CDSL IPF Trust to launch investor awareness campaign in NE towns

The CDSL Investor Protection Fund Trust is launching a financial education campaign across 84 North East towns to promote safe and informed participation in the securities market.

An investor awareness campaign across 84 towns in the North East, aimed at addressing the region's low participation in the securities market through focused financial education, is being launched by the CDSL Investor Protection Fund (IPF) Trust, a statement said here on Tuesday.

The move would enable individuals to participate in the securities market in a safe and informed manner.

The campaign will be held in seven states -- Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Sikkim.

The initiative of the CDSL IPF Trust is designed to bridge the awareness gap by taking essential investment knowledge directly to communities in local languages and through formats that are simple, accessible and relevant, the statement said.

The CDSL IPF Trust is an independent trust established by the Central Depository Services (India) Ltd (CDSL) to compensate investors for financial losses arising from fraud, negligence or unauthorised transfers by a Depository Participant, and to fund investor education.

The campaign will deploy mobile awareness vans starting from Guwahati, equipped with LED screens, multilingual audio-visual content, and interactive sessions on investor rights, safe investing practices, and demat accounts.

To deepen engagement, the outreach will also include street plays, mobile theatre integrations and youth-focused engagement formats, using familiar community platforms to simplify financial concepts and encourage informed decision-making, the statement said.

Speaking on the initiative, Nayana Ovalekar, chief regulatory officer, CDSL, said, ''We see the North East as a priority region where stronger investor awareness can help safeguard individuals and support informed participation. While access to financial services has improved, understanding of market-linked investments remains limited.''.

''Through this campaign, we are taking investor education directly to communities in formats and languages that are relatable and easy to understand. Our focus is simple – equip individuals with the knowledge to invest safely and confidently,'' Ovalekar added.

Despite progress in financial inclusion, participation in the securities market across North East remains low, the statement said.

As per the SEBI Kantar Report, Sikkim records the highest household penetration in the region at 10.1 per cent, followed by Arunachal Pradesh at 7.9 per cent, and Assam at 6.5 per cent, while states such as Meghalaya (4.2 per cent) and Nagaland (3.4 per cent) lag further behind.

In comparison, the national average household penetration stands at 9.5 per cent, highlighting a clear gap in investor awareness and participation across the region.

Through this campaign, CDSL IPF aims to bridge this gap by delivering consistent, accessible and practical investor education, enabling more individuals to participate in India's financial markets with confidence, the statement said.