Fourfold Increase in the Budget of the IRGC's Baqiyatollah Headquarters

On Wednesday, October 4, the Iran Open Data Center reported that the budget allocated to the Baqiyatollah Headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has increased fourfold since the year 1401. According to this report, the budget allocated to this headquarters in the 1401 budget law was 668 billion tomans, which increased to 888 billion tomans in 1402 and reached nearly 3000 billion tomans in 1403. This budget is intended to support cultural and social institutions, including two organizations, Owj and Saraj, which have extensive activities in the fields of art, media, and cyberspace. However, the headquarters' website does not mention receiving government funding and states that its activities depend on public donations in a 'cultural jihad,' with the amount of income from these public donations also unspecified. According to the information on this website, the headquarters is involved in various projects: 'The Great Project of Arbaeen Servants' is one of these projects carried out by volunteer forces (unpaid) and includes activities such as taking care of the shoes of those entering the pilgrimage site, keeping belongings of those visiting the pilgrimage site, guiding pilgrims, and taking care of lost children at the pilgrimage site. 'The Major Surplus Medicines Project' also relies on public donations and volunteer services to collect surplus, unused, expired, and outdated medicines from people's homes. 'Kareem Ahl al-Bayt Donation' has been launched to collect aid for providing dowries for underprivileged families, carried out by volunteer forces and public donations. The required amount for each complete dowry is 16 million tomans, and so far, 23 sets of dowries have been distributed. With the allocated budget, 187,500 dowries can be provided. 'The Compassion and Faithful Assistance Exercise' distributed 313 food packages among needy families in 1399 using public donations. If we assume that the cost of providing food packages in 1403 is 15 times more expensive than four years ago, the Baqiyatollah Headquarters' budget could deliver food packages to one million needy families in Iran. 'The Joy Caravan of the Eid of Wilayat' is another project that distributed cakes and juices, along with singing, in 1399, again relying on public donations. The command of the Baqiyatollah Headquarters is held by Mohammad Ali Jafari, the former commander of the IRGC. A report from the United Against a Nuclear Iran organization discusses the invisible hand of the Baqiyatollah Headquarters in 'engineering votes and opinions' in Iran. A research result indicates that the budget for 'defense and security affairs' in the next year's bill is 1.4 times that of public education. The tone of the Islamic Republic officials regarding 'mandatory hijab' has changed after the elections. Reactions continue to a leaked audio file related to financial corruption in the IRGC.