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Indian Parliament canteen price list: Who decides rates for food in Parliament Canteens?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 27, 2015
There is a lot of hue & cry after it was revealed that parliament canteens that provide food facilities to Members of Parliaments are subsidized to the extent of 80%. The rates of food items offered in these canteens are substantially lower than the market price. Hence the government has to pitch in with the subsidy amount. The Joint Committee of Parliament that is authorized to revise these rates met 15 times between 2009 and 2014 and revised the rates only once.
There was much dismay in the common public after learning that the Government provides more than 10 crore rupees as subsidy for running the Parliament House Canteens (PHC). The current rates in the PHC are less than 50% of the market price. The PHC caters to MPs, former MPs, Media, family members & guests of MPs etc.  After much public outcry, the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Venkaiah Naidu promised to look into the issue of subsidies, but said that it is not in the Government’s hand since it is the ‘Joint Committee on Food Management in Parliament House Complex’  that  is authorized to look into this issue and decide on rates. But what did this committee do in the last five years from 2009 to 2014?
What are the Current rates?
The rates of food items and eatables were revised thrice since 2002. The last revision was in 2010. Even after this latest round of revision, the rates offered way less than the market price or even the cost price of such an item. For instance, Puri with Vegetable is offered at 2 rupees while the raw material cost itself is more than 18 rupees.
The Committee on Food Management in Parliament House Complex
The Joint Committee on Food Management in Parliament House Complex consists of 15 members, 10 from Lok Sabha and 5 from Rajya Sabha. They committee has the following terms of reference
The Committee is in office for a period of one year. In the 15 Lok Sabha, from 2009-2014 the same committee continued after their term was extended each year. The committee was chaired by JD(U) MP, Ranjan Prasad Yadav. Other prominent MPs in this committee were H.D. Kumara Swamy of the JD(S), Yashodhara Raje Scindia of the BJP, Ravneet Singh of the Congress, Kanimozhi of the DMK, D Raja of the CPI and Rajiv Pratap Rudy of the BJP.
How many times did the committee meet and what was discussed?
As per the data available on the Parliament website, this committee met 15 times during the 15 Lok Sabha and discussed various issues. In only one meeting in 2010, they discussed the issue of rate revision and decided to increase the rates by 50% and round it off. In all other meetings, the subjects discussed ranged from facilities in canteens to improving south Indian food to inspections to subsidies.
What is the amount of Subsidy?
Since the rates are far less than even the cost of raw materials, the Government has to subsidize the canteens. The amount of subsidy is on the rise for the last 5 years. The Net sales are substantially lower the total cost and account for hardly 20% of the total cost. The Government provides the remaining 80% subsidy for running these canteens. In 2013-14, the total cost of running these canteens is 17.71 crore rupees while the net sales were just 3.56 crore rupees. The amount of subsidy is on the rise with each passing year. In 2013-14, the government had to provide a subsidy of more than 14 crore rupees. This information came to light through a reply sent to Mr. Subhash Chandra Agrawal in response to his RTI application.
PS: The canteens keep adding new items & dishes to the menu. Here is the latest addition in July, 2014 after the constitution of the 16th Lok Sabha


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Indian police have not issued this cautionary message regarding thieves posing as government officials - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 23, 2024
An alert message making rounds on social media claims that the police department has warned against a group of burglars disguising themselves as government officials (Ministry of Home Affairs – MHA, Ayushman Bharat) visiting to confirm that people have valid ID cards for the census. The message urges individuals not to disclose any information to these criminals who impersonate government representatives and request sensitive information like biometrics. In this article, let’s verify the veracity of the alert message.
Claim: Police alert message against burglars disguising themselves as government officials.
Fact: There are no reports of Indian Home/Police issuing such a warning message. In 2017, the South African Department of Home Affairs issued a cautionary statement alerting the public about such fraudulent activities. Similar versions of the message have been circulating in various countries over the years. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Conducting an online search using relevant keywords did not yield any reports concerning a precautionary message from the Indian police regarding individuals posing as government officials visiting homes to verify residents’ valid ID cards for the census.
Nevertheless, we came across a few South African news articles dating back to 2017 that shared a similar message. According to these reports, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) cautioned the public to remain vigilant against criminals falsely identifying themselves as Home Affairs officials.
In 2017, the South African Department of Home Affairs issued a cautionary statement alerting the public about such fraudulent activities.
Media statement on #Elections scam pic.twitter.com/X5ttw3Iulz
Moreover, this identical message has been circulating on social media at least since 2016. Additionally, the message gained traction in Singapore and Malaysia. However, media agencies in those countries have clarified that the message pertains to South Africa (here & here).
To sum it up, the Indian police have not issued this cautionary message regarding thieves posing as government officials.

source: news-factly

created: February 23, 2024

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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90% of the Police Force in the Country works more than 8 hours a day
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 4, 2015
According to a study by the Bureau of Police Research & Development, Government of India, 90% of the Police Staff currently work for more than 8 hours a day. 68% of Officers report that their staff works for more than 11 hours a day and 28% report that the staff works for more than 14 hours a day. Nearly half of them report that they are called 8-10 times a month during their off period. To move to a shift system, 68% addition to the current sanctioned strength is needed. India’s current Police to Population ratio is 145 personnel per one lakh population, much below the UN prescribed ratio of 222 personnel per one lakh population.
The Police are often in the news for wrong reasons. Highhanded, Corrupt, Rude are some of the  things we associate with the Police. They are also at the receiving end most often. But it is also believed that Policing is one of the most difficult careers and a recent study by Bureau of Police Research & Development, Government of India (BPRD) & the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) reinforces this belief. The study throws light on long working hours of the force, man power requirements etc.
The study was titled ‘National Requirement of Manpower for 8-Hour Shifts in Police Stations’ was sponsored by the Bureau of Police Research & Development, Government of India. The study involved extensive field survey including as many as 12,156 police station staff, 1003 SHOs and 962 supervisory police officers from 319 police districts in the country, spanning 23States and two Union Territories. Some of the major findings are presented here.
Long Working Hours & No Weekly Offs
The survey results indicate that nearly 90% of police station staff, across the states and across various police station types, presently works for more than 8 hours a day. Further, according to more than 68% of Station House Officers (SHOs) and over 76% of the supervisory officers, staff members of their police stations have to remain on duty for 11 hours or more per day. 27.7% SHOs and 30.4% supervisory officers even reported that their staff worked for more than 14 hours a day. As if this is not enough, 73.6% of police station staff indicated that they were not able to avail weekly offs even once a month.What makes the situation even worse is that most (over 80%) of the staff are commonly recalled to duty during their off time, to deal with emergencies of law and order, VIP bandobusts or other works. Nearly a half (46.7%) of staff reported that they were called in for duty, on an average, for 8-10 times in a month. A majority of SHOs also confirmed this trend.
According to the study, the following factors were identified as reasons warranting more than 8 hours of work
Health & Social Impact of Long working Hours
The study establishes the effects of undue physical strain leading to cumulative physical as well as mental fatigue for personnel. Nearly three-fourths (74%) of the police station staff reported that the current working hour regime led to various kinds of health problems for them. A large majority (over 76%) of SHOs also felt that the current duty hour arrangement was deleterious to health of staff.  Most of the specific health problems enumerated by the staff respondents in this regard fall in the domain of occupational hazards and can be directly attributed to long hours on job. Since the health care system of government bearing expenses is normally is applicable to Police as well, it could well be the case that the Government would be spending more on these health issues than to have more manpower and operate in shifts.
The study also brings out that the current duty-hour regime is not found conducive by police station staff for attending to their personal or family needs and social life and commitments. 80% of the respondents responded with a yes for this question. Almost 82% of the SHOs either specifically agreed with this or preferred to evade the question. According to the study, all this, in turn, takes a toll on the morale, motivation and self-esteem of staff. The overall frustration manifests itself in the offensive conduct and behavior with the public by many of them, which leads to erosion of societal image of the police and alienation of the public.
International Experience
Most countries across the world follow the shift system with differences in the way they implement that system. The details of UK, Canada & USA are in the figure below. Countries like Australia, South Africa, Japan, Hong Kong also follow the shift system.
What could be done?
The study raises a very important question. If this inability to maintain a healthy work-life balance continues, it affects their morale and motivation, impacting their performance further. The overall frustration results in their rude and offensive behavior with the public. Grueling and tedious work hour regime can also deter many otherwise right kind of individuals from making a choice for police profession, thus adversely affecting the quality of the manpower available for recruitment.
The study proposes shift system as an alternative model of working. Most of the respondents felt that shift system would be more conducive for the police and would also result in better work. But the problem in introducing a shift system is an acute lack of manpower. The extra requirement for introducing an efficacious shift system would be 1.68 times of the existing sanctioned strength of police stations. It means 68% addition to the current sanctioned strength.
Calculated on the basis of averages of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data on classification of police stations by sanctioned strength, during 2013, the total manpower sanctioned for all police stations, put together for the entire country works out to the tune of 6,75,115. The total manpower strength of state police forces should be 22,09,027 as per a study by BPRD. That means the manpower sanctioned for police stations represents only about 30% of the total police strength. The study suggests that augmentation of police station strength with some 3,37,500 personnel (50% of the present sanctioned strength) would take the ratio of police station manpower to a little over 45% of the total police strength in the States / Union Territories and this would help in ensuring efficient policing.
The study also highlights the very adverse police to population ratio, with just 145 police personnel sanctioned for the policing requirements of 1,00,000 of population. With the addition of 3,37,500 more personnel, as suggested above, the police to population ratio would become 173 per 1,00,000. This would still be below the United Nations prescribed norm of 222 police personnel per 100,000 of population.
The study also notes that the requirement of extra manpower would get appropriately reduced once measures like much-needed re-engineering of some work processes of police stations, greater infusion of technology in police station work, as feasible, introduction of other force multiplier mechanisms and outsourcing of some of the non-core policing tasks are taken.
Are the governments hearing? Only time will tell
Source
“National Requirement of Manpower for 8-Hour Shifts in Police Stations”, Study sponsored by Bureau of Police Research & Development, Govt. of India
Featured Image Source: By Biswarup Ganguly (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons


