In accordance with section 205C of Companies Act, 1956 now replaced with Section 125 of Companies Act, 2013 specified categories of unclaimed and unpaid amounts including the unclaimed dividends are required to be credited to Investor Education and Protection Fund (IEPF). The amount credited to IEPF is not directly available for utilization as it forms part of the Consolidated Fund of India (CFI). The Ministry receives a separate budgetary allocation for making refunds to eligible Investors whose amounts have been credited to IEPF as well as for creating investor awareness as per the mandate of the Companies Act.

During the current financial year an amount of ₹ 105 lakh has been sanctioned for organizing Investors Awareness Programmes (IAPs) in association with the three Professional Institutes, namely Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Institute of Company Secretaries of India, Institute of Cost Accountants of India with the objective of creating awareness amongst the investors.

Sufficient budgetary allocation is made to meet the requirement of expenditure against IEPF.

This was stated by Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State for Corporate Affairs in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

Unclaimed investor funds credited to Investor Education and Protection Fund, refunds and awareness funded via budgetary allocations. Unclaimed and unpaid amounts must be credited to the Investor Education and Protection Fund and, once credited, form part of the Consolidated Fund of India; refunds to eligible investors and financing of investor-awareness programmes are effected through separate Ministry budgetary allocations rather than direct utilization of the Fund.