) (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) only.
Analysis: Child Care Institutions are the institutional component; adoption, foster care, sponsorship and after care are non-institutional.
- Shiksha
- Samanvay
- Swasthya
- Samriddhi
- Sushasan
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (b) Samanvay.
Analysis: The four pillars are Shiksha (education), Swasthya (health), Samriddhi (prosperity) and Sushasan (governance).
Show answer & analysis
Answer: Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF).
Analysis: RIDF was set up in NABARD in 1995-96 and is funded by PSL shortfall deposits from banks.
Revise with it:
- RIDF tranches
- NIDA
- Birhor
- Shompen
- Jarawa
- Onge
- Sentinelese
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) Birhor.
Analysis: The Birhor are a PVTG of Jharkhand. A&N PVTGs: Great Andamanese, Jarawa, Onge, Sentinelese and Shompen.
Revise with it:
- 75 PVTGs
- PM-JANMAN (Nov 2023)
- 100–400 hours
- 100–500 hours
- 100–600 hours
- 150–300 hours
- 200–700 hours
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (d) 150–300 hours.
Revise with it:
- PMKVY 4.0
- Skill India Digital Hub
- Andhra Pradesh
- Bihar
- West Bengal
- Jharkhand
- Chhattisgarh
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (e) Chhattisgarh.
Analysis: Purvodaya covers Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
(i) Seekho aur Kamao (ii) Nai Manzil (iii) Nai Roshni (iv) USTTAD [NABARD ESI 2024]
- (i) and (ii)
- (ii) and (iii) only
- (i), (ii) and (iii) only
- All of the above
- None of the above
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (e) None of the above.
Analysis: PM VIKAS subsumes all five schemes: Seekho aur Kamao, Nai Manzil, Nai Roshni, USTTAD and Hamari Dharohar. “None of the above” is therefore correct, as none is left out.
- 2,000 MT
- 3,000 MT
- 4,000 MT
- 5,000 MT
- 7,000 MT
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (d) 5,000 MT.
Revise with it:
- Cold chain
- PMKSY (SAMPADA)
- NCERT
- CBSE
- ICSE
- MSDE
- None
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) NCERT.
Analysis: DIKSHA is the national platform for school education under PM eVIDYA.
Revise with it:
- PM eVIDYA
- SWAYAM
- 25%
- 30%
- 35%
- 40%
- 46%
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (e) About 46% (45.73%).
- 50%
- 70%
- 75%
- 80%
- 100%
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (e) 100%.
- Increasing fish production to 22 MMT by 2024-25 from 13.75 MMT in 2018-19
- Enhancing aquaculture productivity to 5 tonnes/ha from the national average of 3
- Increasing fisheries’ contribution to agriculture GVA to about 9% by 2024-25 from 7.28%
- Reducing post-harvest losses from 20–25% to about 10%
- Doubling export earnings to ₹3,00,000 crore by 2024-25 from ₹46,589 crore
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (e) The export target. The actual target was to double exports to about ₹1,00,000 crore.
Analysis: The other four are genuine PMMSY targets. Questions like this test whether you know the numbers precisely.
Revise with it:
- PM-MKSSY
- FIDF
- NSIC
- RSETIs
- KVIC
- Coir Board
- Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Rural Industrialization
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (e) MGIRI.
Note: MGIRI, Wardha also conducts training. Check this against the specific programme list the question referred to.
Revise with it:
- RSETI
- PMEGP
- Gujarat
- Uttar Pradesh
- Tamil Nadu
- Karnataka
- Rajasthan
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (e) Rajasthan.
Analysis: The seven parks are in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
- 10 lakh
- 20 lakh
- 25 lakh
- 30 lakh
- 50 lakh
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (d) 30 lakh.
Show answer & analysis
Answer: PENCIL (Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour).
(i) It aims to improve socio-economic conditions of tribal people (ii) It will cover tribal areas in aspirational districts too (iii) It will benefit 75,000 villages (iv) It will reach 5 crore tribal people [NABARD ESI 2024]
- (i) and (ii)
- (i) and (iii)
- (i), (ii) and (iii)
- (i), (ii) and (iv)
- All of the above
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (d) (i), (ii) and (iv).
Analysis: The scheme covers about 63,000 villages, not 75,000, so (iii) is wrong. It was later approved as Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan, with a ₹79,156 crore outlay (see the 2024 Phase II passage).
