Sebi to launch toll-free helpline for investors

Market regulator the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) would launch a toll-free helpline as part of educating investors on the securities market, Chairman UK Sinha said today.

With the launch of helpline, an investor can ask any question regarding the securities market which will be answered. "The reason why we are launching is that we have identified that self-help mechanism could be more useful for investor," Sinha told reporters.

Besides, Sebi would launch in association with the Central Board of Secondary Education a course curriculum on financial markets at the secondary school level as part of educating the younger generation (about the financial market).

"We are trying to make all the students aware about the basics of financial market. [Before launching], the curriculum will be tested. It will be built in to the senior secondary curriculum to begin with," he said on the sidelines of a conference.

Asked why it has been launched through the CBSE mode than targeting the state government run schools, he said once this experiment was successful, it would be expanded into other areas.