DK Kapila The Oracle

 Half a Century of Empowering Rural India: The RRB Journey.  By Dinesh K Kapila. (Published in Responsive Rural Banking on 01/01/2026).   Since their inception on October 2, 1975, Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) have served as the backbone of India’s rural economy. Established to bridge the gap between organized banking and the underserved agrarian heartland, RRBs have in the last fifty years transformed from small district level small banking  units into state level institutional organisations.  The RRBs have a legacy of Inclusion. Of the unreached.  The journey began with the Prathama Bank, and today, RRBs manage a massive network that brings "banking to the doorstep." Over five decades, these institutions have successfully democratised  credit providing vital institutional credit to small and marginal farmers, agricultural laborers, and rural artisans. They have facilitated economic growth playing a pivotal role in  credit to the agriculture  ...

  Farmer Producer Companies – Gray Areas to Address. By Dinesh K Kapila, CGM (Retd) NABARD (Published in Business Sandesh on 01/01/2026)   There are now enough reasons to think that there is an effective   FPO movement in our nation. It is broadly articulated that FPOs are inherent for a new deal for rural India and to promote entrepreneurship. FPOs also figure as an integral part of discussions in several forums on agrarian issues and deliberations on an appropriate policy and ecosystem to   support them. Despite the unprecedented growth in the number of FPOs (Farmer Producer Organisations) being formed across the country, are there challenges faced by the FPOs? Are these challenges faced by most new organizations or do they need policy changes. Or operational reorientation. Discussions with practitioners (Mr Punit Singh Thind and Mr Kamaljit) were enlightening as with some officials. A moot point, any large movement or drive, by its very nature, is normally b...

 The New Year is upon us and my really simple wishes  Dinesh K Kapila The year 2026 is just about upon us. A day more and it’s done. What can I say except that enter the new year with a light mind, shed your regrets, pains and negativities and travel lightly into the New Year. But then the new year triggers so many wishes and thoughts. It plays on your mind. It creates its own stream of myriad reflections, you lose a few friends who fade out of your life, some fade out of life itself, you make new acquaintances and friends, the labyrinths of the mind twist and turn and throw up new ideas and possibilities.  As the above does indicate, as a simple minded person I take pleasure in the less complex nuances of life. What could be my simple set of wishes for the new year. They may not really happen. They could just be a set of  fond thoughts, playing in the recesses of my mind, bubbling up when the new year approaches. And then maybe ebbing away. Maybe not really realisti...

 Encouraging Teams  and Learning Points. Interaction with Leaders.  Dinesh K Kapila  One at times meets youngsters who are into good paying jobs but feel disturbed about their job profile and more important their overall working environment. Therefore it was indeed encouraging to meet a young couple recently. In leadership cum ownership roles.  They showcased positivity and a can do approach and had a refreshing approach to managing their teams.  The husband runs his own company focused on constructing premium apartments. He keeps it small in size in terms of projects by design. Taking up limited projects at a time and moving on only when the ongoing projects near completion. The apartments sell because of the reputation and the inbuilt care as regards design and layout. His approach to managing his team was different, he said if a team member was lagging behind in output or in achieving his or her  targets, it’s not that the employee, no matter what h...

  Miracles ! Miracles ! It’s still the age of miracles !! Dinesh K Kapila Why do we believe that miracles do not occur now. Why do we believe life is so prosaic, so structured and technology enabled that miracles just do not occur. They do. Just the context changes. The mode changes. Now typically we believe a miracle is a wonderful event that seems impossible and that is believed to be caused by God or a Divinity. Or facilitated by God or a Divinity. I prefer where we believe a miracle is a lucky event or occurrence that happens that you did not expect it or think it was possible. As Jon Bon Jovi says, ‘Miracles happen everyday, change your perception of what a miracle is and you'll see them all around you’. Miracles to me could an event or an occurrence or a process. There could be minor miracles, chance miracles, major miracles or just plain lucky miracles. Our perspective would frame the miracle. Provide the context so to say. A series of incidences I witnessed prompt me to quo...

  Microfinance and technological innovations in Agri startups. A Sharing of Thoughts on the Possibilities. Dinesh K Kapila (Published in the BIRD Journal, The Microfinance Review, Volume XVII, Number 1 (January – June 2025 Issue) Theme – Microfinance by its very design offers flexibility and can be utilized for a broad range of possibilities). Our object in the construction of the State is the greatest happiness of the whole, and not that of any one class. So said Plato centuries ago. And hence, the philosophical underpinnings of developmental initiatives including microfinance. And hence, the thought of reaching... Out to all segments of society for hassle free credit. This is a bit of a complex issue as there is so much happening in this sector already.  We have to calibrate our thoughts to study the opportunities or areas which can be tapped for a closer association or the mode to do so. Here I am sharing a series of thoughts so to say on this sector, be it the...