E-ISSN:2583-0074

Research Article

Darjeeling Tea Industry

Social Science Journal for Advanced Research

2026 Volume 6 Number 2 March
Publisherwww.singhpublication.com

A Study on Financial Inclusion among Tea Garden Workers at Darjeeling District, West Bengal

Sharma P1*, Majumdar A2
DOI:10.54741/SSJAR/6.2.2026.349

1* Priyanka Sharma, Research Scholar (Ph.D), Department of Commerce, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

2 Amit Majumdar, Principal, Maharaja Srischandra College, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

Financial Inclusion serves as a crucial catalyst for inclusive growth and socio-economic empowerment yet financial inclusion continues to be a significant challenge for most countries worldwide. The study focuses on financial inclusion among the small tea gardens in Darjeeling district. It further investigates the structural and socio-economic barriers that hinder inclusion. The paper evaluates the effectiveness of government schemes and initiatives and what is the state of financial inclusion in the selected tea garden. Furthermore the authors conclude by proposing target policy implementation and community based strategy aimed at strengthening financial inclusion of tea garden workers.

Keywords: financial inclusion, darjeeling tea industry, government initiatives, financial literacy

Corresponding Author How to Cite this Article To Browse
Priyanka Sharma, Research Scholar (Ph.D), Department of Commerce, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Email: 		Sharma P, Majumdar A, A Study on Financial Inclusion among Tea Garden Workers at Darjeeling District, West Bengal. Soc Sci J Adv Res. 2026;6(2):94-102.
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https://ssjar.singhpublication.com/index.php/ojs/article/view/349

Manuscript Received Review Round 1 Review Round 2 Review Round 3 Accepted
2026-02-15 2026-03-02 2026-03-20
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© 2026 by Sharma P, Majumdar A and Published by Singh Publication. This is an Open Access article licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ unported [CC BY 4.0].

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Download PDFBack To Article1. Introduction2. Literature
Review3. Objectives4. Data Source
and Methodology5. Methodology6. Government
Initiatives on
Financial Inclusion7. Data Analysis8. Findings9. Conclusion
and SuggestionReferences
Sharma P, et al. A Study on Financial Inclusion among Tea Garden Workers

1. Introduction

India’s majority of population is predominantly in the rural areas therefore financial inclusion is a crucial step for reducing poverty, income inequality and improving living standard. It is necessary to drive the whole nation towards development at a steady pace and let every citizen enjoy the benefit of the economic growth and development. Financial inclusion empowers individuals to take control of their financial well-being, by enabling access to banking services. Technological advancement, particularly in mobile banking and digital payment systems also have significantly advanced financial inclusion, especially in rural areas. The government also plays a pivotal role in driving financial inclusion by creating policies and framework that ensures equal access to financial services for all citizens, especially marginalized populations. Tea garden is one of the largest industries of our country, despite being an industry of economic importance, tea garden workers are among the most marginalized groups in India particularly in Assam and West Bengal. The workers are deprived in most socio-economic aspects since the colonial era, they have faced low wages, poor living conditions, limited access to education, geographic isolation, limited healthcare facilities and lack of formal financial inclusion. Financial inclusion provides a path to enhance inclusiveness in economic growth by enabling the unbanked population to access the means for saving, investment and insurance.

2. Literature Review

Saikia(2016): The study conducted in the small tea sector in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia district reveals that small tea cultivators are profitable ventures and have the capacity to change the very face of rural Assam in days ahead if practiced in right earnest. Foregoing discussion it is evident that financial inclusion in the small tea industrial sector assumes great prosperity of this venture. It was suggested that financial inclusion and financial literacy is the need of the hour.

Dutta and Goswami(2018): The study extends financial inclusion among tea garden workers through primary surveys. The study reveals that financial inclusion among the workers has deepened considerably but not in all dimensions. The study suggests more expeditious and comprehensive, specific initiatives towards delivering government-sponsored schemes are needed.

Chettri and Mahapatra(2018): The study focuses on financial literacy among the tea garden labourers of Darjeeling district, West Bengal. The research reached an overall conclusion that the labourers were neither skilled nor knowledgeable in financial matters and that this would impact negatively on their future lives as they are incompetent to make financial management.

Bhuyan(2019): The study focuses on the role of financial inclusion of tea garden workers in Dibrugarh district, Assam, where the socio-economic condition of these workers is quite deplorable. Inability to access financial services is one of the major reasons behind it. Based on the review done during the study, financial inclusion is progressing but at a slow pace.

