Patna, Oct 23 The Bihar government and markets regulator Sebi joined hands to promote financial literacy, encourage safe investment practices and protect people from cyber financial fraud, an official statement said on Friday.
A high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit reviewed the proposed strategy, with officials directed to prepare a detailed roadmap for its implementation.
According to a statement issued by the Cabinet Secretariat, Amrit suggested launching the campaign through Jeevika self-help groups in the first phase, followed by training for probationary officers to strengthen financial awareness at the grassroots and administrative levels.
The campaign, titled “Samajh Se Investing Simple”, will be implemented across the state under the Securities and Exchange Board of India’s ‘Jagruk’ project.
SEBI and its partner institutions, including SMPs and the National Institute of Securities Markets (NISM), will provide study materials in Hindi and training support without any financial burden on the state government, the statement said.
Separate strategies will be adopted for rural and urban areas, it said.
In rural areas, awareness campaigns through gram panchayats, self-help groups, Jeevika Didis and local markets will focus on identifying fraudulent investment schemes, following safe Know Your Customer (KYC) practices and reporting financial fraud.
In urban centres such as Patna, Gaya, Muzaffarpur and Bhagalpur, workshops will target students, young people and professionals, highlighting the risks posed by fake trading apps and misleading investment advice from social media influencers.
The meeting also flagged the rise in cyber financial fraud and stressed the need to educate people about SEBI’s grievance redressal portal and other official channels for reporting such cases, citing National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data for 2024.
(PTI News)
