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Iran’s House and Shrine of Khomeini wastes billions from national budget

 Iran’s House of Imam Khomeini wastes billions from national budget
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posted onJune 9, 2019
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The overall budget dedicated to the house of the former Iranian leader and the leader of 1979 IslamicRevolution, Ruhollah Khomeini, from 2017 national budget was about 761 billion Iranian rials ($18,119,047.) In 2016, this number was over 590 billion rials ($14,047,619). This year 26.2 billion rials ($619,047) have been allocated for the Institute for Compilation and Publication of Imam Khomeini's Works, while 24.5 billion rials ($590,000) was dedicated to the Imam's house, and 100 billion rials ($2,380,952) was obtained for the renovation of the house and another 140 billion rials ($3,333,333) was given for the daily costs.

Khomeini, known as Imam among Iranian, died thirty years ago, yet his institution, which is an international one, is still active. Its income and expenses are not completely available to the public, and there is no formal reliable report on the income and the expenses of Imam's house. The number of employees who are currently working for this institution remain unknown. But, the clear thing is that a substantial amount of the budgets is allocated to Khomeini's house annually.

 Iran’s House of Imam Khomeini wastes billions from national budget

In the budget of 2019, the overall budget allocated for the Khomeini's house and its related institutions were 600 billion rials ($14,285,714) from which 26.2 billion rials ($619,047) for the Institute for Compilation and Publication of Imam Khomeini's Works. 24.5 billion rials ($590,000) was set aside for the Khomeini's house and 80.51 billion rials ($1,904,761) for the Imam Khomeini Educational Research Institute.

With a quick calculation, one can figure out that only in the period of the past four years 2080 billion rials ($49,523,809) have been spent for the Khomeini’s house taking it from the national budget.

But, the question is how this huge amount of budget was spending? There is more information regarding the expenses in the Iran’s 2019 fourth amendment budget bill especially in pages of 228, 229 and 231, and in the pages of 202, 203, and 213 from the first amendment of the budget bill.

 Iran’s House of Imam Khomeini wastes billions from national budget

The budget of the Institute for Compilation and Publication of Imam Khomeini's Works:

From a total of 260 billion and 200 million rials ($6,195,238) allocated to the Institute for Compilation and Publication of Imam Khomeini's Works, 60 billion and 200 million rials ($1,428,571) was dedicated to the renovation, and 200 billion rials ($8,333,333) offered for the daily expenses. From a total of 62 billion rials (1,476,190) of a renovation budget, 4.30 billion rials ($102,280) spent for the protection of Imam’s cultural house in Qum and the remaining was for the renovation of instruments and appliances. 

200 billion rials ($8,333,333)  of the budget for daily expenses spent on 9 sectors:

8.23 billion rials ($190,476) allocated for purchasing books for Iranian and foreign researchers and intellects and general libraries, educational, cultural and art institutions. 20.57 billion rials ($611,904) spent for the organizing and coordinating educational, cultural, and art conferences revolving around Imam’s thoughts. 18.77 billion rials ($445,238) dedicated for the publication of monthly, daily, weekly and periodical journals propagating for the Imam’s thoughts.

5.49 ($12,857) billion rials offered to fund cultural and artistic activities relating to the Imam’s thoughts.

16.91 ($380,952) billion rials was given for the publication of Imam’s encyclopedia.

38.24 billion rials ($904,761) dedicated for the Imam Khomeini website in four languages, Farsi, Arabic, English, and French.

37.60 billion rials ($895,238) used for carrying out Imam Khomeini’s death anniversary June 5th in Imams tomb.

44.19 billion rials ($1,052,380) set aside to purchase written materials, pictures, and the voice and other specific works to complete the archive of the Imam’s museum.

10 billion rials ($238,095) used for taking care of those places named after Imam.

The budget of Khomeini’s tomb:

From the total of 240.5 billion rials ($5,714,000) of the budget of Imam’s tomb, 100.5 billion rials (2,380,952) spent for renovation and expansion of the tomb and 140 billion rials ($3,300,000) was given for the daily expenses.

 Iran’s House of Imam Khomeini wastes billions from national budget

The renovation budget is dedicated under the title of “the completion of the cultural institutions and the tomb of Imam.” A project started in 2008 and as it is specified in the budget bill it will be finished in 2021. At the end of 2017 more than 2250 billion rials ($53,571,428) was dedicated to this project from the national budget.

That budget has been divided into three sections:

65 billion rials ($1,547,616) spent for the operation of the tomb and provision of services

70 billion rials ($1,1666,666) used for carrying out the anniversary of the death of Imam and his son

5 billion rials ($119,047) offered for carrying out national and religious events, ceremonies and related occasions.

By calculating all the costs, we can say that this year 1760 billion rials (41,904,761) from the general budget spent on the Imam’s death anniversary.  

The budget of Imam Khomeini Educational Research Institute:

From a total of 85.10 billion rials ($2,026,190) for Imam Khomeini Educational Research Institute, 1.10 ($24,000)billion rials spent for renovation (under the title of the renovation of instruments and appliances) and 84 billion rials divided into four following daily expenses:

36 billion rials ($857,142) spent for the researches.

11.91 billion rials ($283,333) used for the PhD researchers.

23.09 billion rials ($547,619) used for the MA researchers.

13 billion rials ($309,523) allocated for the presentation of “outstanding researches” relating to Imam Khomeini.

According to the information provided in the formal website of Imam Khomeini Educational Research Institute, this organization was founded in 1979 to research different aspects of Imam Khomeini’s life and thoughts and explaining the viewpoints of the Islamic revolution in educational gatherings in Iran and other countries.

 Iran’s House of Imam Khomeini wastes billions from national budget

According to the published information by the Research institute for fundamental sciences and higher education in the educational year of 2016-2017, 125 MA students and 50 Ph.D. students were studying in the institute.

As an estimation, the budget of Imam Khomeini Educational Research Institute equals to the budget of the environmental research institute, 5 billion rials more that economic research institute and 3.5 times more than the budget of the research institute of natural disasters in 2019.