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Indian Political Parties Financial Reporting: As Good as Nothing
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 21, 2015
In the previous article, we saw how there has been a phenomenal growth in the number of political parties in the last few years. In this article, we will focus on the financial reporting of the political parties.
Every political party registered under section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (RPA) is supposed to submit two kinds of reports to the Election Commission of India (ECI) every year. According to section 29C of the RPA, political parties have to submit contribution reports as well as the annual audit report.
Contribution Report: The treasurer of a political party or any other person authorized by the political party should prepare a report each financial year with details of
Annual Audit Report: This is more like a balance sheet.
It is also to be noted that people or companies that donate to registered political parties also get income tax exemption to the extent of their donation. Section 80GGB of the Income Tax Act, 1961 (IT Act) relates to deductions in case of contribution from companies & Section 80GGC relates to deductions in case of contribution by individuals.
The status of submission of these reports from 2009-10 is compiled and this paints a very sad state of affairs. This data is as per the information available on the website of Election Commission of India (ECI) till date.
From 2009-10 to 2013-14, only 5.9% of the parties submitted their Contribution Reports while an equally dismal 5.2% of the parties submitted their Annual Audit Reports.
With not even 10% of the parties submitting their contribution reports and annual audit reports to the ECI, the entire issue of political party funding becomes more important. The Central Information Commission’s decision that the six national parties are public authorities under the Right to Information Act (RTI) assumes greater significance.
The ECI on its part has issued a set of transparency guidelines in August 2014 to be followed by all political parties. The Law Commission of India, in its 255 report released recently also discussed the issue of election finance reform in detail.
We should all be demanding that political parties disclose their source of funding and mandatorily submit these reports. Transparency in political party funding should be the first step in the direction of major electoral reforms.
Data Source: Election Commission of India Website


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History of Indian Presidential Election
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 6, 2017
The election to the President of India is due in July. The President’s election is different from elections to the     Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assembly since citizens don’t directly elect the President. The President is elected the MPs & MLAs. You can read about the process here. But what happened in the previous presidential elections? Here is a brief history of each election.


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Indian Prisons are Overcrowded & 2/3rd of the Inmates are Under Trials
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 25, 2015
According to the Prison Statistics of the National Crime Records Bureau(NCRB) for the year 2013, Indian Prisons are overcrowded with occupancy ratio of 18% more than the capacity. More than 2/3rd of the inmates are undertrials & Women inmates constitute just 4.4% of the total inmates in prisons. Chhattisgarh tops the list with occupancy ratio of more than double the capacity.
It is not just our buses and trains that are overcrowded, our Prisons are also overcrowded according to the prison statistics of the NCRB. Our prisons nationally have an occupancy ratio of 118.4%, 18% more than the capacity of the prison. And not surprisingly, 2/3rd of the inmates are under trials, thanks to the slow pace of our judicial process.
Number of Jails & Occupancy Ratio
There are various types of Jails in the country like Central Jails, District Jails, Sub Jails, Women Jails, Open Jails, Borstal Schools, Special Jails & other Jails.
There are 1391 jails in the country. 80% of the capacity is in the Central & District jails. They are also the ones that are overcrowded beyond capacity. All the other jails have an occupancy ratio of less than 100%. Women jails are present in only 12 of the 35 States/UTs. Only 10 states have Borstal schools. Only 16 states have Open jails and only 12 states have Special Jails.
In terms of occupancy ratio, Chhattisgarh tops the list with an occupancy ratio of 261. This could be because of Maoist problem in the state. Second in the list are UTs (including Delhi) with an occupancy ratio that is 74% more than the capacity. It is also interesting to note that most of these states have high crime rates and hence the overcrowding. In the bottom 10, big states like Andhra Pradesh, Bihar & Tamil Nadu find a place. Only 11 states have an occupancy ratio less than 100%, that is to say that the number of inmates is less than the capacity.
Number of Male Vs Female Inmates
At the national level, about 4.4% of all the inmates are female. The highest percentage of female inmates is 7.6% in Mizoram followed by Andhra Pradesh (6.3%), West Bengal (6.1%) & Maharashtra (5.7%). Only 8 states have more than 5% female inmates. Tripura, Kerala, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya have less than 3% female inmates.
Number of Under Trials & Convicts in Jails
One major cause for the overcrowding is the large number of under trials in prisons. This is a sad reflection of the pace of our judicial system that is painstakingly slow. More than 2/3 of all the prison mates are under trials. More than 20% of these under trials are in the prison for a period of more than a year.
The state trends are also interesting. Percentage of under trials in 15 states is more than the national average. This percentage is more than 70% in 12 states. Topping the percentage of under trials is Meghalaya with 91.2% followed by Arunachal Pradesh (88%), Manipur (87.2%), Bihar (85.6%) and Jammu & Kashmir (83.3%). Four of the top 10 states are from the North East. It could well be a pointer to large number of arrests & detentions in the North East and also Jammu & Kashmir. It is a fair reflection of the performance of the lower judiciary in these states.
Age Group of the Inmates
42% of the total inmates in prisons are less than 30 years old. A total of 87% of the inmates are less than 50 years old while the remaining 13% are more than 50 years old.
Source: Prison Statistics India 2013, National Crime Records Bureau


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Accidents in Indian Railways: Review of the last 6 years
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 21, 2016
In the 6-year period between 2009-10 and 2014-15, there were a total of 803 accidents in Indian Railways killing 620 people and injuring 1855 people. 47% of these accidents were due to derailment of trains.
Each time there is a train accident, the issue of safety in Indian Railways comes to the fore. The recent train accident in Uttar Pradesh has again triggered a debate on safety.
Between 2009-10 and 2014-15, there were a total of 803 accidents in Indian Railways.
Number & Type of Accidents
By far, the highest number of accidents are because of derailments & accidents at level crossings. Nine (9) out of Ten (10) railway accidents during 2009-10 and 2014-15 have been due to derailments and accidents at level crossings.  The other type of accidents includes collisions, etc. But their number is relatively much lower.
Train accidents per million kilometers run
The trains of the Indian Railways are clocking more passenger kilometers each year. From 2.08 lakh million kilometers in 1980-81, the number of passenger kilometers reached 11.47 lakh million kilometers in 2014-15. Train accidents per million kilometers run is an important parameter to understand the occurrence of accidents and if there has been any improvement over the years. This parameter has continuously decreased from 2009-10 to 2013-14. In again increased in 2014-15. From 0.17 in 2009-10, it has come to down to 0.10 in 2013-14, a reduction of over 40% in 5 years. But it again increased to 0.11 in 2014-15.
Number of Casualties
Though the number of accidents in 2009-10 was more than the number of accidents in 2010-11, 235 were killed in 2010-11 compared to only 67 in 2009-10. The accidents in 2010-11 were more fatal compared to the other years. The number of those killed has been on the decline since 2010-11 only to increase in 2014-15.
Casualties per million passengers carried
From 3613 million passengers in 1980-81, the number of originating passengers reached 8224 million in 2014-15. Except for 2010-11, this parameter was more or less constant at 0.04. In 2010-11, it rose to 0.08 owing to a high number of casualties. While it decreased to 0.02 in 2013-14, it increased to 0.05 in 2014-15 because of a higher casualty figure.
Cause of Accidents
There have been various causes for train accidents ranging from Human Failure to Equipment Failure to Sabotage etc. In the 6-year period between 2009-10 and 2014-15, human failure has caused more than 86% of the total accidents. Out of this, 41% accidents were caused due to the failure of railway staff and the rest due to the failure of others.  Equipment failure caused only 2.2% of the accidents.
Featured Image: Shreekanth M | Flickr

