On Saturday, 4th October, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled a new national awareness campaign in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, named ‘Aapki Punji, Aapka Adhikar’ (Your Money, Your Right).

This three-month drive is intended to help ordinary people find and reclaim unclaimed financial assets — such as deposits, insurance claims, dividends, shares, and mutual fund payouts. Over the course of the campaign, every district in India will be reached. The focus will be on making the process of tracing and recovering unclaimed assets from banks, insurance firms, pension funds, and stock and mutual fund companies easier and faster.

Helping people recover their unclaimed money

At the launch, Sitharaman presented cheques and claim orders to citizens who had already succeeded in recovering their unclaimed funds. She invited everyone to take part in the campaign and to spread its message within their circles:

“I urge you all to become ambassadors of this campaign, reach out to people you know, ask if they hold any papers of unclaimed financial assets, and guide them to register on the portal to claim what is rightfully theirs,” she said.

The Finance Minister emphasised that the campaign rests on three pillars: Awareness, Access, and Action. As she put it:

“If these three A’s are fulfilled, the money lying in safe custody can be rightfully claimed by the people with proper documents,” she added.

#WATCH | Gandhinagar, Gujarat: During the launch of the nationwide ‘Aapki Punji Aapka Adhikar’ awareness campaign on unclaimed assets in the financial sector, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman says, "...I want to ask everyone here to become an ambassador for this… pic.twitter.com/02hIj1soG3 — ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2025

The Prime Minister’s role and emphasis on collective effort

Sitharaman revealed that the idea to bring this scheme directly to citizens was inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“I am very grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who once advised me to go among the people and call upon them to claim what is rightfully theirs. Acting on his advice, I am glad to share that Gujarat has taken the lead in launching this campaign,” she said.

She further stressed that success depends on a joint effort:

“With concerted efforts from the Finance Ministry, regulators, state governments, and banks in villages, if the entire chain is activated, everyone will be able to reclaim their money. This is not only our assurance, but also our duty,” she stated.

NirmalaSitharaman Launches “Aapki Poonji, Aapka Adhikar” Campaign in Gandhinagar https://t.co/uVjg5IokDP — The Hindu (@the_hindu) October 4, 2025

A united front of financial regulators

The launch event was attended by Gujarat Finance Minister Kanu Desai, Department of Financial Services Secretary M. Nagaraju, and senior officials from various financial bodies. The campaign is being rolled out by the Department of Financial Services (DFS) under the Ministry of Finance, in cooperation with institutions such as 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.

The government has stated that the initiative reflects a firm commitment: every rupee saved by citizens should be accessible to them or their rightful heirs. The campaign also seeks to promote financial awareness, inclusion, and transparency by using Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) developed by regulators. These tools are meant to make claiming straightforward and free of undue hurdles.