Over 70.86 lakh Jan Dhan accounts opened in Delhi, deposits near Rs 4,000 crore

More than 70.86 lakh Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) accounts have been opened in Delhi since the launch of the flagship financial inclusion scheme, with deposits in these accounts touching nearly Rs 3,990 crore, the Centre informed Parliament on Monday.

In a written reply to a starred question in the Lok Sabha, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said PMJDY accounts are Basic Savings Bank Deposit (BSBD) accounts that can be opened at any bank branch without any account opening charges or minimum balance requirement. The accounts also provide an overdraft facility of up to Rs 10,000 and a free RuPay debit card carrying an accident insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh for eligible accounts opened after August 28, 2018.

According to the data tabled in Parliament, Delhi has 70,86,372 PMJDY beneficiaries, while the total balance in these accounts stands at Rs 3,990 crore. The national capital also has 34,86,561 women Jan Dhan account holders, accounting for nearly half of all beneficiaries.

The government said PMJDY accounts are designed to promote financial inclusion by enabling beneficiaries to receive Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) payments directly into their bank accounts, thereby improving transparency and reducing leakages. While the number of PMJDY accounts linked to DBT schemes is not centrally maintained, the scheme envisages routing government benefits directly to Jan Dhan accounts.

To strengthen financial inclusion, the Centre said it conducted nationwide saturation campaigns between July and October 2025 and another month-long drive from June 15 to July 15, 2026, covering all gram panchayats and urban local bodies in the country’s hilly states, including Jammu and Kashmir. The Reserve Bank of India has also established 2,421 Centres for Financial Literacy (CFLs) across the country to improve financial awareness, particularly in rural areas.