This paper concerns a pilot savings program for women that was designed as an add-on to the Indian government’s Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (Jan Dhan) scheme, which allows any previously unbanked person to open a savings account at any bank in the country. Jan Dhan accounts have no minimum deposits or balances to maintain, and the customer earns interest on his or her savings. Jan Dhan was launched in 2014, and it has been credited in the rise in percentage of women with access to financial services from 26 percent in 2011 to 77 percent in 2017. One of the successes of Jan Dhan is its reach to illiterate customers due its minimal paperwork requirements.
The pilot program was to offer “Jan Dhan Plus” accounts in an effort to encourage more women to save. The new accounts offer users a credit facility of INR 10,000 (USD 134) if they