Rural indebtedness refers to the situation of the rural people unable to repay the loan accumulated over a period. Existence of the rural indebtedness indicates the weak financial infrastructure of our country, in reaching the needy farmers, landless people and the agricultural labourers.
The farmers borrow loan for various purposes like agricultural operations, supporting the family in the lean season or purchase of equipments in the recent years, expenses on celebrations, liquor consumption and medicines go on increasing without any limit. Due to lower income, the villagers are unable to repay the loans or pay the pending interest on the principal amount.

Rural Market refers to the infrastructure created to buy and sell the products produced in rural areas and also to purchase the needed products and farm inputs produced in urban and other regions. The rural marketing is still defective as farmers lack bargaining power, long chain of middlemen, lack of organisation, insufficient storage facilities, poor transport facilities, absence of grading, inadequate information and poor marketing arrangements.

(i) To regulate the lender and the borrower of microfinance and bring stability to the microfinance system.
(ii) To extend finance and credit support to microfinance institutions and agencies that lend money to small businesses, retailers, self help groups and individuals.
(iii) To register all MFIs and introduce a system of performance rating and accreditation for the first time.
(iv) Offer a credit guarantee scheme for providing guarantees to loans offered to micro businesses.
(v) Introduce appropriate technologies to assist in lending, borrowing and monitoring of distributed capital.

(i) SHG is an economically homogenous group formed through a process of self-selection based on the affinity of its members.
(ii) Most SHGs are women's groups with membership ranging between 10 and 20.
(iii) SHGs have well defined rules and by-laws, hold regular meetings and maintain records and savings and credit discipline.
(iv) SHGs are self-managed institutions characterised by participatory and collective decision making.

1. 20 Point Programme - 1975
2. Integrated Rural Development Programme - 1978
3. Training Rural Youths for Self-Employment - 1979
4. Food for Work Programme - 1977
5. National Rural Employment Programme - 1980
6. Rural Landless Employment Guarantee Programme - 1983
7. Jawahar Rozgar Yojana - 1989
8. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme - 2006
9. Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Sadak Yojana - 2010
10. Bharat Nirman Yojana - 2005
11. Indira Awas Yojana - 1985
12. Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission - 2005
13. Rajiv Awas Yojana - 2009
14. National Rural Health Mission - 2005
15. National Rural Livelihood Mission - 2011
16. National Food Security Scheme - 2013