Doon University, in collaboration with Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Kashipur, is organising a day- long National Conference on “Financial Inclusion and Sustainable livelihood” on February at the Doon University.
The conference shall highlight various approaches, practices and strategies involved in financial inclusion and sustainable livelihood in India, especially in Uttarakhand.
Various professionals, academicians and practitioners from across India are invited to deliver their talks and share case studies under three major themes, including:
1. New initiatives in Financial Inclusion; 2. Need for Business Development as alternative sources of livelihood promotion; 3. From Aggregation to Entrepreneurship to Public Policy.
The event is being supported by Indian Council for Social Science Research (ICSSR) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Hosted by Centre for Public Policy, Doon University.
Around 170 People from various industries engaged in Financial Inclusion and Sustainable livelihood will participate in the conference.
The conference is intended to be a forum for sharing best practices and strategies for sustainable livelihoods. It would also provide an opportunity for interaction and networking with academics, researchers, professionals, administrators, Government officials and policy makers, NGOs and industry representatives, and others working in the area of rural banking, inclusion activities, livelihoods and sustainable development in Uttarakhand.
Conceptually, financial inclusion is termed as one of the powerful instruments for social development. Financial inclusion means greater access to financial services for low-income households and firms, as part of the overall strategies for economic and financial development. Financial inclusion is considered crucial for reducing poverty and boosting shared prosperity. According to World Bank (2014), globally, one in two adults—some 2.5 billion people—does not have a formal bank account and most reports cite distance from banking establishments as one of main reasons for not having a bank account. Technological and other innovations can help overcome this barrier of physical distance.
In emerging economies, the majority of practices and research are focused on integrating financial inclusion. Financial inclusion emerged as a significant tool for sustainable livelihood. But, on the ground, the major challenges facing the implementation of financial inclusion are scalability and cost structures. E-Inclusion, 2015 is an attempt to enhance financial inclusion through banking transformation by using recent technologies so that access to funds shall be available to masses, reducing poverty and helping achieve inclusive and sustainable economic growth.