India

A total of Rs 660 crore worth of electoral bonds were encashed in Delhi through the 23rd tranche

State Bank of India (SBI) says election bonds worth Rs 676.2 crore were sold between November 9 and November 15 when campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly elections was in full swing.

According to information provided by the SBI in response to Kanhaiya Kumar’s RTI request, the Mumbai branch sold Rs 309.4 crore worth of electoral bonds, followed by Delhi with Rs 225.4 crore, Hyderabad (Rs 89 crore), Gandhinagar (Rs 37.5 crore), Jaipur (Rs 5.81 crore), Kolkata (Rs 5 crore), Bengaluru (Rs 3 crore), and Chandigarh (Rs 1 crore).

The SBI reply said all but one bond of the Rs 1,000 denomination that was sold in the 23rd tranche from November 9 to November 15 was encashed. SBI’s branch in New Delhi, where national parties are based, encashed most bonds (Rs 660.2 crore). This time, Hyderabad was the only branch where electoral bonds worth Rs 16 crore were cashed.

Electoral bonds were sold for the first time since the Union Finance Ministry amended the Electoral Bond Scheme-2018 on November 7 to allow 15 more days of sales. Until then, SBI sold electoral bonds every 10 days in January, April, July and October, and an extra 30 days in Lok Sabha elections.

The 24th tranche of electoral bonds went on sale last week from December 5 to December 12. With an avowed goal of increasing transparency of political funding, then-Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced the scheme in the Budget 2017-18.

Nisha

Hi, my name is Nisha and I'm an educational journalist based in India. I've always been passionate about the power of education to transform lives, and that's what led me to pursue a career in journalism focused on this area. I completed my Bachelor's degree in English from Hindu College in Delhi in 2013 and then went on to earn my Master's in Journalism and Mass Communication from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication in 2017. During my studies, I also completed several short-term courses on Education in India, Sociology, and other related subjects to deepen my knowledge in this field. I'm particularly interested in improving access to quality education in rural areas, where students often face significant challenges. I've worked on a number of initiatives to address this issue, including advocating for better policies, resources, and practices that can make a difference. As an educational journalist, I'm passionate about using my platform to highlight important issues in the education space. I've covered a wide range of topics, including the impact of technology in the classroom, innovative approaches to teaching and learning, and the challenges facing students from marginalized communities. One of the things I love most about my work is the opportunity to constantly learn and grow. I'm an avid reader and believe that reading is key to expanding one's knowledge and perspective. I'm always seeking out new ideas and insights to help me better understand the world around me. In summary, as an educational journalist, I'm dedicated to using my skills and expertise to make a positive impact in the field of education. I'm committed to improving access to quality education for all students and to using my platform to raise awareness about important issues in this area.

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