New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday hailed the enormous success of the Jan Dhan Yojana, as he lauded the contribution of those who contributed to its remarkable and spectacular journey in the past 10 years.

PM Modi posted a long blog on the portal narendramodi.in, sharing a detailed account of the challenges and skepticism faced during the scheme’s launch in 2014, the astounding growth numbers achieved in the past 10 years, and how it turned out be a game-changer, particularly for women.

Notably, the number of beneficiaries of the Prime Minister Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) has crossed the 53 crore mark since its inception on August 28, 2014, out of which 55.6 per cent account holders are women.

In terms of numbers, this amounts to more than 30 crore women, which is close to the entire population of the United States.

“For me, this initiative was more than just a policy – it was an endeavour to build an India where each and every citizen, irrespective of one’s economic background, has access to the formal banking apparatus,” PM Modi wrote in his opening remarks.

The Prime Minister summed up the success of the flagship scheme in two parts – one about the numbers and the second on how it brought drastic changes in the lives of women, the downtrodden, and the marginalised classes.

“Today, over 53 crore people who never imagined they would enter a bank have bank accounts. These accounts have a deposit balance of over Rs. 2.3 lakh crore. Over 65 per cent of the accounts are either in rural or semi-urban areas, thus taking the movement of financial inclusion outside the metros. Direct transfers worth almost Rs 39 lakh crore have taken place,” PM Modi informed.

“The second part goes beyond the impressive numbers,” he added.

“Jan Dhan Yojana has proven to be game-changing as far as women’s empowerment is concerned. Almost 30 crore women have been brought into the banking system. Likewise, the benefits of the scheme and the other benefits that come thanks to a bank account have positively impacted crores of SC, ST and OBC families. They have also benefitted those families who belong to the middle and Neo-middle classes,” PM Modi pointed out.

He said that Jan Dhan has become a vital pillar of the JAM Trinity – Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, and Mobile. It is this trinity that ensured a stunning digital payments revolution in India, especially in the middle and later years of the last decade.

PM Modi also reflected on the challenges and complexities that existed in opening bank accounts before 2014, and how seamless banking facility was not a prerogative for all, unlike today.

“Many of you, especially the youth, would be thinking – why does this matter so much? After all, in this age, having a bank account would be very basic and even taken for granted. However, when we assumed office in 2014, the situation was very different. It was almost 65 years since Independence, but access to banking was a distant dream for almost half of our households. The absence of financial security held back so many dreams,” PM Modi said.

“When the Jan Dhan Yojana was rolled out, I remember the scepticism that surrounded it. Some people asked – could it really be possible to bring such a large number of people into the banking system? Will this effort lead to any concrete changes? Yes. The scale of the challenge was enormous, but so was the determination of the people of India to ensure it becomes a reality,” the Prime Minister said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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