[ Karyir Riba ]
NAMSAI, 29 Dec: District-level camps on the Depositor Education and Awareness Fund (DEAF) were held at SBI Chowkam, PNB Namsai, and Apex Bank Namsai on Monday.
Namsai Lead District Manager Ojing Taboh explained the nuances of DEAF accounts.
He informed, “Under RBI regulations, balances lying in inoperative bank accounts for over 10 years are transferred by banks to the DEAF, a fund maintained by the Reserve Bank of India. The purpose of this mechanism is to safeguard unclaimed deposits while allowing depositors or legal heirs to reclaim the amount at any time through their bank.”
RBI Itanagar Manager Raju Manpang urged the public to search for any unclaimed deposits by visiting the RBI’s UDGAM portal, and register with name and number.
Addressing the gathering, Namsai Apex Bank Branch Manager D Chowlik emphasised the economic significance of settling unclaimed amounts.
“It is difficult to figure out the beneficiary as most of the accounts were without proper addresses and contact details. However, the bank has tried to reach each one by engaging local people, and also by displaying the names on the notice board of branches,” he said.
During the event, as per reports, the SBI Chowkham branch settled one DEAF account amounting to Rs 23,813, while the APSCAB settled one account of Rs 800, and PNB Namsai settled two accounts totalling to Rs 900.
A composite video explaining the claim process for unclaimed assets was screened, and banks presented their progress reports. Certificates were also handed over to two successful claimants.
The DEAF awareness camps will continue until 31 December, with assistance counters supporting citizens in claiming unclaimed deposits, insurance claims, dividends, shares, and mutual funds, in addition to helping with KYC updates, claim form-filling, and document verification.
Representatives from various banks, including the Chowkham SBI branch manager, the Namsai and Mahadevpur Apex Bank branch managers, and the PNB branch manager, and several DEAF account holders attended the programme.
