| |
| |
| |
| A Milestone on Unclaimed Assets; |
| & Workshop to Help You Embrace AI |
| |
| Dear Moneylifers, |
| |
 This month began with a development that feels especially meaningful to us at Moneylife Foundation. After years of pushing for a transparent, citizen-friendly solution, the government has finally announced plans to launch a unified portal for unclaimed financial assets across all financial regulators (Read: Moneylife Impact: Government To Launch Unified Portal for Unclaimed Financial Assets). |
| |
| For those who may not know the full history, our work on this issue began a few years ago, when I had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court asking for exactly this — a single, integrated system that would allow citizens to trace unclaimed money lying with banks, insurance companies, mutual funds, EPFO and other institutions (Read: SC Issues Notice on Plea By Sucheta Dalal That Information on Unclaimed Amounts Lying in Dormant Accounts Be Made Publicly Available on a Centralised Platform). We followed this up with multiple representations, meetings with regulators and explanatory reports, because we repeatedly saw how ordinary people were being denied their rightful money simply due to poor systems and scattered databases. |
| |
| Over the years, this issue has only grown bigger. As we revealed in our investigations, over Rs1.44 lakh crore has been transferred to RBI’s DEAF (Depositor Education and Awareness Fund) over a period of five years with only Rs5,729 crore being refunded to claimants, and nearly Rs2 lakh crore more is stuck in inoperative accounts across banks (Read: Forgotten Wealth of Ordinary Indians: Over Rs2 Lakh Crore Locked in Unclaimed Assets). In many cases, families don’t even know the money exists. In others, the trail is lost because different regulators insist on running their own isolated portals and processes. |
| |
| The government’s announcement is, therefore, a significant milestone — not just for us at Moneylife Foundation, but for citizens everywhere. A unified portal is the right direction and long overdue. However, much will depend on how the portal is built. it will be a victory when the government sets up a central database quickly and addresses all the issues that make UDGAM and IEPF difficult to access. |
| |
| Many of you have read our recent investigation on the UDGAM portal (Read: Explosive: Rs1.5 Lakh Crore+ of Govt, Welfare, Charitable Funds Locked Unclaimed in RBI’s DEAF) and the shocking discovery of government and welfare funds lying forgotten because the system simply doesn’t allow proper search or verification. We had highlighted how UDGAM lacks even a basic Boolean search, making it almost impossible for people to find accounts with spelling variations or incomplete information — something incredibly common with older records. |
| |
| For this new unified portal to truly serve the public, it must integrate data meaningfully from all regulators; fix core flaws in search and usability; allow user-friendly discovery without unnecessary barriers; and be backed by strict accountability from banks and institutions. |
| |
| The announcement is promising, but the real test will be in the implementation. We will continue our work, as we have all these years, to ensure that this portal becomes a tool that truly helps citizens recover what rightfully belongs to them. |
| |
|
| |
| Upcoming Workshop: AI Tools for Everyday Productivity |
| |
| After many requests from our members, I’m happy to share that our next session will focus on something many people find confusing, even intimidating, but absolutely essential today: Artificial Intelligence (AI). |
| |
 |
| |
| Whether we like it or not, AI tools are rapidly becoming part of workplaces, classrooms and even our daily tasks. Most people feel unsure about where to begin, what tools to trust, or how to use them safely. So, we decided to organise a workshop that strips away the jargon and focuses on practical, everyday use-cases, led by someone who has a remarkable gift for simplifying technology. |
| |
| “Does AI Scare You? Learn To Make It Your Productivity Superpower” |
| Speaker: Yazdi Tantra — computer consultant, tech educator and entrepreneur |
| Date: Friday, 16th January 2026 |
| Time: 4:00pm – 6:00pm |
| Venue: Walchand Hirachand Hall, 4th Floor, Indian Merchants’ Chamber Building, Churchgate, Mumbai. |
| Register Now: https://www.mlfoundation.in/event_registration/does-ai-scare-you-learn-to-make-it-your-productivity-superpower/387.html |
| |
