Financial Inclusion of the Rural Women: A study on self-help group in Bankura District, West Bengal

In the recent times Government of India and financial regulators has taken several steps towards financial inclusion for achieving inclusive development. The primary aim of the financial inclusion is to bring the disadvantageous section of people under the purview of the formal financial institutions. This empirical study is based on a set of primary data collected from 541 SHG member women residing in the district of Bankura, West Bengal. Attempt has been made in this study to consider the access to formal facilities of savings and credit as indicator of the incidence of financial inclusion whereas the intensity of financial inclusion has been measured by the amount of institutional savings and credit availed. It has been revealed that the SHGs are successful to promote financial inclusion of the rural women. Duration of participation in SHG has increased the amount of formal savings and borrowing of the rural women who are disadvantageous in several points of view.