It is widely recognised that the delivery of financial and banking services to all in a fair, transparent and equitable manner at an affordable cost is a prerequisite for the attainment of the objectives of inclusive growth. Keeping this in view, several attempts have been made by the State, NGOs and the Private sector to reach out to the unreached, in India and elsewhere, Despite these attempts, the targets and objectives of financial inclusion largely remain unattained. Against this background, the present study examines the problem of access for the inclusive financial services based on a field study in select districts of Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh in India.

It has been observed that though there have been many initiatives introduced, such as credit, linkages of SHGs with the banking system and the entry of microfinance institutions, they are yet to make significant impact on raising the income levels of the beneficiaries.