Addressing an interactive ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ session focused on the Indian financial markets at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the Finance Minister said the middle-class families have now realised that even though investing in markets has its risks, “there are better returns too”.

"We must guard and build from strength to strength the trust that Indians are showing in the stock markets," FM Sitharaman told the gathering.

She also said the mindset that savings have to be made in post-offices and banks has not gone away from the minds of the opposition parties.

“But India has moved far away, moved far ahead, and moved fast forward,” the FInance Minister said.

The middle-class families are now willing to find new ways of investing in stocks and are opening demat accounts as never seen before, she added.