Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana
Introduction:
- Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana is a National Mission for Financial Inclusion launched in August 2014
- Aimed at providing basic financial services to citizens including deposit and savings accounts, credit, remittance, pension, insurance, etc.
Ministry/Agency:
- Ministry of Finance
Objectives:
- Cover every household with a basic bank account and a RuPay Debit Card
- Provide an inbuilt insurance cover worth ₹100,000 and an overdraft facility of up to ₹5,000
- Extend the Financial Literacy Program to grassroots levels of villages
- Create Credit Guarantee Fund for covering defaults in overdraft accounts
- Provide microinsurance to eligible citizens
- Design pension schemes for the unorganized sector
Benefits:
- Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account (BSBDA) with no minimum balance requirement and up to 4 cash withdrawals per month
- Small Account/Chota Khata Account for people without legal documents and ID proofs
- RuPay Debit Card with credit facilities and domestic merchant offers
- Accidental Insurance Cover of ₹1,00,000 for non-premium card holders and up to ₹2,00,000 for premium card holders
- Life Cover Insurance up to ₹30,000 for the head of the family or major earning member
- Bank Mitra or Business Correspondent Agent to provide advisory services for banking solutions in rural areas
- Interest on deposits and overdraft facility up to ₹10,000
- Loans up to ₹5,000 for beneficiaries after six months of account transactions
Eligibility:
- Indian citizens aged between 18 and 59 years
- Minors above ten years require support from their legal guardians for administering their PMJDY account
- Retired bank employees, teachers, government employees, individual owners of shops, Public Call Office operators, owners of petrol pumps, agents of small scheme companies, etc., can also apply
- State or Central Government employees, public sector employees, and people with taxable income are not eligible for life cover insurance under Jan Dhan Yojana
Implementation Strategy:
- Districts are divided into Sub Service Areas (SSA) to ensure banking services are available to all
- Direct Benefit Transfer under Indian Government schemes
- Financial Literacy Program extended to grassroots levels of villages