Sahara Refund Gets Major Update, Know- Who Can Claim Up To ₹10 Lakh?

New Delhi: The Centre has restarted the CRCS-Sahara Refund Portal, offering relief to depositors whose money remains stuck in cooperative societies linked to the Sahara Group.

The move has also revived scrutiny of applications from nearly 20 lakh genuine depositors whose claims were earlier held up because of minor technical errors or missing documents. Eligible applicants are being informed about the renewed processing through SMS on their registered mobile numbers.

Refund Limit Varies By Claim

The refund limit under the CRCS-Sahara Refund Portal now ranges from ₹50,000 to ₹10 lakh, depending on the type and status of the claim.

For depositors submitting a fresh claim through the portal, the maximum refund is ₹50,000 per depositor. The ceiling had earlier been ₹10,000, giving smaller depositors access to a higher payout.

A different mechanism applies to investors whose earlier applications faced technical errors or required corrections.

Such depositors can now submit claims of up to ₹10 lakh under the resubmission process, with refunds being processed in phases. The move could benefit investors with larger deposits who were earlier unable to seek the entire eligible amount through the portal.

How To Apply For Refund

Depositors must first register on the CRCS-Sahara Refund Portal. An Aadhaar number and a mobile number linked to Aadhaar are required for OTP-based verification.

Applicants must provide details including their membership number and proof of the amount deposited with the concerned cooperative society.

A PAN card is mandatory where the claimed amount exceeds ₹50,000.

Claim Settlement Timeline

After a claim is submitted, the concerned Sahara cooperative society is expected to verify the application and supporting documents within 30 days.

The Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies will then process the verified claim within the following 15 days.

The overall process is expected to take around 45 days. Once a claim is approved, the eligible refund amount is transferred directly to the depositor's Aadhaar-seeded bank account.