Non availability of access to formal financial system acts as a critical constraint for economic development for poor and underprivileged people whose number is quite significant in this world. For a long - time, economists were looking for plausible explanations for wide spread poverty, inequality, and unsustainable growth in many parts of the world. When financial inclusion programmes started as a policy response for exclusion, the contents of the programme touched upon some basic issues such as access through an account, creation of awareness, and use of various banking products so that the excluded persons acquire the skill sets to manage money wisely and improve their financial well being. The present study was undertaken to ascertain the product awareness of account holders getting inducted to the formal financial system through one of the largest financial inclusion programmes of the world currently in operation in India under the name of Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Programme (PMJDY). A survey was conducted during August 2016 - May 2017 by administering a questionnaire on 453 account holders covering 18 out of 30 districts in Odisha, a state located in the eastern region of India. The findings of the study revealed that while gender influenced the awareness of account holders, general awareness levels of account holders about various basic financial products and services was found to be low, calling for suitable interventions for realizing the full benefits of the programme.

1. Abidi, N. A. (2014). Sustainable financial inclusion: A case stuy of Ranchi district. CLEAR International Journal of Research in Commerce & Management, 5(6), 63 - 67.
2. Agarwalla, S. K., Barua, S. K., Jacob, J., & Varma, J. R. (2013). Financial literacy among working young in urban India (IIMA Working Paper No. 2013-10-02). Retrieved from <a href=https://faculty.iima.ac.in/~jrvarma/papers/2013-10-02-literacy-working-young.pdf
3. target="_blank">https://faculty.iima.ac.in/~jrvarma/papers/2013-10-02-literacy-working-young.pdf </a>
4. Atkinson, A., & Messy, F. (2012). Measuring financial literacy: Results of the OECD/ International Network on Financial Education (INFE) pilot study (OECD Working Papers on Finance, Insurance and Private Pensions, No. 15). Paris: OECD Publishing. DOI : <a href=http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/5k9csfs90fr4-en target="_blank">http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/5k9csfs90fr4-en </a>
5. Atkinson, A., & Messy, F. (2013). Promoting financial inclusion through financial education: OECD/INFE evidence, policies and practice (OECD Working Papers on Finance, Insurance and Private Pensions, No. 34). Paris: OECD Publishing. DOI : DOI : <a href=http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/5k3xz6m88smp- target="_blank">http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/5k3xz6m88smp-</a>
6. Banka, H. (2015). Moving towards electronic payments in India. Journal of Payments Strategy & Systems, 9 (2), 123 - 131.
7. Bernanke, B. S. (2006, May 23). Financial literacy. Testimony before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the United States Senate. Retrieved from <a href=http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/testimony/bernanke20060523a.htm target="_blank">http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/testimony/bernanke20060523a.htm </a>
8. Bhanot, D., Bapat, V., & Bera, S. (2012). Studying financial inclusion in North - East India. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 30 (6), 465- 484.
9. Bucher - Koenen, T., Lusardi, A., Alessie, R., & Van Rooij, M. (2017). How financially literate are women? An overview and new insights. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 51 (2), 255 - 283.
10. Faff, R., Mulino, D., & Chai, D. (2008). On the linkage between financial risk tolerance and risk aversion. Journal of Financial Research, 31(1), 1 - 23.
11. Government of India, Planning Commission. (2013). Press note on poverty estimation, 2011-12. Retrieved from <a href=http://planningcommission.nic.in/news/pre_pov2307.pdf target="_blank">http://planningcommission.nic.in/news/pre_pov2307.pdf </a>
12. Hall, K. (2008). The importance of financial literacy. Address to the Conference on Deepening Financial Capacity in the Pacific Region, Sydney, 25 August 2008. Retrieved from <a href=https://www.rba.gov.au/publications/bulletin/2008/sep/pdf/bu-0908-3.pdf target="_blank">https://www.rba.gov.au/publications/bulletin/2008/sep/pdf/bu-0908-3.pdf </a>
13. Huston, S. J. (2010). Measuring financial literacy. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 44 (2), 296 - 316.
14. Kiliyanni, A. L., & Sivaraman, S. (2016). The perception-reality gap in financial literacy: Evidence from the most literate state in India. International Review of Economics Education, 23, 47 - 64.
15. Klapper, L. F., Lusardi, A., & Panos, G. A. (2012). Financial literacy and the financial crisis (Financial Literacy and the Financial Crisis Policy Research Working Papers). DOI : <a href=https://doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-5980 target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-5980 </a>
16. Kuri, P. K., & Laha, A. (2011). Determinants of financial inclusion: A study of some selected districts of West Bengal, India. Indian Journal of Finance, 5 (8), 29 - 36.
