Bhubaneswar, July 4: In a significant development for lakhs of chit fund victims across Odisha, BJP State President Manmohan Samal on Thursday assured that all affected depositors—regardless of the amount invested—will receive their money back. Whether the deposit was ₹10,000 or ₹10 lakh, claimants with valid documentation will be refunded, he said.
Speaking to the media, Samal revealed that ₹47.07 crore has already been returned to 1,26,137 depositors within the past year. He added that, as per the direction of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, compensation will be extended to another 5 lakh depositors over the next three to four months. The process, he emphasized, is being carried out in a phased and transparent manner. “There should be no doubt—everyone will get their money,” Samal stated.
Taking aim at the previous BJD-led government, Samal accused it of failing to protect the interests of ordinary citizens. “Over the past 15 years, 174 chit fund companies looted the hard-earned savings of common people in Odisha. This happened under the nose of the previous government, which failed to take timely action,” he alleged.
He further claimed that several BJD leaders and ministers were punished and even imprisoned for their involvement in the scam. “This was a state-sponsored loot. Lakhs of families were left in distress, and the public lost trust in the government,” Samal said.
Highlighting the judicial intervention, he noted that after the matter reached the Supreme Court, the former government created a corpus fund to compensate the victims. However, he criticized the BJD administration for its "lack of political will" in implementing the fund effectively. “They set up commission after commission, but the investigation reports were never made public,” he added.
he BJP’s renewed focus on the chit fund scam comes amid a broader push to restore public trust and provide relief to those affected by financial fraud over the past decade.
