Spreading Financial Literacy
Our mission is to make India financially independent
About Swaatantra
“Swaatantra” ( स्वतंत्र meaning “freedom”) is an initiative by young 16 year old Shlok Chandak from Mumbai to spread financial literacy, especially amongst the youth and marginalised sections of the Indian society.
India is today one of the fastest growing economies in the world with a plethora of options for savings and investments. India also has a banking and financial services sector which is well regulated and uses worldclass technology. At the same time, the Government has launched a number of well thought out savings programs and insurance benefits for the common man.
However, Shlok strongly feels that while India offers many options for savings and investments, currently only the educated financial literate in India have access to the right knowledge to benefit from these opportunities. In fact, surveys reveal that only 27% of India's population is financially literate and only 16% of Indian students have a basic understanding of finance and money management.
Without proper financial knowledge, the country's citizens might never be able to make the most of this vast economic opportunity that lies ahead of them. Financial education helps in the overall well-being of society as people are able to access appropriate financial products and services to their advantage. A financially literate person is more likely to plan for future expenses, life exigencies and be ready for retirement.
Shlok strongly believes that if the under privileged of India have to progress then there is an urgent need to spread financial literacy and thus “Swaatantra” was born. Swaatantra’s mission is independence of a different kind – “Financial” independence through the spread of knowledge.
Our Mission
"Knowledge is Power". Our mission is to spread financial literacy because it is our strong belief that financial education is very important for the overall well being of society to have a financially independent present and future. We endeavor to work with primarily two sets of people where the need for financial literacy is the highest: first the youth and second at the grassroots level with lower income communities like house helps, drivers, maids, slums, municipal schools.
Action Plan
Regular workshops and group discussions in both physical and online formats to share knowledge on financial concepts such as savings, investments, insurance, online frauds etc. We are happy to conduct these sessions in Hindi so that it is easier to understand for the common man
Gradually build out a volunteer base across India
Formal tie ups with schools for organising workshops
Formal tie ups with banks to help in actual execution of transactions, for eg opening of accounts, buying of Government bonds, starting a mutual fund SIP in an Index fund etc
Please reach out to Swaatantra to make a difference
Little drops make an ocean. Swaatantra is a small start but at its heart is an aspiration of a financially literate and prosperous India. If you would like us to organise a workshop in your community or if you would like to volunteer with Swaatantra, please get in touch with us at swaatantra.org@gmail.com
Swaatantra Workshops
First session on 10th June with my mother's yoga teacher Preeti. She is from a small village from the State of Uttarakhand and had so far not focused on any financial investments other than some small land in her hometown
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