Which Union ministry launched the 'Jan Dhan Darshak' mobile application as part of India's financial inclusion initiatives to help citizens locate banking access points?

Introduction / Context:
Financial inclusion is a major policy goal in India, especially after the launch of schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY). To support this goal, the Government of India has introduced digital tools to help citizens locate bank branches, ATMs, banking correspondents and other financial access points. One such tool is the "Jan Dhan Darshak" mobile application. This question checks whether you can correctly associate the app with the Union ministry responsible for launching it as part of the financial inclusion strategy.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The app is named "Jan Dhan Darshak", clearly linked in name to the Jan Dhan financial inclusion programme.
• The options list the Finance Ministry and three other ministries: Consumer Affairs, Human Resource Development, and Parliamentary Affairs.
• The app helps citizens find banking touchpoints and is part of financial inclusion efforts.
• We assume the usual administrative division of subjects among Union ministries.

Concept / Approach:
Financial inclusion, including opening bank accounts for the unbanked, promoting digital payments and expanding access to credit, is primarily the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance. The Jan Dhan Yojana itself is steered by the Department of Financial Services, which works under the Ministry of Finance. A mobile app designed to support Jan Dhan beneficiaries by showing where they can access banking services naturally falls under the same umbrella. In contrast, the ministries of Consumer Affairs, Human Resource Development, and Parliamentary Affairs focus on different policy areas and are not the main nodal ministries for financial inclusion technology tools.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recognise that the phrase "Jan Dhan" in the name of the app connects it to the Jan Dhan Yojana, a flagship financial inclusion scheme.Step 2: Recall that the Jan Dhan Yojana is implemented through the Department of Financial Services under the Union Ministry of Finance.Step 3: Understand that an app to locate bank branches, ATMs, and banking correspondents is a financial sector tool, not a general consumer protection or education app.Step 4: Compare the mandates of the ministries listed: Consumer Affairs deals with consumer rights and food distribution, HRD (now Education) handles education, and Parliamentary Affairs focuses on coordination of parliamentary business.Step 5: Conclude that the Finance Ministry is the only option that logically aligns with launching "Jan Dhan Darshak" as a financial inclusion support application.

Verification / Alternative check:
Government press releases about the app highlight that "Jan Dhan Darshak" was developed as a collaborative effort of the Department of Financial Services, the Ministry of Finance, and the National Informatics Centre. The objective is to provide a citizen centric platform for locating banking service points. No such association is made with the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Human Resource Development, or Parliamentary Affairs in official documents. This confirms that the correct ministry for exam purposes is the Union Ministry of Finance.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution: This ministry focuses on food security, consumer protection and the public distribution system, not on developing fintech tools for banking inclusion.
• Ministry of Human Resource Development: It deals with school, higher and technical education, now called the Ministry of Education, and has no direct mandate to launch a banking locator app.
• Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs: Its role is to coordinate government business in Parliament, which is unrelated to running citizen facing financial inclusion apps.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent mistake is to overinterpret the word "consumer" or "public" and assume that any citizen focused app must belong to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs or some other social sector ministry. Another confusion arises from not linking "Jan Dhan" directly to the financial inclusion strategy led by the Finance Ministry. To avoid such errors, always connect digital financial tools and Jan Dhan related schemes to the Ministry of Finance and its specialised departments unless you have strong evidence otherwise.

Final Answer:
The "Jan Dhan Darshak" mobile application for financial inclusion was launched by the Finance Ministry of the Government of India.