Definition
PM Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is India’s national mission for financial inclusion, designed to provide universal access to basic banking services and connect people with savings, DBT, insurance, pensions, remittances, and limited overdraft support.
Exam-ready points
- PMJDY was launched in 2014 and is closely linked with the broad goal of bringing the unbanked into the formal financial system.
- In the official PIB note dated 27 August 2026, PMJDY accounts stood at 59.09 crore as of 19 August 2026.
- The same source says 32.92 crore beneficiaries were women and 45.95 crore accounts were in rural and semi-urban areas.
- PIB also reports Rs 3,16,514 crore in deposits and 41.29 crore RuPay cards as of 19 August 2026.
- For exams, connect PMJDY with financial inclusion, DBT readiness, RuPay, and welfare-linked banking access.
Common mistakes
- Do not describe PMJDY only as an account-opening drive; it is also about linking people with broader banking and welfare services.
- Do not use time-sensitive account or deposit figures without dating them.
- Do not confuse PMJDY with a loan scheme; its core purpose is financial inclusion through basic banking access.
Difficulty
Foundation
Revision time
About 8 minutes
Self-check questions
- Why is PMJDY important beyond opening zero-balance accounts?
- Which August 2026 official figures best show the scale of PMJDY?
- How does PMJDY support DBT and wider financial inclusion in exam answers?