The Ministry of Cooperation, under the leadership of Shri Amit Shah, has addressed administrative, financial, operational, and technological impediments to facilitate the resumption of refund processing for Sahara depositors through a secure and transparent online mechanism.
Under the guidance of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's vision of 'Sahakar se Samriddhi', the Ministry of Cooperation, under the leadership of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, has been dedicated to safeguarding the interests of cooperative members and strengthening public confidence in the sector. As part of this commitment, the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies (CRCS) continues to facilitate payment of eligible and genuine dues to legitimate depositors of Sahara through a secure, transparent, and online mechanism, as per the Hon'ble Supreme Court's order dated 29 March 2023 in W.P. No. 191/2022.
Till date, a total amount of Rs 9,267 crore has been refunded to 41,56,711 depositors directly into their Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts. Approximately 20 lakh applications are still remaining for processing through the CRCS-Sahara Refund Portal.
The functioning of the Sahara cooperative societies was affected in November 2025 after their premises were sealed due to certain matters disconnected to the Sahara societies. The Societies faced operational and administrative constraints, including outstanding dues related to hardware and Annual Maintenance Contracts (AMCs), renewal of essential IT infrastructure and licenses, and human-resource and other administrative issues that disrupted the systems required for verification and processing of refund claims.
The Ministry of Cooperation played a pivotal role in addressing these impediments. Through sustained institutional intervention and coordination with stakeholders including the officials and Authorities of Govt of Uttar Pradesh, the CRCS facilitated resolution of hurdles relating to essential systems, infrastructure, and administrative functioning, enabling restoration of the portal and its associated verification systems. This has restarted the processing of legitimate dues of genuine depositors of Sahara Group cooperative societies.
The refund process is being administered by the CRCS through the CRCS-Sahara Refund Portal, ensuring that the entire mechanism remains transparent, digital, paperless, and verification-based.
Source:
Press Information Bureau
