Over 99% Of Indian Villages Covered By Banking Outlets: Finance Ministry

New Delhi, Dec 10 (KNN) The country has achieved significant progress in financial inclusion, with 99.91 percent of villages now having access to banking outlets, including bank branches, business correspondents (BCs), and India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) within a 5-kilometre radius, Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary, informed the Lok Sabha.

Monitoring Banking Access

The availability of banking outlets is tracked through the Jan Dhan Darshak (JDD) app, a GIS-based platform that collects data from banks to ensure coverage across the country. 

While data on the total population without bank accounts is not centrally maintained, efforts to expand banking access in uncovered areas are ongoing under the guidance of State and Union Territory Level Bankers’ Committees (SLBCs/UTLBC). 

Banks consider RBI instructions, business plans, and commercial viability, often conducting surveys before opening new outlets.

Financial Inclusion Initiatives

The government regularly conducts awareness campaigns at the grassroots level to promote flagship financial inclusion schemes, including the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), and Atal Pension Yojana (APY). 

Launched in 2014, PMJDY aims to provide universal banking access to unbanked households and was extended in 2018 to cover every unbanked adult.

Recent Efforts to Boost Penetration

From July 1 to October 31, 2025, a Gram Panchayat-level saturation campaign was conducted nationwide to further enhance the reach of financial inclusion schemes. 

The initiative aligns with the government’s guiding principles of ‘banking the unbanked, securing the unsecured, funding the unfunded, and serving the underserved’, ensuring equitable access to financial services across India.

(KNN Bureau)