New Delhi: Authorised State Bank of India (SBI) branches across the country may issue electoral bonds between Monday (November 6) and November 20, the Union finance ministry announced on Saturday.
This will be the 29th batch of electoral bond sales since the BJP-led Union government introduced the scheme in 2018.
The finance ministry’s announcement came two days after the Supreme Court reserved its verdict on a batch of pleas challenging the validity of electoral bonds and weeks ahead of assembly elections in five states.
Electoral bonds are interest-free financial instruments that individuals or groups may use to make anonymous donations to political parties.
They are issued by authorised SBI branches in discrete amounts ranging between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1 crore after payment via cheque or digital means. Payment via cash is not allowed.
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