Access to the Banking Services for the Religious Minorities and other Marginalised Groups in Kerala State in India in the Digital Era: A Critical Review

Abstract

Balanced and equitable growth is the hall mark of sustained economic development of nations that is coupled with the welfare and prosperity of all their citizens. This in turn requires special care and attention to the religious minorities, the poor and other marginalized, and all other disadvantaged social groups. Financial inclusion that seeks to ensure access to formal banking services is a vital need for financially empowering the religious minorities and such other marginalized as well as disadvantaged groups. In fact, ICT has added another dimension to financial inclusion and the overall empowerment of the poor and the marginalized including the religious minorities, especially in the present setting of growing affordability of ICT-based  devices like mobile phones. In the above context, this paper makes a closer look into exposure of banks in Kerala for providing access to the minorities and other marginalized groups.