created: November 21, 2016


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Indian Railways cancelling all passenger train services in March 2020 shared as recent decision - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 16, 2021
A video of an ‘ABP’ news bulletin is being shared on social media claiming that the Indian Railways had decided to cancel all passenger train services till 31 March 2021. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Indian Railways cancelled all train services till 31 March 2021.
Fact: This ABP news bulletin was telecast last year on 22 March 2020. To strengthen the COVID-19 precautions, Indian Railways cancelled all passenger trains till 31 March 2020. Ministry of Railways in a recent press release clarified that social media reports on Indian Railways cancelling all train services till 31 March 2021 as Misleading. PIB through a tweet clarified the same. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On searching for the video using the keywords  ‘31 मार्च तक सभी ट्रेनें रद्द-ABP news’, we found the same news bulletin on the official YouTube channel of ‘ABP News Hindi’. This video was published on 22 March 2020. To strengthen precautions against the COVID-19 virus, Indian Railways reportedly cancelled all passenger train services till 31 March 2020. The Government of India took this decision on the Janata Curfew day that was imposed in the country on 22 March 2020. Piyush Goyal, the Union Minister for Railways shared this information on his Twitter handle. News articles published about the Indian Government’s decision to halt passenger train services can be read here and here.
Recently, when the images and the video of the ABP news bulletin was shared as a recent decision, PIB through a tweet clarified that the Indian Railways has not taken any decision to cancel passenger train services. PIB mentioned that an old news bulletin telecast during March 2020 is being peddled now on social media with the wrong context.
एक खबर में दावा किया जा रहा है कि 31 मार्च तक सभी ट्रेनें रद्द कर दी गई हैं। #PIBFactCheck: यह खबर पुरानी है। @RailMinIndia ने 31 मार्च, 2021 तक ट्रेन रद्द करने का यह फैसला नहीं लिया है। इस पुरानी खबर को गलत संदर्भ में साझा किया जा रहा है। pic.twitter.com/YcZ8Za9Vj1
In a recent press release, the Government of India clarified that Indian Railways has not made any new announcement about cancelling the train services till 31 March 2021. Ministry of Railways rated these social media reports as Misleading. News articles published about the Government of India’s clarification can be read here and here.
To sum it up, an old news bulletin about Indian railways cancelling all passenger train services as part of the COVID-19 precautions in March 2020 is shared as a recent decision.


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Indian Railways Concessions
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 18, 2016
The Indian Railways offers a wide variety of concessions for passengers. The video mentions a few important categories. The complete list can be accessed from the Railways website http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/rail…


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Indian Railway's Lucknow Division's Pest Control Costs Wrongly Attributed to Rodent Capture - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 25, 2023
A viral social media post asserts that Indian railways spent Rs 68 lakh to catch 169 rats, translating to an expenditure of Rs 41,000 per rat. The post purports that these details were disclosed in response to a Right to Information (RTI) request. Additionally, the post contends that Indian railways, in response to the disclosure, asserted that they were conducting a program aimed at eliminating rodents, which warranted such a substantial expenditure. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Indian railways has spent Rs 68 lakh to catch 169 rats, translating to an expenditure of Rs 41,000 per rat.
Fact: The government clarified that the funds were allocated for the elimination of a range of pests including cockroaches, rodents, bed bugs, mosquitoes, and others found in all the coaches maintained within the Lucknow Division. Furthermore, the government revealed that this expenditure encompassed pest control for an annual average of 25,000 coaches, resulting in an approximate cost of ₹94 per coach per year or less than ₹8 per coach per month. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Earlier this week, Times of India also covered this story, stating that an RTI filed by an activist Chandrasekhar Gaur unveiled that the Lucknow division of Northern Railways had disbursed Rs. 69.5 lakh between 2020 and 2022 for the capture of 168 rats, resulting in an average cost of Rs 41,000 per rat. Furthermore, according to the report, the RTI inquiry disclosed that the Central Warehousing Corporation in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow, had been contracted to manage the rodent control efforts since 2019.
Following the reports, the news has started gaining traction online. However, the government refuted the claims, calling the reports misleading. Taking to Twitter, PIB clarified that the expenses were actually related to the extermination of various pests such as cockroaches, rodents, bed bugs, mosquitoes, and more in all the coaches maintained within the Lucknow Division.
🔯Cost was for pest control of cockroaches, rodents, bed bugs, mosquitoes, etc. in all coaches maintained at Lucknow Division
🔯Cost was for pest control in an average of 25,000 coaches per year, i.e., around ₹ 94 per coach per year, or less than ₹ 8 per coach per month.
Furthermore, the tweet asserted that the expenditure covered pest control for an average of 25,000 coaches annually, equating to approximately ₹94 per coach per year, or less than ₹8 per coach per month. The tweet explicitly labeled the Times of India article mentioned earlier as misleading. Consequently, it can be deduced that expenses associated with the eradication of diverse pests have been erroneously interpreted as expenditures specifically directed toward the elimination of rodents.
To sum it up, costs spent by the Lucknow Division on the extermination of various pests are misconstrued as costs incurred on catching rodents.

created: September 25, 2023


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What does the Indian Railways plan to achieve by revising the Child Fare Rule? - Factly
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 26, 2015
The Indian Railways has announced revision of the child fare rule in reserved classes. From April 2016, passengers will have to pay the full adult fare even for children between 5 and 12 years if they opt for a dedicated berth/seat. The railways plans to achieve both additional revenue and increase in the passenger transport capacity with this move.
The Ministry of Railways has recently announced the revision of the Child Fare rule. Under the new rules to be effective from April 2016, full adult fare will be charged for children of age between 5 and 12 years if berth/seat (in reserved class) is sought at the time of reservation. But what does the Railways plan to achieve with this change?
The Existing Rule
Under the existing rules, Children under 5 years of age will be carried free of charge on all trains.  Children between 5 and 12 years will be charged at half the corresponding adult fare. Even at half the adult fare, these children are entitled to a full berth/seat.
Children under 5 years of age will be provided food in Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express trains without any charge.
The Revised Rule
Under the revised rules to be effective from 22 April, 2016, children between 5 and 12 years, for whom full berth (in reserved class) is sought at the time of reservation, full adult fare shall be charged. However at the time of reservation, if a separate berth/seat is not sought for children between 5 and 12 years, then half the adult fare will continue to be charged. In other words, this change is applicable only for those who wish to have a dedicated seat/berth for their children between 5 and 12 years in the reserved class.
This change will not have any impact on the bookings done in unreserved classes. This is logical since there is no guarantee of getting a seat/berth in unreserved classes. The Ministry of Railways data indicate that approximately 6.20 crore child passengers availed this half fare in the unreserved classes during 2014-15. The revised rules will not have any impact on them.
What does the Railways plan to achieve?
The railways plans to achieve two goals with this revision. One is to increase its revenues and the other is to increase the availability of berths without increasing the number of trains.
During 2014-15, approximately 2.11 crore child passengers availed the half fare rule in reserved classes. The revised rules will now be applicable to this category of passengers. Since the passengers will now have the option to opt for a dedicated berth for children between 5 & 12 years, the assumption is that most passengers will not opt for a dedicated berth since they have to pay the full adult fare. Even if they choose to opt for a dedicated berth, the railways will now earn additional income in the form of full adult fare instead of the half fare.
The Railways expects the revision to have the following benefits
The Ministry of Railways expects that this will help increase  the passenger transport capacity of Indian Railways till additional line capacity works are completed to facilitate running of additional trains. The Railways expects to earn an additional 525 Crore rupees in a year due to change in this rule.
Will it work?
This is definitely a move worth appreciating. But adequate steps have to be taken to avoid claims over the age of the child, especially those below 5 years. It remains to be seen if passengers will opt for dedicated berth for their child or continue to avail the half fare rule.
Featured Image: © Jorge Royan / http://www.royan.com.ar, via Wikimedia Commons

created: December 26, 2015


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Indian Rivers-I (Himalayan Perennial Rivers) - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 4, 2019
In the first part of our explainer video on Indian Rivers, learn about Himalayan Perennial Rivers-The Indus,the Ganges (Ganga) and the Brahmaputra rivers.We tell you about their origin, tributaries,length,catchment area ,different dams and projects constructed on them.
For detailed reading,
In DECODE Lite, we simplify & explain current issues related to government policy, government rules and many other issues  that are useful & relevant to the common man.

