PM Modi Contributes Rs 2000 for 'Viksit Bharat Mission,' Urges Donations for 'Nation Building'

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday participated in Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) donation drive by contributing Rs 2,000 as 'party fund' ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and urged everyone to contribute. 

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, PM Modi urged citizens to be a part of the 'Donation for Nation Building' campaign through NaMo app.

"I am happy to contribute to @BJP4India and strengthen our efforts to build a Viksit Bharat. I also urge everyone to be a part of #DonationForNationBuilding through the NaMoApp!," PM Modi tweeted and shared a receipt of his donation to the party.

Party President JP Nadda on March 1 kickstarted the donation campaign by contributing a sum of Rs 1,000 to the party fund. 

Sharing the receipt on X, he wrote, "I have donated to the BJP to pledge my individual support to PM Modi’s visions for making India a 'Viksit Bharat'. Let us all come forward and join the 'Donation for Nation Building' mass movement using the NaMo app".

Earlier, the Election Commission data revealed that BJP collected a record breaking funding of Rs 719 crore in fiscal year 2022-2023, marking surge of 17 per cent from the previous year. 

In 2021-2022, the saffron party had received donations of Rs 614 crore.

Meanwhile, donations to Congress have plunged to Rs 79 crore in fiscal year 2022-2023 from Rs 95.4 crore in 2021-2022 fiscal year.

All political donations are exempted from Income Tax u/s 80GGB for companies and u/s 80 GGC for others as per Income Tax Act, 1961.

Notably, the BJP flagged off the donation drive weeks after the Supreme Court banned the electoral bonds 

The donation campaign by the ruling party was started weeks after the Supreme Court orderd striking down of the electoral bonds.

A five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court pronounced a unanimous verdict today on the series of petitions challenging the validity of the electoral bond schemes, introduced by the Centre on January 2, 2018, as a solution to replace cash donations and enhance transparency in funding to political parties.