EFECT OF MONETARY INCLUSION ON WOMEN EMPOWERMENT BY COMMERCIAL/ BUSINESS CORRESPONDENTS

Governments from all across the world have placed a strong emphasis on reducing poverty. The only effective strategy to combat the poverty threat is through the empowerment of society's marginalized groups. The country's poverty level can be significantly reduced by reducing inequality in wealth and income distribution. Only financial inclusion can effectively address the issue of unequal income and wealth distribution, and the government has put in place numerous programs and mechanisms to achieve financial inclusion. One significant approach put out by the Reserve Bank, the Business Correspondents approach, has enabled thousands of residents of unbanked areas to access banking services. However, the question of whether access to banking services through BCs results in women's empowerment is a crucial one. This research attempts to address this issue by conducting an empirical study and evaluating the findings based on a survey of 300 women in Gujarat who use BCs for banking.