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EC files affidavit stating electoral bond donation details before SC

Sat, 08 Feb 2020 05:01:02 +0000

Image Courtesy: livelaw.in

The Election Commission of India (EC) has filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court (SC) saying that it had “received sealed covers” from different political parties about donations garnered through electoral bonds, replied Live Law.

In an interim order dated April 12, 2019, hearing a plea by the NGOs Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Common Cause, the SC had asked political parties which have received donations through electoral bonds to “forthwith” submit the details, including the identity of donors, amounts received, details of payments, bank accounts etc. to the EC.

The current affidavit filed by the EC contains a list of 105 national, state, state unit of national parties, state parties and registered unrecognized parties, who have filed the requisite details.

As per the EC affidavit, the national parties which have submitted the sealed cover details include the All India Trinamool Congress, BSP, BJP, Congress, CPI, CPM and the Nationalist Congress Party.

The Tripura State Unit of the BJP, the West Bengal unit of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Goa unit of the Congress apart from 20 state parties too have submitted covers. The affidavit also said that 71 unrecognised parties too have submitted covers of their donations.

The affidavit also gave a list of which party had submitted a list of its Audited Annual Accounts and which hadn’t.

In the affidavit the EC also stated that being a Constitutional Authority, it will not take any contentious issues or join any submission on merits in the matter, as such matters were between contending parties.

Electoral Bonds were introduced in 2017 wherein the identity of the donor would be kept anonymous and only known to the bank. The petitioners had alleged that the bonds were purposely kept ‘secretive’ so that the identity of the donors (mostly large corporate houses) would not be revealed. However, the Centre had taken a contrary reply stating that anonymity in political funding would “promote transparency in funding and donation received by political parties”.

In its April 2019 order, the SC had refused to stay the electoral bonds scheme citing that the decision couldn’t be based on a short hearing.

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Kerala is drowning, and you can help save it!

Thu, 16 Aug 2018 12:05:26 +0000

Kerala is facing a devastating flood, its worst since 1924! According to the Chief Minister’s office, at present, the death toll stands at 186. 10 out of 14 districts have been severely affected with over 20,000 houses damaged and 10,000 kms of roads destroyed. 15 bridges have collapsed and 211 landslides have occurred due to the heavy rain and floods. Over 1,01,000 people have been moved to over 300 relief camps!

However, the flood relief granted by the central government so far is proving to be inadequate. The center has sanctioned a paltry Rs 100 crore, a minuscule amount compared to what was given to Jammu and Kashmir (Rs 1000 crore in September 2014 and Rs 426.83 crore in February 2015), Bihar (Rs 500 crores in August 2017), and North East (Rs 2350 crores including Rs 300 crores and Rs 250 crores for Assam in 2017).

According to preliminary estimates by the Chief Minister’s Office, the loss due to flooding is worth a whopping Rs 8,316 crores! The Kerala government had asked for an immediate relief worth Rs 1,220 crores. Neighbouring states are chipping in. While Karnataka has donated Rs 10 crore, Tamil Nadu has given Rs 5 crore. Businessman Yusuff Ali of the LuLu Group has also donated Rs 5 crores.

However, this is clearly not going to be enough… not even by a long shot. Which is why donations are being sought from the public at large. If you would like to donate to the Kerala Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund, please utilise the following information:

BANK TRANSFER
Bank : State Bank of India (SBI)
Account Number : 67319948232
Branch : City Branch, Thiruvananthapuram
IFSC : SBIN0070028
PAN: AAAGD0584M
Account Type: Savings
SWIFT CODE : SBININBBT08

Name of Donee:
Chief Ministers Distress Relief Fund
Address :Govt of Kerala
District: Thiruvananthapuram
State Kerala
Pin 695001

UPI ID
keralacmdrf@sbi

You can also pay through the Kerala Government portal here.

DISCLAIMER: This information has been provided/published on a good faith basis, without any commercial motive. Sabrang India does not vouch for the authenticity of the claims made by the intending donee, nor can we guarantee that the donations made by a donor will be used for the purpose as stated by the intending donee. You are requested to independently verify the contact information and other details before making a donation. Sabrang India and/or its employees will not be responsible for the same.

The post Kerala is drowning, and you can help save it! appeared first on SabrangIndia.

NGO Appeal: ‘Open Your Hearts to Restore Vision to Those Mercilessly Shot by Pellets’

Fri, 12 Aug 2016 06:10:58 +0000

An Appeal from HELP (Human Effort for Love and Peace) Foundation, J&K

Dear Friends,

Four hundred and sixty (460) of our fellow Kashmiris have received grievous injuries to their eyes with pellet hits.

Doctors have operated on 385 including children and young boys.

Over 100 victims have already lost eyesight permanently. It is apprehended that many others may also lose their eyesight permanently.

HELP Foundation was the first local CSO to reach out to the injured patients in the Valley's leading hospitals including SKIMS, SMHS and its associated hospitals, with medical aid.

HELP not only provided medico-surgical stuff to the supplies to these hospitals, and a few in Kupwara, to supplement their depleted stock position, but also supported other NGOs to reach out to the maximum needy patients in the shortest possible time.

