NABKISAN Raises ₹180 Crore Through India's First WASH Bond

The correct answer is ₹180 crore. NABKISAN Finance Limited, a subsidiary of NABARD, placed India's first social bond meant only for water, sanitation and hygiene work, and investors bid for 1.8 times the paper on offer. That demand allowed the company to mobilise ₹180 crore, which will be lent for safe water, toilets and hygiene services in villages and in pockets that lenders normally skip. Option A, ₹90 crore, is half the real figure and matches nothing in the issue. Option C, ₹250 crore, and option D, ₹360 crore, are larger round sums that were never raised; the issue closed at the stated amount even though demand ran ahead of it. Candidates should fix the amount alongside the other terms of the paper, namely a tenure of five years, a coupon of 8.10% a year, redemption in September 2031 and the top domestic rating of AAA (Stable) from both CRISIL and CARE.

The correct answer is the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development. NABKISAN Finance Limited is a NABARD subsidiary, and the listing of the WASH bond was described as a step that strengthens the commitment of both NABARD and NABKISAN to new financing routes for rural development. The Chairman of NABARD, Dr. Shaji Krishnan V, spoke at the ceremony and argued that development institutions make such projects bankable enough to attract commercial lenders and the capital market. Option A, the Small Industries Development Bank of India, works with small and medium industry, not with this issuer. Option C, the National Housing Bank, refinances housing finance, and option D, the Export-Import Bank of India, supports foreign trade; neither has any role here. The parent institution is worth remembering because the ownership explains why the proceeds are aimed at rural and underserved households.

The correct answer is 8.10% a year. The bond that NABKISAN listed on the National Stock Exchange in Mumbai runs for five years and pays this rate to its holders until it is redeemed in September 2031. Two rating agencies, CRISIL and CARE, judged the paper to be of the highest domestic quality and marked it AAA with a stable outlook, which is why a rate at this level drew bids worth 1.8 times the amount on offer and let the company collect ₹180 crore. Options A and B, at 7.10% and 7.75%, are lower than the rate actually promised, while option D at 8.60% is higher; none of these was offered. For the examination, pair the coupon with the tenure, the maturity month, the oversubscription and the amount raised, since questions on a bond issue usually test one of those five figures.