Political Funding: The Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), an organization working on electoral reforms, has revealed the names of 10 big corporates donating to the electoral trust. According to this report, the top 10 corporate donors have donated a total of Rs 332.26 crore to the electoral trust named Prudent Electoral Trust in the financial year 2022-23. Among these top 10 corporates, Megha Engineering and Infra has donated the maximum amount of Rs 87 crore to the Trust. While Serum Institute is at second place and ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel is at third place.
According to the ADR report, Megha Engineering & Infra is at the first position among the top 10 corporates donating to the electoral trust with a donation of Rs 87 crore. At the second place is the vaccine manufacturing Serum Institute which has donated Rs 50.25 crore in 2022-23. ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel is in third place with a price of Rs 50 crore. Abhinand Ventures is at the fourth position with a donation of Rs 50 crore, Medha Servo Drives is at the fifth position with a donation of Rs 30 crore. ArcelorMittal Design & Engineering is at sixth place with a donation of Rs 25 crore, Greenco Energy is at seventh place with a donation of Rs 20 crore, Bharti Airtel is at 8th place with a donation of Rs 10 crore.
In the financial year 2022-23, 39 corporate business houses donated Rs 363.715 crore to the Electoral Trust, out of which 35 corporate business houses donated Rs 360.46 crore to the Prudent Electoral Trust. Prudent Electoral Trust has donated the most mainly to BJP, BRS, YSR Congress and Aam Aadmi Party. Prudent Electoral Trust donated Rs 256.25 crore to BJP in 2022-23. Whereas in 2021-22 the Trust had donated Rs 336.50 crore. The trust has donated Rs 90 crore to BRS, Rs 16 crore to YSR Congress and Rs 0.90 crore to AAP.
ADR said in its report that the electoral trust does not reveal the name of the company or group of companies that has created that trust. According to ADR, to bring transparency in the details of funding of political parties by corporates, it is necessary that the names of the parent company along with the electoral trust should also be declared.
read this also
