Rs 3,400 crore unclaimed in Karnataka bank accounts: RBI official
Mangaluru: Around Rs 3,400 crore has remained unclaimed in bank accounts across Karnataka for more than a decade, officials said during the District Consultative Committee (DCC) and District Level Review Committee (DLRC) meeting held here on Wednesday.
Arun Kumar, Assistant General Manager of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Bengaluru Regional Office, said the central bank has launched a state wide campaign under the Depositor Education and Awareness Fund (DEAF) to help people recover unclaimed deposits. The special drive, which began three months ago, will continue till December 31, though depositors can approach banks even after the deadline, The New Indian Express reported.
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He reportedly said nearly 80 per cent of unclaimed accounts have balances of less than Rs 10,000. Many of them are decades old, lack updated mobile numbers or KYC details, and in several cases, the original account holders are no longer alive. Updating mobile numbers and customer details has been taken up as the first step in the campaign.
The unclaimed money includes deposits in savings, fixed deposit and current accounts. Customers can also check for unclaimed deposits through the UDGAM online portal.
Dakshina Kannada Lead Bank District Chief Manager Kavitha Shetty said around Rs 140 crore remains unclaimed in nearly six lakh bank accounts in the district alone. So far, Rs 20 crore has been returned to depositors of 830 accounts under the DEAF scheme.
Dakshina Kannada MP Capt. Brijesh Chowta called for stronger awareness efforts and urged banks to proactively inform customers through pamphlets and direct outreach. He also raised concerns over delays in implementing welfare schemes and stressed the need for better execution of programmes such as PMJDY, PMJJBY, PMSBY and APY.
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Ramzan fasts to begin in India from Thursday
New Delhi (PTI): Ramzan fasts will begin on Thursday in India as the crescent moon marking the start of the fasting month was sighted in various parts of the country on Wednesday.
After the sighting of the moon, the holy month begins and for the next 30 days, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk.
Shahi Imam of Chandni Chowk's Fatehpuri mosque Maulana Mufti Mukarram Ahmed announced that the crescent moon was sighted and the month of fasting will start from February 19.
Naib Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Syed Shaban Bukhari also declared that the moon was sighted.
During this month, a special prayer called Taraweeh are offered in mosques in the evening. In this prayer, the entire Quran is recited and it continues till the sighting of the Eid moon.
Mufti Mukarram has appealed to the Muslim community to "pray as much as possible for the well-being of the 140 crore people of the country".