Revise with it:
- PM-JANMAN
- DAPST
- 5
- 10
- 20
- 25
- 30
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (b) ₹10 lakh.
Show answer & analysis
Answer: Eat Right India.
Revise with it:
- Food fortification
- Trans-fat limits
(i) Certified seeds (ii) Organic farming (iii) Promoting exports (iv) Oil palm production [NABARD ESI 2024]
- (i), (ii) and (iii)
- (i) only
- (ii) only
- (iii) only
- (i) and (ii) only
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) (i), (ii) and (iii).
Analysis: They are Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Samiti Ltd (seeds), National Cooperative Organics Ltd and National Cooperative Exports Ltd.
Revise with it:
- Ministry of Cooperation
- PACS computerisation
(i) Corpus increased from ₹1,000 crore to ₹3,000 crore (ii) Loans from banks, HFCs and primary lending institutions are covered (iii) Covers EWS/LIG loans for construction or purchase of the first home (iv) Management transferred from HUDCO to NHB [NABARD ESI 2024]
- (i) and (ii) only
- (i) and (iii) only
- (ii) and (iii) only
- (i), (ii) and (iii) only
- All of the above
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (d) (i), (ii) and (iii) only.
(i) Adaptation Fund under UNFCCC (ii) National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (iii) Green Climate Fund [NABARD ESI 2024]
- (i) only
- (ii) only
- (iii) only
- (i) and (iii) only
- All of the above
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (e) All of the above.
Analysis: NABARD is the National Implementing Entity for the Adaptation Fund (UNFCCC) and for NAFCC (MoEFCC), and an accredited Direct Access Entity of the Green Climate Fund.
Note: NABARD is the National Implementing Entity for both the Adaptation Fund and NAFCC, and an accredited entity of the Green Climate Fund.
Revise with it:
- Climate Change Fund (NABARD)
- GCF projects
- 5 June
- 22 March
- 21 June
- 21 August
- 30 April
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) 5 June 2024 (World Environment Day).
- ₹5 lakh and above
- ₹25 lakh and above
- ₹50 lakh and above
- ₹75 lakh and above
- ₹1 crore and above
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (e) ₹1 crore and above.
Analysis: Bulk-deposit thresholds differ by bank type. Learn the RRB figure alongside the commercial bank threshold.
Revise with it:
- RRB amalgamation
- Sponsor banks
- 5%
- 7%
- 8%
- 10%
- 12%
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (d) 10%.
- 1-2-3-4
- 2-4-3-1
- 3-2-4-1
- 2-1-4-3
- 4-3-2-1
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (c) 3-2-4-1.
Analysis: Payment of Wages 1936, Minimum Wages 1948, Maternity Benefit 1961, Equal Remuneration 1976. All are now subsumed in the labour codes.
Revise with it:
- Code on Wages, 2019
- 1, 2, 3 and 4
- 1 only
- 2 only
- 3 and 4 only
- 1 and 2 only
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) All four.
Analysis: Examples: cooperative banks; IFFCO and KRIBHCO; handloom weavers’ societies; Amul.
- ₹22,500 crore
- ₹35,000 crore
- ₹46,000 crore
- ₹75,000 crore
- ₹12,000 crore
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) ₹22,500 crore (2021-26).
- 25%
- 35%
- 18%
- 15%
- 45%
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) 25%.
Analysis: This includes sub-targets of 4% from SC/ST-owned MSEs and 3% from women-owned MSEs.
Revise with it:
- Public Procurement Policy for MSEs, 2012
- GeM
Show answer & analysis
Answer: Soil Health Card.
- 18–40 years
- 18–50 years
- 18–60 years
- 40–60 years
- 15–40 years
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) 18–40 years.
Analysis: PM-SYM gives a ₹3,000 monthly pension at 60 to unorganised workers earning up to ₹15,000 per month.
Revise with it:
- PM-KMY
- Atal Pension Yojana
- Rural youth
- Urban youth
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) Rural youth.
Analysis: TRYSEM (Training of Rural Youth for Self-Employment, 1979) was merged into SGSY in 1999.
Revise with it:
- IRDP
- SGSY → NRLM
- 2045
- 2050
- 2047
- 2070
- 2030
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (d) 2070.
Revise with it:
- Panchamrit
- Updated NDC
Show answer & analysis
Answer: Households living in kutcha houses with zero, one or two rooms with kutcha walls and kutcha roof (SECC/Awaas+ data).
