Financial Literacy Initiatives: The Government has intensified its financial literacy efforts across the country through multiple initiatives led by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), banks, and the Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA).
The RBI’s Centre for Financial Literacy (CFL) Project, aimed at promoting community-led and participatory financial education, has so far established 2,421 CFL centres nationwide, with each centre covering an average of three blocks. Banks, through their Financial Literacy Centres (FLCs), continue to conduct regular camps on “Going Digital” via UPI and *99# (USSD), alongside specialised camps for targeted groups.
Rural bank branches are mandated to hold one financial awareness camp every month based on the Financial Awareness Messages (FAME) booklet, which covers essential topics such as basic banking, digital literacy, and consumer protection. Since 2016, the RBI has also been observing Financial Literacy Week (FLW) annually to spread financial education themes across the country. Additionally, the multilingual \”RBI Kehta Hai\” campaign remains a key tool for educating the public on safe banking practices.
The IEPFA is conducting Investor Awareness Programmes (IAPs) nationwide, including the “Niveshak Didi” initiative, which delivers financial literacy through Anganwadis, SHGs, panchayat halls, and women-only gatherings. Niveshak Didis also conduct door-to-door outreach in areas with limited mobility for women.
In partnership with India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), the IEPFA carried out 1,110 financial literacy camps under the Niveshak Didi program, reaching over 68,738 beneficiaries. Building on this success, Niveshak Didi Phase-II was launched on April 7, 2025, with plans to conduct 4,000 camps focusing on responsible investing, fraud prevention, and digital banking. The initiative will train around 40,000 women postal workers as community financial educators, leveraging the extensive rural reach of the postal network.
This information was provided by Minister of State for Corporate Affairs and Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, Shri Harsh Malhotra, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
