Project Jagrook targets students, truck drivers, first-time investors; NSE conducts 24,500+ awareness programmes across India
KD NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, Oct 11: In a major push to strengthen financial literacy, protect investors against market-related frauds and encourage responsible participation in India’s rapidly expanding securities market, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) have marked World Investor Week (WIW) 2026 with a nationwide awareness campaign under the theme “Samajh Se Investing Simple.”
The initiative, being undertaken as part of SEBI’s Project Jagrook campaign, seeks to make investing more accessible and understandable for citizens by equipping them with the knowledge needed to evaluate financial products, understand market risks, verify the authenticity of investment platforms and payment requests, and make informed investment decisions.
The 10th edition of World Investor Week, organised annually under the aegis of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), is being observed in India from October 5 to 11, 2026. The campaign brings together SEBI and securities market participants to promote investor education, strengthen awareness of investor rights and responsibilities, and reinforce safeguards against fraudulent investment schemes.
The initiative assumes particular significance as India’s investor base continues to expand alongside the growth of its capital markets, increasing the need to ensure that wider market participation is accompanied by financial knowledge, risk awareness and confidence in legitimate investment channels.
At the heart of this year’s campaign is the recognition that access to financial products and digital investment platforms must go hand in hand with the ability to understand them. By simplifying complex market concepts and making investor education more accessible, SEBI and NSE aim to help citizens approach investing with greater confidence, discipline and awareness of the risks involved.
SEBI stresses coordinated action and stronger investor protection
Sandip Pradhan, Whole-Time Member of SEBI, highlighted the importance of Project Jagrook as a coordinated, large-scale initiative designed to simplify the securities market ecosystem and empower citizens to make informed financial decisions.
He underscored the need to strengthen investor awareness through sustained education, effective communication and practical tools that help individuals distinguish legitimate investment opportunities from fraudulent offers.
SEBI’s investor protection initiatives featured prominently in the campaign, including the SEBI Check tool, the Saa₹thi 2.0 application and the verified badge for applications of SEBI-registered brokers.
These initiatives are intended to help investors access relevant information, verify details associated with market intermediaries and make more informed decisions when using digital investment services. The broader regulatory focus also encompasses the prevention of investment fraud and the strengthening of grievance redressal mechanisms available to investors.
As financial services increasingly move to digital platforms, the ability to authenticate investment-related communications, payment requests and service providers has become an essential component of investor protection.
The campaign therefore seeks to move beyond conventional financial literacy messaging by encouraging investors to adopt practical safety measures before committing their money. Understanding the nature of an investment, assessing its associated risks and verifying the credentials of the intermediary offering it are central to the initiative’s message.
NSE calls for financial discipline, wider participation
Sanjay Shorey, Executive Director of NSE, highlighted the importance of Project Jagrook in building an informed and financially resilient investor community.
He pointed to the growing participation of young investors in India’s capital markets and stressed that the expansion of market access must be accompanied by a corresponding improvement in financial awareness.
The initiative places particular emphasis on understanding investment risks, maintaining financial discipline, adopting a long-term investment perspective and using available digital tools to improve investor safety.
Shorey also emphasised the need to extend investor awareness beyond major cities and financial centres, taking financial education to rural communities and underserved sections of society. Encouraging greater participation by women was identified as another important priority in the broader effort to deepen financial inclusion.
The underlying objective is to ensure that participation in the securities market is driven by knowledge and informed financial planning rather than speculation, misinformation or unrealistic expectations of quick returns.
For a country with an increasingly diverse investor population, expanding financial literacy requires communication strategies that can reach first-time investors, young adults, working professionals, families and people with limited exposure to formal financial markets.
NSE reaffirmed its commitment to advancing investor education, strengthening protection mechanisms and supporting initiatives that enable citizens to participate in the securities market with greater understanding and confidence.
NSE signs MoUs to take financial literacy to students and transport workers
A significant component of the World Investor Week 2026 programme was the signing of memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with two partner organisations to expand the reach of investor education among students and members of the transport sector.
Piyush Chourasia, Chief Regulatory Officer and Compliance Officer of NSE, highlighted the global significance of World Investor Week as a platform through which stock exchanges and securities regulators promote investor awareness and protection.
He underlined the importance of the collaborations established under Project Jagrook, expressing confidence that the partnerships would create a lasting impact by equipping individuals with practical financial knowledge.
The first MoU was signed between the National Stock Exchange of India Limited and Vignan’s Foundation for Science, Technology and Research to support the training and development of partner trainers for financial literacy and securities market awareness initiatives.
The collaboration will operate under the Mentoring of University/College Students by Trainers (MUST) initiative, with the objective of developing a pool of trained individuals capable of extending investor education to wider student communities.