Revise with it:
- PMAY-G targets
- Unit assistance
NABARD 2024 Phase 1 General Awareness (GA) Questions (18)
General Awareness is the third merit section in Phase I (20 marks). In 2024 it leaned on banking and financial markets (SEBI, PFRDA, CDs, AIFs, CKYC, VRR, FFMCs) plus a few current-affairs items.
- NVIDIA
- Apple
- Amazon
- Meta
- Microsoft
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (d) Meta.
Show answer & analysis
Answer: Rishab Shetty.
- 1 only
- 2 only
- 1 and 2 only
- 1, 2 and 3
- All of the above
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3.
- T+1
- T+0
- T+2
- T+3
- T+4
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (b) T+0.
- Points of Presence
- Central Recordkeeping Agency
- EPFO
- Pension Funds
- Trustee
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (c) EPFO.
Analysis: EPFO is a statutory body under the Ministry of Labour, not an NPS intermediary.
- Quarterly
- Annually
- Bimonthly
- Half-yearly
- At the end of each business day
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (e) At the end of each business day.
- ₹1 crore
- ₹2 crore
- ₹3 crore
- ₹5 crore
- ₹10 crore
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) ₹1 crore.
Show answer & analysis
Answer: 10.3%.
- 3 months
- 6 months
- 1 year
- 2 years
- 3 years
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (c) 1 year.
Analysis: Banks issue CDs from 7 days to 1 year; financial institutions from 1 to 3 years.
- 2017
- 2016
- 2012
- 2020
- 2019
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (b) 2016.
- Paraguay
- Uruguay
- Iran
- Argentina
- Brazil
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) Paraguay.
- 1st
- 3rd
- 5th
- 7th
- 8th
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (e) 8th.
Show answer & analysis
Answer: 3 years.
- GAIL
- ONGC
- IOC
- OIL
- None
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) GAIL.
Show answer & analysis
Answer: ISO 31000.
- 1 and 2 only
- 1, 2 and 3 only
- 1 only
- 3 only
- All of the above
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (b) 1, 2 and 3 only.
Analysis: Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana is a girl-child savings scheme.
Show answer & analysis
Answer: ₹25 lakh.
Analysis: Multiple-branch FFMCs need ₹50 lakh.
- 1 only
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- All of the above
- None
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (d) All of the above.
Analysis: CDP is implemented by NHB.
NABARD 2024 Phase 2 ESI & ARD Objective Questions (30)
The complete 2024 Phase II objective paper: eight passages (agroforestry, ACABC, NABARD’s Cooperative Development Fund, cropping seasons, livestock statistics, tribal development, PLFS and MGNREGS, NE industrial development and SEZs) carrying 2 marks per question, then 10 one-mark questions. One passage generated up to four questions, so prepare whole ecosystems, not single facts.
- Homestead forestry
- Agri-silviculture
- Taungya system
- Windbreak
- Kumari system
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) Homestead forestry (homegardens).
Analysis: Homegardens are the classic household tree–crop–livestock unit, common in Kerala and the North-East. Taungya combines forestry plantations with temporary crops on forest land.
Revise with it:
- Silvipasture
- Alley cropping
- High growth, high allelopathy
- High growth, low allelopathy
- Slow growth, high allelopathy
- Slow growth, low allelopathy
- None
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (b) High growth, low allelopathy.
Analysis: Trees for agroforestry should grow fast and not suppress companion crops through allelopathic chemicals. Eucalyptus is a known allelopathic species.
- Only 1
- Only 2
- Only 1 and 2
- Only 1 and 3
- All 1, 2 and 3
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (e) All three.
Analysis: Agri-Clinics also advise on crop insurance, post-harvest technology, animal health and market prices.
Revise with it:
- MANAGE (training)
- Subsidy pattern
- Only A
- Only B
- Only A and B
- Only A and C
- None
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (d) A and C.
Analysis: Words like “exclusively” and “only” (B and D) usually signal a false statement.
- PACS
- DCCB
- SCCB
- CDF
- FPO
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (d) CDF – Cooperative Development Fund.
Analysis: The fund in the passage is NABARD’s Cooperative Development Fund (1993). Keep a list of NABARD’s funds: CDF, RIDF, LTIF, MIF, WIF, NIDA, FIF and others.
Revise with it:
- Section 45, NABARD Act
- Capacity building and training programmes
- Strengthening rural cooperatives
- Financial inclusion initiatives
- Infrastructure development
- All of the above
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) Capacity building and training.
