MARKET regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), will help the mutual fund industry in its efforts to increase financial literacy, a senior Sebi official said. "Sebi is keen on focusing on investor education. It will help the mutual fund industry in its efforts to increase financial literacy," Sebi chairman, C B Bhave, said here. "Our big challenge is investor education and financial literacy. Investors should get the scheme information document in regional languages," Mr Bhave said. He said that the mutual fund industry was at the crossroads and should not expect results in six months. "It is always difficult to accept change but if you are confident that the change is good for the consumer you accept it eventually," Mr Bhave said. On the issue of financial literacy, he said that it is a big challenge due to the vastness and diversity of the country. The importance of having the messages (of financial literacy) in regional languages cannot be emphasised enough, he said.
As the name suggests, it's an electronic process through which money can be transferred from one bank account to another. According to RBI, this mode is usually used for regular payments and receipts, like distribution of dividend, interest, salary, pension etc. This mode is also used for collection of bills for telephone, electricity, water, various types of taxes, payment of EMIs , investments in mutual funds , payment of insurance premium etc. There are two types of ECS , like most other banking transactions, ECS credit and ECS debit. An ECS credit is used by a bank account holder , usually a large company or an institution for services like payment of dividend, in terest, salary, pension etc. If your mutual fund pays you dividend to your bank account, of all probability it is being paid through ECS credit.ECS debit, on the other hand, is used when a company or an institution is getting money from a large number of people. For example if you are investing in a mutual fund sc...