Pragati – The Path to Financial Independence

Invest to Retire Early 

One morning, Pragati wakes up to some very happy news. Her hard work has paid off, and she has received a pre-placement offer from the company with which she was interning. She shared this wonderful news with her parents and acquaintances. Pragati began to list all the things that she wanted to do with her income and excitedly shared these plans with her family.

All the built-up excitement soon fizzled out when her father commented: “Your salary will make you financially independent and you should plan your expenses and investments going forward.” 

Pragati started planning, using all the information she could find. In the process, she came across recommendations about healthy and safe investment options. Pragati learnt about a webinar on financial planning by the NSE, which she found useful as a stepping stone in her investment journey.

She engaged in what turned out to be a series of informative sessions organised by the NSE across India to spread awareness about various aspects of financial planning and investment. The sessions not only outlined the key elements of safe investments and the numerous products and services on offer, but also covered the potential risks involved. As a novice learning the ropes of financial planning, Pragati found the sessions very insightful, engaging and easy to understand. The sessions also made her aware of market abuse practices and healthy investment habits. 

Pragati realised that these awareness programs are conducted in various regional languages with nearly 5,000 sessions organised over the last year. Encouraged by the initiative, she proactively requested that the NSE organise such programs at various other institutions, so that youngsters could start their financial planning early all over the country, benefiting families, peers and corporate employers everywhere and helping people make well-informed decisions.

These securities markets initiatives will increase awareness not only for individuals like Pragati, but for many citizens right across the country. 

Since the Indian capital markets have a diverse investor base, including institutional investors, retail investors and foreign institutional investors (FIIs), there is no one-size-fits-all solution for creating awareness and empowering them. 

The NSE conducts outreach programs in tier II and tier III cities to reach out to new and vulnerable sections of investors. The programs are conducted for students, MSMEs, FPOs, corporates and others.  Content via audio, video, infographics and text tailored to different classes of investors creates a powerful impact.

The NSE uses various media vehicles and leverages different channels to get higher outreach including by having various information campaigns and using short messages from capital-markets experts. It is committed to empowering investors through education and awareness and to supporting them in their financial planning journey.