Archana Fulwari, Sana Pathan
Financial Inclusion is an emerging concept. The objective of the
government behind 100 percent Financial Inclusion is to have inclusive growth
in India. Several initiatives have been taken by the Government of India and
the Reserve Bank of India to improve access to financial services. To measure
the effectiveness of these initiatives there is need to measure the extent of
Financial Inclusion. Financial Inclusion can be measured by gauging the
progress in access to and usage of a range of products and services of
financial institutions over time. The present study sought to propose an index
to measure the extent of banking sector oriented Financial Inclusion in India
over a period of time rather than a cross-section study which has been the
focus of many a studies. The study used more specific indicators of banks-centric
financial inclusion dimensions to gauge the long run trend in Financial
Inclusion in India. The results indicate that there is much improvement in
Financial Inclusion in India since the implementation of financial sector
reforms.
Financial Inclusion, Financial Access,
Bank Penetration, Financial Inclusion Index
VOL.12, ISSUE No.2, March 2020