Draft:NABARD Grade-A Examination

The NABARD Grade A Examination is a national competitive examination in India conducted by IBPS and NABARD for recruitment to the post of Group 'A' Officer (Assistant Manager/ Grade-A) in its Rural Development Banking Services (RDBS) and Rajbhasha Services. It is regarded as one of the esteemed public service employment in India and a respected designation in the field of Rural Development and Finance. The officers selected become part of the managerial workforce at NABARD which is one of the leading All India Financial Institution (AIFI) owned fully by the Ministry of Finance, Government of India.

The recruitment cycle for NABARD Grade A Examination 2023 commenced with the Phase 1 exam which was held on 16th October. The Phase 2 exam of the candidates qualifying the Phase 1 exam was held on 19th November 2023 at various centres throughout the country. The Interview process ended by mid-February and the final result was released on 21st February 2024. As per the official notification, total 145 candidates have qualified for the post in 2023 recruitment cycle.

Emoluments and Perks
The basic pay-scale of NABARD Grade A Officer is Rs 44,500 wherein the in-hand gross salary stands at more than Rs.1,30,000 per month which contains allowances for petrol, internet, telephone, househelp, children education etc. The emoluments are expected to rise more in near future due to passage of the 12th Bipartite Settlement which was signed on 8th March 2024. Above the component of monthly salary and allowances the officers in Grade-A are also entitled to various annual and biennual allowances for furniture, spectacle, briefcase and leave travel concessions etc. Accomodation is also provided to the officers in their respective posting stations.

Exam Pattern
The examination for NABARD Grade A is conducted in 3 phases:

Phase 1 - Prelims: The Phase 1 exam is a single paper comprising 200 Questions and 200 Marks and is objective in nature. It is divided into 8 sections, with 5 sections of non-merit (qualifying) nature and 3 sections are of merit nature. Phase 2 - Mains: The examination in the second phase consists of two papers - Paper 1 (English) and Paper 2 (Economic and Social Issues and Agricuture and Rural Development). Interview: The candidates who clear Phase 2 are called for the interview in the ratio of 1:3. The interview for RDBS is conducted for 50 Marks. It is a stage of Personality Test wherein candidates attitude, temperament and knowledge base is tested to ascertain their suitability for the coveted post of Group 'A' Officer (Assistant Manager - Grade 'A') in NABARD. From the 2023 Recruitment Cycle, the aspirant are also required to give the mandatory Psychometric Test before receiving the Call Letter for the Interview Process.

Induction Training
The selected candidates of the NABARD Grade A Examination are required to attend a two week Induction Training Program which is held at National Banking Staff College (NBSC) located inside the premise of Bankers Institute of Rural Development (BIRD), Lucknow. They are established and managed by NABARD. NBSC was set up in the year 1986 to cater to the training needs of elite Group 'A' Officers of NABARD. It also has specific mandate of imparting training and continuing education to the officers of NABARD. The main aim of the college is to upgrade knowledge and skills of officers with a view to strengthening human resources in Bank. Apart from training at the College campus, various on location programmes are also conducted in different parts of the country to provide exposure to field level developments.