Analysis: CDF supports training, capacity building, exposure visits, studies and business-development support for cooperatives.
Note: CDF also supports other cooperative-strengthening activities, but capacity building and training is its core use.
- Jute
- Bajra
- Sesame
- Bitter gourd
- Chickpea
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (e) Chickpea (A = Rabi).
Analysis: Jute, bajra and sesame are kharif crops; bitter gourd is grown in zaid.
- Monocropping
- Intercropping
- Multiple cropping
- Monoculture
- None
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (c) Multiple cropping.
Analysis: Assured irrigation allows two or more crops a year on the same land, raising cropping intensity.
Revise with it:
- Cropping intensity
- Multiple cropping index
- 45%
- 30%
- 75%
- 51%
- 60%
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (d) About 51%.
Analysis: Poultry contributed about 51% of meat output in BAHS 2023.
- 90
- 101
- 110
- 120
- 121
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (b) 101 eggs per year.
(X = Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan / PM-JUGA; Y = PM-JANMAN)
- Developing enabling infrastructure
- Promotion of economic empowerment
- Universal access to good education
- Healthy lives and dignified ageing
- All of the above
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (e) All of the above.
Analysis: These four are the goals of Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (X).
Note: Read the stem carefully: these four goals belong to scheme X (Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan).
Revise with it:
- DAJGUA: 63,000 villages, 17 ministries
- Only 1
- Both 1 and 2
- Both 1 and 3
- Both 2 and 3
- All
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (b) 1 and 2.
Analysis: Tribal homestays and FRA patta-holder support are DAJGUA interventions. Statement 3 fails because it includes private schools.
- Only 1
- 1 and 2
- 1 and 3
- Only 2
- All
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (e) All of the above.
Analysis: PM-JANMAN was launched on Janjatiya Gaurav Divas (Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary).
- Tribal Sub-Plan
- Tribal Action Plan
- Tribal Welfare Plan
- Tribal Development Plan
- Tribal Benefits Plan
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) Tribal Sub-Plan (1974-75).
- increased, more, increased
- increased, less, increased
- decreased, less, increased
- increased, more, decreased
- increased, less, decreased
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) increased, more, increased.
Analysis: Rural LFPR and WPR exceed urban levels because of higher female participation in agriculture. The change in UR was marginal.
Revise with it:
- LFPR, WPR, UR definitions
- CWS, Usual Status, CWS
- Usual Status, Usual Status, CWS
- CWS, Monthly Status, CWS
- Monthly Status, Usual Status, CWS
- Current Monthly Status, Usual Status, Current Monthly Status
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) Current Weekly Status; Usual Status; Current Weekly Status.
Analysis: The quarterly urban bulletin uses CWS only. The annual report uses both usual status (ps+ss) and CWS.
- Haryana, Kerala, Goa
- UP, Goa, Mizoram
- Tripura, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan
- Rajasthan, Goa, Mizoram
- UP, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (e) Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan.
Analysis: This comes from the Economic Survey 2023-24 analysis of MGNREGS work demand.
- 10%
- 15%
- 20%
- 25%
- 30%
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (d) 25%.
- 240
- 250
- 260
- 270
- 280
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (e) About 280.
Analysis: This is dynamic; check the latest Department of Commerce figure.
- No licence required for imports
- Manufacturing or service activities allowed
- Full freedom for subcontracting
- No routine customs examination of export/import cargo
- All of the above
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (e) All of the above.
Revise with it:
- SEZ Act, 2005
- Ongole
- Red Sindhi
- Hallikar
- Tharparkar
- Murrah
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (c) Hallikar.
Analysis: Red Sindhi is a milch breed and Ongole and Tharparkar are dual-purpose. Murrah is a buffalo breed.
Revise with it:
- Amritmahal
- Kangayam
- Khillari
- 2 years
- 4 years
- 7 years
- 5 years
- 1 year
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (d) 5 years.
Analysis: This was asked in Phase I 2025 (both ARD and ESI) and Phase II 2024.
- Farmer
- Extension agent
- Extension technique
- Physical technique
- None
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) Farmer.
Analysis: Extension is farmer-centred: the farmer is the focal point, and the agent is the facilitator.
- 0–1 ha
- 1–2 ha
- 2–5 ha
- 5–10 ha
- >10 ha
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (b) 1–2 ha.
Analysis: The Agriculture Census classes are: marginal under 1 ha, small 1–2, semi-medium 2–4, medium 4–10, and large over 10 ha.
