Srinagar, Aug. 29 -- In January 2015, a remarkable thing happened in India that more than one crore eighty lakh bank accounts were opened across the country within a week, this feat was also recognised by the Guinness World Records.

This didn't happen in a big-city alone, but across small towns and remote villages, where families who had never possessed a bank account gained access to banking for the first time. That January week-long drive is now popularly known as Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, or simply PM-JDY.

A large number of those who opened accounts had no prior experience of dealing with banks; they had never owned a debit card, and never had a place to keep money safe other than at home.

Since then this drive has grown into ...