Inquiry revealed that the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) – the National Mission for Financial Inclusion - which completes nine years of implementation today has benefitted more than 50 crore people. They have been brought into the formal banking system in India.
Consider facts:
The PMJDY was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address on 15th August 2014. While launching the programme on 28th August 2014, the Prime Minister had described the occasion as a festival to celebrate the liberation of the poor from a vicious cycle.
Being one of the biggest financial inclusion initiatives in the world, the Ministry of Finance continuously endeavours to provide financial inclusiveness and support to the marginalised and economically backward sections through its financial inclusion led interventions. Financial Inclusion (FI) promotes equitable and inclusive growth as well as delivery of financial services at an affordable cost to vulnerable groups such as low-income groups and weaker sections that lack access to basic banking services.
Financial Inclusion also brings savings of the poor into the formal financial system and provides an avenue to remit money to their families in villages besides taking them out of the clutches of the usurious money lenders.
On the 9th anniversary of PMJDY, Union Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, in her message said, “The 9 years of PMJDY-led interventions and digital transformation have revolutionised financial inclusion in India. It is heartening to note that more than 50 crore people have been brought into the formal banking system through the opening of Jan Dhan Accounts. Among these accounts, approximately 55.5% belong to women, and 67% have been opened in Rural / Semi-Urban areas. The cumulative deposits in these accounts surpass ₹2 lakh crore. Furthermore, about 34 crore RuPay cards have been issued to these accounts without charge, which also provides for a ₹2 lakh accident insurance cover.”
“With the collaborative efforts of stakeholders, banks, insurance companies, and government officials, the PMJDY stands out as a pivotal initiative, changing the landscape of financial inclusion in the country as envisioned by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi,” Smt. Sitharaman said.
Look at its Background
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is National Mission for Financial Inclusion to ensure access to financial services, namely, Banking/ Savings & Deposit Accounts, Remittance, Credit, Insurance, Pension in an affordable manner.
The scheme was launched based upon the following 6 pillars:
Universal access to banking services – Branch and BC
Accounts opened are online accounts in core banking system of banks, in place of earlier method of offline accounts opening with technology lock-in with the vendor
PMJDY has been the foundation stone for people-centric economic initiatives. Whether it is direct benefit transfers, COVID-19 financial assistance, PM-KISAN, increased wages under MGNREGA, life and health insurance cover, the first step of all these initiatives is to provide every adult with a bank account, which PMJDY has nearly completed.
One in 2 accounts opened between March 2014 to March 2020 was a PMJDY account. Within 10 days of nationwide lockdown more than about 20 crore women PMJDY accounts were credited with financial assistance of Rs 500 per month for three months through DBT in each women PMJDY account.
During COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed the remarkable swiftness and seamlessness with which Direct Benefit Transfer (DBTs) have empowered and provided financial security to the vulnerable sections of society. An important aspect is that DBTs via PMJDY accounts have ensured every rupee reaches its intended beneficiary and preventing systemic leakage.
PMJDY has brought the unbanked into the banking system, expanded the financial architecture of India and brought financial inclusion to almost every adult.
As on 9th August 23 number of total PMJDY Accounts: 50.09 crore; 55.6% (27.82 crore) Jan-Dhan account holders are women and 66.7% (33.45 crore) Jan Dhan accounts are in rural and semi-urban areas
[Deposits under PMJDY accounts –
Total deposit balances under PMJDY Accounts stand at Rs. 2,03,505 crore
Average Deposit per PMJDY account –
Average deposit per account is Rs. 4,063 as on 16.08.2023
Total RuPay cards issued to PMJDY accountholders: 33.98 crore
JDD App is a mobile application which provides a citizen centric platform for locating banking touch points such as bank branches, ATMs, Banking Correspondents (BCs), Indian Post Payment Banks etc. in the country. Over 13 lakh banking touchpoints have been mapped on the JDD App. The facilities under Jan Dhan Darshak App could be availed as per the need and convenience of common people. The web version of this application could be accessed at the link http://findmybank.gov.in.
This app is also being used for identification of villages which are yet to covered by banking outlets within 5 km radius. These identified villages are allocated to various banks by concerned SLBCs for opening of banking outlets. The efforts have resulted in a significant decrease in number of uncovered villages.
A total of 6.01 lakh villages are mapped on the JDD app as of July 2023. Out of these, 5,99,468 (99.7%) of total mapped villages are covered with banking outlets (Bank branch, Banking corner or Indian Post Payment Banks (IPPB) within 5 km radius).
As informed by banks, about 6.26 crore PMJDY accountholders receive direct benefit transfer (DBT) from the Government under various schemes. To ensure that the eligible beneficiaries receive their DBT in time, the Department takes active role in identification of avoidable reasons for DBT failures in consultation with DBT Mission, NPCI, banks and various other Ministries.
The road ahead