Gates Foundation offers to help monitor Jan-Dhan Yojana

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) has offered to help in monitoring the progress of Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), the flagship financial inclusion scheme of the government.

"BMGF can help in mapping the different sites across the country and can inform wherever a saturation level with regard to opening of accounts has reached or likely to reach so that focus can be made in other areas," Microsoft founder Bill

Gates said during his interaction with the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday. Gates was accompanied by his wife Melinda Gates. PMJDY was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month to promote financial inclusion.

The Finance Minister welcomed the offer of Gates and said that the proposal will be duly considered.

Similarly, Gates also expressed his desire to extend help in Swach Bharat abhiyan and health related programmes. Jaitley appreciated the work done by BMGF for the people at large in the field of health care, sanitation and financial inclusion.

The main features of the PMJDY scheme include Rs 5,000 overdraft facility for Aadhar-linked accounts, RuPay Debit Card with inbuilt Rs 1 lakh accident insurance cover.

Besides, account holders under the scheme will get life insurance cover of Rs 30,000. This was additional benefit announced by the Prime Minister during the launch of the scheme.

Meanwhile, Bill Gates announced an emergency relief fund of $700,000 for the flood victims of Jammu and Kashmir.