Bihar ranks second in RuPay card usage under PMJDY in the country

Bihar ranked second in terms of RuPay card usage among Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) beneficiaries. There are more than 4.98 crore RuPay card holders in the state.

However, the total number of PM Jan Dhan account holders in Bihar is 6.87 crore, indicating that the number of RuPay card holders is still lower than the total number of account holders.

Bihar has the highest number of RuPay cardholders in the country after Uttar Pradesh, which has 7.16 crore cardholders. Bihar is followed by West Bengal with 3.76 crore users, Madhya Pradesh with 3.51 crore and Maharashtra with 2.72 crore.

These figures were announced by the Union Finance Ministry on July 23, 2026; These figures can be considered as significant achievements of the Bihar government in the financial sector and hence reflect the State’s increasing adoption of digital banking and financial inclusion initiatives.

According to Lokanath Panda, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of BLS E-Services, a leading technology-enabled digital services provider that promotes financial and digital inclusion, “Bihar’s rise to second place in RuPay card usage among Jan Dhan beneficiaries shows how quickly digital banking habits have taken root in the state.”

According to data, there are a total of 40.6 crore RuPay cardholders in India, of which around 11% belong to Bihar. The increasing use of these cards shows that people are not only opening bank accounts but also actively using them for daily transactions, withdrawing cash and benefiting from government benefits. This also reflects the rapid growth of digital and official financial transactions in the state.

The figures highlight PMJDY’s broad reach and show how first-time banking customers are becoming increasingly comfortable with the formal financial system. RuPay cards are widely used in both rural and urban areas.

Bihar also ranks second in the country in terms of Jan Dhan accounts, with 6.87 crore accounts, after Uttar Pradesh, which has 10.32 crore accounts, while the total number of Jan Dhan accounts across the country is 58.06 crore. Total deposits in Jan Dhan accounts in Bihar are approximately ₹30,000 crore.

One of the main reasons for the rapid increase in active RuPay card usage is the introduction of the Green PIN feature and the deployment of micro ATMs in rural areas through the Business Correspondent (BC) network.

The expansion of BC services to remote villages has enabled people at the grassroots level to have easier access to banking services. With the Green PIN feature, cardholders can instantly and securely create or reset their PIN, eliminating the need for physical PIN mailers, which is a major hurdle in rural and semi-urban areas.

This paperless onboarding process has made it easier for millions of new users to start using banking services securely. Many Jan Dhan account holders were able to use ATMs and other banking facilities for the first time, thanks to micro ATMs and Green PIN feature.

The initiative has also significantly reduced banks’ logistics costs by eliminating the need to send ATM cards and PIN mailings through postal services. It also promoted environmentally friendly, paperless financial services.

Panda said that features such as Green PIN help eliminate long-standing barriers and enable new users to join the official banking system with greater confidence, adding that this transformation is vital to creating a more inclusive and stronger digital payment ecosystem.