As many as 951 functional cooperative societies in Punjab have not been audited for the past three years, according to a data furnished by the Union ministry of cooperation in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
The ministry said Punjab has 12,666 functional cooperative societies, of which 11,715 have been audited. The data, based on the National Cooperative Database, was updated as of July 15, 2026.
In Punjab, the statutory responsibility for auditing cooperative societies rests with the registrar, cooperative societies. Under Section 48 of the Punjab Cooperative Societies Act, 1961, the registrar must audit, or get audited, the accounts of every cooperative society at least once a year. The audit can be conducted by a person authorised by the registrar through a general or special written order.
The figures were disclosed in response to an unstarred question on financial irregularities in cooperative societies. The Centre said the National Cooperative Database has 8.53 lakh cooperative societies across the country, of which 6.63 lakh are functional, 1.41 lakh are non-functional and 49,177 are under liquidation. Of the functional societies, 5.95 lakh have been audited, while 68,020 remain unaudited.
Punjab’s audit coverage is comparatively better than that of neighbouring Haryana, which has 15,447 functional cooperative societies. Of these, 13,228 have been audited and 2,219 remain unaudited. This means about 14.4% of Haryana’s functional cooperatives are unaudited, compared with about 7.5% in Punjab.
{{/usCountry}}Punjab’s audit coverage is comparatively better than that of neighbouring Haryana, which has 15,447 functional cooperative societies. Of these, 13,228 have been audited and 2,219 remain unaudited. This means about 14.4% of Haryana’s functional cooperatives are unaudited, compared with about 7.5% in Punjab.
{{/usCountry}}The state also fares slightly better than Himachal Pradesh, where 330 of 5,055 functional cooperative societies remain unaudited. Around 6.5% of Himachal’s functional cooperatives are unaudited, compared with Punjab’s 7.5%.
The ministry clarified that the data does not establish that the unaudited societies are facing financial irregularities. Details of cooperatives lying dormant specifically because of financial irregularities, weak management or delayed audits are maintained by the respective state governments and Union territories.
Punjab also has one multi-state cooperative society under liquidation, compared with one each in Haryana? The annexure, however, does not list Haryana among states with MSCSs under liquidation. Across India, 115 such societies have been placed under liquidation, with Rajasthan accounting for the highest number at 26, followed by Maharashtra at 23 and Delhi at 16. Punjab’s lone case is therefore relatively small in comparison.
The Centre said it has taken several measures to improve transparency and accountability in the cooperative sector, including amendments to the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act in 2023, establishment of a rehabilitation fund for sick multi-state cooperatives, computerisation of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and creation of the National Cooperative Database.