Dutta et al(2023): The authors conducted the study on financial inclusion among backward communities, tea garden workers of Assam. The paper reveals that financial inclusion among the tea garden workers has deepened considerably but not in all dimensions. It was found that education is an important determinant of financial inclusion among the workers. The authors suggest making the process of financial inclusion more expeditious and comprehensive, specific initiatives towards delivering government sponsored schemes are needed.

Soujanya and Krishna(2025): The study explores the role of responsible tourism in empowering women entrepreneurs. Data was collected from 345 women entrepreneurs. The study concludes that responsible tourism offers a transformative platform for promoting gender equality, economic self reliance and environmental stewardship.

3. Objectives

  • To examine the level of financial inclusion among the workers of a small tea garden.
  • To examine the usage pattern of financial products.

4. Data Source and Methodology

For the purpose of the study primary data has been collected through field survey, well structured questioners and interviews with the workers and the management of small tea gardens of Darjeeling district and for the purpose of the study the authors


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choose Gangaram Tea Estate, ORD Tea Estate and Belgachi Tea Estate. And for the purpose of this study, websites, reports, newspapers and journals have been the source of secondary data.

5. Methodology

The analysis of the present study is done using various statistical tools. Data was collected and responses were coded in SPSS. Descriptive analysis was used to summarize demographic profile, Correlation analysis was conducted to find relationships between variables. Additionally reliability analysis was performed to test the internal consistency of the questioner items and Chi Square test of independence was performed to determine if there is a significant association between two categorical variables.

6. Government Initiatives on Financial Inclusion

Following are the government initiatives launched specially for financial inclusion and financial literacy in India.

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY): It was launched on 28th August, 2014. It is a zero balance account which acts as a foundation of financial inclusion. The Pradhan Mantri Jhan Dhan Yojana from 2016-2025 shows an increasing trend in the table below.

Table 1: Trend in Financial Inclusion and Financial Literacy of Pradhan Mantri Jhan Dhan Yojana

Fig. in crores

ParticularsMar 2016Mar 2017Mar 2018Mar 2019Mar 2020Mar 2021Mar 2022Mar 2023Mar 2024Mar 2025
PMJDY Accounts21.4328.1731.4435.2738.3342.2045.0648.6551.9555.16
Deposits35672629727849496107118434145551166459198844232502267756
Total RuPay Card Issued17.7521.9923.6527.9129.3030.9031.6232.9435.3537.85

Source: Authors calculation based on Press information Bureau, 2024

Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojna (PMMY):

It was launched on 8th April,2015. It promotes self-employment by providing loans to small businesses.

Table 2: Achievement Under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) Since Inception

Fig. in crore

ParticularsMar 2016Mar 2017Mar 2018Mar 2019Mar 2020Mar 2021Mar 2022Mar 2023Mar 2024Mar 2025
No. Of loan Sanctioned34880924397010474813059359870318622476065073504653795526623105986677701354661648
Amount Sanctioned137449.27180528.54253677.10321722.79337495.53321759.25339110.35456537.98541012.86552801.78
Amount Disbursed132954.73175312.13246437.40311811.38329715.03311754.47331402.20450423.66532358.35541802.58

Source: Authors calculation based on Mudra.org.in

Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojna (PMSBY): It was launched on 9th May, 2015.It aims to provide accidental death and disability insurance up to Rs 2 lakh for Rs 20 annual premium.

Table 3: Cumulative Enrolment in Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojna from 2016-2025

Fig. in lakhs

ParticularsMar 2016Mar 2017Mar 2018Mar 2019Mar 2020Mar 2021Mar 2022Mar 2023Mar 2024Mar 2025
Cumulative Enrolments in PMSBY940.73995.121348.321547.171854.162326.342818.683377.774380.735078.08

Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojna (PMJJBY): It was launched on 9th May, 2015 It provides affordable life insurance to rural population , offering Rs 2 lakh cover on death for any reason. It protects families of the insured from financial ruins.


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Table 4: Cumulative Enrolment in Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojna from 2016-2025

Fig. in crore

ParticularsMar 2016Mar 2017Mar 2018Mar 2019Mar 2020Mar 2021Mar 2022Mar 2023Mar 2024Mar 2025
Cumulative Enrolment in PMJJBY295.53310.24532.94591.69695.761027.391265.991599.771990.692346.79

Source: Authors calculation based on Press Information Bureau report, 2025

Atal Pension Yojna (APY): It was launched on 9th May, 2015. It is a social security scheme for workers in the unorganized sector, providing pension of Rs 1,000 to Rs 5000 on attaining the age of 60 years.

