Vol. 1, Issue 13, Part D (2015)

Abstract
The recent past ongoing string of financial crisis across the globe resulted in rising inflation, slowdown in industrial productivity, layoff of industrial units and job cuttings leading to being shaken the financial markets; both equity and debt markets. The prevailing volatility in different financial markets all over the world lead to dent in the capital market performance, challenging mutual fund industries to show consistent performance against the prevailing adverse situation. Mutual Fund Industry was able to go ahead of the market trend. The increasing trend of Indian Mutual Fund Industry bears witness to the fact that it is attracting more and more investors and winning the confidence of the investors. The fund houses are coming with innovative and low-cost products to attract the common masses, so as to contribute towards financial inclusion. The present paper is divided into three parts; the first part highlights the financial inclusion in India, second parts explains the role of mutual funds towards achieving the financial inclusion and third part contains the challenges faced by mutual funds and the action plan necessary to be taken by mutual fund industry to bring financial inclusiveness.