created: September 4, 2019


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[Video]: Indian Rivers-II ( Peninsular Rivers) - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 13, 2019
In the second part of our explainer video on Indian Rivers, learn about Peninsular Rivers –  Godavari, Krishna, Narmada, and other rivers. We tell you about their origin, tributaries, length, catchment area, different dams and projects constructed on them.
For detailed reading,
In DECODE Lite, we simplify & explain current issues related to government policy, government rules and many other issues  that are useful & relevant to the common man.

created: September 13, 2019


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Indian Rupee did not become weaker than Bangladeshi Taka - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 24, 2020
A viral post claiming that for the ‘first time in 72 years Indian Rupee is weaker than Bangladeshi Taka’ is going viral on social media. Through this article lets fact-check the claim.
For the first time in 72 years Indian Rupee is weaker than Bangladeshi Taka.
Fact: In the past ten years Indian rupee was never lower than Bangladeshi Taka. As on 24 July 2020, one Indian Rupee is equal to 1.13 Taka. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we ran a google search using the key words ‘Indian Rupee to Bangladeshi Taka’ we found that as of 24 July 2020,  1 Indian Rupee is equal to 1.13 Taka which can be seen here. Also, when we applied a filter for the google result so as to see the graph of the exchange rate for the last one year, we found that though the exchange rate fell from 1.22 on 24 July 2019, to 1.13 on 24 July 2020, Indian Rupee never fell below Bangladeshi Taka in the last one year.
XE.com, a Canada-based online foreign exchange tools and services company, also a subsidiary of Euronet Worldwide provides information about exchange rates. According to the information provided on the website as on 24 July 2020, 1 Indian rupee is equal to 1.13 Bangladeshi Taka which can be seen here. Also, according to the website in the last ten years, Indian Rupee never fell below Bangladeshi Taka which can also be seen here. In the last ten years, the highest exchange rate is 1.73457 (1₹ = 1.7345 Taka), whereas the lowest is 1.09587 (1₹ = 1.09587 Taka).
To sum it up, Indian Rupee did not become weaker than Bangladeshi Taka.
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Indian sprinter Hima Das did not break any of Milkha Singh's records - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 10, 2022
Another post is being shared on social media claiming that Indian sprinter Hima Das recently broke the record of India’s iconic sprinter Milka Singh. This post claims that all media news channels ignored Hima Das’s achievement as she belongs to a scheduled caste community. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Indian sprinter Hima Das broke the record of Milkha Singh.
Fact: Indian sprinter Hima Das participated in the women’s 200m race and 4x100m relay at the CWG 2022. Hima Das missed out on the qualification for the Women’s 200m final by 0.02s and India’s women’s 4x100m relay team finished in the fifth position at the CWG 2022. As of now, Hima Das did not break any of the records of Milkha Singh. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether Indian sprinter Hima Das broke any of the athletic records of Milkha Singh, we could not find any reports confirming this. On searching for further sources, we found the individual best athletic records of Milkha Singh and Hima Das on the ‘Olympics.com’ website. According to the details provided on the ‘Olympics.com’ website, Milkha Singh still has better records compared to Hima Das. Milkha Singh holds the record of completing a 200m race in 20.7 seconds, while Hima Das has a personal best of 22.88 seconds in the 200m. Milkha Singh still holds better records in 400m race and 4x400m relay when compared to Hima Das.
Indian sprinter Hima Das participated in the women’s 200m race and 4x100m relay held at the CWG 2022. Hima Das missed out on the qualification for the women’s 200m final by 0.02s and India finished fifth in the women’s 4x100m relay at Commonwealth Games 2022. At the CWG 2022 semi-finals, Hima Das completed the 200m race in 23.42 seconds.
Indian athlete Paramjit Singh broke Milkha Singh’s 400m national record in 1998, 38 years after the Milkha set it in the Rome Olympics. Milkha Singh’s hand-timed 45.6 seconds record was converted to 45.74 seconds in electronic timing, which Paramjit bettered by running in  45.70 seconds in 1998.
Earlier, when a video of Hima Das winning 400m race at IAAF World U20 Championships Tampere 2018 went viral as the video of her winning the gold in CWG 2022, Factly debunked this claim.
To sum it up, Hima Das did not break any of the records of India’s iconic sprinter Milkha Singh.


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Indian students deported for Fake IELTS? No, they were awaiting study permit processing - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 6, 2020
A video is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it shows Indian students getting deported from Canada for using fake and counterfeit IELTS certificates. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Video of Indian students getting deported from Canada for using fake and counterfeit IELTS certificates.
Fact: The students in the video were waiting for their study permits to get processed at the Toronto Airport. The ‘Canada Border Services Agency’ has tweeted that the individuals in the video were not waiting to get deported. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched about the incident, it was found on ‘Twitter’ that the ‘Canada Border Services Agency’ (CBSA) has given a clarification regarding the video by responding to a tweet. In its tweet, CBSA has clarified that ‘the video shows an overflow waiting area at Toronto Pearson, where international students are awaiting study permit processing. The individuals are not waiting to be deported.’ It can be seen that the official Twitter account of Toronto Pearson International Airport has also replied. So, the individuals in the video were not waiting to get deported
The #CBSA can confirm that the content and caption of a video circulating on social media are false. The video shows an overflow waiting area at @TorontoPearson where international students are awaiting study permit processing. The individuals are not waiting to be deported.
To sum it up, the students in the video were waiting for their study permits to get processed at the Toronto Airport.
Did you watch our video on the 10 Most Ridiculous Fake News of the Year 2019?

created: January 6, 2020


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Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) party flag on a car is falsely portrayed as the Pakistan National flag - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 16, 2020
Photo of a green coloured car with a flag on the bonnet is being shared on social media with a claim that a Muslim league MLA in Kerala fixed the Pakistan flag on the bonnet of his car. Let verify the claim made in the post.
A Muslim league MLA in Kerala fixed Pakistan flag on the bonnet of his car.
Fact: The flag fixed on the green coloured car in the post is the Party flag of Indian Union Muslim League ( IUML), not the Pakistan National flag. IUML is an Indian political party based in Kerala. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search, no information about this car was found on any website. On carefully observing the flag on the car, it is found that the flag is not the Pakistan National flag. The photo of the Pakistan National flag can be seen here. When we searched for political party flags similar to the flag on the car, it is found out that the flag on the car is of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). IUML’s flag is similar to the Pakistan National flag. IUML is an Indian political party recognized by the Election Commission of India as a state party in Kerala. Further details about the IUML party can be seen here. The party also has an official handle on Facebook.
In a complaint filed by Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) to the Election Commission on ’05 April 2019’, IUML informed the ECI that their party flag is wrongly portrayed as the Pakistan National Flag to incite hatred against their party.
Earlier, when IUML flag in a Karnataka rally was falsely portrayed as the Pakistan National flag, FACTLY published a fact-check article. It can be read here.
To sum it up, Indian Union Muslim League party flag is falsely portrayed as the Pakistan National flag.