Table 5: Cumulative Enrolment in Atal Pension Yojna from 2016-2025

Fig. in crore

ParticularsMar 2016Mar 2017Mar 2018Mar 2019Mar 2020Mar 2021Mar 2022Mar 2023Mar 2024Mar 2025
Cumulative Enrolment254997154223302401521644761

Source: Authors calculation based on Press Information Bureau report, 2025

Stand Up India: It was launched on 5th April,2016. It provides loans between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore for setting up Greenfield enterprises, provided the borrower should be SC/ST/Women entrepreneur.

Table 6: Year wise beneficiaries of Stand Up India

Fig. in crore

DateSCSTWomen (General)Total
No of A/CsSanctioned AmtNo of A/CsSanctioned
A/Cs		No of A/CsSanctioned
Amt 		No of A/CsSanctioned
A/Cs
10.01.201870861344.72162427.79416399214.475088710986.96
31.03.2019104512096.253103646.15942913342.727298316085.07
08.01.2021148803049.704397934.878595519594.2710523223578.84
28.11.2022235544928.0377181661.2212716529297.6915843735886.94
31.03.2024374337908.24125782702.4917553040251.0222554150861.75
20.01.20254854810246.37158243377.8419415244768.0425852458392.25

Source: Authors calculation based on Press Information Bureau report, 2025


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7. Data Analysis

Demographic Analysis

Table 7: Distribution of the Sample Respondent’s Demographic Profile

Demographic ProfileFrequencyPercent
Age18-30119.2
31-456856.7
46-604134.2
Total120100
GenderFemale9579.2
Male2520.8
Others00
Total120100
Marital Status Married8772.5
Unmarried1714.2
Widow/Widower1613.3
Total120100
Education Level Illiterate2319.2
Less than 86856.7
10th pass2218.3
12th pass75.8
Total120100
OccupationPermanent120100
Temporary00
Total120100
Monthly IncomeBelow ₹50002722.5
₹5001-₹100007562.5
₹10001 Above1815
Total120100
Bank Account Availability120100
Total120100
Type of Bank AccountSaving Account4840
Jan Dhan Account7260
Others00
Total120100
Bank DistanceLess Than 2 km5949.2
2-5 km3226.7
More than 5 km2924.2
Total120100
ATM Card availability Available9881.7
Not Available2218.3
Total120100
Mobile BankingAvailable75.8
Not Available11394.2
Total120100

Source: Authors calculation based on primary survey.

The demographic profile of 120 respondents provides an overview of their socio-economic diversity within the study population, which is essential for understanding and analyzing financial inclusion. The sample comprises individuals from different age groups, the majority of the respondents, 56.7% is in the age category 31-45, 34.2% are in the age group 46-60 and lastly 9.2% are in the age group 18-30. The female respondents for the study are 79.2% and male respondents are 20.8%. The majority of respondents,72.5% are married, 14.2% are unmarried married, 14.2% are unmarried and 13.3% are widow/widower. The education level of 56.7% is less than class 8, 19.2% respondents are illiterate, 18.3% are class 10 pass and lastly 5.8% are class 12 pass. All the respondents interviewed are permanent workers of the tea gardens. The monthly income of the majority, 62.5% of respondents range between ₹5001-₹10000, 22.5% respondents earn below ₹5000 and 15% respondents earn above ₹10001 above. 100% of respondents have a bank account. The majority of respondents, 60% had opened a bank account through Jan Dhan Yojna and 40% of the respondents have a savings account. The distance for reaching bank for 49.2% respondents is less than 2 km, for 26.7% the distance for reaching bank is 2-5 km and for 24.2% the distance for reaching bank is more than 5 km. 81.7% of the respondents have ATM card and 18.3% respondents do not have ATM card. 94.2% do not use mobile banking facility and only 5.8% respondent use mobile banking.

Cronbach’s Alpha Value Reliability Statistics

The authors tested the reliability of the scale by performing Cronbach's Alpha reliability statistics on barriers to financial inclusion. The value of Cronbach’s Alpha is .728 which is higher than acceptable level indicating acceptable consistency.

