Summary:
Experts argued at a seminar held on the subject by the Centre for Policy, Governance and Advocacy (CPGA) at the CYSD Convention Centre here. Former Chief Secretary Dr Jugal Kishore Mohapatra stressed that financial inclusion is pre-requisite to achieve livelihood security in the rural areas. To achieve higher financial inclusion, he advised to bring innovation at three levels; customised products, institutions and the enabling system. He highlighted three essential requirements for better financial inclusion which are positive mindset, a multidisciplinary team and appropriate use of technology. Senior journalist Nageswar Patnaik expressed his concern on declining of number of bank branches in rural India from 3,948 in 2018 from 8,948 in 2015..