Bhubaneswar: The state government has asked all the deputy registrar of cooperative societies (DRCSs) to submit a report on the activities of Sahara group of companies in the state.

In a letter to all the DRCSs, the cooperative department said: "All of you are requested to submit a report indicating functioning of any credit cooperative societies namely Sahara Credit Cooperative Societies, Hamara India Credit Cooperative Societies, Saharayn e-Multipurpose Societies under Sahara Group of Companies within jurisdiction and intimate if such societies mobilise deposit from public illegally and unauthorisedly to RBI, Bhubaneswar by August 2 positively. All this information should be intimated to the directorate."

Earlier, the RBI had cited several cases and asked the state government to stop the operation of these societies as a huge amount of public money was involved.

The RBI has also forwarded a complaint of Khurda resident Manoj Kumar Panda to the state government in which he said that he had deposited money in the Sahara e-Shine scheme of the Sahara Credit Cooperative Society Limited but was not allowed to withdraw. He had accused the society of refusing to give him money he required for the treatment of a cancer patient.

The RBI also asked the state government to ascertain whether any no-objection certificate (NOC) had been obtained from the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies (CRCS) to consolidate all complaints received over the last one year against the Sahara group and inspect its offices to ascertain the nature of its operation in Odisha.

Sources said the government had issued the directions on the basis of a circular the CRCS.

The circular had stated how certain cooperative societies registered under the Odisha Cooperative Societies' Act were depicting themselves as multi-state cooperative societies without any registration from the CRCS.

Responding to the direction of the RBI, the state government has decided to take up awareness campaign on the issue.