Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday launched a three-month-long nationwide awareness drive, ‘Aapki Punji, Aapka Adhikar’ (Your Money, Your Right), aimed at helping citizens reclaim unclaimed financial assets, including deposits, insurance payouts, dividends, shares, and mutual fund proceeds. The initiative seeks to simplify the claims process through on-the-spot guidance and digital demonstrations.
During the launch in Gandhinagar, Sitharaman handed cheques and claim orders to citizens who had successfully recovered their unclaimed funds. She urged people to spread the message, saying, “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.”
The campaign’s success, she added, rests on fulfilling the three “A”s, Awareness, Access, and Action. “If the three 'A's are fulfilled, the money lying in safe custody can be rightfully claimed by the people with proper documents,” she explained.
Sitharaman also recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s advice to take the initiative directly to citizens. “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.
Also read: PPP projects are on the rise in India: Sitharaman
The Finance Minister stressed the need for collective participation. “With concerted efforts from all - 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 added.
The campaign is spearheaded by the Department of Financial Services in coordination with the Reserve Bank of India, SEBI, IRDAI, and the Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority. It seeks to ensure that every rupee saved by citizens can be claimed by them or their legal heirs, while encouraging active participation and strengthening financial inclusion.
Comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and FAQs have been developed by regulators to make the claims process transparent and straightforward for all participants.
Follow us
