Financial Inclusion, Inclusive Growth and the Poor

In India, the term 'financial inclusion' means a comprehensive and holistic process of ensuring access to financial services and credit by vulnerable and marginalized groups in society. Inclusive growth means broad-based benefits to all sections of people. India's Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-2012) envisioned inclusive growth as a key objective. The country's Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-2017) - with its focus on faster, more inclusive, and sustainable growth - has put the growth debate in the right perspective. Growth is inclusive when it creates economic opportunities, along with ensuring equal access to them. The concept should be seen as a process of including agents whose participation is essential in the very design of the development process and not simply as welfare targets of development programs. India's economy has made rapid strides in the recent past. However, a sizeable section of the population continues to remain excluded from even the most basic opportunities and services provided by the financial sector. This book contains scholarly papers - authored by experts in the field of finance and development policy - which provide deep insights into various aspects of financial inclusion and inclusive growth efforts in India.