Agastya Vatts

Field Initiative

Project Nivesh

Project Nivesh grew from a question at the heart of my research: what does financial opportunity look like for the people whose work keeps an economy moving? It brings that question into the field through worker interviews, practical financial education, and accessible tools for informal workers in India.

From factory floors to construction sites, millions of blue-collar workers generate steady income yet remain structurally excluded from formal financial systems due to a lack of credit visibility, reliance on cash, and predatory debt cycles.

To address these barriers, Project Nivesh combines field research with last-mile execution. We conduct baseline quantitative surveys to track income allocation, deploy visual toolkits in four languages (Hindi · Tamil · Kannada · English), host interactive “Investment Clinics” across industrial hubs, and conduct wealth-building workshops. We educate workers on inflation, compounding, and safe asset classes while connecting them to formal banking and government pension schemes like APY and PPF. Project Nivesh helps the workers driving India's economic growth build long-term personal wealth.

7
Field partners across industrial hubs
300+
Workers empowered
3
Toolkits published in 4 languages
8
Field workshops conducted
A gig-economy delivery rider checking earnings on a phoneFinancial literacy workshop with informal workersA street market vendor counting daily cash takingsConstruction workers reading a printed savings toolkit

Founding Study

Investment Behavior Assessment Report

Savings & Investment Patterns Among Workers and Labourers of India — Baseline Survey · 230 respondents · September–October 2025

This is the on-ground survey that brought The Capital Prism and Project Nivesh to life. Across five informal-sector groups, namely tea garden, Ganga Sabha, construction, factory, and small shop workers, it found heavy reliance on cash and gold, only 14% aware of SIPs or PPF and 4% invested, 8% with any retirement plan, and 24% holding an emergency fund. Yet 68% already hold a bank account and 77% are open to a trusted formal alternative: the barrier is awareness, not willingness.

Download the report (PDF)

Downloadable Toolkits

The Daily Earner's Savings Ledger

Hindi · Tamil · Kannada · English — single-page, print-ready

Download

Gig Worker Insurance & Benefits Guide

Hindi · Tamil · Kannada · English — coverage comparison and claim walkthroughs

Download

Inflation & Compounding in Plain Language

Hindi · Tamil · Kannada · English — visual explainer for first-time savers

Download