Digital, financial literacy need to be included in school curricula: Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday expressed concern over rising cyber fraud cases across the country, and stressed the need to create awareness among people about digital tools and inclusion of digital and financial literacy in school curricula.
Murmu was speaking at the ‘Black Swan Summit’ here organised by the Odisha government in collaboration with the Global Finance and Technology Network (GFTN).
The President said that technology has a huge potential for making a positive impact on all sectors of the economy and all sections of society. However, at times it can be misused for financial fraud, which can cause people to lose their lifelong earnings and suffer high-level mental and social distress, she said.
“There is a need to create awareness among people to be vigilant and alert to prevent such frauds,” the President said.
Ensuring digital and financial literacy is essential to deter online financial fraud. It needs to be made part of school curricula so that the advantages and disadvantages of technology can be understood at a young age, she stressed.
Murmu pointed out that the Centre has taken various measures to prevent and report digital fraud cases, including setting up the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System, and the Cyber Fraud Mitigation Centre.
The President urged all stakeholders to make every effort to enhance digital and financial literacy among people.
“We are living in a time when technology is evolving at an unprecedented pace. New innovations arrive so rapidly that our systems, skills, and business models often struggle to keep up. At the same time, these rapid advancements can also bring serious challenges, including cybersecurity threats, deepfakes, misinformation, and an increasing dependence on technology,” she said.
However, the rapid technological changes have a huge positive impact on innovation and growth, Murmu said.
Noting that India has witnessed an impactful revolution in the financial system in the past decade, she said that direct benefit transfer into bank accounts and digital payments have become very common among farmers, small shopkeepers and women. For them, “fintech” is not a technical term; it has become their lifeline, she added.
Emphasising the spread of financial literacy among women, the first citizen of the country said, “Women constitute an important segment that requires focused attention for the promotion of fintech. The Fintech ecosystem must view them not only as end users but as leaders, professionals, and entrepreneurs.”
For every new platform, product, or policy, it needs to be evaluated if it makes women active participants in the digital and financial ecosystem, she suggested.
The President said that fintech does not guarantee inclusion on its own. There continue to be citizens, especially in remote, tribal, and rural areas, who are not conversant with the digital tools. Skilling them is very important to make them participants in the development journey, Murmu stated.
She urged entrepreneurs and innovators to ensure that technology becomes a tool for social justice and inclusion.