Episode 9: The Electoral Bonds Scheme hit transparency in political funding - a podcast by Association for Democratic Reforms

In this episode, which is ninth in the podcast series launched by ADR, we look at the Electoral Bonds Scheme, 2018, introduced by the erstwhile Finance Minister, Shri Arun Jaitley, as a move aimed at making political funding more transparent. Between March 2018 and January 2020, over a period of thirteen phases of sale of electoral bonds, a total of 12,452 bonds worth Rs 6210.39 cr were sold under the Electoral Bonds Scheme, 2018. Of these, 12, 312 bonds worth Rs 6190.14 cr were redeemed by political parties within the validity period. Political Parties are not required to disclose the name of the person/entity donating to a party through electoral bonds. Thus, the identity of not a single donor that purchased these bonds worth more than a total of Rs 6000 cr is known in the public domain! Whether or not the Scheme ushered in transparency in political finance is something that the listeners are encouraged to think over, after listening to the data analysed by ADR and discussed in this episode. Please send your feedback on adr@adrindia.org

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