Financial assets worth Rs 1.82 lakh crore are lying unclaimed with banks and regulators, and institutions need to ensure these reach the rightful owners, said Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday.The Union Minister made these remarks while launching the nationwide initiative Apki Poonji, Apka Adhikar (Your Money, Your Right) campaign from Gandhinagar in the presence of Gujarat Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai, Gujarat’s Principal Secretary of Finance Dr T Natarajan, M Nagaraju, Secretary in the Department of Financial Services, Union Finance Ministry and senior officials from the banks and the finance ministry.During the occasion, Sitharaman urged people to come forth with paperwork and take back their dues from the government regulator in multiple sectors.An official from the Department of Financial Services said that the Government of India, as of August 31, 2025, holds Rs1.82 lakh crore in unclaimed assets of the people of the country.According to M Nagaraju, as of August 31, 2025, banks have transferred more than Rs 75,000 crore worth of unclaimed deposits to the RBI. In the insurance sector, about Rs 14,000 crore worth of policies are lying unclaimed. About Rs 3,000 crore worth of Mutual Funds are unclaimed in India. But the highest amount, which is almost 50% of all unclaimed assets, are in equity where 172 crore company shares, and dividends, valued at Rs 90,000 crore, remain unclaimed.“Decades have passed when people who are in the know of things have constantly voiced the feeling that for the monies lying unclaimed with the RBI (Reserve Bank of India) or Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPF), we have to find the rightful claimants and hand it over to them. This money goes from banks to the RBI, or from SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) to IEPF. So the money is going from one place to another that are holding these unclaimed deposits. And it remains there passively and the true claimant is unable to lay claim to their money. It is like a ripe fruit that is there and it belongs to you but you’re unable to touch it. There cannot be a greater denial than this,” said Sitharaman.“But who is to help?” she asked. “We need some kind of a facilitation in this process and that is where the three A’s come into the system. Those who are denied access to their rightful money, can get it. These are awareness, accessibility and action. ‘Jo log vanchit reh rahe hai’ (those who are deprived), if provided with facilitation, they will rightfully be able to reach the fruit which is ripening but not falling into their hands,” said Sitharaman.Story continues below this adShe urged the gathering to spread awareness to check whether anyone in their families or acquaintances had any such documents or papers lying around to search for them and claim the money. “This would help many people get the benefit of this initiative”, she said.Notably, the RBI is the regulator for unclaimed bank deposits, SEBI for unclaimed mutual funds, IRDAI (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India) for unclaimed insurance, PFRDA (Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority) for unclaimed pension, and IEPF for unclaimed shares and dividends.‘First awareness, then access’Sitharaman said, “First spread awareness, then access and then action… where you act, on what you have and then authorities help you act. If these three things happen, then this unclaimed money of 1.82 lakh crore, which is absolutely safe… you come with paperwork and the money will be given to you. The government is the custodian for it… I honestly think it is high time we spread the word that if there are dues of yours… to access the authorities to get it back.”DFS Secretary M Nagaraju said, “These unclaimed amounts could be of insurance, a pensioner account that became dormant, it may be a shareholder whose dividend stopped after change of address… Returning them is an act of fairness and dignity. When we resolved to launch this campaign. Claims of Rs 450 crore were returned to citizens in one month.”Story continues below this adNagaraju added, “Over the next three months, the campaign will focus on awareness, which portal to visit and which documents to keep ready. Accessibility to make the process simple and within reach. In action, claims should be resolved quickly and without unnecessary hurdles.”Speaking about the decentralisation of the Union government, the minister said, “I’m thankful to PM Narendra Modi who told me to go on the streets with officials and move from one place to another and call upon the people to come and claim their dues. He told me that ‘you are sitting here with the money and they are sitting there not knowing what to do. So bridge the gap, make sure people can take it’. And taking his advice, the Gujarat government took the lead immediately and therefore, once again, I appreciate the initiative of the Gujarat government to help people get their money.”Unclaimed assets in India(As of August 31, 2025)Rs 90,000 crore: Shares and dividendRs 75,000 crore: Bank depositsRs 14,000 crore: InsuranceRs 3,000 crore: Mutual Funds