Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged citizens to reclaim their unclaimed funds, launching a nationwide campaign to return an estimated ₹1.04 lakh crore (approximately USD 12.5 billion) to its rightful owners. Speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2025, Modi emphasized that these assets, largely belonging to poor and middle-class families, are rightfully theirs, and the government is committed to ensuring they are returned.
The unclaimed assets are distributed across various financial sectors. According to Modi, approximately ₹78,000 crore is lying unclaimed in banks, ₹14,000 crore with insurance companies, ₹3,000 crore with mutual fund companies, and ₹9,000 crore in unpaid dividends.
The Prime Minister framed this initiative as a means of strengthening the trust between the government and its citizens. Modi contrasted this effort with the long-held perception of a "one-way street," where citizens felt they received nothing in return from the government. He asserted that this paradigm shifts when the trust between the government and the people becomes strong, a change now evident through various government campaigns. He pointed to the success of the self-certification process, which has been in place for 10 years, as an example of the government's trust in its citizens.
To expedite the return of these funds, the government has launched a nationwide campaign, setting up special camps in nearly 500 districts to identify the owners of the unclaimed money. Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary stated that ₹2,000 crore have already been claimed by their rightful owners in October and November of this year as a result of the "Your Money, Your Right" campaign. From October to December 5, camps have been held in 477 districts.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is also contributing to the effort. The RBI launched a scheme in September 2025 to incentivize banks to track and return unclaimed deposits, which will run until September 30, 2026. According to Deputy Governor Shirish Chandra Murmu, these efforts have already shown encouraging results, with unclaimed deposits reduced by ₹760 crore in October. RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra added that the UDGAM (Unclaimed Deposits - Gateway to Access Information) portal is being improved to be more user-friendly, which will further help in identifying accounts and claiming unclaimed assets.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had launched a three-month nationwide awareness campaign on unclaimed assets in the financial sector, called 'Aapki Punji, Aapka Adhikar' (your money, your right), on October 4. The campaign aims to simplify the process for citizens by offering on-the-spot guidance, demonstrations of digital tools, and support to complete claim procedures. Sitharaman urged people to become ambassadors of the campaign, guiding others to claim what is rightfully theirs.
The State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) is also organizing camps in various districts to settle unclaimed assets. These camps provide guidance on how to search for unclaimed assets, update records, and complete claim procedures.
PM Modi shared on X (formerly Twitter) a LinkedIn blog, inviting people to participate in the 'Your Money, Your Right' movement and convert forgotten financial assets into new opportunities. He has also emphasized that laws should not be a burden on citizens, and government reforms must make life easy.
