Regional Rural Banks and Development

The Uttarakhand region of the erstwhile state of U.P., now the newly formed hill state of Uttaranchal is one of the underdeveloped regions of India. Though rich in natural resources and famous for natural beauty, the rural areas of the region are still economically backward. The Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) were established with the sole objective to boost economic development of rural areas. The present work is a very successful attempt to study in depth the working and performance of RRBs in this region. A detailed study of the economic profile of Uttarakhand provided all the relevant information and data of the region and, of course, of the newly formed hill state. All important aspects of the working of these banks such as branch expansion, deposit mobilisation, profitability, etc. have been critically analysed. The impact of RRBs on the rural economy of Uttarakhand has been very successfully assessed through some selected parameters. Internal and external constraints, which are responsible for a chequered growth of the banks, have been enumerated. In the end, the author has put forth some concrete and valuable recommendations to make these institutions more effective. n a nutshell, the book provides very important and original material on the role of RRBs in the economic development of rural areas of the newly formed hill state.