SHIMLA
The campaign to trace rightful claimants of dormant bank accounts in Himachal Pradesh is progressing at a sluggish pace. Out of 10.77 lakh inactive accounts, only 8,125 account holders have been identified in four months.
Expressing strong displeasure, Finance Secretary Abhishek Jain warned banks that if the situation does not improve, the matter will be reported to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
The issue came to light during the 179th meeting of the State Level Bankers’ Committee held in Shimla. Officials revealed that nearly ₹333 crore is lying in dormant accounts across the state. These accounts have seen no transactions for the past 10 years and, as per procedure, the funds have been transferred to the RBI.
A special drive was launched in October 2025 following central government directions to identify account holders or their legal heirs and return the funds. However, after four months, only 8,125 cases have been resolved, and ₹24 crore has been returned to beneficiaries.
District-Wise Status of Dormant Accounts
-
Kangra: 2,25,602 accounts | 2,111 claimants identified
-
Solan: 1,41,154 | 792
-
Mandi: 1,38,176 | 648
-
Shimla: 1,35,398 | 946
-
Una: 93,814 | 593
-
Kullu: 90,523 | 805
-
Hamirpur: 82,368 | 735
-
Sirmaur: 59,753 | 398
-
Bilaspur: 46,784 | 564
-
Chamba: 43,692 | 258
-
Kinnaur: 13,355 | 130
-
Lahaul-Spiti: 6,809 | 145
Officials termed the slow progress, particularly in Kangra district which has the highest number of dormant accounts, a matter of serious concern.
Slow Re-KYC Process
The re-KYC process is also moving slowly. Between July 1, 2025 and January 31, 2026, only 3.52 lakh out of 14.81 lakh accounts (23%) have been updated, while formalities for 11.29 lakh accounts are still pending.
Warning to Banks
The Finance Secretary also objected to the absence of senior bank officials at the meeting and warned that banks failing to attend such crucial meetings may be denied government deposits. He further expressed dissatisfaction over officials arriving with incomplete information and directed banks to assign more competent officers for such meetings.
Authorities believe that many account holders may have passed away or relocated, making identification difficult. However, officials emphasized that faster action is essential to ensure that ₹333 crore reaches its rightful beneficiaries.
