Important Vocabs
1.Sordid (adj) = involving ignoble actions and motives (অসন্মানজনক কাৰ্য্য)
Synonym: Seedy, sleazy
Antonym: Honorable, pristine
2.Tranche (noun) = a portion or division of a larger whole, especially of a loan or investment that is issued or allocated at different times (শাখা)
Synonym: Portion, installment
Antonym: Whole, entirety
3.Opaque (adj) = not able to be seen through (অস্বচ্ছ)
Synonym: Cloudy, obscure
Antonym: Transparent, clear
4.Prod (verb) = to urge someone into action (কাৰোবাক কাম কৰিবলৈ অনুৰোধ কৰ )
Synonym: Poke, spur
Antonym: Discourage, dissuade
5.Indictment (noun) = a formal charge or accusation of a serious crime(অভিযোগ)
Synonym: Accusation, charge
Antonym: Acquittal, exoneration
6.Cursory (adj) = hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed (উপৰুৱা)
Synonym: Superficial, perfunctory
Antonym: Thorough, detailed
7.Propound (verb) = to put forward an idea, theory, or point of view for consideration by others (প্ৰস্তাৱ)
Synonym: Suggest, propose
Antonym: Conceal, withhold
8.Cumulative (adj) = increasing or increased in quantity, degree, or force by successive additions (সংগ্ৰহ)
Synonym: Accumulative, collective
Antonym: Individual, separate
9.Veil (noun) = a piece of fine material worn by
women to protect or conceal the face ( লুকাই থকা, ছদ্মবেশ ধাৰণ কৰা বা
কিবা এটা অস্পষ্ট কৰে ) Synonym: Cover, cloak
Antonym: Reveal, unveil
10.Unscrupulous (adj) = having or showing no moral principles; not honest or fair (অসৎ)
Synonym: Unprincipled, deceitful
Antonym: Ethical, honest
Read The Passage Carefully And Answer The Questions Given Below
Following the Supreme Court of India-ordered release of the final tranche of data from the State Bank of India, it has now been possible to get a nearly complete picture of electoral financing, which was once an opaque route. The SBI had to release data of the unique numbers for electoral bonds purchased by corporate and individual donors and later encashed by political parties. That the SBI had to be prodded twice by the Court to release these chunks of data — in the first instance they were without the unique numbers that could connect donors with parties — is an indictment of the bank which had initially sought an extension till June 30, 2024, well after the general election, to release the information. On the other hand, it took only a few hours for news organisations to perform a simple data-matching exercise to connect the two sets of information — on the companies that had purchased the bonds and on the parties that had encased them. A cursory look at the data reveals the inefficacy of the argument for the need for opacity of electoral bonds that had been propounded by the Union government, but one soundly rejected by the Court. For one, there seems to be a clear correlation between large donations being made to certain political parties and bond purchasers receiving high-value infrastructure contracts. In some cases, there is strong correlation between entities being subject to actions or facing probes by the Enforcement Directorate and the Income-Tax Department, and later these entities or their representatives purchasing bonds. This is especially so for many donors who purchased these bonds that were later encashed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). That the top 19 firms — based on the cumulative size of donations made — went on to invariably fund the BJP, besides other parties, from mid-2019 to February 2024 (22 firms donated ₹100 crore or more in this period) also suggests that the bonds were a device used to curry favour with the establishment. The presence of a unique identifier for these bonds in the hands of the SBI, which could allow it to keep an audit trail of transactions, and that the Finance Ministry had allowed certain bonds to be encashed even after their expiry date (within 15 days of the purchase date) showed that the scheme had also created undue advantage for the ruling party. It is clear that the bonds had skewed campaign and party financing heavily in the favour of the ruling party, besides putting a veil over the unscrupulous motivations for the donations. It is now incumbent upon civil society to enlighten the electorate about the scheme and to raise questions about the skewed nature of donations. This will just be the first step to cleansing the system.
Questions based on the passage:
- What institution was ordered by the Supreme Court of India to release the final tranche of data related to electoral financing?
a) Reserve Bank of India
b) State Bank of India
c) Election Commission of India
d) Ministry of Finance - Why did the State Bank of India initially seek an extension till June 30, 2024, to release the information?
a) Lack of resources
b) Technical difficulties
c) Legal constraints
d) Administrative delays - What was the primary purpose of the data released by the State Bank of India?
a) Tracking infrastructure projects
b) Identifying donors of electoral bonds
c) Analyzing party membership
d) Monitoring government spending - Which argument for the need for opacity of electoral bonds was soundly rejected by the Court?
a) Ensuring donor anonymity
b) Preventing fraud
c) Curbing corruption
d) Promoting transparency - What is suggested by the correlation between large donations and the awarding of infrastructure contracts?
a) Favoritism towards certain donors
b) Random allocation of contracts
c) Transparency in procurement processes
d) Equal opportunity for all donors - What entity purchased the electoral bonds that were later encashed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)?
a) Donor companies and individuals
b) Non-governmental organizations
c) Opposition political parties
d) International donors - How did the Finance Ministry contribute to the undue advantage for the ruling party in the electoral bond scheme?
a) By restricting bond purchases
b) By extending bond expiry dates
c) By increasing bond transparency
d) By limiting bond encashment - What was the outcome of the data analysis regarding donations to political parties?
a) Balanced distribution among parties
b) Skewed financing in favor of the ruling party
c) Equal support for all parties
d) No discernible patterns - What is suggested by the presence of a unique identifier for electoral bonds held by the State Bank of India?
a) Increased transparency in bond transactions
b) Inefficiency in data management
c) Irregularities in bond issuance
d) Lack of oversight by regulatory authorities - What is proposed as the first step towards cleansing the electoral financing system?
a) Increasing donations to political parties
b) Relying on government intervention
c) Educating the electorate about the scheme
d) Ignoring the issues raised by the data analysis
Answers:
- b) State Bank of India
- c) Legal constraints
- b) Identifying donors of electoral bonds
- a) Ensuring donor anonymity
- a) Favoritism towards certain donors
- a) Donor companies and individuals
- b) By extending bond expiry dates
- b) Skewed financing in favor of the ruling party
- a) Increased transparency in bond transactions
- c) Educating the electorate about the scheme
