The Government initiated the National Mission for Financial Inclusion (NMFI), namely the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) in August, 2014 to provide universal banking services for every unbanked household based on the guiding principles of banking the unbanked, securing the unsecured, funding the unfunded and serving unserved and underserved areas, with a strong focus on women. To give further impetus to financial inclusion initiatives of the Government, PMJDY Scheme was extended beyond 14.08.2018 and the focus was shifted to “every unbanked adult” instead of “every household”. A total of 54.58 crore JanDhan accounts have been opened till 15.01.2025, of which 30.37 crore (55.7%) belong to women. NMFI has also facilitated the coverage of women with various social security and credit linked Schemes.
To ensure accessibility of these schemes to women, rural population, marginalised groups and underprivileged communities in the country, various steps are being taken such as:
- Allocation of targets to all banks under each scheme;
- Organisation of various camps and specialised campaigns to promote awareness;
- Periodic review of performance of banks etc;
All Banks, including private banks, participate in these activities to ensure effectiveness of these schemes and make them accessible to all stakeholders.
