SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has 24,78,778 accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), including 14,41,402 accounts held by women, while Ladakh has 22,272 Jan Dhan accounts, of which 9,420 are held by women, according to data provided by the Union Finance Ministry in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
The figures, based on data reported by banks on the Financial Inclusion Plan portal as of July 8, 2026, were included in the Union Government’s reply to Starred Question No. 111 on PM Jan Dhan Yojana, answered by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Women account holders account for about 58.2 per cent of all PMJDY accounts in Jammu and Kashmir, placing the Union Territory above the national proportion of about 55.7 per cent. In Ladakh, women constitute about 42.3 per cent of PMJDY account holders, below the national proportion.
The data show that Jammu and Kashmir has a substantially larger PMJDY account base than Ladakh, but both Union Territories have far fewer accounts than the country’s larger States. Nationally, 58,70,40,707 PMJDY accounts had been opened, with 32,71,92,358 held by women. The largest number of accounts was recorded in Uttar Pradesh at 10,43,71,201, followed by Bihar at 6,98,18,779 and West Bengal at 5,70,77,276.
Among the Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir’s 24.78 lakh accounts were significantly higher than those in Ladakh, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Puducherry and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. However, the figures cannot be directly compared with a simple national average to assess coverage because PMJDY account totals are closely linked to the population and number of eligible households in each State and UT.
The Union Government said PMJDY accounts are Basic Savings Bank Deposit accounts that can be opened at any bank branch. They carry no account opening charges and no minimum balance requirement, while account holders are eligible for an overdraft facility of up to Rs 10,000.
New PMJDY accounts opened after August 28, 2018, are also provided a free RuPay debit card with an inbuilt accident insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh, increased from Rs 1 lakh, the Finance Ministry said.
The Centre said Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) is intended to transfer subsidies and welfare benefits directly into beneficiaries’ bank accounts, reducing intermediaries and leakages. However, the Government said the number of PMJDY accounts specifically linked to DBT schemes is not centrally maintained. It added that PMJDY guidelines envisage routing DBT payments into beneficiaries’ Jan Dhan accounts and stressed that the focus is not only on opening accounts but also on ensuring their active use.
Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were among the regions covered by a one-month intensive financial inclusion saturation campaign held from June 15 to July 15, 2026, across all Gram Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies in the country’s hill States and Union Territories. The campaign also covered Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, according to the Union Finance Ministry.
The Government had earlier conducted a Gram Panchayat-level saturation campaign across the country from July 1 to October 31, 2025, as part of efforts to increase awareness and the reach of financial inclusion schemes.
At the national level, the Centre said 2,421 Centres for Financial Literacy (CFLs) had been established under an initiative of the Reserve Bank of India launched in 2017, with one centre covering three blocks on average. The RBI has also advised Financial Literacy Centres and rural bank branches to organise outreach camps at district, panchayat and village levels, including targeted programmes for farmers, small entrepreneurs, Self-Help Groups, senior citizens and women.
The Finance Ministry said banks also conduct awareness camps on banking practices and the benefits available under financial inclusion schemes, while financial literacy is incorporated into saturation campaigns conducted across the country.
