BJP's earning accounted for 85 per cent of total income of national parties in 2024-25: ADR Report
New Delhi (PTI): The ruling BJP declared an income of Rs 6769.14 crore in FY 2024-25, the highest among national parties, while the Congress was a distant second, declaring an income of around Rs 918.28 crore, said a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
According to the report analysing the declarations made by political parties to the Election Commission, six national parties (BJP, INC, CPI(M), AAP, BSP and NPEP) declared a total income of Rs 7960.09 crore in 2024-25, and the BJP accounted for 85.03 per cent of it.
The BJP spent around 55.76 per cent of its income, amounting to Rs 3774.58 crore, while the Congress spent around 1111.94 crore, which is 21.09 per cent (Rs 193.66 crore) more than its total income.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) reported a total income of Rs 172.60 crore during the year, while its total expenditure amounted to Rs 173.86 crore, Rs 1.26 cr (0.73 per cent) less than its income.
The BSP's total income was Rs 58.58 crore, while its expenditure for the year was Rs 106.30 crore. The party's expenditure for that year exceeded its total income by Rs 47.71 crore (81.45 per cent).
AAP reported a total income of Rs 39.28 crore and a total expenditure of Rs 36.46 crore, meaning the party spent 92.83 per cent of its total income. The National People's Party (NPEP) declared a total income of Rs 2.18 crore and a total expenditure of Rs 1.19 crore, indicating the party spent 54.72 per cent of its total income.
The six national parties have declared a total income of Rs 7960.09 crore, collected from all over India.
The Congress was second with an income of Rs 918.28 crore, which forms 11.53 per cent of the total income of national parties, while the NPEP declared the least income of Rs 2.18 crore, which forms 0.02 per cent of the total.
Between 2023-24 and 2024-25, the BJP's income increased by 55.95 per cent (Rs 2428.6768 crore), while the CPI(M) registered a marginal rise of 2.96 per cent (Rs 4.96 crore).
During the same period, the income of the Congress declined by 25.05 per cent (Rs 306.83 crore), and the BSP's income decreased by 9.56 per cent (Rs 6.19 crore).
AAP's income witnessed a significant growth of 73.20 per cent (Rs 16.60 crore).
In FY 2024-25, national parties declared a total income of Rs 7960.09 crore, of which 85.08 per cent (Rs 6772.53 crore) came from donations/contributions and 14.92 per cent (Rs 1187.56 crore) from other sources.
The BJP derived 90.48 per cent of its total income from donations amounting to Rs 6124.85 crore, while AAP received 99.85 per cent (Rs 39.22 crore) and NPEP received 97.74 per cent (Rs 2.14 crore) of their total income through contributions.
In contrast, the BSP reported 100 per cent of its income (Rs 58.58 crore) from other sources with no donations, whereas INC received 56.86 per cent (Rs 522.13 crore) from donations and 43.14 per cent (Rs 396.15 crore) from other sources, and CPI(M) received 48.77 per cent (Rs 84.17 crore) from donations and 51.23 per cent (Rs 88.42 crore) from other sources.
National parties that received the highest income from donations/contributions include the BJP (Rs 6124.85 crore), Congress (Rs 522.13 crore), CPI(M) (Rs 84.17 crore), AAP (Rs 39.22 crore) and NPEP (Rs 2.14 crore).
The collection from issuing coupons, Rs 350.12 crore declared by the Congress, formed 38.12 per cent of its total income during 2024-25.
The report said the most common and popular items of expenditure for national parties are the election expenses and administrative/general expenses.
The BJP spent Rs 3335.36 crore on election/general propaganda, followed by Rs 323.05 crore for administrative costs.
The Congress spent Rs 896.22 crore on election expenditure, followed by expenses towards administrative and general expenses of around Rs 159.68 crore.
CPI(M) spent Rs 78.11 crore on administrative and general expenses followed by Rs 51.03 crore on Employee Cost.
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Chhattisgarh Vedanta power plant blast: Death toll rises to 20; sixteen workers undergoing treatment
Sakti (Chhattisgarh) (PTI): The death toll in a blast at the Vedanta power plant in Chhattisgarh's Sakti district has mounted to 20 with seven more workers succumbing to injuries, while 16 others are undergoing treatment at different hospitals, officials said on Wednesday.
The deceased include six labourers from West Bengal, five from Chhattisgarh, three each from Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, two from Bihar, and one from Madhya Pradesh.
The opposition Congress has demanded registration of an FIR against the plant management and a judicial inquiry into the incident.
The explosion occurred on Tuesday afternoon in a steel tube carrying high-pressure steam from the boiler to the turbine at the Vedanta Ltd power plant located in Singhitarai village, leaving several workers with severe burn injuries.
According to officials, four workers died on the spot, while nine others succumbed to injuries soon after the incident.
Seven more workers have died in hospitals, raising the toll to 20, Sakti Collector Amrit Vikas Topno told PTI on Wednesday.
He said that a total of 36 workers were affected in the blast, and 20 of them died.
"Of the 16 injured workers, five are undergoing treatment in hospitals in Raipur, while 11 others are in hospitals of Raigarh, the neighbouring district of Sakti," he added.
Topno added that every possible effort was being made to provide the best medical treatment to the injured.
The deceased were identified, and their family members are being contacted. Arrangements have been made to transport the mortal remains to their native villages via ambulance following the postmortem examination and to provide immediate financial assistance, he said.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the families of each deceased worker and Rs 50,000 for those injured.
Vedanta Power has also announced a Rs 35 lakh compensation for the family of each deceased worker, along with employment support.
The company will also provide Rs 15 lakh to each injured person, ensure salary continuation until recovery, and offer counselling support, a statement from the plant management said.
The chief minister has ordered an inquiry by the Commissioner of the Bilaspur division, assuring strict action against the guilty.
He directed officials to ensure free and proper medical treatment for all injured and emphasised that no negligence in their care would be tolerated.
The district administration has also ordered a separate magisterial probe, while the company has initiated its own internal investigation.
Collector Topno has appointed the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Dabhra to conduct the magisterial inquiry.
The SDM has been asked to submit a report within 30 days covering key aspects, including the cause of the accident, whether it was due to technical or human error, and details of safety inspections carried out at the plant.
Meanwhile, the opposition Congress has demanded registration of an FIR against the plant management and a judicial inquiry into the incident.
State Congress communication wing head Sushil Anand Shukla on Wednesday alleged negligence on the plant management's part and accused the government of attempting to shield those responsible.
He also demanded compensation of Rs 1 crore for the families of the deceased and Rs 50 lakh for the injured.
The construction of a 1,200 MW coal-based thermal power project (two units of 600 MW each) in Singhitarai, originally owned by Athena Chhattisgarh Power Ltd, started in 2009, but remained stalled between 2016 and 2022.
Vedanta acquired the plant in 2022, after which a 600 MW unit was completed and commissioned in August last year, while the second unit is still under construction.
The deceased have been identified as Amrit Lal Patel, Thanda Ram Lahre, Udhab Singh Yadav, Rameshwar Mahilange, and Nadeem Ansari (all from Chhattisgarh); Susanta Jana, Sheikh Saifuddin, Manas Giri, Kailash Mahto, Shibnath Murmu, and Dipankar Singh (West Bengal), Tarun Kumar Ojha, Abdul Karim and Ashok Parhiya (Jharkhand), Raju Ram, Pappu Kumar and Brijesh Kumar (Uttar Pradesh), Aakib Khan and Ritesh Kumar (Bihar), and Chitranjan Dhulai of Madhya Pradesh, officials said.