17. Lagarde, C. (2014). Empowerment through financial inclusion. Address to the International Forum for Financial Inclusion. International Monetary Fund, Mexico, June 26, 2014. Retrieved from <a href=https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2015/09/28/04/53/sp062614a target="_blank">https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2015/09/28/04/53/sp062614a </a>
18. Lusardi, A. (2011). Survey of the States : Economic and personal finance education in our nation's schools. Council of Economic Education. Retrieved from <a href=https://www.councilforeconed.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/2011-Survey-of-the-States target="_blank">https://www.councilforeconed.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/2011-Survey-of-the-States </a>
19. Lusardi, A., & Mitchell, O. S. (2008). Planning and financial literacy : How do women fare ? American Economic Review, 98 (2), 413 - 417.
20. Lusardi, A., & Mitchell, O. S. (2011). Financial literacy and retirement planning in the United States. Journal of Pension Economics & Finance, 10 (4), 509 - 525.
21. Neelakantan, U. (2010). Estimation and impact of gender differences in risk tolerance. Economic Inquiry, 48 (1), 228 - 233.
22. OECD INFE. (2011). Measuring financial literacy: Core questionnaire in measuring financial literacy: Questionnaire and guidance notes for conducting an internationally comparable survey of financial literacy. Paris : OECD Publishing. Retrieved from <a href=https://www.oecd.org/finance/financial-education/49319977.pdf target="_blank">https://www.oecd.org/finance/financial-education/49319977.pdf </a>
23. Reddy, C. V. (2016). 12 pillars' framework for successful financial inclusion in India. Indian Journal of Finance, 10 (12), 7 - 28. DOI:10.17010/ijf/2016/v10i12/106878
24. Remund, D. L. (2010). Financial literacy explicated: The case for a clearer definition in an increasingly complex economy. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 44 (2), 276 - 295.
25. Sathiyan, S., & Panda, P. K. (2016). Financial inclusion in India: An analysis of pattern and determinants. Indian Journal of Finance, 10 (4), 41 - 53. DOI: 10.17010/ijf/2016/v10i4/90799
26. Subbarao, D. (2013). Financial literacy and financial inclusion are integral to each other Inaugural remarks by Dr Duvvuri Subbarao, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India. India-OECD-World Bank Regional Conference on “Financial education”, New Delhi, 4th March 2013.
27. Tripathi, R., Yadav, N., & Shastri, R. K. (2016). Financial inclusion in India through Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana : An empirical analysis of statistical evidence. Indian Journal of Finance, 10 (10), 42-55. DOI: 10.17010/ijf/2016/v10i10/103014
28. Urquizo, J. (2012). The financial behaviour of rural residents. Findings from Five Latin American Countries ACCION. Retrieved from <a href=http://www.microfinancegatewav.Org/p/site/m/template.rc/l.l.15109/ target="_blank">http://www.microfinancegatewav.Org/p/site/m/template.rc/l.l.15109/ </a>
29. van Rooij, M., Lusardi, A., & Alessie, R. (2007). Financial literacy and stock market participation. Retrieved from <a href=https://www.dartmouth.edu/~alusardi/Papers/Literacy_StockMarket.pdf target="_blank">https://www.dartmouth.edu/~alusardi/Papers/Literacy_StockMarket.pdf </a>
30. van Rooij, M. C. J., Lusardi, A., & Alessie, R. J. M. (2011). Financial literacy and retirement planning in the Netherlands. Journal of Economic Psychology, 32(4), 593-608. doi: <a href=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2011.02.004 target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2011.02.004 </a>
31. Verma, Y., & Garg, P. (2016). Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY): A step towards eradicating financial untouchability. Indian Journal of Finance, 10 (1), 56 - 64. doi:10.17010/ijf/2016/v10i1/85845
32. Xu, L., & Zia, B. (2012). Financial literacy around the world: An overview of the evidence with practical suggestions for the way forward (Policy Research Working Paper No. WPS 6107). Washington, DC: World Bank. Retrieved from <a href=http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/264001468340889422/Financial-literacy-around-the-world-an-overview-of-the-evidence-with-practical-suggestions-for-the-way-forward target="_blank">http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/264001468340889422/Financial-literacy-around-the-world-an-overview-of-the-evidence-with-practical-suggestions-for-the-way-forward </a>