The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) hosted a Municipal Bond and Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) and Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT) outreach programme in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, to build Urban Local Bodies’ (ULBs) and state government departments’ capability to use securities markets to finance urban infrastructure. Senior officials from 14 ULBs, including Raipur, Bilaspur, Bhilai and Raigarh, participated alongside officials from Chhattisgarh’s Urban Administration and Development and Finance departments and the State Urban Development Agency. The programme included sessions on preparing issuers to access the market through municipal bonds and REITs/InvITs, investor expectations, and case studies on alternative financing, against the backdrop of the Municipal Corporation of Raipur’s announcement to raise INR 100 crore through municipal bonds. SEBI also held a follow-up meeting with Chhattisgarh ULB officials on October 31, 2025 to address specific queries and discuss measures SEBI and the state government could take to increase ULB participation in the bond market.