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1,816 cooperative societies registered centrally with the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies (CRCS) under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002 — browse them by type and by state below, and read how central registration works.
Most cooperatives in India operate within a single state and are registered under that state's own cooperative law, with the state Registrar of Cooperative Societies. A multi-state cooperative society is different: its area of operation extends to two or more states, so it cannot sit under any one state law. Instead it is registered centrally, with the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies (CRCS), under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002.
The 2002 Act replaced the earlier 1984 Act and lays down how a multi-state society is registered, how it is governed, the rights of its members, and how it is audited and wound up. It was substantially amended by the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Act, 2023, which brought in reforms to governance, board elections, and audit standards.
Since July 2021 the CRCS function sits within the Ministry of Cooperation — a union ministry created to give the cooperative sector a dedicated administrative and policy home, separate from the Ministry of Agriculture where the subject previously sat. On registration, each society is issued a registration number in the MSCS/CR format (for example MSCS/CR/1511/2024), which is shown against each listing.
Looking for the wider picture — PACS, state cooperative banks, dairy and the Amul model? See the full guide to cooperatives in India.
The types below are drawn straight from the central registry, with the number of registered multi-state societies in each. Larger categories link to the matching India directory; the rest link to a representative registered society.
Where registered multi-state societies have their registered office. States with a dedicated cross-sector directory are linked; the rest show their share of the register.
📍 Vijayapura, Karnataka🇮🇳
77,797 members
Credit Unions & BankingView details →📍 Mumbai, Maharashtra🇮🇳
66,429 members
Credit Unions & BankingView details →📍 Bagalkote, Karnataka🇮🇳
59,231 members
Credit Unions & BankingView details →📍 Belagavi, Karnataka🇮🇳
27,149 members
Credit Unions & BankingView details →📍 Solapur, Maharashtra🇮🇳
19,384 members
Agricultural CooperativesView details →📍 Bengaluru Urban, Karnataka🇮🇳
16,813 members
Credit Unions & BankingView details →📍 Nagpur, Maharashtra🇮🇳
15,944 members
Credit Unions & BankingView details →📍 Chennai, Tamil Nadu🇮🇳
188 members
Consumer CooperativesView details →📍 Chennai, Tamil Nadu🇮🇳
Credit Unions & BankingView details →📍 Bengaluru Urban, Karnataka🇮🇳
Credit Unions & BankingView details →📍 Yavatmal, Maharashtra🇮🇳
Credit Unions & BankingView details →📍 New Delhi, Delhi🇮🇳
Credit Unions & BankingView details →A multi-state cooperative society is a cooperative whose objects are not confined to one Indian state — its area of operation extends to two or more states. Because it crosses state boundaries it is registered centrally, with the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies (CRCS), under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002, rather than under a single state's cooperative law.
It is the central law that governs the registration, governance, and winding-up of cooperative societies operating in more than one state in India. It replaced the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 1984, and sets out the role of the Central Registrar, the requirements for registration, the rights of members, and audit and governance rules. It was substantially amended by the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Act, 2023, which introduced reforms to governance, elections, and audit.
The Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies is the central authority that registers and regulates multi-state cooperative societies under the 2002 Act. Since 2021 the function sits within the Ministry of Cooperation, the union ministry created to give the cooperative sector a dedicated administrative and policy home, separate from the Ministry of Agriculture where it previously sat.
An application is made to the Central Registrar with the proposed bye-laws, the list of members drawn from at least two states, and the prescribed particulars. On registration the society receives a registration number — recorded in the MSCS/CR format (for example MSCS/CR/1511/2024). The societies listed here are drawn from that official central registry, and each listing shows the registration number and registered office as published.
The central registry covers a wide range of society types — credit and thrift societies, agriculture and allied societies, urban cooperative banks, dairy and milk societies, housing societies, multipurpose societies, marketing, agro-processing, federations, and more. The breakdown by type, with the number of registered societies in each, is shown in the directory above.
No. Cooperatives.com is an independent information resource and is not affiliated with the CRCS, the Ministry of Cooperation, or any government body. We compile and present what the official central registry publishes — society name, type, registered office, and registration number — to make it easier to browse. For official records or applications, consult the CRCS directly.