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.
IDFC - Long term infrastructure bonds What are infrastructure bonds? In 2010, the government introduced a new section 80CCF under the Income Tax Act, 1961 (" Income Tax Act ") to provide for income tax deductions for subscription to long-term infrastructure bonds and pursuant to that the Central Board of Direct Taxes passed Notification No. 48/2010/F.No.149/84/2010-SO(TPL) dated July 9, 2010. These long term infrastructure bonds offer an additional window of tax deduction of investments up to Rs. 20,000 for the financial year 2010-11. This deduction is over and above the Rs 1 lakh deduction available under sections 80C, 80CCC and 80CCD read with section 80CCE of the Income Tax Act. Infrastructure bonds help in intermediating the retail investor's savings into infrastructure sector directly. Long term infrastructure Bonds by IDFC IDFC issued an earlier tranche of these long term infrastructure bonds on November 12, 2010. This is the second public issue of long-te...
