The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) completes 12 years on August 28, 2026, marking a major milestone in India’s financial inclusion drive. Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 28, 2014, the scheme has expanded access to formal banking, digital payments, insurance and other financial services among previously unbanked sections of the population.

According to the latest figures released by the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, as of August 19, 2026, a total of 59.09 crore PMJDY accounts had been opened across the country. The accounts together held deposits worth ₹3,16,513.80 crore, while 41.29 crore RuPay debit cards had been issued to account holders.

The data also highlights the reach of the scheme among women and people living outside major urban centres. Of the total PMJDY accounts, 32.92 crore, or 55.7 per cent, are held by women. Meanwhile, 45.95 crore accounts, or 77.8 per cent, are located in rural and semi-urban areas. These figures indicate the significant role of the scheme in extending formal banking services beyond metropolitan and urban centres.

PMJDY was launched as the National Mission for Financial Inclusion with the objective of providing affordable access to basic savings accounts, remittances, credit, insurance and pension services. The scheme allows eligible unbanked individuals to open basic savings bank deposit accounts without the requirement of maintaining a minimum balance.

The scheme has also been linked with several social security and financial services. PMJDY accounts can facilitate Direct Benefit Transfer and provide access to schemes including the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and Atal Pension Yojana. Eligible account holders can also receive an overdraft facility of up to ₹10,000.

Deposits and account usage rise

The government said the growth in deposits indicates increasing usage of Jan Dhan accounts and greater adoption of saving habits among account holders. The average deposit per PMJDY account stood at ₹5,356 as of August 19, 2026. The latest official data also shows that deposits have increased substantially over the 12-year period, alongside continued growth in the number of accounts.

The expansion has been supported by public-sector banks, regional rural banks, private-sector banks and rural cooperative banks. The official PMJDY progress report records 45.58 crore accounts with public-sector banks, 11.10 crore with regional rural banks, 2.22 crore with private-sector banks and 0.19 crore with rural cooperative banks as of August 19.

JAM architecture strengthens delivery

The government has also highlighted the role of the Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) trinity in strengthening the delivery of welfare benefits. With bank accounts forming the financial-access component, JAM has enabled government benefits and financial assistance to be transferred directly into beneficiaries’ accounts, reducing dependence on intermediaries.

Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, marking the 12th anniversary, said the significance of PMJDY should be viewed beyond the number of accounts opened and deposits mobilised, pointing to its role in extending financial services to people at the last mile.

As PMJDY enters its 13th year, the government continues to position the scheme as a key component of India's financial inclusion architecture. Its focus has expanded from opening basic bank accounts to connecting account holders with digital payments, insurance, pension, credit and government benefit transfers.

The latest figures underline the scale of that expansion: nearly 60 crore accounts, more than ₹3.16 lakh crore in deposits, over 41 crore RuPay cards, and a majority of accounts held by women or located in rural and semi-urban areas.