DIGITAL PAYMENT SYSTEMS AND THEIR ROLE IN FINANCIAL INCLUSION: A SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ODISHA

Economic development poverty alleviation and social empowerment are all significantly influenced by financial inclusion which is defined as providing low-income and disadvantaged elements of society with accessible and cheap financial services. Geographical societal and infrastructure hurdles contribute to the deep financial inclusion gap that still exists in the Indian setting despite major governmental measures. A revolutionary chance to close this gap is provided by the emergence of digital payment systems (DPS) which were sparked by the India Stack (Aadhaar UPI and Digital Locker). With an emphasis on the state of Odisha this study examines how digital payment systems promote financial inclusion. Odisha offers a distinctive and important case study because of its difficult topography sizable tribal population agrarian economy and susceptibility to natural calamities.