When the finance ministry launched its second nationwide campaign to help citizens recover staggering amounts of unclaimed deposits, the message was simple: We will help you trace your money. After the 100 Days–100 Pays campaign of 2023 turned out to be a damp squib, the ministry launched another one on 25th October, this time incentivising banks with a fee to locate rightful claimants. Would it work? I asked in my column on 10th October . The answer is shocking. Vanished Public Funds: Zero Accountability Soon after the latest campaign began, a banker was alarmed by an internal WhatsApp message listing the ‘Top 50 DEAF (depositor education and awareness fund) accounts’ in one region. One of the largest unclaimed deposit turned out to belong to a government fund with a

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