created: September 16, 2020


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Indian VIPs received the most gifts from Bangladesh & China between 2013 & 2015
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 24, 2016
Gifts are generally presented to Very Important Persons (VIPs) from India during their foreign visits. As per data shared by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in the Lok Sabha, Indian VIPs received a total of 666 gifts from 106 different countries between 2013 and 2015.
Gifts are generally presented to Very Important Persons (VIPs) from India during their foreign visits. As per data shared by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in the Lok Sabha, Indian VIPs received a total of 666 gifts from 106 different countries between 2013 and 2015. What are the rules governing the gifts received by the VIPs? The gifts accepted by VIPs during their foreign visits are governed by Foreign Contribution (Acceptance or Retention of Gifts or Presentations) Rules, 2012. As per the rules, any person who is a member of the official Indian Delegation receiving any gift or presentation from a foreign source, has to report the receipt of such a gift within 30 days to the Secretary of the relevant Ministry of the Government of India that sponsored the program. While reporting the receipt of the gift, the following information also has to be furnished.
The received gift should also be deposited with the secretary of the relevant Department. The secretary of the relevant department then sends it to the Toshakhana in the MEA for assessment of its market value. The assessment has to be made by a board of three in the MEA including a Customs Appraiser within a period of 30 days. Once the assessment is complete, the recipient is informed about the assessed market value of the gift by the Toshakhana. If the value is less than Rs.5000, the gift is offered to the recipient for retention. If the value is more than Rs.5000, the recipient is offered the option to purchase the gift on payment of the difference between the market value and Rs.5000. Most Gifts received from Bangladesh The details of the gifts received in the Toshakhana are updated quarterly on the MEA website. The details include the description of the gift, name of the recipient, the assessed value and the current location of the gift. It has to be noted that the number of gifts received would depend on the visit of Indian VIPs to those countries or the visit of dignitaries from those countries to India.   As per data shared by the MEA in the Lok Sabha, a total of 666 gifts were received by the Indian VIPs from 106 different countries between 2013 and 2015. In 2013, 108 gifts were received followed by 191 in 2014 and 367 in 2015. The number of gifts received in 2015 was more than the combined total of the gifts received in 2013 and 2014.  The most number of gifts were received from Bangladesh (55), followed by China (52) and Russia (30). Twenty (20) or above gifts were received from 8 different countries. Ten (10) or more gifts were received from 22 different countries. Sixteen (16) gifts were received from USA while twelve (12) gifts were received from Pakistan. Featured Image:Indian VIP Foreign Visits

created: September 24, 2016


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Indians Settled Abroad - Top 10 Countries - Factly
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 16, 2015
Do you know where all do Indians live abroad (NRIs and PIOs)? Here is presenting the top 10 countries that has the highest number of Indians living there. Look out for some surprises in Top 10.
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Indians students studying abroad in 86 different countries; 55% in USA & Canada
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 19, 2017
As per the data shared by the government, there are an estimated 5.53 lakh Indian students studying  in 86 different countries. USA, Canada & Australia account for 2/3rd of this number. The government data on the number of students in USA & Canada does not match with the data released by those respective governments.
It is a well-known fact that many Indian students go abroad for study. While the data on number of such Indian students who go to countries like the USA, Canada etc. is released by respective countries, the data on the number of students who go to other countries is not known. The government has now shared data on the number of Indian students studying abroad based on information received from various missions abroad. An estimated 5.53 lakh Indian students are studying abroad in 86 countries as per government data.
Indian Students studying in 86 different countries
As per government data, there a total of 86 countries where Indian students are studying. 36 of these are from Asia, 32 from Europe, 8 from Africa, 6 from South America and 2 each from North America & Australia. More than 50% of the Indian students’ study in North America. More than 90000 Indian students study in Asia as well as Australia. Though Indian students are in 32 different countries of Europe, they only make up 52116.
55% of the Indian students in USA & Canada
As per government data, 206708 Indian students are studying in the USA out of the 553440 Indian students studying abroad, the highest for any country. Canada is second in the list with an estimated 100000 students while Australia is third with 63283 students. These are the only 3 countries with more than 50000 Indian students and make up for 2/3rd of the Indian students studying abroad. It has to be noted that the data for USA & UK is from 2015-16.
26 Countries have less than 100 students each
Out of the 86 countries, 26 countries have less than 100 Indian students each while 20 other countries have between 100 and 500 students. Ten other countries have between 500 and 1000 students. Only 3 countries have more than 50000 students each while 5 other countries have between 10000 and 50000 students. China & Bahrain are the only two Asian countries with more than 10000 Indian students each. Countries like Serbia & Mongolia have only one student each while Uzbekistan, Greece & Bosnia have two students each.
Data from respective Countries does not match
The data released by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) does not match with the data released by other countries. For example, there are 1.66 lakh Indian students in the USA in 2015-16 as per the data of US government while the MEA data puts this number at 2.06 lakh. Data from a Canadian NGO puts the number of Indian students at around 50000 in 2016 while there are 100000 Indian students in Canada as per MEA. It is for MEA to explain this discrepancy.
Featured Image: Indians students studying abroad


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India’s 89.3% debt-to-GDP ratio (2020) projected by IMF includes both Central and State Government debts - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 27, 2020
A post is being shared on social media with a claim that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected that India’s debt-to-GDP ratio will be around 89.3 per cent. In the post, the Modi government is being blamed for the debt position. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: The Modi government is responsible for 89.3 per cent debt-to-GDP ratio projected by the IMF for India.
Fact: India’s 89.3 per cent debt-to-GDP ratio projected by the IMF for the year 2020 includes both the debts of Central Government and State Governments. So, the Modi government (at the Center) and the governments at the State level are both responsible for the debt position. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When we searched about the debt-to-GDP ratio numbers projected by the IMF, they were found in the ‘World Economic Outlook, October 2020: A Long and Difficult Ascent’ and ‘Fiscal Monitor: Policies for the Recovery (October 2020)’ reports published by the IMF. In the reports, we could find that the IMF projected a debt-to-GDP ratio of India for the year 2020 to be 89.3 per cent. Previous years’ debt-to-GDP ratio numbers and the projections till 2025 can be seen here.
In the Statistical Appendix of ‘Fiscal Monitor – October 2020’, it is seen that the ‘Gross Debt’ calculated for India includes both ‘CG’ (Central Government) and ‘SG’ (State Governments). So, the Modi government (at the Center) and the governments at the State level are both responsible for the debt position.
The State Bank of India, in its July 2020 ‘Ecowrap’ document, reported – ‘Given that these higher borrowing are likely to increase gross debt further, our estimated combined debt for FY21 is around Rs 170 lakh crore. Also, since the lockdown related to the pandemic has led to disruption of economic activity, nominal GDP is also likely to contract. This in turn will inflate the debt to GDP ratio to 87.6%. Within this, domestic debt is likely to be around 84% of GDP with component of State’s debt be 27% of GDP.’
In one of the press conferences on the ‘Fiscal Monitor’, the IMF officials have commented on the India’s debt position. The transcript of the press conference can be read here.
To sum it up, the Modi government and the governments at the State level are both responsible for 89.3 per cent debt-to-GDP ratio projected by the IMF for the year 2020.

