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This book examines the important issue of rural and urban indebtedness using two important surveys viz., "All India Debt and Investment Survey", and the "Situation Assessment Survey (SAS)", of the farmer households. The work highlights the nature and extent of indebtedness at the national level and also for selected states in India. It takes into consideration various households level characteristics such as economic status of the household, social status and weaker sections such as female headed households.The analysis draws attention to a number of significant aspects such as extent of use of loan for different purposes distinguished as different income generating and non- income generating purposes; the relation between sources of credit (formal vs. informal), terms and conditions of a loan and economic and social status of a household, and so on. It stressed the necessity of strengthening the Self Help Group Bank Linkage Programme and similar programmes for farmer groups which can be an effective means to bring weaker and deprived sections to the net of the formal banks and strengthen the financial inclusion programme.

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