This implies that IGNOU's School of Agriculture (SOA) and the Bankers Institute of Rural Development (BIRD) promoted by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), together would offer a post graduate diploma in rural banking.
The course aims to develop professionals in rural banking and bridge the gap between programmes currently available and those required by the market for an overall rural development. Similarly, the focus is on having a joint programme to address the emerging requirements of the agriculture and rural sector.
According to IGNOU, graduates with minimum 50 percent aggregate marks and 45 percent marks for reserved category are eligible to apply for the programme. The age limit is at 25 years and 30 for those in service.