Extent and Nature of Banking Exclusion among the Marginalized: A Study of Non-Primitive Tribes in Wayanad District, Kerala, India

The much touted ‘financial inclusion’ programme currently in progress naturally prompts one to ponder over the issue of ‘financial exclusion’, especially of those who have become the outliers of neo-liberal led development. As we know, ‘financialization’ has become the order of the day and hence, there has been a call for greater financial inclusion. Obviously, banking inclusion in the way of opening a savings bank account is the first step towards financial inclusion. Still, there are people left out of the reach of banks. Tribes being deprived of economic and social capital have been on the periphery of development. They continue to languish in the misery of life. In this background this study attempts to probe into the extent to which tribes have been excluded from accessing banking services. The present study based 500 samples drawn from four different tribe communities in Wayanad, viz. Kurichya, Kuruma, Paniya and Adiya, reveal that banking exclusion has almost been absent among tribes, thanks to the popularity of MGNREGS programme.