created: October 27, 2020


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India’s COVID-19 death toll will significantly increase once all the applications for ex gratia compensation are processed
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 18, 2021
Almost all the states have begun accepting applications for ex gratia compensation of Rs. 50,000 for COVID-19 deaths. States have issued guidelines establishing district-level committees for redressal of grievances & grant of compensation. If the Kerala experience is any indication, the COVID-19 death toll across the country will significantly increase once the process is complete.
Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) approved the Union Government’s announcement of payment of Rs. 50,000 as ex gratia compensation to the next of kin of those who died of COVID-19. The SC added that no State should deny the ex gratia compensation to the kin of persons who died of COVID-19 on the sole ground that the death certificate does not mention COVID-19 as the cause of death. Following the apex court’s orders, States have begun issuing notifications and setting up committees with respect to the issuance of death certificates & granting ex gratia compensation.
4.64 lakh persons have reportedly died in India due to COVID-19
Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 51 lakh persons as of 16 November 2021, since the outbreak in late 2019, according to the World Health Organization’s dashboard. India has reported the second-highest number of deaths in the world with over 4.64 lakh deaths due to COVID-19 as of 17 November 2021. These death numbers are contested, and questions have been raised in multiple quarters about the actual number of deaths due to the pandemic. It is in this context the announcement of ex gratia compensation assumes importance as many deaths which may not have been recorded as COVID-19 deaths earlier may come to light increasing the overall death toll.
India declared the pandemic as a Notified Disaster & is providing assistance under SDRF
In March 2020, at a time when the cases began to increase in the country and little was known about the coronavirus & the disease, the Ministry of Home Affairs declared the pandemic a ‘Notified Disaster’ for the purpose of providing assistance under State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). Noting this, pleas were heard in the Supreme Court seeking compensation for families of persons who lost their lives due to the coronavirus disease or complications related to it, as Section 12 of the Disaster Management Act (DMA), 2005 has a provision of minimum standards of relief to be provided to the persons affected by the disaster, including ex gratia assistance on account of loss of life.
SC asked NDMA to come up with uniform guidelines for ex gratia compensation
The Union Government initially informed the apex court that payment of ex gratia compensation to all deceased persons due to COVID-19, is beyond the fiscal affordability of the Governments, as the finances of State Governments and the Central Government are under severe strain, due to the reduction in tax revenues and increase in health expenses on account of the pandemic. However, the Supreme Court noted that some states such as Bihar were paying Rs. 4 lakhs as ex gratia assistance to the family members of the persons who have died due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while Karnataka was paying Rs. 1 lakh, and Delhi was paying Rs. 50,000. To avoid discriminatory treatment, the court held that it would be appropriate for the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to recommend uniform guidelines while providing for the minimum standards of relief in the form of ex gratia assistance on account of loss of life, as mandated under Section 12 of the DMA Act.
The procedure for issuance of the death certificate for COVID-19 related death has been simplified
Furthermore, the Court also added that there was a need for a simplified procedure for issuance of a death certificate/official document in the case of a COVID-19 related death. In other words, the death certificate is to be issued to the family members of the deceased who died due to COVID-19 stating the cause of death as “Died due to COVID-19”, including if their death must have been due to other complications resulting from COVID-19. As per the guidelines issued by Union Health Ministry & ICMR, and NDMA, the following four types of cases have been listed to be treated as COVID-19 deaths.
It should be noted that irrespective of the cause of death mentioned in the death certificate if a family member satisfies the eligibility criteria listed above, no State can deny the ex gratia payment of Rs. 50,000 provided the required documents are furnished.
The guidelines also add that States/UTs must set up a grievance redressal committee at the district level, comprising government officials, medical experts, and a subject expert for issuing the COVID-19 death certificate. In case of grievances with respect to death certificates, the committee will come up with remedial measures including the issuance of an amended certificate. The grievances should be disposed of within 30 days of submission.
States including Kerala, Telangana, and UP have issued relevant guidelines
Following the issuance of fresh guidelines for declaring COVID-19 deaths, many States including Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, have issued guidelines for the issuance of COVID-19 death certificates, setting up of COVID-19 Death Ascertaining Committee (CDAC), and application for the ex gratia compensation. All these States have constituted CDACs at district levels. The District Disaster Management Authority has been authorized by the states to disburse the ex gratia compensation. The applications for the compensation are to be submitted at the District Magistrate.
The Kerala government has launched a portal for filing online applications from 10 October onwards. In fact, the state also provides an option for persons who already have death declaration documents, to apply for the death certificate in the new format prescribed by the Union Health Ministry.
Nonetheless, there is still some uncertainty with respect to the Government’s new guidelines. The basis of verification of the appeals to ascertain if the death was due to COVID-19, is still not clear. We wrote to the Directorate of Health Services of Kerala seeking clarification and this story will be updated when a response is received.
Overall COVID-19 death toll likely to increase
As noted earlier, all the states would have to revise their COVID-19 death figures based on the number of applications filed for ex gratia compensation over the next few months. The families of victims whose death may not have been counted in the official death toll are expected to come forward and submit the application for ex gratia compensation. The actual death toll due to COVID-19 in each of the states would only be clear once this entire process is complete. All this means that the overall death toll due to COVID-19 will likely increase in every state as witnessed in the case of Kerala.
About 1 in 5 deaths in Kerala is reported following the new guidelines
Since 22 October 2021, Kerala has been reporting deaths due to COVID-19 in three different categories. The daily COVID-19 bulletin categorizes deaths into the following groups
The state has reported a total of 36,087 deaths as of 16 November 2021 since the outbreak of COVID-19. This number includes 3625 deaths declared through appeals and 3779 deaths that were reported in the offline mode before 18 June 2021. In other words, if the option for filing appeals for getting a COVID-19 certificate and recording pending deaths had not been available, the state would have reported 7,404 fewer deaths due to the pandemic which is about one-fifth of the total deaths in the state. Close to 20% of the deaths would have gone unreported if not for the new mechanism. According to the state’s COVID-19 death information system dashboard, over 24,499 appeals have been received of which 7816 have been processed and 16,683 are still in progress. If these pending numbers are any indication, the overall death toll in Kerala could increase significantly once the processing of all pending appeals is complete.
Under-reporting is the least in Kerala compared to other states
It should be noted that Kerala is the state which had the least undercounting of COVID-19 cases in the country, according to an analysis of ICMR’s serosurvey. While states such as Uttar Pradesh detected 1 case in 100, and Bihar detected 1 case in 134, Kerala detected 1 in 6 cases and Maharashtra detected 1 in 12 cases. This implies that the actual deaths and rate of infection in the country is significantly higher than what gets reported.
If the Kerala experience is any indication, the COVID-19 death toll across the country will significantly increase once the process of filing appeals and disbursement of compensation is complete.

