India's 200,000 Volunteers Inspire UN Savings Workshop

In 1977, India received a special invitation that proved grassroots action can change a nation's future.

The United Nations asked India to attend a 10-day workshop in Colombia, designed for South American countries, to share how they turned personal savings into a people's movement. R.G. Khedekar, India's National Savings Commissioner, represented the country at this exclusive event.

What made India stand out? An army of 200,000 volunteers who believed small contributions could build big change.

These weren't professional bankers or government officials. Students from schools and universities ventured into city slums and rural villages. Women social workers knocked on doors. Trade union workers talked to their colleagues. Together, they created a movement that reached every corner of the country.

By March 1976, Indians had saved 3,575 crores of rupees through these programs. That number made the savings movement the largest thrift organization in the entire country. In just one year, deposits reached 327 crores, accounting for nearly 30 percent of India's internal public debt.

The program succeeded because it met people where they were. India offered more varieties of savings schemes than any other nation, including a protected savings program designed specifically for low-income families. This innovation was unique in the world at the time.

The Ripple Effect

When volunteers showed communities that every rupee mattered, they did more than collect money. They built trust in financial systems and proved that ordinary people could contribute to national development.

The UN's invitation recognized something powerful: solutions don't always come from the top down. Sometimes the most effective approaches emerge when everyday citizens work together toward a common goal.

This 50-year-old story reminds us that collective action, even in small amounts, creates movements that inspire the world.