6:30 PM IST – The Government of India has issued an important public awareness message that quietly affects millions of Indians via PIB on December 26. This message is relevant for many indians, such as salaried employees, small investors, senior citizens, and legal heirs who may not even be aware that they are entitled to money in multiple financial products, like forgotten bank accounts, old insurance policies, unclaimed dividends or inactive investments. Many people may not realise it, but this is the kind of money that usually gets forgotten quietly, not lost suddenly.
In a Press Information Bureau (PIB) release digital file under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the government highlighted a nationwide initiative titled “आपकी पूंजी, आपका अधिकार – Your Money, Your Right”. The focus is simple but powerful. It gives direct help to citizens reclaim financial assets that belong to them but have remained unclaimed over the past years.
This is not a new scheme, not a deposit drive, and not a tax-linked announcement. It is about returning forgotten money to rightful owners. There is no pressure to act immediately, and no paperwork unless money is actually found.
What Is “Your Money, Your Right”?
In simple words, this initiative helps people find money that is already theirs but has been left untouched due to:
- Old or inactive bank accounts
- Insurance claims that were never settled
- Mutual fund amounts not credited due to account changes
- Dividends or shares that were never claimed
- Pension or retirement benefits not accessed
Over time, such money remains safe with regulated institutions but becomes “unclaimed” because the owner or their family is unaware of it.
The government’s role here is facilitation, not ownership.
The Actual Numbers Behind Unclaimed Money
According to official estimates cited in the PIB release, the scale of unclaimed financial assets in India is substantial:
- Unclaimed bank deposits: around ₹78,000 crore
- Unclaimed insurance proceeds: nearly ₹14,000 crore
- Unclaimed mutual fund amounts: about ₹3,000 crore
- Unclaimed dividends and shares: roughly ₹9,000 crore
Put together, this is over ₹1 lakh crore of citizens’ money lying unused. This amount usually belongs to lakhs of small accounts, not just a few large. It is because People change cities. Bank accounts get closed. Phone numbers change. Documents get misplaced. In many cases, family members or legal heirs are simply unaware that such assets exist.
Who Is Running the Initiative
The campaign is being handled by the Department of Financial Services under the Ministry of Finance, along with India’s main financial regulators:
- Reserve Bank of India
- Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India
- Securities and Exchange Board of India
- Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority
Each regulator looks after its own area — banks, insurance, mutual funds, shares and pensions. People do not need to visit multiple offices. They can use the official online portals linked to these regulators to check if any money is due to them and start the claim process.
How Citizens Can Check and Claim Their Money
The government has made it easier for people to find and claim their unclaimed money through online portals. it works on a desktop or smartphone:
- RBI’s UDGAM portal to check unclaimed bank deposits
- IRDAI’s Bima Bharosa portal to check pending insurance claims
- MF Central to check old or inactive mutual fund investments
- IEPFA website to check unclaimed dividends and shares
In most families, this happens without any planning and often goes unnoticed for years.
There is no fee to check or claim this money. In most cases, there is no time limit, and the account holder or their family members can claim the amount whenever they come to know about it.
Beyond Websites: District-Level Support
Unlike earlier awareness efforts, Your Money, Your Right went beyond digital platforms.
From October to December 2025, facilitation camps were organised in more than 668 districts in India. Banks, insurance companies and district authorities worked together to:
- Help citizens identify unclaimed assets
- Initiate claims on the spot
- Update KYC and nominations
- Restore dormant accounts
As a result of this coordinated drive, nearly ₹2,000 crore has already been returned to rightful owners.
Bottom Line: Who Should Act and What To Do
This initiative is meant for ordinary Indians, including:
- People who opened bank accounts years ago and stopped using them
- Families of deceased account holders or policyholders
- Senior citizens with old insurance or pension benefits
- Small investors who invested once and forgot
- Legal heirs who never checked financial records
If you fall into any one of these categories, action is simple:
- Search for your name once on the official portals
- Check old documents, passbooks, policies or emails
- Talk to parents or elders about past investments
- Complete KYC and nomination updates
At Easemoney, we believe financial ease begins with awareness and one small action. Money does not stop being yours because time has passed.
This PIB initiative is a reminder worth acting on — because sometimes, the most valuable financial step is simply claiming what already belongs to you.
