The Eastern Voice Correspondent
Patna. Registering a major milestone in the financial sector, Bihar has ranked second in terms of RuPay card usage among beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY). There are more than 4.98 crore RuPay cardholders in the state.
However, the total number of PM Jan Dhan account holders in Bihar is 6.87 crore indicating that the number of RuPay cardholders is still lower than the total number of account holders.
Bihar has the second-highest number of RuPay cardholders in the country after Uttar Pradesh which has 7.16 crore cardholders. Bihar is followed by West Bengal 3.76 crore users, Madhya Pradesh 3.51 crore, and Maharashtra 2.72 crore.
These figures have been released by Union Ministry of Finance which could be regarded as Bihar government’s significant accomplishments in the financial sector, thus reflecting the state’s growing adoption of digital banking and financial inclusion initiatives.
According to Lokanath Panda, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of BLS E-Services- a leading tech enabled digital service provider, promoting financial and digital inclusion- “Bihar’s rise to the second position in RuPay card usage among Jan Dhan beneficiaries demonstrates how rapidly digital banking habits are taking root in the state.”
According to the data, India has a total of 40.6 crore RuPay cardholders with around 11 per cent of them belonging to Bihar. The growing use of these cards indicates that people are not only opening bank accounts but are also actively using them for daily transactions, cash withdrawals and receiving government benefits. It also reflects the rapid growth of digital and formal financial transactions in the state.
Bihar also ranks second in the country in terms of Jan Dhan accounts with 6.87 crore accounts after Uttar Pradesh which has 10.32 crore accounts whereas the total numbers of Jan Dhan accounts across the country are 58.06 crore. Total deposits in Jan Dhan accounts in Bihar is approximately Rs 30,000 crore.
One of the main reasons for the rapid increase in active RuPay card usage is the introduction of the Green PIN feature, along with the deployment of micro-ATMs through the Business Correspondent (BC) network in rural areas.
This paperless onboarding process has made it easier for millions of new users to begin using banking services safely. Many Jan Dhan account holders have been able to use ATMs and other banking facilities for the first time with the help of micro-ATMs and the Green PIN feature.
The features such as Green PIN help remove long-standing barriers and enable new users to join the formal banking system with greater confidence, Panda said adding that this transformation is crucial for building a more inclusive and stronger digital payments ecosystem.