created: November 18, 2021


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India’s COVID-19 Vaccine drive: What lies ahead in the next few months?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 8, 2021
In the previous story, we looked at how countries like the US & UK secured vaccine orders more than enough for their population as far as back in 2020. On the other hand, India’s vaccine planning has been tardy, to say the least. Based on the current numbers, what lies ahead for the India COVID-19 vaccine drive? Here is a deep dive.
India is presently battling a massive second wave of COVID-19 pandemic since April 2021 with a record number of infections and deaths being reported every day. Globally, India accounts for 46% of global cases and 25% of global deaths and in the Southeast Asian region, India accounts for over 90% of both cases and deaths, reported in the last week of April, according to WHO’s COVID-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update. Many experts suspect that with low levels of testing and poor record-keeping for the cause of death – and crematoriums overwhelmed in many places – the real numbers of deaths due to COVID-19 could be significantly higher in the country.
As Vaccines are an important part of the fight against COVID-19, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation gave approval to two vaccines manufactured in India i.e., Covishield (of Serum Institute of India) and Covaxin (of Bharat Biotech) for emergency and restricted use. India began the administration of these COVID-19 vaccines on 16 January 2021 in phases. Our previous article gives a detailed account of India’s vaccine policy vis-à-vis the US & UK, and how India might have missed the bus in terms of procuring the required number of vaccines in advance for its population.
Presently, Phase III has been rolled out since 01 May 2021 making those aged 18 years and above eligible for vaccination under the ‘Liberalised Pricing and Accelerated National Covid-19 Vaccination Strategy’. Under this policy, vaccine manufacturers in India will have to sell 50% of their produce to the Centre, which is called the Government of India or GoI share and the rest 50% (other than GoI share) may be sold to State Governments, private hospitals, and industrial establishments.
Status of Data availability on India’s Vaccination Drive
Daily Vaccination Data: The data on vaccination drive in India provides the following major details in various forms.
Dashboard available on the CoWIN portal, daily/weekly updates from Press Information Bureau (PIB), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare provides these details in varying forms. The COVID-19 Vaccine Intelligence Network (Co-WIN) system is being used to track the enlisted beneficiaries for vaccination and COVID-19 vaccines on a real-time basis.
Export Data: On the other hand, data on the export of the Made-in-India COVID-19 vaccine to different countries, under the Vaccine Maitri initiative is available on the Ministry of External Affairs.
Procurement Data: Details of successive orders placed by the GoI with Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech are available via several updates from PIB and RTI responses.
Estimated population: The estimated population of healthcare workers, frontline workers, prioritised population groups and other adults to be vaccinated is available via several updates from PIB. With respect to Phase III, the population between 18-44 years is estimated to be around 59 crores, as detailed by a Supreme Court judgement.
Taking a cue from the sources mentioned above, we will endeavour to understand the status of vaccine administration vis-à-vis the population estimates for each age group and estimate the status of vaccination in the coming three months based on the current supply levels.
What is the current level of Vaccination among different population groups?
To begin with, let us look at the level of vaccination among different population groups as it stands today. Here, it is important to note that the first two phases of the vaccination drive focussed on healthcare workers (HCWs), frontline workers (FLWs), and people aged above 45 years. The newly launched Phase III has enabled all adults (18+ years) to be eligible for vaccination starting from 01 May 2021. Hence, the difference in the level of vaccination among population groups is also a result of phase-wise strategy and does not convey any disparity among these groups.
What is the estimated requirement?
According to the data given above, we can estimate the number of dosages required to vaccinate the remaining population from different groups, who are either unvaccinated or awaiting their 2nd dose of vaccination.
Together, India would need more than 160 crore vaccine doses to vaccinate its entire adult population.
What is the status of Vaccine procurement?
Second, let us look at the successive orders of vaccines placed by the Government of India with the Serum Institute of India (for Covishield) and Bharat Biotech (Covaxin) and their consumption as of 06 May 2021.
India has placed a total order of 35.1 crore doses of Covishield and Covaxin up to 05 May 2021. The entire 2 and 3 order is expected to be supplied in the next few months i.e., by July 2021. Most of the vaccines as part of the 2nd order are already delivered while the 3rd order is expected to the fulfilled in the months of May 2021 to July 2021. It is important to note that these numbers represent the quantity supplied to the central government.
As part of Phase III, an equal share of vaccines is to be supplied to the state governments and private hospitals all over the country, under the ‘Liberalised Pricing and Accelerated National Covid-19 Vaccination Strategy’. Therefore, states and private hospitals will receive an overall 16 crore vaccines in the next few months i.e., by July 2021, which is equal to the number of doses in GoI’s 3 order.
What about overall Consumption of the Vaccines?
Third, let us look at the overall consumption of vaccines, either in terms of the export or domestic usage, and estimate the remaining supplies of vaccines for the next few months in India.
As of date, a total of about 6.63 crore vaccine doses were exported from India to 95 different countries. The exports were made under three modes, grant by GoI meaning the Government of India bought them and then donated to various countries, commercial supplies by the manufacturing companies as per agreements made with respective countries, and supply to the COVAX agreement by the respective company. Of these, the GoI exported a total of around 1.07 crore vaccine doses as a grant to different countries, under the Vaccine Maitri initiative.
On the other hand, the total number of vaccine doses administered in India, as of 06 May 2021, stands at 16.3 crores. Therefore, the total consumption of vaccine doses (out of those procured by the GoI) comes up to 17.3 crores.
By juxtaposing the overall consumption of vaccines with the overall order of vaccines, up to 06 May 2021, we can estimate the total remaining number of available vaccines in India (some of which will be supplied in the next few months) that would be available to GoI as well state governments & private hospitals by July 2021.
Therefore, a total of about 33.3 crore vaccine doses of Covishield and Covaxin will be available to be administered in the next few months, up till July 2021. It is possible that other vaccines may be given emergency approval or imported (like Sputnik) in the next three months. Since the projected numbers for these other vaccines are not clear as of date, it is difficult to estimate their availability.
Projected Vaccine Supply falls short of Requirements.
From the available data, we know that the remaining vaccine dosage requirement for HCWs, FLWs, & age group 45+ years together stands at 43.6 crores and for the age group, 18-44 years stands at 118 crores. However, only a total of about 33.3 crore vaccines will be available to be administered in the next few months, up till July 2021 as things stand today.
With the current level of vaccine supply, it would not be possible to fully vaccinate the priority groups (HCWs, FLWs, and age group 45+ years), even if the entire supply is exclusively used for them over the next three months. There is a difference of approximately 10 crores between the current requirements and the remaining supply for this group. But since the entire supply is not going to be exclusively used for these groups, we might end up with a shortage of more than 25 crore doses for this group by July 2021.
In terms of age group 18-44 years, the status of the remaining vaccine supply presents a grim picture, as the estimated requirement of the age group stands as 118 crore vaccines, while the current estimated availability till July 2021 is only 16 crore doses (from the states & private hospital share).
While the vaccination is now technically open to all adults, the supply is not at par to keep up with the demand. Our previous article elucidates how the lack of proactive planning is hurting India’s COVID-19 vaccine drive and how other countries have handled their vaccination drives.
However, it is important to note the vaccine drive in India is still developing. As a recent development, Russia’s Sputnik-V vaccine has been approved for emergency use, in April 2021. Following this, the first consignment of 1.5 lakh Sputnik V doses landed in Hyderabad on 01 May 2021. The estimated availability of the Russian vaccine in the next 3 months is still not clear. It is also being reported that Zydus Cadila is likely to apply for emergency use authorization (EUA) of its COVID-19 vaccine this month, after obtaining the first set of interim efficacy data.
Whether these developments will help close the gap between supply and demand or the lack of proactive vaccine planning would continue to hurt India’s fight against COVID-19 remains to be seen.
Featured Image: India’s COVID-19 Vaccine drive


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India’s debt with the World Bank isn’t zero. As of June 30, 2019, it has a loan of USD 3273 million to repay - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 13, 2019
On Facebook, a few users are claiming that for the first time in 62 years, India’s debt with the World bank is zero. In the post, Narendra Modi’s image is also being shared  suggesting that it is due to the efforts of Modi. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
The current debt of India with the World Bank is zero.
Fact: As of June 30, 2019, India has a loan of USD 3273 million to repay. Hence, the claim is FALSE.
The World Bank’s IRDA (International Bank of Reconstruction and Development) and (IDA) International Development Association advance loans to the countries in need. The IRDA advances loans to middle and lower-income countries, whereas the IDA advances interest-free loans or credits and grants to the poorest of the countries.
India has a total standing loan of USD 3273 million with the World Bank. It has a loan of USD 3023 million with the IRDA and USD 250 million with the IDA. This can be seen here.
To conclude, India’s debt with the World Bank isn’t zero. As of June 30, 2019, it has a loan of USD 3273 million to repay.
Did you watch our new Episode of the DECODE series on Parliament?


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India’s First Secretary at the UN, Sneha Dubey, did not tweet any advice to Indian journalists - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 7, 2021
A post is being widely shared on social media claiming that Indian Foreign Service officer, Sneha Dubey, had tweeted advising Indian Journalists. The photo of the purported tweet is being shared through the post. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Indian Foreign Service officer Sneha Dubey tweeted advising Indian journalists.
Fact: The Twitter account ‘@SnehaDubey_’ seen in the image is not the official account of Sneha Dubey, the IFS officer. In fact, when one tries to open that handle, it is shown that the ‘account doesn’t exist’. The official twitter account of Sneha Dubey is ‘@SnehaDube’, and no such tweet as shared in the post was made through this account. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the image in the post is seen clearly, one can see that the account ‘@SnehaDubey_’ is not the official account of Sneha Dubey, the IFS officer. In fact, when one tries to open that handle, it is shown that the ‘account doesn’t exist’.
The official Twitter account of Sneha Dubey is ‘@SnehaDube’. When we looked for news articles, and tweets made through her official Twitter account regarding any advice to Indian journalists, we could not find any.
Sneha Dubey is a 2012 batch IFS officer, who is presently India’s First Secretary at the United Nations. On 25 September 2021, she delivered a speech exercising India’s right to reply after Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). In her viral speech, she slammed Pakistan saying, “Pakistan is an ‘arsonist’ disguising itself as a ‘fire-fighter’”. After the speech, (in a video that’s gone viral) Anjana Om Kashyap, anchor at Aaj Tak wanted to interview her after barging through the door but Sneha Dubey declined and asked the reporter to leave the room.
To sum it up, India’s First Secretary at the UN, Sneha Dubey, did not tweet such any advice to Indian journalists.

created: October 7, 2021


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India’s GDP growth rate went lower than Pakistan’s GDP growth rate multiple times in the last 70 years - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 17, 2019
A post is being shared widely on social media with a claim that India’s annual GDP growth rate is less than Pakistan’s annual GDP growth rate for the first time in the last 70 years. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post
Under Modi, India’s annual GDP growth rate went lower than Pakistan’s annual GDP growth rate for the first time in the last 70 years.
Fact: India’s GDP annual growth rate went lower than Pakistan’s annual GDP growth rate multiple times before. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The data regarding the annual GDP growth rates of India and Pakistan (for the years 1961 – 2018) can be found on the World Bank website. On comparison of the available data, it can be found that Pakistan’s annual GDP growth rate has surpassed India’s annual GDP growth rate multiple times in the past. In the graph below, it can be seen that Pakistan’s growth rate surpassed India for some years in the 60s, 70s, 80s and also, in 90s. The last time Pakistan surpassed India was in 2000.
Also, the comparison made between the GDP growth rates of India and Pakistan in the post is improper. The Q1 (Quarter-1) 2019-20 GDP growth rate of India (5%) is being compared with some random number because the annual GDP growth rate of Pakistan in the last financial year (2018-19) was just 3.3% and the Q1 2019-20 growth rate of Pakistan was not found.
To sum it up, India’s GDP growth rate went lower than Pakistan’s GDP growth rate multiple times in the last 70 years.
Did you watch our new Episode of the DECODE series on Indian Rivers?

