Patna: Bihar has marked a major milestone in financial inclusion by emerging second in India in the use of RuPay cards among beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana. According to figures released by the Union ministry of finance, the state now has more than 4.98 crore RuPay cardholders.The achievement places Bihar just behind Uttar Pradesh, which leads the country with 7.16 crore RuPay cardholders. Bihar is followed by West Bengal with 3.76 crore users, Madhya Pradesh with 3.51 crore, and Maharashtra with 2.72 crore.Officials described the ranking as a significant accomplishment for the Bihar govt in the financial sector and a reflection of the state’s growing acceptance of digital banking and formal financial services.However, data also shows that RuPay card ownership in Bihar remains lower than the total number of Jan Dhan account holders. Bihar has 6.87 crore PM Jan Dhan accounts, meaning a gap still exists between account ownership and card usage. Even so, the state accounts for nearly 11% of India’s total 40.6 crore RuPay cardholders.
