Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday informed the Lok Sabha that Rs 8,783.55 crore has been disbursed to over 40.33 lakh investors of Sahara Group cooperative societies through a transparent, court-monitored refund process.
The Minister said the disbursement is being carried out in compliance with the Supreme Court of India order dated March 29, 2023, which directed transfer of funds from the Sahara-SEBI Refund Account to facilitate payments to genuine depositors.
To streamline claims, the government launched the CRCS-Sahara Refund Portal on July 18, 2023, enabling depositors of four multi-state cooperative societies of the Sahara Group to apply online. The process is fully digital and payments are credited directly to Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts after verification.
Shah said that as of February 2026, over 1.45 crore applications and 4.06 crore claims have been submitted on the portal. At present, up to Rs 50,000 is being disbursed per depositor against verified claims.
He added that the apex court has approved an additional Rs 5,000 crore for disbursal and extended the refund timeline till December 31, 2026.
