In a written reply to the House, Shah said the Ministry received 3 applications in 2022, 16 in 2023, 13 in 2024, 29 in 2025 and 15 in 2026. During the same period, approvals were granted to 24 applications, while 16 were rejected after examination. The Minister disclosed that 36 applications are pending due to deficiencies, and the concerned multi-state cooperative societies have been asked to rectify the shortcomings before their proposals can be processed further. Shah also clarified that the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002 does not prescribe any statutory timeline for disposing of branch-opening applications. Highlighting efforts to improve transparency and efficiency, the Minister said the Ministry has already launched the CRCS Office Portal, through which branch opening permissions for Multi-State Cooperative Societies are processed online in a transparent manner.