India, Aug. 3 -- The Union Finance Ministry on Monday informed Parliament that India has achieved near-universal banking coverage, with 99.92 percent of inhabited villages now served by a banking outlet.

Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said the country's banking network comprises more than 1.81 lakh bank branches, 17.36 lakh Business Correspondents (BCs) and 1.65 lakh India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) centres as of July 17, 2026.

The government aims to ensure that every inhabited village has access to a banking outlet-either a bank branch, Business Correspondent or India Post Payments Bank outlet-within a 5-km radius, particularly in rural and remote areas.

The minister said the exp...