It should be noted that the money in these all unclaimed accounts gets transferred to the Senior Citizens’ Welfare Fund (which was launched by the government in 2016). According to the Senior Citizens’ Welfare Fund Rules, 2016, the unclaimed amounts will be transferred from small savings and other savings schemes of the central government including the Post Office Savings Accounts, Recurring Deposit Accounts, Time Deposit Accounts, Monthly Income scheme, Senior Citizens’ Savings Scheme Accounts, Kisan Vikas Patra, National Savings Certificates, Sukanya Samriddhi Accounts and discontinued Small Savings Schemes.
As per Senior Citizen Fund Rules, “Notwithstanding anything contrary contained in any other law for time being in force, any credit balance in any of the accounts under the following schemes remaining unclaimed for a period of seven years from the date of its declaration as an inoperative account shall be transferred by the respective institution holding them, to the Fund.”
(As per the Senior Citizen Fund rule, “inoperative account” means an account under any of the schemes specified by or under sub-section (2) of section 122 and not operated upon for a period of three years if operable on regular basis, or if there is a date of maturity, from date of maturity, as the case may be.)
According to the Welfare Fund Rules, before transferring the money, the institutions will try to contact each of the account holders of the unclaimed amount, including by way of written notice, e-mail and telephone, twice within a period of 60 days from September 30th of each financial year. The institution will display the list prepared for the general information of the public, on the notice boards of the relevant offices and on the website of the Institution concerned for at least a period of 60 days, inviting claims, if any.
The India Post releases a list of such unclaimed small savings accounts on its website every year.
How to find details of unclaimed small savings accounts on India Post website
Visit the India Post website and click on ‘Banking and Remittance’. On this page select Post Office Savings Scheme. And then select Senior Citizen Welfare Fund.
You will get a list based on accounts such as Savings Bank, PPF, Kisan Vikas Patra etc., and once you click on the account type, you will find state-wise account details.
Click here to get the list of unclaimed PPF accounts for 2019 in Delhi.
How the welfare fund works?
According to the welfare fund rules, on a yearly basis, the institution (in this case the post office), shall identify unclaimed funds and make deposits to the Fund on or before March 1st of each year.
“The transfers by the Institutions shall be made on a net basis, namely, the unclaimed deposits minus the claims accepted in accordance with the law for the time being in force, of the accounts whose balances have already been transferred to the Fund,” as per the rule.
Also read:
Rs 82,000 crore lying in unclaimed bank a/cs, life insurance, mutual funds, PF: How to get your money back
