Everything You Need to Know About PMJDY Scheme

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana or PMJDY was launched by the Government of India on 15th August 2014. Announced by the honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the plan is a national mission to ensure that all citizens of India have financial inclusion to access financial services. As per PMJDY, citizens can open a basic savings bank deposit account in any bank branch. The financial services covered include a basic savings and deposit account, remittance, pension, insurance and credit facilities.

Benefits of PMJDY

Even people who do not have a bank account can open a basic savings bank account.
The account holders are not required to keep any minimum balance under these accounts.
There will be interest earned on the deposit amount.
The account holder will be provided with a RuPay debit card.
The Pradhan Mantri Dhan Yojana account holder is provided with an accident insurance cover of INR 1 lakh. For accounts opened after 28th August 2018, the insurance cover has been increased to INR 2 lakhs.
After adequate operation of the account for 6 months, the account holders have the benefit of overdraft facilities for up to INR 10,000.
The account holders are eligible for various other schemes like Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), Atal Pension Yojana (APY) and Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency Bank (MUDRA).
A life insurance cover of INR 30,000 is done for the beneficiary, and this amount is payable on the death (due to any cause).

How to Apply for PMJDY?

The process to apply for Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana account is quite simple. Follow the steps below:

Visit the official website: http://www.pmjdy.gov.in/scheme.
Download the application form that is available in Hindi and English.
Fill out the financial inclusion account opening form.
Submit the necessary documents required.
The financial inclusion account opening form has three sections that require the following information:

Details of the account holder
Details of the nominee
Details of the bank where the account is being opened

Documents Needed to Apply for Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana

In order to apply for this scheme, the citizens must have an Aadhaar card or Aadhaar number. If this document is available then no other documentation is required. In case of a change of address, a self-attested certificate showing the current address is sufficient.

In case the Aadhaar card is not available, any other government-issued identity proof should be submitted:

Driving licence
Voter ID card
PAN card
Passport
NREGA card

If any of the above documents are not available, but the applicant is categorised as ‘low risk’, then a bank account can be opened using these documents:

Any proof of identity with the applicant’s photograph has been issued either by the central or state government, public sector undertakings, scheduled commercial banks, and public financial institutions.
A letter from a gazette officer along with an attested photograph of the applicant.

Eligibility Criteria for PMJDY

To avail of the benefits of PMJDY, the account holder must meet the following eligibility criteria:

He/she must be a citizen of India
He/she should be older than 10 years of age
He/she should not have an existing bank account with any bank

Banks Offering PMJDY Scheme

One can open a Pradhan Mantri Dhan Yojana account under 27 public sector banks in India. The authorised banks are:

Allahabad Bank
Andhra Bank
Bank of Baroda
Bank of India
Bank of Maharashtra
Bharatiya Mahila Bank
Canara Bank
Central Bank of India
Corporation Bank
Dena Bank
IDBI Bank
Indian Bank
Oriental Bank of Commerce
Punjab National Bank
Punjab & Sind Bank
State Bank of India, including affiliated banks like:

State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur
State Bank of Hyderabad
State Bank of Mysore
State Bank of Patiala
State Bank of Travancore

Syndicate Bank
Union Bank of India
Vijaya Bank

The private sector banks offering these facilities are:

Axis Bank Ltd.
Dhanlaxmi Bank Ltd.
Federal Bank Ltd.
HDFC Bank Ltd.
ICICI Bank Ltd.
IndusInd Bank Ltd.
ING Vysya Bank Ltd.
Karnataka Bank Ltd.
Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd.
Yes Bank Ltd.

Conclusion

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana scheme or PMJDY scheme aims to provide a basic bank account to all citizens who do not have an account. This national mission is open to all citizens of India who are over 10 years of age. In addition to this, a life insurance cover is also provided to give financial security to the weaker sections of society. The premium payment for the life cover is done by the Government of India.

Also Read: Guide to Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana

FAQs

Is a chequebook issued under Pradhan Mantri Dhan Yojana?

The PMJDY scheme opens accounts for citizens with a zero balance. If you wish to get a chequebook, you might have to meet a minimum balance criterion that the bank may have.

What is the minimum balance I need to maintain as per PMJDY scheme details?

The savings bank deposit accounts opened under the PMJDY scheme are zero-balance accounts. There is no minimum balance that has to be maintained.

Is there a death benefit under the scheme?

The Pradhan Mantri Dhan Yojana scheme offers a life insurance cover of INR 30,000, which is payable to the beneficiary in case of demise of the account holder.

What are the documents needed to open a bank account under the PMJDY scheme?

If you have an Aadhaar card, then no other document is needed to open the bank account. In case the Aadhaar card is not present, you can use other documents, such as: Driving licence , Voter ID card ,Passport and NREGA card.