Dr. Y.S.P. Thorat who retired as Chairman, NABARD in November 2007, was till recently the Chief Executive Officer of the Rajiv Gandhi Trust and Member, Advisory Panel, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. He has been recently appointed by Government of Maharashtra as Chairman of the Dry land Farming Commission.

Earlier Dr Thorat was Chairman, Working Group on Institutional Finance, Risk Management and Cooperatives for the 12th Plan set up by the Planning Commission, Government of India, Member, Governing Board, NIBM , Member, India Advisory Board, OCP, Strategic Advisor, Microensure, an international NGO engaged in the provision of insurance services to the poor and Advisor, GIZ.

His present appointments include Member, Senate and Academic Council, Shivaji University, Kolhapur; Member,Advisory Board, Indian Society of Agricultural Professionals; Director, TATA Chemicals Ltd; Director, Rallis India Ltd; Director, Parag Milk Foods Pvt ltd; He is non Executive Chairman of NCDEX and the Sahayog Group of industries and serves on the boards of Khed Developers-Pune and Gokaldas Exports -Bangalore. He is associated with several educational institutes including the Governing Board of the DY Patil University, Kolhapur.

Dr.Thorat started his career in the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in 1972 and was appointed Executive Director in 2003. The appointments held by him while in RBI included Principal, BTC; Regional Director, New Delhi, Maharashtra and Goa, etc. While in service he was on the Boards of the Oriental Bank of Commerce, Punjab National Bank, Infrastructure Development and Finance Co, Export Import Bank of India, Export Credit and Guarantee Corporation of India, National Commodities and Derivatives Exchange,Institute of Rural Development, Anand etc. In 2004, he was appointed by GOI as Managing Director, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and elevated a year later as Chairman. After retirement he lectured for a year in Philosophy at the Foundation for Liberal and Management Education, FLAME, Pune, where he was Dean, School of Liberal Education.

Dr Thorat holds a degree in Political Science and Law and a doctorate in Economics.

He was awarded the D.Lit in 2011 by the D Y Patil University, Mumbai.

Dr.Thorat has wide experience in administration, HR, rural finance, agricultural indebtedness, cooperatives, microfinance and risk mitigation having chaired a number of national level committees including the Group of Experts on Sugar Policy, Committee to Formulate a Comprehensive Human Resource Policy for RRBs [GoI], Expert Group on Investment Credit [RBI], Expert Group on Credit Deposit Ratio of Banks (GoI).

He has been associated as Member of various International Committees Including Advisory Committee for Microcredit Summit Campaign, Halifax and as Banking Specialist for the UN-FAO Mission to Ethiopia, UNOPS Mission to Maldives, Member Secretary, High Power Team to study Rural Financial Institutions in Indonesia, High Level Team to study Credit Agricole etc.

As a Visiting Lecturer, he regularly lectures at various Universities including Reading, UK, Manchester UK and Geneva, Switzerland. He has published various monographs and research paper during his career on a variety of subjects relating to finance, agriculture and credit.