Financial Inclusion as a Catalyst for Economic Empowerment: Insights from Goalpara District, Assam

Financial inclusion, which offers affordable financial services to disadvantaged and low-income populations, is crucial in economic empowerment. Many global economies, including India, view this concept as a vital goal for promoting economic growth and social equality. Despite the long passage of time during the planning era in India, many people need more formal financial services. It is a sheer fact that about 40% of Indian households remained unbanked till 2014. This means that this portion of people has no savings and investment habits as they are excluded from institutional financial services. Considering the importance of financial inclusion of the poorer section, the Government of India (GOI) has initiated a holistic scheme, “Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana” (PMJDY), under the leadership of the Prime Minister. In response to this initiative, this research seeks to evaluate the status of financial inclusion and its impact on economic empowerment, explicitly emphasizing the Muslim community in the Rangjuli Tribal Development (TD) Block of Goalpara District, Assam.