Table 8: Reliability Statistics
Cronbach's AlphaCronbach's Alpha Based on Standardized ItemsN of Items
  .728.7434

Source: Output from SPSS

The authors tested the reliability of the scale by performing Cronbach's Alpha reliability statistics on impact of financial inclusion. The value of Cronbach’s Alpha is .741 which is higher than acceptable level indicating acceptable consistency


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Table 9: Reliability Statistics
Cronbach's AlphaN of Items
.7413

Source: Output from SPSS

Correlation

1. Correlation between Monthly Income and Loan Repayment

The variables used for the study are monthly income and loan repayment. The monthly income of the majority, 62.5% of respondents range between ₹5001-₹10000, 22.5% respondents earn below ₹5000 and 15% respondents earn above ₹10001 above. 43.3% have taken SHG loans and 38.3% always repay the loan on time and 5% cannot repay the loan in time.

Table 10: Correlation between Monthly Income and Loan Repayment

Correlations
Monthly IncomeLoan repayment on time
Monthly IncomePearson Correlation1.101
Sig. (2-tailed).273
N120120
Loan repayment on timePearson Correlation.1011
Sig. (2-tailed).273
N120120
Source: Output from SPSSThe table above shows Pearson's correlation between monthly income and loan repayment on time is 0.101 which is a very weak positive correlation and significance (p-value) 0.273 which is statistically insignificant, so we can conclude that there is no correlation between income and loan repayment.

2. Correlation between Loan Repayment on Time and SHG Members for How Many Years

The variables used for the study are loan repayment on time and SHG members for how many years. Out of 120 respondents, 43.3% have taken SHG loans and 38.3% always repay the loan on time and 5% cannot repay the loan in time. In the study out of 120 respondents 43.3% are members of SHG, 2.5% are members for less than 1 year, 4.2% are members for 1-3 years, 13.3% are members for 3-5 years and 23.3% are members for more than 5 years.

Table 11: Correlation between Loan Repayment on Time and SHG Members for How Many Years

Correlations
Loan repayment on timeSHG Member for how many year
Loan repayment on timePearson Correlation1.835**
Sig. (2-tailed).000
N120120
SHG Member for how many yearPearson Correlation.835**1
Sig. (2-tailed).000
N120120
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

Source: Output from SPSS

The table above, shows the Pearson’s correlation between loan repayment on time and SHG member for how many years is 0.835 which is a positive correlation and significance (p-value) (2-tailed) is 0.000 which is statistically significant, so we can conclude that there is correlation between loan repayment on time and SHG member for how many years.

3. Correlation between Education and Awareness of Government Financial Schemes

The variables used for the study are education and awareness of government financial schemes. Out of 120 respondents the education level of 56.7% is less than class 8, 19.2% respondents are illiterate, 18.3% are class 10 pass and lastly 5.8% are class 12 pass. 89.2% were aware of the government financial scheme and 10.8% were unaware of the government scheme

Table 12: Correlation between Education and Awareness of Government Financial Schemes

Correlations
EducationAwareness of Government financial schemes
EducationPearson Correlation1.188*
Sig. (2-tailed).040
N120120
Awareness of Government financial schemesPearson Correlation.188*1
Sig. (2-tailed).040
N120120
*. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).

Source: Output from SPSS


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The table above, shows the Pearson’s correlation between education and awareness of government financial scheme is 0.188 which is a weak positive correlation and significance (p-value) (2-tailed) is 0.040 which is statistically significant, so we can conclude that their is correlation between education and awareness of government financial scheme

Chi Square Test

1. Association between Education Level and Mobile Banking

Hypothesis of the Study

H01: There is no significant association between education level and usage of mobile banking

H11: There is a significant association between education level and usage of mobile banking

Out of 120 respondents the education level of 56.7% is less than class 8, 19.2% respondents are illiterate, 18.3% are class 10 pass and lastly 5.8% are class 12 pass. 94.2% do not use mobile banking facilities and only 5.8% respondent use mobile banking.

Table 13: Chi square Test of Independence between Education Level and Mobile Banking

Chi-Square Tests
ValueDfAsymptotic Significance (2-sided)
Pearson Chi-Square120.000a3.000
Likelihood Ratio53.3663.000
Linear-by-Linear Association44.2161.000
N of Valid Cases120
a. 4 cells (50.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is .41.

Source: Output from SPSS

The Pearson’s chi-square test statistics is 120.000 with 3 degrees of freedom, and the asymptotic significance (p-value) is 0.000, which is below threshold of 0.05, this suggests that there is a significant relationship between education level and mobile banking, we can reject the null hypothesis.

2. Association between Awareness of Government Financial Schemes and Access to Financial Services

Hypothesis of the Study

H02: There is no significant association between awareness of government financial schemes and access to financial services.

H11: There is a significant association between awareness of government financial schemes and access to financial services.

