**Executive Summary**
This document is the answer to an unstarred question in Lok Sabha (No. 1333), answered on December 8, 2025, regarding inoperative Jan Dhan accounts. It clarifies the RBI guidelines on inoperative accounts, the treatment of unclaimed deposits, and the process for reactivation and claiming funds. The document also acknowledges that certain data related to inoperative accounts is not centrally maintained.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **RBI Guidelines on Inoperative Accounts:**
* Savings and current accounts with no customer-induced transactions for over two years are treated as inoperative/dormant.
* **Unclaimed Deposits:**
* Balances in accounts unclaimed for ten years, along with unclaimed term deposits and other eligible credit balances, are classified as unclaimed deposits.
* These deposits are required to be transferred by banks to the Depositor Education and Awareness (DEA) Fund maintained by RBI as per the DEA Fund Scheme, 2014.
* **Account Reactivation and Claims:**
* An inoperative account can be reactivated anytime by completing Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements as per the KYC Direction, 2016.
* If a customer/depositor makes a subsequent claim for funds transferred to the DEA Fund, the bank repays the amount with interest and claims a refund from the Fund.
* **Data Maintenance:**
* Data regarding the number of inoperative Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) accounts vis-à-vis women, rural, and semi-urban areas is not centrally maintained.
* Approximately 15.09 crore inoperative PMJDY accounts exist out of the total 57.07 crore PMJDY accounts in the country.
* The total number of PMJDY accounts with less than Rs.500 is not centrally maintained.
**Impact Analysis**
**RBI**
* **Impact**
* Responsible for providing the regulatory framework (guidelines) regarding treatment of inoperative accounts and management of the DEA Fund.
* **Action Required**
* Continue to maintain and update guidelines related to inoperative accounts and the DEA Fund Scheme.
**Banks**
* **Impact**
* Must identify and classify accounts as inoperative according to RBI guidelines. Required to transfer unclaimed deposits to the DEA Fund. Responsible for reactivating inoperative accounts upon completion of KYC requirements.
* **Action Required**
* Adhere to RBI guidelines for identifying and managing inoperative accounts. Transfer unclaimed deposits to the DEA Fund. Facilitate account reactivation and process claims for funds transferred to the DEA Fund.
**Account Holders/Customers**
* **Impact**
* Accounts may be classified as inoperative if inactive for two years. Entitled to claim funds transferred to the DEA Fund after account reactivation.
* **Action Required**
* Maintain account activity to avoid inoperative status. Complete KYC requirements to reactivate inoperative accounts. File claims with the bank to recover funds transferred to the DEA Fund.
Key Entities Referenced
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY): A national mission for financial inclusion to provide access to financial services, banking and remittance facilities, credit, insurance, pension to excluded sections.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI): The central bank of India that regulates the banking sector and manages the country's currency.
Depositor Education and Awareness (DEA) Fund Scheme, 2014: A fund established by RBI to promote awareness of depositors' rights and protect their interests, and manage unclaimed deposits.
KYC Direction, 2016: Master Direction outlining the Know Your Customer (KYC) norms and requirements for financial institutions.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1333
ANSWERED ON MONDAY, 08 DECEMBER 2025/ AGRAHAYANA 17, 1947 (SAKA)
Inoperative Jan Dhan Accounts
1333. MS. MAHUA MOITRA: SMT. JUNE MALIAH:
Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:
(a) the number of inoperative accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, closed
during the last 5 years, year/State-wise;
(b) the reasons for inoperativeness of these accounts;
(c) the number of women accounts among the inoperative accounts closed during the last 5
years, year/State-wise;
(d) the details of the number of inoperative accounts closed during the said period from rural
and semi-urban areas;
(e) the number of inoperative accounts for more than one, two and three years and above with
the specific amount in them;
(f) the number of Jan Dhan accounts with less than Rs. 500 in them; and
(g) whether the Government intends to recover the funds from these inoperative accounts, if
so, the details thereof?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE
(SHRI PANKAJ CHAUDHARY)
(a) to (g) As per Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines, a savings as well as a current account
should be treated as inoperative / dormant, if there are no customer induced transactions in the
account for over a period of two years. Balances in such accounts which remain unclaimed for
ten years, along with term deposits not claimed within ten years from the date of maturity, and
other eligible credit balances as specified in the Depositor Education and Awareness (DEA)
Fund Scheme, 2014, are classified as unclaimed deposits and are required to be transferred by
banks to the DEA Fund maintained by RBI.
An inoperative account may be reactivated at any time before or after the ten-year stage by
completing Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements, as prescribed in the Master Direction
– KYC Direction, 2016 (as amended from time to time). In case of a subsequent claim from a
customer/depositor whose unclaimed amount / deposit has been transferred to the DEA Fund,
the concerned bank repays the amount to the customer / depositor, along with applicable
interest in the case of interest-bearing deposits, and lodges a claim for refund from the Fund
for the equivalent amount paid.
The data regarding number of inoperative accounts vis-a-vis women, rural and semi-urban
areas that are closed under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), is not centrally
maintained. However, there are about 15.09 crore inoperative PMJDY accounts out of the total
57.07 crore PMJDY accounts in the country.
Further, the total number of PMJDY accounts with less than Rs.500 is not centrally maintained.
******