| In this interactive, demo-based session, Yazdi will walk participants through: |
- Simple, non-technical introductions to useful AI apps
- Live demonstrations of tools you can start using immediately — for writing, research, organisation, planning and more
- Real-life examples that ordinary users can relate to
- Tips on safe, responsible AI usage — including privacy, data protection and avoiding scams
|
| |
| This is not a technical seminar. It’s meant for anyone who wants to understand AI without feeling overwhelmed — whether you’re a student, professional, home-maker or senior citizen. Do register! |
| |
| Yazdi has been a long-time friend of Moneylife Foundation, and we’re delighted to have him lead this session. His ability to make complex tools accessible to non-tech users is exactly why we felt this workshop was necessary. |
| |
| If your organisation or group has a set of members who will attend, we would be happy to acknowledge your organisation as a ‘knowledge partner’. Please write to us – [email protected] |
| |
|
| |
| Cyber Safety Masterclass: Protecting Seniors from Phishing, UPI Scams & “Digital Arrest” |
| |
 In November, the Foundation was happy to support a “Masterclass on Cyber-Safety for Elders” in Bhubaneswar — organised by the Silver Age Foundation for Elders. The session drew over 120 senior citizens who came to learn how to stay safe in a rapidly changing digital landscape. Our deputy-editor and cyber-fraud expert, Yogesh Sapkale, led the session and walked participants through real-world threats such as phishing, UPI scams, identity theft, fake “customer-care” calls and worrying new trends like “digital arrest” scams. He explained how scammers use fear, urgency and emotional pressure — not just technology — to trap people. |
| |
| More importantly, the masterclass taught simple, practical steps to guard against these threats: never share OTPs or banking credentials, be suspicious of unknown or shortened URLs, double-check caller identity, and use multi-factor authentication whenever possible. Participants also learnt how to report suspicious activity using grievance redressal mechanisms such as the national cybercrime portal, banking ombudsman, or regulator complaint channels. You can read more about this session on our website here: Phishing, UPI Scams, Digital Arrest: Cyber Expert Warns Seniors at Bhubaneswar Masterclass |
| |
|
| |
| Stay Connected – Join Our WhatsApp Channel! |
| |
| We’ve launched an official WhatsApp Channel to share updates on our events, seminars, workshops, counselling sessions and any other general updates directly with you. |
| |
| Join here: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBWAyKGpLHIIk6yYa3t |
| |
| If you don’t see updates right away, please note that notifications are turned off by default. Just tap the bell icon in the channel to turn them on — that way, you won’t miss any important announcements. You can also continue to follow our Telegram channel for updates: https://telegram.me/moneylife_foundation |
| |
| Check our Free Helplines and Guides or Templates as well as our YouTube Channel, where you will find a wide repository of videos on various topics. |
| |
| Video recordings of all our webinars are available on our YouTube channel and will come to your inbox regularly if you hit the subscribe button. But if you want to be notified about future events through our mailing list, you do need to be a member. |
| |
|
| |
| Moneylife TV & Helplines |
| |
| |
| Financial Literacy Videos in Indian Languages: |
- Credit cards
- Online frauds
- Fallacy of gold loans and more in Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi and Tamil, all on our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/moneylifetv).
|
| |
| Get guidance and counselling through our Legal Helpline or Credit Helpline. |
| |
| Sucheta Dalal |
| Founder-Trustee, Moneylife Foundation |
| |
| |
| Trustees: Walter Vieira, Sucheta Dalal, Debashis Basu. | | | | Moneylife Foundation is registered with the Charity Commissioner of Mumbai, is an Affiliate member of OECD's International Network on Financial Education, is a Supporter Member of Consumers International, Development Partner of Advocates for International Development (A4ID), and is a winner of the 10th MR Pai Memorial Award. | | |  | | | | Donations are eligible for tax benefits under Sec 80G of the Income Tax 1961 (50% tax exemption) and MLF is registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010. 80(G) Reg No: DIT(E)/MC/80G/685/2010-11 dated 7.2.11 effective 8.+9.2010 | FCRA Registration No: 08378138  | | | |
