Which Central Government scheme was launched to provide basic financial services, such as bank accounts, remittance, credit, insurance and pension, to the weaker sections of society and promote financial inclusion?

Introduction / Context:
Financial inclusion is a key policy goal in India, aimed at ensuring that every household has access to basic banking services and formal financial products. The Government of India has launched several flagship schemes to bring the weaker sections of society into the formal financial system. This question tests whether you can correctly identify the scheme that specifically focuses on opening bank accounts and providing basic financial services like savings, remittance, credit, insurance and pension to the unbanked population.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The scheme in question is aimed at weaker sections of society and financial inclusion.
- It includes services such as bank accounts, remittance, credit, insurance and pension under one umbrella.
- The options mention Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, Bal Swachhta Mission, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojana.
- Only one of these is widely known as the main national financial inclusion programme.

Concept / Approach:
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana is the flagship financial inclusion scheme that encourages every household to open a bank account, often with zero balance, and provides access to a RuPay card, overdraft facilities, insurance cover and links to pension schemes. The other schemes listed have different goals: Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana focuses on savings for the girl child, Bal Swachhta Mission focuses on cleanliness, and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao focuses on improving the status of the girl child. The approach is to match the broad financial inclusion and multi service description with the correct scheme.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the key features described in the question: bank accounts, remittance, credit, insurance and pension for weaker sections of society. Step 2: Recall that Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana was launched as a massive drive to open bank accounts for unbanked households across India and to connect them with basic financial services. Step 3: Recognise that under Jan Dhan, account holders receive benefits such as accident insurance, overdraft facilities and links to social security schemes, which fits the description given. Step 4: Note that Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana is a targeted small savings scheme for the girl child and does not represent a universal financial inclusion programme. Step 5: Understand that Bal Swachhta Mission is related to cleanliness and hygiene for children, not banking services. Step 6: Remember that Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojana is an awareness and support campaign for protecting and educating the girl child, not a general financial services scheme. Step 7: Therefore, the only scheme that meets all aspects of the description is Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana.

Verification / Alternative check:
Verification can be done by looking at official descriptions or standard exam notes that refer to Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana as the world's largest financial inclusion programme. They highlight features such as zero balance accounts, RuPay debit cards, insurance cover and later linkages with pension schemes. The other schemes are always discussed in separate thematic sections relating to girl child welfare or cleanliness, and not under financial inclusion headlines. This confirms that option C is correct.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, is wrong because it is a small savings scheme for the girl child, not a general financial inclusion programme for all weaker sections of society.
Option B, Bal Swachhta Mission, is wrong because it is focused on cleanliness and hygiene awareness among children, not on financial services or banking access.
Option D, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojana, is wrong because it is aimed at enhancing the status of girls through awareness and support programmes, not at providing bank accounts, insurance or pension to the general population.

Common Pitfalls:
Students often confuse different flagship schemes because many of them were launched around similar times and share high visibility in the media. Another pitfall is to focus on the name of the scheme instead of its objective; for example, some may choose Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana simply because it is a financial product, without noticing that it is not universal. To avoid such errors, it is important to link each scheme to its core goal: Jan Dhan with financial inclusion, Sukanya Samriddhi with girl child savings, and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao with social awareness.

Final Answer:
The scheme launched to provide basic financial services to weaker sections of society and promote financial inclusion is Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana.