Women Borrowers in India

Why in News?

Recently, a report was released by NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), TransUnion CIBIL, and MicroSave Consulting (MSC) about the percentage share of women borrowers across the country.

The report is titled ‘From Borrowers to Builders: Women’s Role in India’s Financial Growth Story’.

Relevance:
Facts for prelims

Key Highlights from the Report:

Highest share of women borrowers:
- Tamil Nadu leads in women borrowers (44%)
- Andhra Pradesh (41%)
- Telangana (35%)
- Karnataka (34%)
31% of the total borrowers in the country are women, and the southern region has a higher number of women borrowers participation.
60% of women borrowers are from semi-urban and rural areas.
The report also highlighted women’s financial self-awareness, and the Southern region shows the highest number of women monitoring their credit scores (10.16 million), with a 46% growth rate from December 2023 to December 2024.

Way forward:

Directions have been given to banks by the RBI and the government to strengthen credit flow to women.
This report highlights the growing role of women in India’s financial ecosystem and the need for sustained policy support to enhance their credit access.

(Prelims Question)

Consider the following statements:

‘From Borrowers to Builders: Women’s Role in India’s Financial Growth Story’ is a report published by the RBI.
According to the report, Southern states lead in financial inclusion, with Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Telangana having the highest women borrowers.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) Neither 1 nor 2.

Answer: (b) 2 only

Explanation: The report, From Borrowers to Builders: Women’s Role in India’s Financial Growth Story’, is published by NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), TransUnion CIBIL, and MicroSave Consulting (MSC). Hence, Option 1 is incorrect.