New Delhi, Dec 13 (IANS): Nearly 47.57 crore Jan Dhan accounts have been opened in the country of which 38.19 crore are operative while 10.79 lakh are duplicate, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

In a written reply, Bhagwat Karad, Minister of State, Finance, said that as on November 30, a total of 47.57 crore Jan Dhan accounts have been opened in the country.

"PMJDY guidelines envisage issue of RuPay debit card to Jan Dhan account holders and issuance of RuPay debit cards to Jan Dhan account holders by bank is an ongoing process. As informed by banks, there are 19.90 crore account holders who do not have functional debit cards and 4.44 crore account holders did not renew their PMJDY RuPay Card," the minister said.

RBI has advised Financial Literacy Centres (FLCs) and rural branches of banks to conduct outdoor financial literacy camps for customers in collaboration with ground level stakeholders at the District/panchayat or village level. RBI also conducts specific camps for target audience like farmers, small entrepreneurs, Self Help Groups, senior citizens etc., including women.

Under its Centres for Financial Literacy project, RBI is imparting financial education among adults. Banks in general also organise camps, to create awareness about the banking habits including the benefits of keeping the account active.

Further, a strong network of Business Correspondents (BCs), representing the last mile connected in the Banking Services delivery system is also creating awareness while facilitating transactions in the rural areas, because of their familiarity with the Local/Rural population. As a result of the above initiatives, the percentage of operative PMJDY accounts has increased, the reply read.