Out of 120 respondents 89.2% were aware of the government financial scheme and 10.8% were unaware of the government scheme. For financial services improved security responses were collected on 5 point Likert scale- ‘Strongly Agree’, ‘Agree’, ‘Neutral’, ‘Disagree’, ‘Strongly Disagree’. 10% choose strongly agree, 54.2% choose Agree and 35.8% choose Neutral regarding financial services improved security.

Table 14: Chi square test of Independence between Awareness of Government Financial Schemes and Access to Financial Services

Chi-Square Tests
ValueDfAsymptotic Significance (2-sided)
Pearson Chi-Square.624a2.732
Likelihood Ratio.5782.749
Linear-by-Linear Association.0281.867
N of Valid Cases120
a. 2 cells (33.3%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 1.30.

Source: Output from SPSS

The Pearson’s chi-square value is 0.624, the degree of freedom is 2 and the asymptotic significance (p-value) is 0.732, since the p-value is greater than 0.05, we fail to reject the null hypothesis, suggesting there is no significant association between the variables.

3. Association between Marital Status and Financial Decision Making

Hypothesis of the Study

H03: There is no significant association between marital status and financial decision making.

H13: There is a significant association between marital status and financial decision making.


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Out of 120 respondents the majority of respondents 72.5% are married, 14.2% are unmarried and 13.3% are widow/widower. Regarding the financial decision making 58.3% female members make financial decisions, 37.5% both male and female make joint decisions and 4.2% male members make financial decisions.

Table 15: Chi Square Test of Independence between Marital Status and Financial Decision Making

Chi-Square Tests
ValueDfAsymptotic Significance (2-sided)
Pearson Chi-Square11.340a4.023
Likelihood Ratio13.0054.011
Linear-by-Linear Association6.8351.009
N of Valid Cases120
a. 3 cells (33.3%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is .67.

Source: Output from SPSS

The Pearson’s chi-square value is 11.340, the degree of freedom is 4 and the asymptotic significance (p-value) is 0.023, which is below threshold of 0.05, this suggests that there is a significant relationship between marital status and financial decision making, we can reject the null hypothesis.

8. Findings

The findings of the study underscores the pivotal role of financial inclusion in promoting savings, economic well-being and social security. The demographic profile indicates factors like limited awareness, reason to impede basic financial inclusion, and the predominance of low income and limited education among the respondents which are significant constraints on adoption of advanced financial tools. The study also revealed possession of ATM cards to be 81.7%, it was observed that in most cases the cards were primarily used by their children rather than account holders themselves, indicating limited engagement with the banking services. Furthermore only 5.8% respondents have access to mobile banking, indicating extremely low digital financial inclusion.

The study observed that traditional housing dynamics plays a key role in financial decision making, restricting the use of modern financial services, while significant progress has been made in achieving basic financial inclusion among the respondents, substantial gaps still remain in terms of effective usage and digital access to financial services.

9. Conclusion and Suggestion

Banks and financial institutions should prioritize awareness programs, to improve understanding and usage of banking services like ATM usage, mobile banking and awareness of government schemes, simplify procedures and provide assistance in local language. Community based strategy aimed at strengthening financial literacy should be implemented, ensuring sustainable and financial integration of the workers.

References

1. Saikia. (2016). Significance of financial inclusion in small tea sector(A case study in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts of Assam). International Journal of Humanities & Social Science Studies (IJHSSS).

2. Dutta, & Goswami. (2018), Financial inclusion among the tea garden workers in Assam. IJCRT.

3. Chettri, & Mahapatra. (2018). Financial literacy among the tea garden labourers in Darjeeling district: An exploratory factor analysis. International Journal of Management Studies.

4. Bhuyan. (2019). A study on the role of perception on financial inclusion of tea garden workers in Dibrugarh district of Assam. JETIR.

5. Dutta et al. (2023). Financial inclusion among backward communities: A study of tea garden workers in Assam, India. Forum for Social Economics.

6. Soujanya, & Krishna. (2025). Empowering women through responsible tourism entrepreneurship: A study on socio-economic and environmental perspective in Telangana. International Journal of Novel Research and Development.

7. PM Mudra Yojana. (2024). https://www.mudra.org.in/


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8. PM Jhan Dhan Yojana. (2025). https://www.pib.gov.in/

9. Atal Pension Yojna. (2025). https://www.pib.gov.in/

10. PM Suraksha Bima Yojana. https://www.pib.gov.in/

11. Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojna. (2025). https://www.pib.gov.in/

12. Stand UP India. https://www.pib.gov.in/

13. https://financialservices.gov.in/

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