• Dr. Savita
• Dr. Pooja Rani
• CMA (Dr.) Parmod Kumar

Financial inclusion serves as a powerful driver for uplifting underprivileged and economically disadvantaged segments of the society by granting them access to essential financial services, products and credit. It enables households to meet their needs while driving national progress. It not only reduces poverty and income inequality but also fosters economic growth by mobilizing small savings and supporting entrepreneurs, businesses and government initiatives. Despite its benefits, regional disparities in financial inclusion persist across India. To address this, the present study evaluates and compare the financial inclusion level of Indian States and UTs based on comprehensive dataset using two distinct and robust approaches namely Wroclaw Taxonomic Methodology and Principal Component Analysis. The Findings reveal that both methodologies produce nearly identical ranking with minor variations, despite employing different calculation procedures. The result highlight that Chandigarh, Delhi, Goa and Himachal Pradesh are leaders in Financial Inclusion while Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur and Nagaland remain at the lower end of spectrum. These insights emphasize the necessity of focused measures to address the financial inclusion gap and foster balanced economic growth across the nation.

Financial Inclusion Index, Financial Inclusion, Wroclaw Taxonomic Method, PCA

"Unveiling Financial Inclusion in India: Insights from Alternative Index Approaches", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 7, page no.b79-b91, July-2025, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2507109.pdf

"Unveiling Financial Inclusion in India: Insights from Alternative Index Approaches", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 7, page no. ppb79-b91, July-2025, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2507109.pdf