HomeCirculars › RBI/2009-10/380

ADWDRS 2008: Extended Deadline & Prudential Norms for RRBs

No longer current — withdrawn, no replacement on file yet
Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2009-10/380 · issued 06 Apr 2010 · ~2 min read
Quick answerRBI extends the 'other farmer' debt relief payment deadline to June 30, 2010, due to drought/floods. Banks can accept less than 75% under OTS if they bear the difference. No interest on eligible amount from Feb 29, 2008 to June 30, 2009; normal interest applies from July 1, 2009.

What changed

The last date for 'other farmers' to pay 75% of overdue under the Debt Relief Scheme is extended by six months to June 30, 2010. Banks may now accept less than 75% under OTS, but must absorb the shortfall themselves. The interest-free period on eligible amounts remains unchanged, but no government interest reimbursement for the extension period.

What it means for you

RRBs get more time to settle eligible 'other farmer' accounts, reducing immediate NPA pressure. However, accepting less than 75% under OTS hits bank profitability directly. Banks must carefully track payment deadlines and make present value loss provisions to keep accounts standard. Delays beyond June 30, 2010 will revert accounts to original NPA status with additional provisioning.

Historical instruction — do not use for current compliance. This is what was required at the time; it no longer reflects current RBI requirements. If no replacement rule is linked above, that only means none is recorded on our register yet — it does not prove no later applicable rule exists. Confirm on the official RBI source below.

What banks were required to do at the time

Who it affects

Regional Rural Banks (RRBs), Other farmers eligible under ADWDRS 2008, Lending institutions handling agricultural debt relief

❓ Common questions

Regulatory timeline

Built from our lineage records — each fact carries its provenance; missing history simply is not shown (never guessed).

What happens if a farmer pays after June 30, 2010?

The account will be treated as NPA, and asset classification will revert to the original NPA date as if it had never been treated as performing. Additional provisions as per prudential norms must be made.

Can we accept less than 75% from the farmer under OTS?

Yes, but only if the bank bears the difference itself. The government will still pay only 25% of the actual eligible amount, and the bank cannot claim the shortfall from either the government or the farmer.

Is interest charged on the eligible amount during the extension?

No interest is charged from February 29, 2008 to June 30, 2009. Normal interest applies from July 1, 2009 up to settlement date. The government will not reimburse interest for the six-month extension period.

📜 This document’s life story (1 recorded event, each backed by RBI’s own words)
Repealed by RBI/2025-26/100 — Consolidation of Regulations — Withdrawal of circulars (28 Nov 2025)
RBI’s words: “Official withdrawal register entry #1736: RPCD.CO.RRB.BC.No.63/03.05.72/2009-10 — "Agricultural Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme, 2008 - Prudential Norms on Income Recognition, Asset Classification,”
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2009-10/380 RPCD.CO.RRB.BC No. 63/ 03.05.72/2009-10 April 06, 2010 The Chairman All Regional Rural Banks Dear Sir, Agricultural Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme, 2008– Prudential Norms on Income Recognition, Asset Classification, Provisioning and Capital Adequacy- RRBs Please refer to our circulars RPCD.CO.RRB.No.BC.18/03.05.072/2008-09 dated July 30, 2008; RPCD.CO.RRB.No.BC.64/ 03.05.072/2008-09 dated November 17, 2008,  RPCD.CO. RRB. No.BC.92/ 03.05.072/ 2008-09 dated March 23, 2009, RPCD.CO.RRB.No.BC.11/ 03.05.072/ 2009-10 dated July 1, 2009 and RPCD.CO.RRB.BC No. 20/ 03.05.72/ 2009-10 September 11, 2009 on the captioned subject. 2. In terms of the circular dated September 11, 2009, we had advised that the Government of India had decided to make the accounts of “other farmers” eligible for a debt relief of 25% from Government of India, provided they pay their entire share of 75% by December 31, 2009. 3. In view of the recent drought in some States and the severe floods in some other parts of the country, the Government of India, as announced in the Union Budget 2010-11, has now decided to extend the last date of payment of 75% of overdue portion by the ‘other farmer’ under Debt Relief Scheme (under ADWDR) for another six months beyond December 31, 2009, i.e up to June 30, 2010 . The eligible “other farmers” may be allowed to repay this amount in one or more instalments up to June 30, 2010. 4. The Government of India has also advised that the banks / lending institutions are allowed to receive even less than 75% of the eligible amount under OTS provided the banks / lending institutions bear the difference themselves and do not claim the same either from the Government or from the farmer. The Government will pay only 25% of the actual eligible amount under debt relief. 5. The Government has once again clarified that the lending institutions would not charge any interest on the eligible amount for the period from February 29, 2008 to June 30, 2009. However, they may charge normal rate of interest on the eligible amount from July 01, 2009 up to the date of settlement.  Further, no interest shall be paid by the Government of India to the lending institutions for this six month extension under the Scheme while reimbursing the 25% amount to the lending institutions as per the delayed reimbursement schedule. 6. Where the farmers covered under the Debt Relief Scheme have given the undertaking, agreeing to pay their share under the OTS, their relevant accounts may be treated by banks as "standard" / "performing" provided : (a)    adequate provision is made by the banks for the loss in present value (PV) terms for all the receivables due from the borrowers. (For computing the amount of loss in PV terms under the Scheme, the balance amount receivable from the farmers may be assumed to be due on June 30, 2010, and the interest payments would be as per paragraph 5 above. The cash flows should be discounted to the present value at the interest rate at which the loan was granted including the element of interest subsidy, if any, available from the Government.) (b)    such farmers pay their share of the settlement latest by the revised last date, i.e. June 30, 2010. 7. In case, however, the payments are delayed by the farmers beyond June 30, 2010, the outstanding amount in the relevant accounts of such farmers shall be treated as NPA. The asset classification of such accounts shall be determined with reference to the original date of NPA, (as if the account had not been treated as performing in the interregnum based on the aforesaid undertaking). On such down-gradation of the accounts, additional provisions as per the extant prudential norms should also be made. 8.  In view of the six month extension for the debt relief portion of the ADWDRS, 2008, the last date of receipt of grievances by Grievance Redressal Officers of the lending institutions may also be accordingly extended upto 31.7.2010. 9. The accounting treatment for the Debt Relief Scheme as indicated in paragraph 7 of our circular dated September 11, 2009, may continue to be followed. Yours faithfully (R.C.Sarangi) Chief General Manager
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2009-10/380 · issued 06 Apr 2010. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
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Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=5570&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by our expert reviewer, CA Amit Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; is our own plain-English paraphrase, not RBI’s original wording.
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