RAS question
The 'Aapki Punji, Aapka Adhikar' campaign launched by FM Sitharaman in October 2025 aims to help citizens reclaim unclaimed financial assets worth approximately how much?
Correct answer: (C) ₹1.84 lakh crore.
The Aapki Punji, Aapka Adhikar campaign was launched to help citizens reclaim about Rs 1.84 lakh crore in unclaimed financial assets.
Explanation
Aapki Punji, Aapka Adhikar is aimed at returning unclaimed financial assets to their rightful owners. The verified figure is Rs 1.84 lakh crore, not a smaller deposit-only estimate. The existing break-up shows why the total is so large: it includes over Rs 75,000 crore in unclaimed deposits with RBI's DEAF, more than Rs 13,800 crore in insurance proceeds, Rs 3,000 crore in mutual funds and over Rs 9,000 crore in unpaid dividends. The cited report also frames the campaign around Awareness, Access and Action, with the purpose of helping people trace and claim assets lying with banks and regulators. That is why option C captures the scale of the campaign.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Rs 75,000 crore refers only to the unclaimed deposits component in RBI's DEAF, so it understates the campaign's overall target.
- (B) Rs 1.25 lakh crore is below the verified total of unclaimed assets covered by the campaign and does not match the cited figure.
- (D) Rs 2.50 lakh crore overstates the amount, as the cited figure for assets lying unclaimed with banks and regulators is Rs 1.84 lakh crore.
Concept
This tests current economic governance, especially how regulators and the finance ministry deal with dormant financial assets. It recurs in RAS because such campaigns link financial inclusion, citizen services and institutional accountability.