This paper attempts at examining the ways in which various factors affecting savings influence different aspects of a savings decision. The three aspects of a decision to save were identified as the ability to save, the willingness to save and the opportunity (availability of institutional infrastructures) to save. It also analyses the contributions of rural savings in the total financial savings in India over a period of time. It was observed that though the growth in rural financial savings, especially deposits with the banking institutions was not discouraging, it needs to be further accelerated. The paper suggests the need for mobilising rural savings and highlights the problems that inhibit the mobilisation of rural surpluses. It also suggests various measures for increasing mobilisation of savings and discusses the role of financial intermediation in the savings process with special reference to rural India.