Title: Effectiveness of financial inclusion programs: a case study of Jammu and Kashmir state

Authors: Audil Rashid Khaki

Addresses: Department of Finance, College of Business Administration, American University of Middle East, Kuwait (Affiliated to Purdue University, Indiana), Egaila – 15453, Kuwait

Abstract: Financial inclusion aims at providing tools and resources to all who are capable; unrestrained access to resources and more particularly to funds enables such capable citizens to better themselves while simultaneously contributing to the economic progress of the country. Besides an economic imperative of financial access to excluded sections and the benefits thereof, the greater financial inclusion should also focus on financial awareness and customer protection. India, due to its huge diversity, in spite of the heightened efforts to deliver effective access to finance to all, has failed to provide the maintain uniformity in the provision of financial inclusion across regions. While all North-Eastern states seem to be neglected (or least pursued), Jammu and Kashmir remains the least penetrated states in the Northern Region. Against this backdrop, the present study attempts to examine the contours of financial inclusion within the state of Jammu and Kashmir and the progress that has been made so far.

Keywords: financial inclusion; alternative finance; financial literacy; inclusive growth.

DOI: 10.1504/IJFIB.2018.092418

International Journal of Financial Innovation in Banking, 2018 Vol.2 No.1, pp.29 - 47

Received: 05 Dec 2016
Accepted: 31 Jul 2017
Published online: 18 Jun 2018 *