SEBI Launches Project Jagrook as Mutual Fund AUM Reaches ₹87 Lakh Crore

Key Takeaways:

• SEBI has launched Project Jagrook, a nationwide investor-education initiative that will run through March 2027 and use digital, mass-media and physical outreach channels. 
• Mutual fund assets under management have risen from around ₹12 lakh crore in FY16 to approximately ₹87 lakh crore, according to SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey. 
• The regulator is increasing its focus on financial literacy as its investor survey shows a wide gap between awareness of securities-market products and actual participation. 

The Securities and Exchange Board of India has launched Project Jagrook, a nationwide investor-awareness programme aimed at improving understanding of securities-market products and strengthening safeguards against misinformation and financial fraud. 

The initiative brings together SEBI, stock exchanges, depositories, the Association of Mutual Funds in India and the National Institute of Securities Markets under a coordinated investor-education framework. Outreach under the programme is scheduled to continue through March 2027. 

The launch comes alongside a sharp expansion in India’s investment industry. 

SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey said mutual fund assets under management have increased from approximately ₹12 lakh crore in FY16 to around ₹87 lakh crore, representing a compound annual growth rate of roughly 21% over the decade. 

The broader securities-market investor base has expanded as well. India now has about 23.8 crore demat accounts and roughly 15 crore unique investors, while market capitalisation has increased from around ₹95 lakh crore in FY16 to approximately ₹472 lakh crore. 

SEBI’s latest investor survey, however, points to a gap between market visibility and participation. 

Around 63% of households surveyed were aware of at least one securities-market product, while only about 9.5% participated in the market. The regulator also found relatively limited awareness of its investor-protection and grievance-redressal mechanisms. 

Project Jagrook is designed partly to address that gap. 

The campaign will use television, print, radio, cinema, social media, digital platforms, OTT services and WhatsApp. Communication will be available in English, Hindi and 11 regional languages. SEBI also plans financial-literacy initiatives through educational institutions and rural outreach in partnership with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. 

A central theme of the programme is the need to distinguish regulated financial information from anonymous tips, unregulated online commentary and claims promising unusually high returns. 

The initiative broadens investor education at a time when mutual funds have become a substantially larger part of household participation in capital markets. Higher AUM and investor numbers increase the scale of the market, while SEBI’s latest programme focuses on improving the quality of information available to those participants.