Definition
of financial inclusion?
Financial
inclusion has been defined as “the process of ensuring access to financial
services,
timely
and adequate credit for vulnerable groups such as weaker sections and
low-income groups
at an
affordable cost.
Why
financial inclusion?
Financial
inclusion is increasingly being recognized as a key driver of economic growth
and poverty
alleviation the world over.
Access
to formal finance can boost job creation, reduce vulnerability to economic
shocks and increase investments in human capital. Without adequate access to
formal financial services, individuals and firms need to rely on their own
limited resources or rely on costly informal sources of finance to meet their
financial needs and pursue growth opportunities.
At
a macro level, greater financial inclusion can support sustainable and
inclusive socio-economic growth for all.
.
.
There
has been a growing evidence on how financial inclusion has a multiplier effect
in boosting overall economic output,
reducing poverty and income inequality at the national level. Financial
inclusion of women is particularly important for gender equality and women’s
economic empowerment.
With
greater control over their financial lives, women can help themselves and their
families to come out of poverty; reduce their risk of falling into poverty;
eliminate their exploitation from the informal sector; and increase their
ability to fully engage in measurable and productive economic activities.
An
inclusive financial system supports stability, integrity and equitable growth.
Therefore,financial exclusion because of several barriers likephysical, socio-cultural
and psychological, warrants attention from the policy makers. Some of the key
reasons resulting in involuntary exclusion are:
Why
financial inclusion strategy?
1)seeks
to address the inherent barriers of access to a gamut of financial products and
services.
.
.
2)financial
inclusion as a key enabler for achieving sustainable development worldwide by
improving the quality of lives of poor and marginalized sections of the
society.
3)An
inclusive financial system (ably supported through sound financial inclusion
policies, focus on financial education and customer protection) is not only
pro-growth but also pro-poor with the potential to reduce income inequality and
poverty, promote social cohesion and shared economic development.
Status
of financial inclusion in India :
India
began its financial inclusion journey as early as in 1956 with the
nationalisation of Life Insurance companies. This was followed by
nationalisation of banks in 1969 and 1980. The general insurance companies were
nationalised in 1972. A review of the status of financial inclusion in India
indicates that a host of initiatives have been undertaken over the years in the
financial inclusion domain.
Under
PMJDY, 34.01 crore2 accounts have been opened with deposits amounting to ₹89257
crore upto January 30, 2019 within a short span of five years.
Under
Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) a renewable one- year accidental death
cum disability cover of ₹2 lakhs is offered to all
subscribing bank account holders in the age group of 18 to 70 years for a
premium as low as ₹12/- per annum per
subscriber.
Under
APY, a subscriber (in the age group of 18 to 40 years) will receive fixed
monthly pension in the range of ₹1,000
to ₹5,000
after completing 60 years of age, depending on the contributions made by the
subscriber.
Also
various measures that have been undertaken by various stakeholders in
strengthening financial inclusion in the country, there are still critical gaps
existing in the usage of financial services that require attention of policy
makers through necessary co-ordinationand effectivemonitoring.
.
1.
Inadequate Infrastructure: Limited physical
infrastructure, limited transport facility, inadequately trained staff etc., in
parts of rural hinterland and far flung areas of the Himalayan and North East
regions create a barrier to the customer while accessing financial services.
2.
Poor Connectivity: With technology becoming an
important enabler to access financial services, certain regions in the country
that have poor connectivity tend to be left behind in ensuring access to
financial services thereby creating a digital divide. Technology could be the
best bridge between the financial service provider and the last mile customer.
Fintech companies can be one of the best solutions to address this issue. The
key challenge that needs to be resolved would be improving tele and internet
connectivity in the rural hinterland and achieving connectivity across the
country.
3.
Convenience and Relevance: The protracted and
complicated procedures act as a deterrent while on-boarding customers. This
difficulty is further increased when the products are not easy to understand,
complex and do not meet the requirements of the customers such as those
receiving erratic and uncertain cash flows from their occupation.
4.
Socio-Cultural Barriers: Prevalence of certain
value system and beliefs in some sections of the population results in lack of
favourable attitude towards formal financial services. There are still certain
pockets wherein women do not have the freedom and choice to access financial
services because of cultural barriers.
5.
Product Usage: While the mission-based
approach to financial inclusion has resulted in increasing access to basic
financial services including micro insurance and pension, there is a need to
increase the usage of these accounts to help customers achieve benefits of relevant
financial services and help the service providers to achieve the necessary
scale and sustainability. This can be undertaken through increasing economic
activities like skill development and livelihood creation, digitising Government
transfers by strengthening the digital transactions’ eco-system, enhancing
acceptance infrastructure, enhancing financial literacy and having in place a
robust customer protection framework.
6.
Payment Infrastructure: Currently, majority of
the retail payment products viz., CTS, AEPS, NACH, UPI, IMPS etc. are operated
by National Payments Council of India (NPCI), a Section (8) Company promoted by
a group of public, private and foreign banks. There is a need to have more
market players to promote innovation & competition and to minimize
concentration risk in the retail payment system from a financial stability
perspective.
..
National
Strategy for Financial Inclusion for India 2019-2024
The
vision for financial inclusion as, “convenient access to a basket of basic
formal financial products and services that should include savings, remittance,
credit, government-supported insurance and pension products to small and
marginal farmers and low-income households at reasonable cost with adequate
protection progressively supplemented by social Cash transfers, besides
increasing the access of small and marginal enterprises to formal finance with
a greater reliance on technology to cut costs and improve service delivery.
.
Pillars
of National Strategy for Financial Inclusion for India 2019-2024:
Measuring
Finacial inclusion :
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