Indian Journal of Social Enquiry IJSE applied 0974-9012 Prof Gitanjali Chawla IJSE1170007 Bridging the Financial Inclusion Gap: Analysis of Gender Disparities and Rural-Urban Gap for Financial Inclusion Policies Kumar Rakesh Maharaja Agrasen College, University of Delhi 09 02 2026 17 1 77 91

This paper explores the evolving role of finance in economic development, emphasizing financial inclusion in India. Using World Bank Global Findex data from 2011-2021. The study analyses trends in financial access and the usage of financial inclusion indicators such as the percentage of formal financial accounts, account usage, credit and debit card holdings, inactive accounts, reasons for account inactivity, and reasons for not having a financial account with a formal financial institution. The primary focus of the paper is on descriptive analyses and major policy initiatives in India for financial inclusion

 Financial inclusion World Bank Global Findex Survey Gender Rural Urban Financial Accounts