HELP has so far supported eye surgeries at SMHS and many advanced eye surgeries in private hospitals outside J&K.

Almost 250 patients stand identified who need to undergo advanced surgeries in Ophtho Specialized Hospitals outside state.

Many are being flown to Hyderabad today, Friday, August 12.

Most of the patients are diagnosed with: Vitreous hemorrhage with intraocular pallet, associated with Retinal detachment, Associated with Coronial tear, Cataract Iris Trauma. Double Perforage and related.

All our donors and benefactors are, hereby, appealed to donate to our NGO in this hour of need to enable us to reach to the maximum number of victims.

Please Donate Generously and Demonstrate Empathy with the Grief and Grievances of Kashmiris

The Facebook Appeal may be read here.

Cheques/DDs in favour of ‘HELP Foundation’ may be posted to:
HELP Foundation, J&K

Contact Person at HELP Foundation
Ms. Nighat Shafi http://www.helpfoundation.co/aboutus.aspx

Full Address of HELP Foundation:
HELP Foundation, J&K
50 Tulsi Bagh behind Amar Singh College, Srinagar
E-mail ID: Ms Nighat Shafi

We thank you in advance. If you do decide to donate please intimate us at sabrangind@gmail.com

All donations to HELP Foundation qualify tax exemption under section 80G.

Bank A/c. details for local donations:
Bank Name: J&K Bank Ltd.
Branch: Baghat Barzulla, Srinagar
IFSC Code: JAKA0BAGAAT
A/c. No: 0278 0401 0001 3260
Title: HELP Foundation

For Foreign Currency:
Bank Name: J&K Bank Ltd.
Branch: Residency Road, Srinagar
IFSC Code: JAKA0CHINAR
A/c. No: 0005 0101 0000 6228
Title: HELP Foundation
SWIFT Code: JAKAINBBSRI

Details About the Foundation mat be read at the Foudnation’s Website
http://www.jkhf.in/Contactus.aspx
The Foundation is the only NGO in the state working in both the divisions, Kashmir as well as Jammu. It has also been working with and helping the members of the minority community who are staying back in the valley, even after the general exodus of community after 1990.

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Why Sonali Bendre gifted Rs. 25 lakhs to St. Catherine’s Home?

Thu, 30 Nov 2000 18:30:00 +0000

St. Catherine’s Home, Mumbai

In October 2000, film actress Sonali Bendre made news when she donated her Rs. 25 lakh cheque won at the Kaun Banega Crorepati television show to St. Catherine’s Home located in the northern Mumbai suburb of Andheri.

The simple signboard at the entrance of its premises is symbolic of the low profile institution housed within. This institution has been unobtrusively making significant contributions in the field of social welfare for the past 78 years. Their main focus has always been the two most vulnerable sections of our society — children and women.

St. Catherine’s Home’s humble beginnings can be traced back to the year 1922, when Ida Dickenson took the initiative to provide shelter to a group of homeless girls and to give them a chance to grow in an environment of love and care. Thereafter, the Bishop of Bombay requested the Daughters of the Cross to take over and continue the wonderful work of Ms. Dickenson.

In 1948, the institution moved to its current location. The original plot was a generous donation from Joseph Gomes of Amboli. Additional land was donated by one Mr. D’Mello, also of Amboli. Subsequently, adjoining plots of land were either donated or bought from various owners.

The institution has gradually specialised into social welfare with a special focus on the girl child. Today, the institution provides a home to over 320 children. It’s a place where they can grow up free from fear and want and learn to discover themselves and their potential as true human beings.
Firstly, there are the 19 children, aged two to 12 years, who have been born with AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), many of whom have watched their parents die. These little ones were found at railway stations, abandoned, in pathetic conditions.

Crayon drawings on the walls, games strewn all around and the bustling Sister Shanti, always keeping the little ones company. Across an entire wall is a well–stocked medicine cabinet stocked with every kind of medicine, next to which is a birthday chart with beaming photos of the 19 children who live there.

“Birthdays are a big deal here. We celebrate each one as if it will be the child’s last — because it just might be,” says Sister Shanti. This is the Snehanilaya project, started in September 1996.

Shanti Sadan, which houses little abandoned children and St. Catherine’s School, which is run on the premises of the Home, has been around long before the Snehanilaya project. The school aims to provide a friendly environment for the children of the Home as well as for poor children from the neighbourhood.

The co–education Marathi medium school has over 1,750 children in its primary and secondary sections. Of these, over 1,500 children are from nearby slums and chawls. In March this year, the school achieved yet another landmark — 73% of it’s students cleared the SSC examination successfully.

The Karunankur project of the St Catherine’s Home, begun just a year ago, is an attempt to rehabilitate abused minors and young girls forced into prostitution. At present 12 girls are housed here.

Besides, the Home also provides shelter to unwed mothers in a special section named Vishvasthan. The Home’s medical staff provides assistance to these young women during their pregnancy and delivery and also gives them tips on how to take care of themselves and their children.

(The above piece is based on information from an article by Namita Devidayal in The Times of India and in the Blaze’s Newsletter).

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