Dear Moneylifers,
Let me start by wishing you and your family a joyous Diwali. This festive season brings us together in joy and reflection, and at Moneylife Foundation, it also strengthens our commitment to advocate for your financial well-being.
This Diwali, I urge you to reach out to us with any financial or consumer issues that concern you. Whether it’s unfair charges, delays in services or lack of clarity around investments, we’re here to listen and support you in navigating these challenges. Every message we receive informs our advocacy and helps us work towards a fairer, more transparent financial environment.
As you enjoy the festivities, remember to stay vigilant. The holiday season also brings out scammers eager to take advantage of shoppers. Be cautious and informed as you embark on your shopping sprees. Should you or your loved ones encounter any issues, our resources are here to guide you in filing grievances or consumer complaints.
Also, do consider sharing the gift of empowerment with your friends and family by inviting them to join Moneylife Foundation for free—just fill out a simple form to become a member.
Donation Match Campaign
We are thrilled to announce a special opportunity this festive season: for a limited period, every donation made to Moneylife Foundation will be matched up to Rs3,000 by a generous donor. This means that your contribution will go twice as far in supporting our mission to empower citizens, promote financial literacy and advocate for consumer rights.
With your support, we can continue conducting enlightening seminars, webinars, and workshops; offer free guidance and counseling through our helplines; and champion causes that impact our members and the broader community. Your donation this Diwali will not only be matched but will amplify our efforts toward a fairer, more informed future for all.
Donate Now and join us in making a lasting difference!
Empowering Civic Action Through Right to Information (RTI) and Social Media
Our recent full-day seminar, Leveraging RTI and Social Media for a Better Quality of Life, brought together a packed audience and featured talks by prominent individuals such as journalist and RTI activist Anil Galgali, social activist Bhaskar Prabhu and environmentalist Zoru Bhathena. The speakers shared actionable insights on how citizens can effectively use RTI, social media and other tools to address pressing civic concerns in Mumbai, from infrastructure issues to public safety hazards.
The seminar included a thought-provoking panel discussion moderated by former Central Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi. Panelists included Mohammed Afzal, a consumer and human rights activist, Adv Sulaiman Bhimani, founder of The Law Suits and Citizens’ Justice Forum and Adv Trivankumar Karnani, a criminal litigation lawyer and founder of Mumbai North Central District Forum (MNCDF), a collective group of citizens who seek better civic governance in Mumbai. Together, they shared their experiences, discussed challenges and inspired the audience with stories of positive change.
A key takeaway from the event was a reminder that citizens have the right to seek transparency and accountability from their government without fear of retribution or negative action against them. Speakers and panelists encouraged everyone to start small, focusing on immediate local issues such as potholes and road quality, maintenance of public parks and gardens or waste management, before taking on larger issues in a more collective manner.
For those who could not attend, we encourage you to read our coverage here: https://www.mlfoundation.in/event_registration/leveraging-rti-and-social-media-for-a-better-quality-of-life/378.html and watch the recording available soon on our YouTube channel.
We welcome suggestions, especially from Mumbaikars on issues that you would like to have us address through interactive seminars with expert speakers.
Counselling and Helplines
Our counsellor for housing society related matters, Mr. Shirish Shanbhag is on an extended medical leave, and we extend our best wishes for his swift recovery. In his absence, Advocate Avinash Phatak has graciously offered to collectively handle both the Wednesday and Thursday sessions, conducting extended hours to accommodate any additional demand.
We now offer regular counselling sessions on the following days: Tuesdays for banking, consumer and insurance matters with Mr. Abhay Datar; and Thursdays for housing society, property matters, Mhada, Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), cessed buildings, as well as criminal and consumer litigation with Adv. Avinash Phatak.
Counselling is available both in-person and via video conferencing through Zoom by prior appointment. To schedule, please call 022-35131664 or 35036925, or submit your query through our legal helpline.
Please also make an effort to visit and share the links to our website, where you can read more about cases of mis-selling, fraud alerts, consumer cases and also solutions to housing society problems.
Join us on WhatsApp and Telegram
We realise that most members find it easier to access information on WhatsApp /Telegram etc. If you are not already on our lists, please click on this link to join – https://api.whatsapp.com/send/?phone= 917045156415&text= Hi%21+Please+add+me+to+your+broadcast+ lists+and+make+me+a+member.&app_absent=0 and follow our Telegram channel here – https://telegram.me/moneylife_foundation.
Check our Free Helplines and Guides or Templates as well as our YouTube Channel, where you will find a wide repository of videos on various topics.
Video recordings of all our webinars are available on our YouTube channel and will come to your inbox regularly if you hit the subscribe button. But if you want to be notified about future events through our mailing list, you do need to be a member.
Moneylife TV & Helplines
Catch up with our financial literacy work through Moneylife TV and Moneylife News Bites.
Moneylife Foundation's WhatsApp number (+91 7045156415) and WhatsApp broadcast list.
Telegram channel.
Instagram
Financial Literacy Videos in Indian Languages:
Credit cards
Online frauds
Fallacy of gold loans and more in Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi and Tamil, all on our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/moneylifetv).
Get guidance and counselling through our Legal Helpline or Credit Helpline.
Sucheta Dalal
Founder-Trustee, Moneylife Foundation
Trustees: TS Krishnamurthy, Walter Vieira, Sucheta Dalal, Debashis Basu.
Moneylife Foundation is registered with the Charity Commissioner of Mumbai, is an Affiliate member of OECD's International Network on Financial Education, is a Supporter Member of Consumers International, Development Partner of Advocates for International Development (A4ID), and is a winner of the 10th MR Pai Memorial Award.
Donations are eligible for tax benefits under Sec 80G of the Income Tax 1961 (50% tax exemption) and MLF is registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010.
80(G) Reg No: DIT(E)/MC/80G/685/2010-11 dated 7.2.11 effective 8.+9.2010 | FCRA Registration No: 08378138