oppn parties Political Funding: Clean Up Begins

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  • Neha Bora was subsequently released and Dipke is to appear before a magistrate today at noon
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  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India's trade imbalance with China was growing sharply and attributed the problem partly to restrictions on Indian goods and services entering the Chinese market. China subsequently said it was ready to work with India to address mutual economic and trade concerns; India's trade deficit with China reached $69 billion in the first half of FY2026–27, up 27% year-on-year
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  • The Supreme Court issued notices to the Election Commission of India, Delhi Police and opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, in separate petitions concerning electoral-roll revision and protests held in Delhi on October 10–12. The court also directed the preservation of CCTV footage linked to allegations of police excesses
  • The Supreme Court ruled that a person converting from Hinduism to Islam cannot automatically claim backward-class reservation benefits in the new religious community solely on the basis of their previous caste status. The judgment upheld the Madras High Court's decision striking down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that permitted such certification for specified communities
  • The Election Commission of India ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 14 states and three Union Territories, using January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for voter eligibility. The draft rolls are scheduled for publication on November 12, claims and objections will be accepted until December 11, and the final rolls are due on January 4, 2027
Delhi HC refuses to ban CJP's Tiranga rally at Central Park in Connaught Place today /////// Police says will control and regulate it /////// NDMC closes the park for the public on Friday and Saturday
oppn parties
Political Funding: Clean Up Begins

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2017-02-01 21:46:01

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack
Pic courtesy: thequint.com
The finance minister has taken strong measures to bring transparency in political funding in the budget proposals. Post demonetization and the noise about black money, it was said that political funding was the main reason why black money was generated by businesses and individuals. Another reason why people preferred to pay parties in cash was because they did not want to disclose their names.

Parties were allowed to receive up to Rs 20000 in cash from one source. This measure was abused and large donations were broken into small parcels. This has now been reduced to just Rs 2000. This will bring about a huge difference and reduce black money generation. Parties can continue to receive any amount of funding by cheques or through digital means.

Further, electoral bonds will be introduced which could be purchased in specified denominations from scheduled banks only through cheques or other digital means. Donors can buy these bonds and donate them to political parties. These bonds will be encashable only in the bank accounts of registered political parties. These bonds will ensure that people can donate without disclosing their names. It will also ensure that banking channels are used for such donations, without involving black money.

While these measures alone will not clean up the political system entirely, they will go a long way in bringing transparency and eliminating black money. The government must be lauded for walking the talk and making a beginning.

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