# Financial Literacy Drive Reaches Bihar's Small Towns as ICICI Prudential Backs a Patna Learning Hub

> ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund and Patna-based SIDA Services have opened an Investor Learning Centre where small groups will be taught about investing, inflation and retirement planning through conversation rather than lectures.

**Type:** article · **Category:** Business · **Published:** 2026-07-03 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/business/bihar-ke-niveshakon-ko-aba-ganva-kasbe-men-milegi-paise-ki-pathashala-patna-se-shuru-hui-phainenshiyala-ejukeshana-ki-muhima-4429 · **Language:** English
**Tags:** Financial Literacy, ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund, SIDA Services, Patna, Bihar Investors, SIP, Investor Education, Paisa Ki Pathshala

India's reading and writing skills may have improved sharply, but its grasp of money still lags far behind. Government figures put the literacy rate above 80 percent, yet the share of people who are financially literate is still stuck at around 27 percent. As the need for investing and retirement planning keeps rising, so does the demand for people to understand financial matters. The catch is that smaller cities suffer from a serious shortage of such knowledge, even as the number of investors there climbs steadily. To bridge that gap, ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund has teamed up with a Patna company to start a financial education push for ordinary people.

SIDA Services, a Patna-based mutual fund distributor registered with the Association of Mutual Fund Industry (AMFI), has launched an Investor Learning Centre to promote financial literacy and investor education. The centre was inaugurated by Nimesh Shah, Managing Director and CEO of ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund. On the same occasion, SIDA Services also began the pilot run of its financial literacy initiative called ‘Paisa Ki Pathshala’. The aim is to explain personal finance, long-term investing and family financial planning to investors in a simple, structured and conversational style.

## Conversation, not a classroom
Learning sessions here will be held for small groups of 15 to 20 people. What sets them apart is that they will run like a discussion with questions and answers, rather than a classroom lecture. The topics will include estate planning, inflation, systematic investing, credit discipline, retirement planning and family financial decision-making. Each session will last roughly 45 to 75 minutes and will be followed by an interactive round of questions and answers, where people can openly raise their doubts.

## Small towns, a big share of SIPs
The entire effort rests on the belief that investors need to be made more aware. Data from the National Centre for Financial Education shows that only 27 percent of people in India are financially literate. At the same time, the share of those putting money into mutual funds is now spreading well beyond the big cities. As things stand, 54 percent of active SIP accounts come from B-30 cities. The organisers say Bihar is a strong example of this shifting trend. People here are showing plenty of interest in systematic investing, but they commit only after they find the right and trustworthy option.

## A different lesson for every age
Sanjeev Dayal, founder of SIDA Services, says investment education should reach right up to where people live and make their financial decisions. According to him, the goal of the learning centre is to create a comfortable setting where individuals and families can ask questions without hesitation, understand money matters and make smarter choices. For young people, the centre covers regular investing through SIPs, budgeting and credit behaviour. For working professionals and families, the discussions turn to inflation, goal-based planning, financial security and family financial planning. For older investors, the topics include building a retirement fund, planning a regular income and estate planning.

## What this means for you
- **Across India:** If you live in a smaller city or town, knowledge about investing, inflation and retirement planning is now more likely to reach your area, making it easier to put money to work sensibly.
- **In Bihar:** Investors in and around Patna can attend small-group learning sessions to ask questions freely about SIPs, budgeting and estate planning, and make better financial decisions.

## Questions & Answers

### 1. Who has started this learning centre?
Patna-based mutual fund distributor SIDA Services has opened the Investor Learning Centre in partnership with ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund.

### 2. Who inaugurated the centre?
It was inaugurated by Nimesh Shah, Managing Director and CEO of ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund.

### 3. How long will each session last?
Each learning session will run for about 45 to 75 minutes, followed by an interactive question-and-answer round.

### 4. How many people will attend a session?
Each session will be held for a small group of 15 to 20 people.

### 5. How many people in India are financially literate?
According to the National Centre for Financial Education, only 27 percent of people in India are financially literate.

### 6. What share of active SIP accounts comes from B-30 cities?
At present, 54 percent of active SIP accounts come from B-30 cities.

### 7. What is this initiative called?
SIDA Services has launched the pilot of its financial literacy initiative under the name ‘Paisa Ki Pathshala’.

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