Odisha govt partners with NSE to boost financial literacy among students

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha's Higher Education Department on Thursday signed a MoU with the National Stock Exchange (NSE) to enhance financial literacy through investor awareness programmes and to implement student skilling initiatives. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in the presence of Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj.

The partnership aims to promote financial literacy and investor awareness among students, enabling them to make informed decisions and participate in the securities market, officials said. The collaboration will provide students with skills required to find employment in the securities market, mutual funds, investment advisors and Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) sector.

The state government will not bear any cost for implementation of two courses on financial literacy programme. The NSE will impart two fundamental courses as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity, Suraj said. After imparting coaching, the youths can build careers as mutual fund advisor, financial advisor, policy broker and stock broker, Suraj said, adding, it will largely benefit the commerce stream students.

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Placement for students

Earlier, the state government had collaborated with BFSI and Board of Practical Training (BOPT). During that time, a private firm had announced plans to provide placement to 5,000 youths. So far, 394 students from 58 colleges have participated in the placement drive by the company, of which 238 students have received offer letters, he added. The minister informed that the state government will take steps to include such placement-linked programmes in the curriculum.

Sriram Krishnan, chief business development officer, NSE said , "Through initiatives like investor awareness programmes and the student skilling programme, we are fostering a well-informed community for both seasoned and new investors. Moreover, we are also committed to equipping the youth of Odisha with the vital skills needed to thrive in today's ever-evolving financial landscape."

From April 2024 to March 2025, the NSE conducted 14,679 investor awareness programmes across all 36 states and Union Territories in 14 languages, reaching more than 8 lakh participants. Under the student skilling programme, more than 7500 students have been trained across various states, sources said.