- 20–25%
- 25–30%
- 40–45%
- 45–55%
- 55–60%
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (d) 45–55%.
Analysis: PLFS 2023-24 shows about 46% of workers in agriculture.
- JP Morgan; easy money
- JP Morgan; cold money
- JP Morgan; hot money
- JP Morgan; tight money
- JP Morgan; loose money
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (c) JP Morgan; hot money.
Analysis: India’s government bonds were included in the JP Morgan GBI-EM index from June 2024.
- Kisan Nirdesh
- Kisan Uddhar
- Kisan Suvidha
- Kisan Sahayta
- Kisan Salaah
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (c) Kisan Suvidha.
- Only 1
- Only 2
- 1 and 3
- 2 and 3
- All
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (e) All of the above.
Analysis: SAGY was launched on 11 October 2014.
- Only 1
- 1 and 2
- 1 and 3
- 2 and 3
- All
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (b) 1 and 2.
Analysis: Statement 3 is false because the natural-farming programme supports certification and branding. BPKP has since been scaled up into the National Mission on Natural Farming (2024).
Revise with it:
- NMNF
- Jeevamrit, Beejamrit
- National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture
- National Agriculture Mission
- Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation
- National Mission on Soil Health Management
- National Mission for Organic Agriculture
Show answer & analysis
Answer: (a) National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture.
Analysis: NMSA components: Rainfed Area Development, Soil Health Management, On-Farm Water Management, and Climate Change & Sustainable Agriculture Monitoring.
No questions match these filters.
NABARD 2024 Phase 2 descriptive questions (English, ESI & ARD)
NABARD 2024 English descriptive topics
| Paper | Marks | Question | What the answer needs |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Essay (500–520 words, 40 marks) | Choose one: (1) How can youth contribute to India’s progress in education, entrepreneurship and social initiatives? (2) How does access to credit increase sustainable farming practices in India? (3) Integrating fish culture with agricultural crops enhances productivity and farmers’ income. Discuss. (4) “Look deep into nature, and then you will start to understand everything better.” – Albert Einstein. Elaborate. | Pick the topic you can support with data and examples. Topics 2 and 3 reward ARD knowledge (KCC, PACS, integrated rice–fish farming). ▶ Essay writing strategy |
| English | Précis (120 words, 30 marks) | Passage on Ethiopia’s water crisis: rainwater and pond harvesting, low drinking-water access (40%) and sanitation (below 15%), children missing school, the “Water for All” programme reaching 5 million people, and access rising to 72%. | Problem → impact on children and health → government response → outcome, in your own words, with only the key figures. |
| English | Letter (220 words, 30 marks) | Choose one: (1) to the municipal corporation about poor road conditions; (2) a grievance letter about a faulty electronic device delivered to you; (3) to the in-house editor seeking an extension for an article because of clashing tasks. | Formal format → subject → specifics (location, order number, deadline) → request → courteous close. |
NABARD 2024 Phase 2 ESI & ARD descriptive questions
| Paper | Marks | Question | What the answer needs |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARD | 15 (600 words, compulsory) | What is the importance of post-harvest management, value addition and supply-chain development in horticultural crops? | Losses → PHM practices → value addition → supply chain → schemes (MIDH, PMKSY, Operation Greens, Clean Plant Programme). |
| ESI | 15 (600 words, choice) | What is the institutional rural credit framework in India, and what has the government done to improve access to rural credit? OR India has seen a financial inclusion transformation from 2014 to 2024. What are the initiatives and their outcomes? | Structure (cooperatives, RRBs, commercial banks, NABARD, MFIs) → measures (KCC, PACS computerisation, interest subvention) → outcomes → gaps. |
| ARD | 10 (400 words, compulsory) | Discuss the objectives and aims of the PM Vishwakarma scheme and the SVAMITVA scheme. | Two schemes → objectives → components → impact. (Both were tested as objective questions in 2023.) |
| ARD | 10 (400 words, choice) | Examine the significance of storage systems for agriculture and food security in India. OR Write a short note on dryland farming. | Storage gap → losses → cooperative grain-storage plan → food security. Dryland: under 750 mm (dry), 750–1,150 mm (dryland) → constraints → technologies. |
How to write these answers: answer writing strategy and essay writing strategy.
More NABARD previous year questions
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Preparing for NABARD Grade A? See the NABARD Grade A 2027 course, the Phase 1 Crash Course and student reviews.