Gujarat: Nirmala Sitharaman launches nationwide financial awareness campaign

Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], October 5 (ANI): Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, along with Gujarat Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai, inaugurated a nationwide financial awareness campaign entitled "aapkii puuNjii, aapkaa adhikaar" in Gandhinagar on Saturday.

On this occasion, the Member of Parliament from Gandhinagar and Union Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation, Amit Shah, sent a message conveying his best wishes for the success of the campaign.
Union Finance Minister stated that this campaign carries a simple yet powerful message -- that every rupee saved by a citizen must be returned to them or their family. Unclaimed deposits, insurance proceeds, dividends, mutual fund balances, and pensions are not just entries on paper but represent the hard-earned savings of ordinary families. These savings strengthen education, healthcare, and financial security.
According to the release, she stated that various banks have transferred approximately ₹75,000 crore in unclaimed deposits to the RBI as of August 31, 2025. Additionally, there are around ₹14,000 crore in the insurance sector, ₹3,000 crore in the mutual fund industry, ₹9,000 crore in companies, and shares worth ₹19,000 crore lying unplanned with the RBI. Thus, a total of ₹1.82 lakh crore is unclaimed in the country, and the return of this amount will greatly benefit poor and middle-class families. If returned, this amount could greatly benefit poor and middle-class families.

Furthermore, the Finance Minister emphasised the importance of the "3 A's"--Awareness, Accessibility, and Action--as the guiding principles of this campaign. Awareness aims to inform every citizen and community about how to locate unclaimed assets. Accessibility focuses on providing easy digital tools and district-level outreach. Action emphasises timely and transparent claim settlement. Together, these three pillars will help bridge the gap between citizens and financial institutions, promote community awareness, and ensure that everyone can retrieve their rightful savings with dignity and ease.
The Finance Minister also acknowledged the active role of Regional Rural Banks, especially the Gujarat Gramin Bank, and other financial institutions in the recent KYC and RE-KYC campaigns, stating that these efforts have strengthened the connection between citizens and the formal financial system. Such efforts undertaken in villages and towns have ensured that beneficiaries remain connected to their savings and entitlements, which will prove to be a strong foundation for the success of the current campaign. The Finance Minister urged all institutions to bring the same dedication and outreach to this nationwide initiative on unclaimed financial assets, so that no citizen is deprived of their rightful money.
She said that this campaign builds on India's comprehensive achievements in financial inclusion, from Jan Dhan Yojana and UPI to Direct Benefit Transfer, ensuring that citizens not only have access to financial services but can also reclaim what they are entitled to. To ensure wide participation, the campaign will be run across all states and Union Territories over three months from October to December 2025. Digital exhibitions and helpdesks will assist citizens in easily locating and claiming their unclaimed financial assets. This reflects the central government's commitment, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, towards citizen-centric governance and its broader vision of enhancing the ease of living.
Gujarat Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai stated that the nationwide campaign, "aapkii puuNjii, aapkaa adhikaar", launched from Gujarat under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will prove to be an economic boon for the most vulnerable person in the country. Through this campaign, their own rightful, unclaimed money and funds, which have been lying for years in bank savings accounts, insurance companies, mutual funds, and the pension sector, are being returned to them with dignity. This money will be useful for developmental work in their families, including education and healthcare, which will result in a significant improvement in the standard of living for such families.
He stated that approximately ₹2,500 crore in public sector banks and around ₹235 crore in insurance companies are currently unclaimed in Gujarat, which will be returned to the rightful owners through this campaign. A special awareness campaign will be conducted in all departments of the Gujarat Government to ensure the rightful amount is delivered to their homes. He further said that the Prime Minister had assured citizens from the Red Fort that significant relief would be provided in GST. With the active efforts of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, its implementation began nationwide from the first day of Navratri. This has strengthened the Prime Minister's Ease of Living mission and brought the greatest benefit to ordinary citizens. In Gujarat, the sale of new vehicles this year is 10 times higher than it has been in the last decade.
The Minister thanked the Prime Minister and the Union Finance Minister on behalf of the Gujarat government for selecting Gujarat for this nationwide campaign.
As part of this initiative, dignitaries visited various exhibition stalls set up by banks to learn about the mechanisms that facilitate the efficient and speedy resolution of unclaimed assets in the financial sector.
Union Finance Minister and other dignitaries also distributed certificates to beneficiaries under various schemes, including banks, mutual funds, corporate funds, insurance, the PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, and the PM Suraksha Bima Yojana. During the program, the Union Finance Minister also unveiled the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and FAQ booklet for the campaign.
On this occasion, Secretary of the Union Ministry of Finance, M. Nagaraju, stated that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the guidance of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the "aapkii puuNjii, aapkaa adhikaar" national campaign has been launched in Gujarat. The Central Government continues to focus on empowering every citizen financially through schemes such as Jan Dhan Yojana, UPI, and a robust digital infrastructure. As part of this, the Ministry of Finance has laid a strong foundation for an inclusive financial system by improving public infrastructure, banking, and governance.
Welcoming the guests, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Finance Ashish More said that this nationwide campaign, launched from Gujarat, connects the government, institutions, and citizens.
Through it, every portion of the savings and capital earned by citizens' hard work will safely reach them or their families. Additionally, the campaign will ensure that large amounts of unclaimed money -- in bank deposits, insurance claims, mutual funds, dividends, and pensions -- are returned to citizens quickly, transparently, and securely.
He added that the Central Government is taking this initiative forward not merely as an administrative exercise but as a public awareness movement.
The vote of thanks was delivered by Ashwini Kumar, General Manager of Bank of Baroda (Ahmedabad Zone) and Convener of the SLBC, Gujarat.
The ceremony was attended by Dr. T. Natarajan, Principal Secretary, Finance Department of the State; Arti Kanwar, Secretary, Finance Department; Vikrant Pandey, Secretary to the Chief Minister; senior officials of the Central and State Governments; representatives of various financial institutions such as the Reserve Bank of India, SEBI, IRDA, PFRDA, IEPFA, concerned banks, insurance companies, mutual funds, and pension institutions, along as beneficiaries.
This campaign, coordinated by the Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance, provides a common platform with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), and Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA), banks, insurance companies, mutual funds, and pension institutions. (ANI)