financial inclusion

October 30, 2026 10:06 PM

Government Constitutes High-Level Committee on Banking for Viksit Bharat

The Government of India has constituted a High Level Committee on Banking for Viksit Bharat to review the country’s banking sector and recommend structural, institutional, regulatory and legislative reforms to make it globally competitive, financially inclusive and resilient for Viksit Bharat, 2047. Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman had announced the setting up of the Committee in her Budget speech 2026-27. Suresh N. Patel, former Central Vigilance Commission...

October 20, 2026 1:02 AM

Financial inclusion lies at core of central banking: CEA Anantha Nageswaran

The Government’s Chief Economic Adviser, V. Anantha Nageswaran, on Monday said that financial inclusion is not a peripheral objective but lies at the core of central banking. In his address at the RBI Samvad 2026 event in New Delhi, the CEA, drawing on India’s experience, observed that access to finance need not necessarily follow income growth, but rather financial inclusion could lead to rising incomes and economic opportunities. The panel discussion on financial inclusion brought togeth...

October 15, 2026 1:20 AM

Majumdar Calls for Faster Banking Expansion as 73% of Identified Northeast Villages Are Covered

Of the 9,479 identified villages in the Northeast, 6,905 (around 73 per cent) are now connected to a bank branch or India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), while 2,574 remain to be covered, Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region and Education, Dr Sukanta Majumdar, said. He called for accelerating banking expansion, improving access to credit and strengthening coordination between banks and State Governments to ensure that the benefits of financial services reach all parts of ...

September 15, 2026 9:59 AM

DoRD and PFRDA sign MoU, ‘Pension Sakhis’ to expand reach in rural India

In a bid to expand pension coverage and strengthen social security in rural India, the Department of Rural Development (DoRD) and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate pension awareness, enrolment and support among rural households through a dedicated cadre of ‘Pension Sakhis’, the Ministry of Rural Development said in a press release. Leveraging rural community networks Leveraging the community institut...

September 10, 2026 12:03 PM

India to work with BRICS nations to expand opportunities for women-led enterprises in global trade: Piyush Goyal

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday called upon BRICS countries to work together to expand opportunities for women entrepreneurs and women-led enterprises in international trade, stressing the need for easier access to credit, markets and predictable business rules. Addressing the BRICS WBA Women-Led Development Conference in New Delhi as the Chief Guest, Goyal said an entrepreneur seeking to enter international business has to cross three key barriers — access to c...

September 9, 2026 5:51 PM

From UPI to global leadership, how PM Modi’s fintech vision is transforming India

India’s fintech story has become one of the most remarkable examples of how technology can transform the daily lives of ordinary people. In a relatively short period, digital payments have moved from being a new concept to becoming a normal part of everyday life. A small shopkeeper, a farmer, a student or a street vendor can now make or receive a payment within seconds. This transformation reflects the power of technology, but it also reflects the clear vision and sustained efforts of Prime Mi...

September 1, 2026 3:42 PM

Jan Dhan: How PM Modi’s vision is empowering millions through financial inclusion

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) in 2014, the objective was clear- to bring every citizen into the formal financial system and ensure that no one is left behind in India’s growth journey. Twelve years later, the scale of the transformation demonstrates how this vision has evolved into one of the world’s largest financial inclusion initiatives. PM Modi’s emphasis on financial inclusion has been based on a simple but powerful idea- that a...

August 25, 2026 11:55 AM

UPI: From a digital payment platform to an engine of India’s digital transformation

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s digital transformation has emerged as a powerful example of how technology can be harnessed to make everyday life simpler, faster and more inclusive. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI), one of the flagship initiatives of this transformation, reflects the Prime Minister’s vision of building a digitally empowered and financially inclusive India. Since its launch in 2016, UPI has grown from a nascent payment platform into a globall...

July 16, 2026 12:41 PM

From fields to finance: How India’s rural credit system is driving inclusive growth

India's rural economy is witnessing a quiet but significant transformation as expanding access to institutional credit, digital financial services and targeted government policies reshape the way millions of farmers, rural entrepreneurs and households access finance. Once heavily dependent on informal moneylenders, the country's rural credit system has evolved into a diversified institutional network that supports agriculture, allied sectors, rural enterprises and household needs while strengthe...

June 10, 2026 1:10 PM

25 crore out of poverty, 15.8 crore homes with tap water: India’s welfare story in numbers

Over the past decade, India's welfare landscape has undergone a significant transformation, marked by an expansion of social protection programmes, improved access to basic services and greater use of technology in public service delivery. Government data indicate that nearly 25 crore people moved out of multidimensional poverty between 2013-14 and 2022-23, while access to housing, healthcare, sanitation, financial services and livelihood opportunities expanded across the country. Poverty R...