Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday (4th October) launched a national campaign of awareness titled ‘Aapki Punji, Aapka Adhikar’ (Your Money, Your Right) at Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
The three-month campaign is to assist people in tracing and obtaining their unclaimed financial assets like deposits, insurance claims, dividend, shares, and mutual fund payouts.
Over the next three months, the campaign will cover every district in the country. It will focus on the easy and speedy resolution of unclaimed assets held by banks, insurance companies, pension funds, and stock and mutual fund companies.
Helping people reclaim their unclaimed funds
During the launch event, Sitharaman handed over cheques and claim orders to some of the citizens who successfully reclaimed their unclaimed funds. She encouraged everyone to become part of this movement and spread awareness among friends and family.
“I urge you all to become ambassadors of this campaign, reach out to people you know, ask if they hold any papers of unclaimed financial assets, and guide them to register on the portal to claim what is rightfully theirs,” she said.
Nirmala Sitharaman launches 'Aapki Punji, Aapka Adhikar' nationwide campaign on unclaimed financial assets
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The Finance Minister explained that the campaign’s success depends on three key factors, Awareness, Access, and Action. “If these three A’s are fulfilled, the money lying in safe custody can be rightfully claimed by the people with proper documents,” she added.
PM Modi’s advice behind the initiative
Sitharaman also shared that the idea of directly connecting this initiative with the public came from Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself. “I am very grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who once advised me to go among the people and call upon them to claim what is rightfully theirs.
Acting on his advice, I am glad to share that Gujarat has taken the lead in launching this campaign,” she said.
The minister stressed that collective participation is essential for the campaign’s success. “With concerted efforts from the Finance Ministry, regulators, state governments, and banks in villages, if the entire chain is activated, everyone will be able to reclaim their money. This is not only our assurance, but also our duty,” she said.
Joint effort by financial regulators
The launching event witnessed the presence of Gujarat Finance Minister Kanu Desai, Department of Financial Services Secretary M. Nagaraju, and top officials of different financial institutions.
According to the media reports, the campaign has been initiated by the Department of Financial Services (DFS) in the Ministry of Finance in collaboration with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), and the Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
The government said that it is a commitment to ensure that all rupees saved by citizens can rightfully be claimed by citizens or their legitimate heirs. The campaign also seeks to encourage financial awareness, inclusion, and transparency through Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) prepared by regulators to keep the process of claim simple and free from hassles.
