During which Five Year Plan period in India was the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development NABARD established as an apex development finance institution?

Introduction / Context:

NABARD, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, is a key development finance institution in India that supports agriculture and rural development projects. The question asks during which Five Year Plan period NABARD was established. This is a typical economy and planning fact that appears in competitive exams.

Given Data / Assumptions:

- The institution in focus is NABARD.

- The options list different Five Year Plans.

- The question is about the period during which NABARD came into existence.

Concept / Approach:

NABARD was established in 1982 as an apex development bank for agriculture and rural development. This date falls in the Sixth Five Year Plan period, which ran from 1980 to 1985. Therefore, the correct association is between NABARD and the Sixth Plan. Linking the year of establishment with the plan timelines is the key to answering correctly.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

Standard economic history references and NABARD s own introductory material mention that it was set up in 1982 during the Sixth Plan era. The Fifth Plan ended before this, and later plans obviously came afterwards, confirming that the Sixth Plan is the correct match.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

The Fifth Plan belongs to an earlier period ending in the late nineteen seventies, before NABARD was established.

The Third Plan is much older and associated with early planning years after independence, not with specialised financial institutions like NABARD.

The Ninth Plan belongs to the late nineteen nineties, long after NABARD was already functioning.

The Seventh Plan followed the Sixth Plan and covers years after NABARD was already created, so it cannot be the plan during which NABARD was established.

Common Pitfalls:

Students sometimes mix up which institutions were created in which plan because there are many bodies like NABARD, EXIM Bank, and others. A helpful strategy is to create a small table linking institutions with plan numbers and years, revising it regularly so that such questions can be answered quickly.

Final Answer:

NABARD was established during the Sixth Five Year Plan period.