8 crore accounts opened under Jan Dhan Yojana: Jaitley

New Delhi, Nov 28: About eight crore people have opened bank accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Friday and expressed confidence that another two crore accounts will be opened by Jan 26 next year.

Jaitley told the Lok Sabha that the government had a target of reaching 7.5 crore households through PMJDY accounts by Republic Day (Jan 26) but this day will see the opening of 10 crore accounts.

"A day or two ago, 7.98 crore people had opened their accounts and we hope to achieve 10 crore accounts by Jan 26," he said, adding that the government was focusing on financial inclusion of every individual.

Jaitley said banks would take steps to prevent any misuse of the scheme.

The finance minister said the beneficiaries would get a RuPay Debit card apart from stipulated accident insurance and life insurance.

He said the account holder can be given an overdraft facility of Rs.5,000 by the bank after six months.

Answering a query from Congress' Mallikarjun Kharge about Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana, Jaitley said the benefits under PMJDY were distinct from other schemes.

IANS