Finance Ministry, RBI Working On Portal To Help Citizens Claim Unclaimed Assets: DFS Secretary

The finance ministry is working with the Reserve Bank to develop a unified portal to enable savers and retail investors to claim all unclaimed assets across asset classes such as bank deposits, pension fund, shares, and dividends, Department of Financial Services Secretary M Nagaraju said on Thursday.

The portal is expected to be launched soon, he said while speaking at a mega camp on 'Aapki Poonji Aapka Adhikar' (Your Money Your Right) organised by Punjab National Bank here.

'The Department of Financial Services is working with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to develop a unified integrated portal...for across all the regulators and to be coordinated by the RBI,' he said.

To claim unclaimed assets, RBI has launched UDGAM portal while Securities and Exchange Board of India and Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India have MITRA and Bima Bharosa portal respectively. The integrated portal would make it substantially easier for citizens to locate their unclaimed funds and convenience, transparency and trust.

Lack of awareness on the issue has led to a huge amount of unclaimed assets sitting idle in accounts, he said. With the government's constant thrust on financial inclusion and financial education, the government is trying to help citizens claim their rightful savings, he said.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on October 4 launched a three-month nationwide awareness campaign (October-December 2025) on unclaimed assets in the financial sector, titled 'Apki Poonji, Apka Adhikar (Your Money, Your Right)'.

The campaign launched by the Department of Financial Services under the Finance Ministry, in coordination 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.

Providing an update on recoveries, Nagaraju said the outreach and facilitation efforts have already enabled the return of Rs 1,887 crore to rightful owners or their nominees. He emphasised that the government intends to accelerate the pace of settlements as more camps are organised and digital access improves.

Unclaimed financial assets, including insurance policy claims, bank deposits, dividends, shares, and mutual fund proceeds, often remain unclaimed due to the lack of awareness or outdated account details.

During the campaign, the citizens will be provided with on-the-spot guidance on how to search for their unclaimed assets, update records and complete claim procedures. Digital tools and step-by-step demonstrations will also be showcased.