The objective of the survey was to collect such data/information as would assist the RBI and the Government of India in formulating an integrated credit policy for rural credit and to assess the extent of indebtedness of rural households to financial institutions in the organized and unorganized sectors.
Findings of this landmark survey subsequently changed the entire landscape of Indian banking and culminated in introducing the world’s biggest social banking experiments in the form of rural credit and priority sector lending. Such All-India surveys were conducted decennially and the latest survey pertained to the year 2002-03.