| Basis | Formal Sources | Informal Sources |
|-------|---------------|-----------------|
| Examples | Banks, cooperative societies | Moneylenders, traders, employers, relatives |
| Supervision | Supervised by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) | No supervising organisation |
| Interest Rate | Lower (e.g., 8.5% per annum) | Much higher (e.g., 36–60% per annum) |
| Borrowers | Mostly richer households | Mostly poor households |
Formal sources follow guidelines set by the RBI, while informal lenders can charge any interest rate and may use unfair means to recover money.
Source: Chapter 3 – Money and Credit, Formal Sector Credit in India
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