By developing trainers who can communicate financial concepts effectively, the partnership seeks to create a multiplier effect, enabling financial literacy initiatives to reach more students and helping young people build a sound understanding of saving, investing, financial planning and securities markets.
The second MoU was signed between NSE and the All India Transporters Welfare Association (AITWA), under which NSE will serve as the association’s knowledge partner.
The educational content and material developed or provided through the collaboration will be used for financial literacy, investor awareness and training programmes for AITWA members, their employees and personnel nominated by the association.
The partnership seeks to extend financial education to a workforce and business community whose members may have limited access to conventional investor awareness programmes.
Together, the two collaborations reflect a strategy of taking financial knowledge directly to people in their educational and professional environments, rather than relying exclusively on traditional investor outreach channels.
India’s expanding investor base underscores the need for sustained awareness
India’s capital markets have witnessed substantial growth in investor participation and the market capitalisation of NSE-listed companies over the past decade, reflecting the expansion of the middle class and the gradual deepening of financial inclusion.
NSE’s campaign material cites approximately 13.66 crore unique registered Permanent Account Number (PAN) counts against a national population of around 1.47 billion, highlighting the considerable scope for continued investor education.
The figure should be understood as a count of unique registered PANs and not as a direct measure of the number of active investors or the proportion of the population that invests in securities.
Nevertheless, the expanding reach of the capital market has made investor education an increasingly important part of India’s financial development.
Greater participation offers households opportunities to explore regulated investment products and engage with the formal financial system. At the same time, inexperienced investors can be vulnerable to misleading claims, impersonation, fraudulent trading applications, unauthorised investment advice and payment requests designed to divert money into illegitimate accounts.
Against this backdrop, SEBI’s principles-based regulatory approach and the IOSCO-aligned framework for World Investor Week place sustained investor education and fraud prevention at the centre of efforts to build confidence in financial markets.
The campaign seeks to establish investor awareness as a continuous process rather than an activity confined to a particular week or a single event.
Project Jagrook combines technology, assessment and interactive learning
NSE’s World Investor Week 2026 initiatives incorporate a range of digital and interactive resources designed to make financial education more engaging and accessible.
These include the Project Jagrook integrated dashboard, impact assessment of investor awareness programmes and the SMART Trainer application, alongside educational comics and interactive financial literacy games.
The dashboard is intended to support the organisation and monitoring of awareness initiatives, while impact assessment seeks to strengthen the evaluation of investor education programmes. The SMART Trainer application forms part of NSE’s technology-enabled approach to supporting training and outreach activities.
The campaign’s interactive learning resources include Spot the Scam, Financial Investigator Case File, Invest Safe Ludo and SCAM-NO.
These formats aim to make financial concepts easier to understand by encouraging participants to engage with practical situations involving investment decisions, fraud identification and safe financial behaviour.
Interactive exercises can help participants recognise warning signs, consider the consequences of financial decisions and develop the habit of verifying information before acting on investment-related offers.
The approach is particularly relevant for younger audiences and first-time investors, who increasingly encounter financial information and investment opportunities through smartphones, social media and online platforms.
By combining technology with accessible educational content, NSE aims to make investor awareness more relevant to the way people learn, communicate and access financial services.
NSE’s year-round outreach crosses 36 States and Union Territories
While World Investor Week provides a focal point for investor awareness, NSE’s broader strategy extends throughout the year through Investor Awareness Programmes (IAPs) conducted in physical, hybrid and digital formats.
According to figures provided by NSE, the exchange conducted 14,679 Investor Awareness Programmes during the financial year 2024–25.
During FY 2025–26 and FY 2026–27 up to September 2026, it conducted more than 24,500 programmes across all 36 States and Union Territories.
The figures highlight the scale of the exchange’s continuing outreach and its efforts to make financial education available to both new and experienced investors across geographical and demographic boundaries.
The programmes cover the fundamentals of investing, the characteristics of different financial products, risk assessment, responsible market participation and the precautions investors should take to protect themselves against fraud.
The use of multiple delivery formats allows the exchange to reach audiences who may not be able to attend conventional in-person sessions, while physical outreach remains important for communities with limited access to digital financial education.
The nationwide approach also recognises that financial literacy needs vary considerably. A first-time investor may require guidance on basic investment principles and risk, while an experienced market participant may benefit from updated information on investor protection, digital safety and grievance redressal.
By combining year-round programmes with the focused activities of World Investor Week, NSE seeks to establish a more consistent and accessible framework for investor education.
Investor rights, financial planning and fraud prevention take centre stage
The awareness drive places particular emphasis on helping investors understand their rights and responsibilities, make informed financial decisions and recognise fraudulent schemes.
