Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday revealed that financial assets worth ₹1.84 lakh crore are lying unclaimed with banks and regulators. She urged officials to take proactive steps to ensure that these funds are returned to their rightful owners.
The announcement came during the launch of a three-month nationwide campaign called “Apki Poonji, Apka Adhikar” (Your Money, Your Right) in Gandhinagar. The campaign is designed to raise awareness and make it easier for citizens to trace and reclaim their unclaimed savings.
Speaking at the event, Sitharaman underlined the importance of focusing on the “3 A’s” — Awareness, Accessibility, and Action. She said these would serve as the guiding principles for reclaiming unclaimed assets.
Awareness means ensuring every citizen knows about the possibility of unclaimed deposits and how to check them.
Accessibility refers to creating simple digital tools and local outreach at the district level.
Action stresses the need for time-bound and transparent claim settlements.
According to the finance minister, combining these three pillars will help bridge the gap between citizens and financial institutions, ultimately allowing individuals to reclaim their rightful savings with ease and dignity.
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The finance minister clarified that these unclaimed assets are not just numbers in financial records but represent the hard-earned savings of ordinary families. These include:
Bank deposits that have not been claimed.
Insurance proceeds.
Dividends from company shares.
Mutual fund balances.
Pension amounts.
“These savings can make a difference in supporting education, healthcare, and long-term financial security for families,” Sitharaman said.
Explaining how these unclaimed funds are managed, Sitharaman said they are transferred between institutions depending on the nature of the asset.
Unclaimed deposits move from banks to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
Unclaimed shares and investments are transferred by SEBI to the Investor Education and Protection Fund (IEPF).
She emphasized that the money is safe and secure, and that citizens can claim it at any time by presenting the proper documents.
“As per the Department of Financial Services, ₹1,84,000 crore is lying there. It is safe. I can assure you it is absolutely safe. You come when you want with proper papers. Money will be given to you. The government is the custodian for it,” she said.
The finance minister highlighted the role of the RBI’s UDGAM (Unclaimed Deposits Gateway to Access Information) portal, which allows citizens to track their unclaimed deposits.
She urged people to use the platform, stressing its efficiency. “The moment you claim it, you get it. So, I honestly think it is high time that all of us spread the word to everyone,” Sitharaman said.
Sitharaman called on officials to actively reach out to people who may have unclaimed deposits, insurance policies, or small balances that they might not even be aware of.
“The first A is awareness. Build awareness. Tell them that your money is lying there, come with this document and take it,” she said. She also emphasized action as the final step: “The third A is action, where you act on whatever you have, like small bits of papers.”
The finance minister praised the Gujarat Gramin Bank for taking a proactive approach by promising to visit every village in the state to trace the rightful owners of unclaimed deposits.
Sitharaman revealed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had personally pushed for the initiative. He urged the Finance Ministry to bridge the gap and ensure that people are able to claim what is rightfully theirs.
The campaign reflects this push, aiming to ensure that every rupee saved by citizens reaches them or their families.
The finance minister described the campaign’s message as both simple and powerful. She said the essence of the initiative is that “every rupee saved by citizens must return to them or their families.”
By stressing dignity, transparency, and timely settlements, Sitharaman said the campaign will help citizens reclaim money that belongs to them, while also strengthening trust between the public and financial institutions.
The launch of the “Apki Poonji, Apka Adhikar” campaign highlights the government’s focus on returning unclaimed savings worth ₹1.84 lakh crore to rightful owners. With mechanisms such as the RBI’s UDGAM portal, local outreach, and district-level awareness programs, the initiative seeks to empower citizens to trace and reclaim their money.
By focusing on the three pillars of Awareness, Accessibility, and Action, the campaign aims to ensure that unclaimed deposits, dividends, pensions, and other savings are no longer left forgotten, but instead return to the households that earned them.
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