New Delhi, September 8, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Ministry of Cooperation has restored the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies (CRCS)-Sahara Refund Portal to expedite the processing of genuine depositors’ claims through a secure, transparent and online mechanism.
The ministry said Rs 9,267 crore has so far been refunded directly into Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts of 41,56,711 depositors. Around 20 lakh applications are still pending, and verification and refund processing of these claims have now resumed following restoration of the portal.
The functioning of the Sahara cooperative societies was disrupted in November 2025 after their premises were sealed in connection with certain matters unrelated to the societies, the ministry said. Operational and administrative difficulties, including outstanding dues for hardware and Annual Maintenance Contracts, renewal of IT infrastructure and licences, and human-resource issues, also affected the systems required for verification and processing of refund claims.
The Ministry of Cooperation said it worked with stakeholders, including officials and authorities of the Uttar Pradesh government, to address administrative, financial, operational and technology-related hurdles and restore the portal and associated verification systems.
The mechanism covers legitimate dues of depositors of four Sahara Group cooperative societies — Sahara Credit Cooperative Society Ltd, Lucknow; Saharayn Universal Multipurpose Society Ltd, Bhopal; Humara India Credit Cooperative Society Ltd, Kolkata; and Stars Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd, Hyderabad.
The refund process is administered by the CRCS through the online portal and is designed to remain transparent, digital, paperless and verification-based. The government launched the dedicated portal on July 18, 2023, allowing depositors to submit claims without physical paperwork.
Claims are verified through Aadhaar e-KYC and by matching depositor, membership and bank account details with information provided by the respective societies. Deposit certificates, receipts and other prescribed documents are scrutinised under the Standard Operating Procedure approved through the Supreme Court-directed monitoring mechanism.
After successful verification, eligible refund amounts are credited directly to the depositor’s Aadhaar-seeded bank account.
The ministry advised depositors to use only the official CRCS-Sahara Refund Portal for fresh claims and the designated Resubmission Portal for correcting errors in previously submitted claims, whenever communicated.
It cautioned applicants to follow the prescribed procedures and document requirements to ensure timely verification and avoid unauthorised channels or misleading claims.
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