A Comparative Analysis of Public, Private, And Regional Rural Banks in Implementing Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana in India: Performance Evaluation Across Rural and Urban Penetration (2015- 2025)

<p>This study presents a comparative analysis of Public Sector Banks, Private Sector Banks, Regional Rural Banks, and Rural Cooperative Banks in implementing the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) in India over the period 2015-2025. For the comparative analysis, secondary data is collected from the official PMJDY website. Three key performance indicators were analysed: beneficiary outreach (number of accounts opened), deposit mobilization (total deposits), and digital penetration (RuPay cards issued). The study used statistical tools like trend analysis, bubble chart, and comparative performance assessment using ratios and percentages to examine the performance of various banks across rural and urban areas. Findings of the study reveal that Public Sector Banks dominated the PMJDY implementation with the highest number of beneficiaries showing strong outreach but moderate digital penetration. Regional Rural Banks demonstrated highest deposit efficiency but lowest digital adoption. Private Sector Banks showed good performance in digital services and deposit mobilization yet served a smaller number of beneficiaries due to limited rural presence. Rural Cooperative Banks showed negligible performance across all metrics. Rural areas consistently maintained higher beneficiary growth, with rural-to-urban ratios reaching 2:1 post-2020. The analysis identifies critical gaps in digital infrastructure for Regional Rural Banks, rural outreach limitations for Private Sector Banks, and dormant account challenges across all categories. Policy recommendations include targeted digital capacity building, performance-linked rural expansion incentives, and usage-based account activation strategies to optimize institutional strengths and enhance PMJDY's long-term sustainability in India's financial inclusion landscape.</p>