-Hindustan Times BJP received the maximum Donations of Rs 705.81 crore from 2,987 corporate donors followed by INC which received Rs 198.16 crore from 167 corporate donors. New Delhi: The BJP received the lion’s share – Rs 705.81 crore – of Rs 956.77 crore that corporate houses donated to five national parties between 2012-13 and 2015-16, a report by a Delhi-based non-profit pushing for poll reforms said on Thursday. The party, which swept...

-The Hindu But in absolute terms, Hindus contributed maximum in 2014-15, thanks to larger population, according to National Sample Survey data Hindus donated a little over Rs. 15,600 crore as religious contribution in 2014-15 — six times the quantum donated by Muslims — but the per-household contribution of Muslims is marginally higher than that of Hindus, as they are enjoined by religion to give to charity. But the per-household religious contribution of Christians...

-The Indian Express Both the EC and the Law Ministry have been asked to furnish their written replies at the next meeting. New Delhi: AMID THE demands for state funding of elections, the Election Commission (EC) has categorically told a parliamentary panel that it is “not in favour” of the move. It has, instead, called for “radical changes” in the “provisions regarding receipt of funds” and expenditure by political parties to...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Union home ministry has asked nearly 6,000 of the 13,000 registered NGOs in the country receiving foreign Donations to open accounts in nationalised banks to facilitate constant surveillance of their activities. The NGOs have accounts in cooperative banks or state-owned banks, which do not have core-banking facilities. "To maintain surveillance on the activities of NGOs receiving foreign funds, the ministry wants all NGOs registered under the Foreign Contribution...

-The Hindu Business Line These bearer instruments can’t make political funding transparent; they don’t address the insidious corporate-politico nexus The Government is all set to introduce a scheme offering political bonds as bearer instruments which will conceal the identity of the bond buyers and enable a process of political Donations that, it argues, will make funding political parties transparent. The argument is deeply flawed. Electoral bonds as envisaged here open up yet another...