Financial Inclusion Milestone: PMJDY Touches 12-Year Mark

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), launched on August 28, 2014, has completed 12 years as the world’s largest financial inclusion program, fundamentally expanding formal banking access across India. As of August 19, 2026, the initiative has reached 59.09 crore PMJDY accounts with cumulative deposits totaling ₹3.17 lakh crore ($33.37 billion). The scheme emphasizes demographic and geographic reach, with women accounting for 55.7% (32.92 crore) of all account holders and rural or semi-urban areas representing 77.8% (45.95 crore) of total accounts. Beyond basic savings accounts, the platform has accelerated digital payments and financial protection through the issuance of 41.29 crore RuPay cards, complemented by ₹2 lakh in accident insurance coverage, a ₹10,000 overdraft facility, and integration with the Jan Suraksha insurance schemes. Central to this transformation is the Jan-Dhan–Aadhaar–Mobile (JAM) Trinity, which uses PMJDY as its baseline infrastructure to enable direct, transparent, and leakage-proof welfare benefit transfers directly to beneficiaries. Over the 12-year period (August 2015 to August 2026), total deposits grew nearly 12.8-fold while total accounts expanded 2.3-fold, driving a 3.4-fold increase in average deposits per account to ₹5,356. By bridging access to formal credit mechanisms, micro-pensions, and enterprise credit options like MUDRA loans, the scheme continues to strengthen savings habits, financial resilience, and economic empowerment among historically underserved populations.