The Uttar Pradesh government's BC Sakhi scheme, introduced in May 2020 via the Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihoods Mission, continues to broaden rural financial inclusion while encouraging financial self-reliance among women.
Functioning under a one gram panchayat, one BC Sakhi framework, the program equips and certifies women belonging to self-help groups to act as banking correspondents. Equipped with digital tools and mandatory Indian Institute of Banking and Finance certification, these women provide convenient doorstep banking services directly to rural residents.
Participants in the program are supported with a monthly stipend of 4,000 rupees for the first six months, after which they sustain their earnings through transaction commissions. According to state budget documents for 2026-27, nearly 39,880 BC Sakhis successfully facilitated transactions surpassing 39,000 crore rupees across 58,000 gram panchayats throughout the 2025-26 period.
During this timeframe, participating women earned approximately 107 crore rupees while significantly reducing the necessity for villagers to travel long distances to reach traditional bank branches.