Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana and Financial Inclusion of Female Domestic Workers in Mumbai

Abstract

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, launched in 2014, is an initiative toward 'Universal Banking Access,' to ensure that every household in the country has access to basic banking services. The paper discusses the effect of the PMJDY on the 'financial inclusion' of female domestic workers in Mumbai, who remain on the periphery of regular banking services. The study considers financial literacy, access to financial services, and the ability to make good decisions as metrics of financial inclusion based on a cross-sectional survey conducted among the population. Though the majority of the respondents have opened bank accounts either under PMJDY or traditional banking systems, financial literacy remains a huge challenge to the effective utilization of those accounts. While there is an increase in savings and a shift towards more formal means of financial management, low confidence in managing financial matters and social barriers get in the way of the empowerment of such women. Special interventions in terms of targeted financial literacy programs and social interventions are needed to fill such gaps if economic stability and autonomy are to be enriched for urban female domestic workers, as seen in Mumbai.