National

Increasing Number of Women Pursuing Credit and Monitoring Their Credit Scores: NITI Aayog Report

Published

1 year ago

March 3, 2025

NITI Aayog unveiled its report titled “From Borrowers to Builders: Women’s Role in India’s Financial Growth Story” on Monday. The report, launched by CEO B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, highlights a significant trend: more women in India are seeking credit and keeping track of their credit scores. By December 2024, 27 million women were actively monitoring their credit, representing a 42% increase from the previous year, indicating a rise in financial literacy among women. The report was produced by TransUnion CIBIL, the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) of NITI Aayog, and MicroSave Consulting (MSC).

During the launch, Subrahmanyam emphasized the importance of financial access in empowering women entrepreneurs. He remarked, “The government understands that access to finance is vital for fostering women’s entrepreneurship. The Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) is committed to creating an inclusive ecosystem that promotes financial literacy, credit access, mentorship, and market connections. However, achieving equitable financial access requires a collaborative effort.”

He further stated, “Financial institutions must design inclusive financial products suited to women’s needs, and policy initiatives must address systemic barriers to foster progress in this area. Under the WEP, the Financing Women Collaborative (FWC) has been established to pursue this objective. We invite more stakeholders from the financial sector to join the FWC and support this mission.”

Anna Roy, Principal Economic Advisor at NITI Aayog and Mission Director of WEP, noted: “Promoting women’s entrepreneurship is a crucial way to provide employment opportunities for women entering the workforce in India. It also serves as an effective approach for stimulating equitable economic growth. By supporting women’s entrepreneurship, we could create jobs for 150 to 170 million people and enhance female participation in the labor market.”

The report reveals that women’s share of the overall self-monitoring credit base rose to 19.43% in December 2024, up from 17.89% in 2023. Notably, more women from non-metro areas are actively monitoring their credit compared to those in metro regions, with a 48% increase in non-metro areas and a 30% increase in metro areas. In 2024, the states of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Telangana comprised 49% of all self-monitoring women, with the southern region leading with 10.2 million participants.

Additionally, northern and central states, such as Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh, reported the greatest compounded annual growth rates (CAGR) in active women borrowers over the past five years. Since 2019, the share of women in business loan origination has risen by 14%, while their share in gold loans has increased by 6%, with women constituting 35% of business borrowers by December 2024.

Despite these advancements, challenges such as credit aversion, poor banking experiences, barriers to credit readiness, and issues related to collateral and guarantors remain. With growing credit awareness and improved scores, financial institutions have the chance to offer gender-sensitive financial products designed to meet the unique needs of women.

National

Pickup Vehicle Crashes Into Divider, Two Killed Including Child

Published

1 hour ago

March 5, 2026

Namma Kudla

Uttar Pradesh: A tragic road accident took place in Uttar Pradesh when a pickup vehicle lost control and crashed into a road divider.

The driver and a three-year-old girl died on the spot due to the impact of the crash. Nine passengers who were travelling in the vehicle sustained injuries. They were rushed to the district hospital for treatment.

Reports said the victims were travelling to their native village to celebrate the Holi festival. A video showing the horrifying scene of the accident has gone viral on social media.

Preliminary reports suggest that overspeeding may have led to the accident. Police have started an investigation into the incident.

National

Five from Karnataka Killed in Car–Container Collision in Andhra Pradesh

Published

24 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Namma Kudla

Andhra Pradesh: Five people from Karnataka were killed on the spot after the car they were travelling in rammed into a container truck from behind in Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district on Tuesday.

The accident occurred near Gangavaram in Palamaneru while the victims were on their way to Tirupati temple from Bengaluru. According to police, the car crashed into the rear of a container vehicle with great force, leaving the vehicle completely mangled.

The deceased have been identified as Mohandas (71), Nagaraj (61), Kusuma (61), Jayanti (59), and Pooja (33). All of them were residents of Rajajinagar in Bengaluru.

Preliminary reports suggest that the impact of the collision was so severe that all five occupants died at the scene. Police have registered a case at the Palamaneru police station and further investigation is underway.

More details are awaited.

National

Woman Kills Ex-Lover Over Blackmail in Ballia

Published

3 days ago

March 2, 2026

Namma Kudla

Uttar Pradesh: A married woman allegedly killed her former lover in Ballia after he blackmailed her with private videos, police said.

According to police, the victim was identified as Pankaj Gupta, a resident of Azamgarh. He was reportedly in a relationship with the woman from a nearby village.

Police said the woman wanted to end the relationship. However, Gupta allegedly began blackmailing her using obscene videos and harassed her repeatedly.

Unable to bear the threats, the woman informed her brother and sister-in-law. The trio allegedly planned the murder during a wedding function on February 5.

On February 7, they allegedly called Gupta to the village on a pretext. He was strangled to death, police said. The accused then poured acid on his face to hide his identity and tried to destroy evidence.

An unidentified body with a disfigured face was found on February 10. The crime was later solved during the investigation.

Police have arrested three accused, including the woman, and sent them to judicial custody. Efforts are on to arrest other suspects involved in the case.