Participants are being encouraged to develop a sound understanding of financial planning and investment fundamentals, learn about the risks and features of different products, use verified digital services and familiarise themselves with the grievance redressal mechanisms available to investors.
A key message is that investment decisions should be based on an understanding of the product, its risks and the investor’s own financial circumstances.
Investors are also encouraged to verify the registration and authenticity of intermediaries, exercise caution when dealing with unsolicited investment offers and avoid transferring money in response to unverified payment requests.
Awareness of SEBI-verified applications and legitimate market intermediaries forms an important part of this effort, particularly as fraudulent operators increasingly seek to exploit the popularity of online trading and digital financial services.
The campaign also seeks to reinforce the importance of knowing where and how to raise a complaint when an investor encounters a problem involving a market intermediary or a financial service.
By making these protections more widely understood, the initiative aims to help investors recognise that informed participation involves not only identifying investment opportunities but also knowing how to protect their money and exercise their rights.
Regional sessions, awareness stalls and street theatre widen outreach
NSE’s World Investor Week initiatives also include regional investor awareness sessions, investor awareness stalls and pavilions, and interactive financial learning games delivered through physical and online platforms.
The programme incorporates Nukkad Naatak, or street theatre, as an on-ground outreach tool to communicate messages about safe investing and protection against financial fraud.
Such formats can help take financial education into public spaces and communities where conventional seminars may have limited reach.
By presenting financial concepts through familiar, participatory and easy-to-understand formats, the campaign seeks to make investor protection relevant to a wider cross-section of society.
The target audience includes traders, young adults, families and first-time investors, alongside people who may be considering entering the securities market for the first time.
The broader strategy is to move beyond conventional awareness channels and create opportunities for citizens to engage directly with financial education in settings that are accessible and relevant to their everyday lives.
Long-term investing requires knowledge, not unrealistic promises
The emphasis on long-term investing and financial discipline is particularly important in a market environment where individuals may be exposed to exaggerated return claims, speculative advice and misleading online promotions.
A sound investment approach requires an understanding of risk, a clear assessment of financial goals and a willingness to make decisions based on reliable information rather than pressure or promises of guaranteed profits.
Investor education can help people distinguish between saving and investing, understand that different products carry different levels of risk, and recognise that market-linked returns are not guaranteed.
It can also encourage investors to assess whether a financial product is appropriate for their objectives and financial circumstances instead of following unverified recommendations.
For regulators and exchanges, the challenge is not merely to increase the number of people entering the securities market, but to ensure that participation is informed, responsible and supported by effective safeguards.
In this respect, Project Jagrook’s emphasis on practical education, digital verification, financial planning and fraud awareness seeks to address the risks that can accompany the rapid expansion of retail participation.
NSE’s technology-led market infrastructure supports India’s capital markets
Established in 1994, the National Stock Exchange of India was the country’s first exchange to introduce electronic, screen-based trading, helping transform the way securities are traded in India.
NSE operates an integrated business model covering exchange listings, trading services, clearing and settlement services, indices and market data feeds. It also oversees compliance by trading and clearing members and listed companies with applicable SEBI and exchange rules and regulations.
The exchange has made technology a central element of its operations, focusing on innovation, system reliability and performance.
According to statistics maintained by the Futures Industry Association, NSE ranked as the world’s largest derivatives exchange by trading volume, measured by contracts, in calendar year 2025.
Separately, statistics maintained by the World Federation of Exchanges placed NSE third globally in the equity segment by number of trades executed through the electronic order book in 2025.
The exchange’s investor awareness campaign complements this technology-driven market infrastructure by focusing on the knowledge and safeguards required for meaningful participation.
As access to trading platforms becomes increasingly convenient, investor education remains essential to helping individuals understand the products they are accessing and the risks associated with their decisions.
Building a more informed and resilient investor community
World Investor Week 2026 highlights a broader priority for India’s financial markets: ensuring that the growth of investment participation is accompanied by an equally strong commitment to financial literacy and investor protection.
Through Project Jagrook, the “Samajh Se Investing Simple” campaign, partnerships with educational and transport-sector organisations, digital learning tools and nationwide awareness programmes, SEBI and NSE are seeking to bring practical financial knowledge closer to citizens.
The initiative’s effectiveness will ultimately depend on its ability to translate awareness into lasting behavioural change—encouraging investors to verify information, understand risks, make considered decisions and use legitimate channels for financial transactions and grievance redressal.
As India’s capital markets continue to evolve, sustained investor education will remain essential to building trust, reducing vulnerability to fraud and encouraging responsible participation across different sections of society.
The central message of the campaign is clear: widening access to investment opportunities is important, but ensuring that people understand what they are investing in, the risks they are taking and the protections available to them is equally critical to the long-term health of the financial ecosystem.
