As Centre's Jan Dhan scheme crosses 50 crore accounts, here's what PM Modi says

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday lauded the feat of the number of Jan Dhan accounts crossing the 50-crore mark as a significant milestone. It is heartening to see that more than half of these accounts belong to women, Modi posted on X.

The Union Finance Ministry said on Friday that the total number of Jan Dhan accounts in the country has crossed the 50-crore mark, with 56% of them belonging to women. About 67% of these accounts have been opened in rural and semi-urban areas, the ministry said in a statement.

Terming it a significant milestone, Modi said, "It is heartening to see that more than half of these accounts belong to our Nari Shakti. With 67% of accounts opened in rural and semi-urban areas, we are also ensuring that the benefits of financial inclusion reach every corner of our nation."

The total deposits in the Jan Dhan accounts are above Rs 2.03 lakh crore while around 34 crore RuPay cards have been issued with these accounts free of cost, the finance ministry said. The Modi government launched a massive nationwide exercise in 2014 to open Jan Dhan bank accounts to boost financial inclusion with the aim of making a host of financial services, including direct benefit transfers, accessible to the poor.