Taking financial literacy to the ones
that need it most.

The Diksha Financial Literacy Programme is designed to help women from low income families with the knowledge and tools they need to manage cash-flow, save safely, plan for the future and make informed,
intelligent financial decisions.

Parinaam partners with Ujjivan Small Finance Bank to integrate a savings initiative where families open savings accounts and are provided access to essential banking and financial services. Diksha has been recognised and acknowledged as a pioneering programme by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Our intent now is to find more partners to digitise and scale this financial literacy programme.

In-classroom and digital delivery

The Diksha in-classroom model is a 4-module training program that has covered 10,00,00 women in 20 states across India. This program has now been compressed into 3 modules.

The Diksha program is now available online — a 90-minute curriculum that also covers financial literacy in the context of crisis situations like the pandemic.

With the online program our intention is to reach as many women from ultra-poor families as possible, across the country. Reach as many and make them financially literate and financially stable. For this we will be using mass media, outreach by staff in partner banks, in-classroom training and technology platforms; while ensuring that the content is understood by our audience which include the poorest and the illiterate.

Program Content

Budgeting — The first step to financial literacy. Creating budgets to track income and expenses and identifying surplus. Budgeting involves understanding needs and wants and prioritisation of expenses.

Saving — Once surplus is identified, they are trained to use banks and their different savings products.

Debt Management — Understanding loans as a way of fulfilling emergency needs and goals. Understanding loans, proper and timely repayment, negative effects of loan defaults, Credit Bureau and its impact.

Banking channels and Digitisation — Today financial literacy includes an understanding of digital banking as also different banking channels available for financial products and transactions

The modules are delivered through a well-designed package that includes presentations, videos, interactive sessions, interactive Q&A, assignment and the sharing of personal experiences.

12,35,032 women
8 languages
20 states and UTs

Chillar Bank

The Chillar Bank program was created to inculcate a saving habit among children and to educate them on managing bank accounts. This targets children between 12 and 17 and was created post an RBI directive to encourage children to open and manage savings bank accounts, independently.

The program has been redesigned to include Parinaam’s learnings over the years, making it more holistic and more impactful. The revamped Chillar Bank brings parents and children together in a two-pronged approach:

  • A life-cycle based model on financial management concepts and tools.
  • Joint learning — parents and children — on mutual life goals and an understanding of digital financial platforms.

This brings the children a better understanding of family incomes and the importance of saving for future needs.

Use our assets
We have created a whole lot of assets for our financial literacy program.
We have films, literature, training modules. We would only be happy if organisations working with the ultra-poor use these assets to take financial literacy to their communities. If you wish to know more, please write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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