Lok Sabha Question No. 5093 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-04-03
Subject: Investors Education
Ministry: CORPORATE AFFAIRS
Asked by: Poonamben Hematbhai Maadam

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5093 ANSWERED ON MONDAY, APRIL 3, 2023/ CHAITRA 13, 1945 (SAKA) INVESTORS EDUCATION

## QUESTION

5093. SHRIMATI POONAMBEN MAADAM:

Will the Minister of CORPORATE AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a) Whether  the  Government  is  taking  any  steps  to  educate  investors  about financial and good investment practices;

- (b) If so, the details thereof;

(c) Whether there are any resources available to help investors understand their rights and responsibilities under the law; and

(d) If so, the details thereof along with the manner in which these resources can be accessed?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION; MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF  THE  MINISTRY  OF  PLANNING  AND  MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS.                                                                    (RAO INDERJIT SINGH)

(a)&(b):    Yes  Sir.  As  a  part  of  the  mandate  provided  in  the  provisions  of  the Companies Act, 2013, the Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) organizes Investor Awareness Programmes, State-Level Conferences, Tele Lecture Series on IGNOU Gyandarshan TV channel; talks and telecasts of informative audiovisual content through All India Radio, Prasar Bharti (Sansad TV & Doordarshan). In addition, Social Media handles of IEPFA are also being utilized to educate investors about financial literacy. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) also undertakes various investor education and awareness  activities to create awareness on relevant issues and to protect the interests of investors in securities market.

Contd…2/-

Further, in order to increase investor awareness among larger number of people, SEBI also carries out mass media campaign giving relevant messages to investors through popular media (TV/ Radio/Print/bulk SMSs/Digital media/cinema). Investor awareness programs/workshops/Seminars/Webinars are conducted covering basic aspects of securities market, precautions to be taken while investing in securities market, rights  and  obligations  of  investors,  Dos  and  Don'ts,  grievance  redressal mechanism in the securities market, etc. (c)&(d): Yes Sir. Under Section 125 of the Companies Act 2013 to promote Investor Education, and awareness various resources have been developed in the form of Information Education Communication (IEC) material, Audio-visual content etc and are available at IEPFA website under Resources tab https://www.iepf.gov.in/content/iepf/global/master/Home/InvestorAwareness/resour ces/iec-material/handbooks.html.html. A dedicated website http://investor.sebi.gov.in  is also maintained by SEBI for the benefit of investors. The  website  provides  relevant  education/awareness  material  and  other  useful information  such  as  financial  education  booklets,  securities  market  booklet, information on various topics related to the securities market, themed based PPTs on various topics pertaining to the securities market, FAQs, etc.  The website also contains details of the schedules of various investor and financial programs which are updated on a regular basis for the benefit of the investors.  SEBI's Mobile App Saa₹thi  on  Investor  Education  was  launched  on  January  19,  2022.  The  primary objective  of  the  App  Saa₹thi  has  been  to  extend  the  reach  of  SEBI's  financial education and investor awareness initiatives to the mobile phones of investors.

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