created: September 17, 2019


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India’s 'Jana Gana Mana' was not declared as “the World's Best Anthem" by UNESCO - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 19, 2019
An old debunked Facebook post was being shared by people again claiming that the Indian National Anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’ was declared by UNESCO as the best anthem in the world. Let’s try to analyze it.
The archived version of the post can be found here.
India’s National Anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’ is declared by the UNESCO as the best anthem in the world.
UNESCO’s official website has a document saying that the news ‘Jana Gana Mana’ declared by the UNESCO as the best anthem in the world is a rumor. Hence the claim is
When visited the official UNESCO website , a document was found regarding various rumors and fake news spread across the world in the name of UNESCO. In that document it can be found that the news ‘Jana Gana Mana’ being declared as the world’s best anthem by UNESCO was one of the favorite rumors.
The misinformation spreading about the national anthem is not new. The same news was viral 11 years back and has been shared by many during these eleven years. When searched for the news on the Google, an India Today news article published in 2008, where it terms the news as false, can be found.
Hence, the claim made in the post stands to be FALSE.


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India’s looming Water Crisis
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 24, 2019
With major metros facing a severe water crisis, India is staring at a looming water crisis. Here is an overview of the crisis we face.
Union minister forthe newly formed Jal Shakti Ministry, has recently stated that the watershortage being faced by India is a media hype. This is oneof the many statements given by political leaders across the spectrum withinthe central and state governments, which play downs water crisis in thecountry.
But what do thenumbers have to say about this? Have we reached a crisis situation?
The NITI
Aayog’s report
The NITIAayog’s Water Index
Report, released in June 2018 agrees with the potential threat we face withregards to water availability in India.  Inthe executive
summary and background of the report, the report states that :
These numbers dopresent a grim picture, pointing towards India’s looming water crisis.
Depletion of
water resources
Thegeographical diversity that India has, is also reflected in Indian watersystems. The North and North East regions of India have access to rivers fed bythe Himalayan glaciers and are considered as perennial rivers.
On the otherhand, peninsular India has rivers which are dependent on monsoon rains. Anydelay or less rainfall has a direct impact on the available water resources.This is where ground water acts as a buffer for variable monsoons.
A World Bank
report of 2012, states that India uses approximately 230 cubic KM of groundwater, which happens to be 1/4 of the global ground water utilization.
The reportfurther states that nearly 60% of the irrigation and 80% of the drinking waterrequirements in India are met through ground water.  Over the years, the dependence of irrigationon ground water has increased, which is evident from the rise in the
share of tube wells as a source of Irrigation, when compared to canals and tanks. The unpredictable& variable monsoons over the years has further increased the dependence onground water.
Apart fromirrigation, there is an increase in the
dependence on ground water for drinking water purpose rather than on the othersurface water alternatives. Government’s inability to supply water from therivers has increased the use of ground water as a drinking source.
One out of
every six assessed ground water units is over exploited
This excess dependence& utilization is fast resulting in the depletion of ground water resources.The rate of depletion of nearly 28% of ground water
units is more than the rate of replenishing them as per a report of theCentral Ground Water Board (CGWB).
As per thelatest assessment of ‘Dynamic Ground Water
Resources (2013)’, released in the year 2017, about 30% of the assessment units are inthe semi-critical to over exploited category. The assessment categories arebased on the following criteria.
Out of the 6584units assessed, 68.65% were found to be safe, 15.7% over exploited, 10.34% semicritical and 3.84% critical. Overall, close to 30% of the units were found tobe in the range of semi critical to over exploited. The over exploitedassessment units have increased from 14% in2009 to 16% in 2013.
Most of the overexploited and
critical units were concentrated in three parts of the country;
Contamination
of available water resources
Apart from the depleting water resources, the availability of non-contaminated water for usage is major issue contributing to the water crisis in India.
NITI Aayog’s report in 2018 with regards to water management, states that the total water resource (Surface water + Ground water) available in India is 1,869 billion cubic meters (bcm) of which only 690 bcm water is usable, since rest of the water is contaminated.
India is ranked120 among 122 countries in respect to water quality. The problem of watercontamination is spread across both the ground water and surface waterresources in India.  Ground water as well as surface water (rivers,lakes) etc. are effected by various forms of pollutants as per various reportsof CGWB and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Industrialwastage, sewage, fertilizers etc. are few of the common sources which contaminatewater in India. Fluoride, Arsenic, Nitrate etc. are few of the chemicals whosepresence is creating health problems in India. Especially fluorosis has beenrampant in many districts across different states. More than 10 million
people are still affected by fluoride in drinking water as per government dataas of December 2017.
Are we staring
at a Drought this year?
As per the Drought Early
Warning Systems (DEWS) , nearly 44 % of India are under drought conditions (Abnormallydry to exceptional dry).  The major shiftis observed in ‘exceptional dry areas’, which is currently is at 4.80% comparedto 0.68% around the same time last year (Data from DEWS as of 19 June, 2019)
As per the data from IMD, India has witnessed the second driest pre-monsoon season in the last 65 years with 99 millimetres of rainfall during March’2019-May’2019.
Also, as perrecent bulletin by CentralWater Commission (CWC), 71 of 91 reservoirs across India have recorded adownward shift in the water levels.
As per thereport by  NITI Aayog, 21 Majorcities of India will run dry by 2020. We are currently witnessing this situationin Chennai, with New Delhi also predictedto be having very less ground water reserves.
A holistic
action plan for long term solutions is the only way forward.
The watercrisis and drought situation in India is built up over the years. The lack ofgood monsoons across the decades have increased the reliance on ground water,but its injudicious use has complicated the situation.
India has hadphases of less rainfall during monsoons, but we survived those phases due tothe available water resources. The depleted water resources have now removedthat buffer and any variance in rainfall is resulting in a major deficit.
The inabilityto store rainfall, due to improper sanitation infrastructure also aggravatedthe situation.  The contamination of thewaterbodies has further reduced the amount of usable water. All these havecompounded to the larger problem on hand.
Creating a Composite Water Management Index is a step in the right direction, which would enable to have reliable data and monitoring mechanism on water resource management. Any steps taken by the government need to focus on each of these problem to be able to manage the future demand of water.
Featured Image: Water Crisis in India


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India’s Per Capita Electricity Consumption
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 10, 2016
The per capita electricity consumption in India has been increasing continuously over the last decade because of the significant improvement in electrification of villages. Still, India is far behind when compared to the rest of the world. India’s per capita electricity consumption is the lowest among BRICS nations and is just 1/3rd the world average.
Electrification of remote villages is still a priority item on the agenda of successive governments. While significant progress has been made, there is still a long way to go. India’s per capita electricity consumption is lowest among the BRICS nations. It is also about 1/3 the world’s average per capita electricity consumption.
Per Capita Electricity Consumption up 46% in 8 years
India per capita electricity consumption has been continuously increasing over the years. From 734 kWh in 2008-09, the per capita consumption has reached 1075 kWh in 2015-16, an increase of 46% in 8 years. The per capita consumption has been increasing at an average of 6% every year. The per capita consumption crossed 1000 kWh in 2014-15 for the first time. The highest increase in the per capita consumption during these 8 years has been in 2011-12 where it grew by almost 8%.
Wide variation across states
As per the latest available consumption figures by states (for 2012-13), there is wide variation across states in the consumption pattern. The highest per capita consumption is in the Union Territories. Among the states, the per capita consumption in Puducherry, Goa, Punjab, Gujarat, Haryana and Delhi is way above the national average. Bihar has the lowest per capita consumption which is almost 1/6 the national average. Per capita consumption in all the north eastern states is below the national average. The per capita consumption in states like West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh & Jharkhand is also below the national average.
India’s per capita consumption is the lowest among BRICS Nations
As per the latest available information, India’s per capita electricity consumption is the lowest among BRICS nations. Russia has the highest per capita electricity consumption among the BRICS nations which is more than 6 times that of India. China’s per capita consumption is also more than 3 times that of India. South Africa’s is more than 4 times and Brazil’s per capita consumption is more than 2.5 times that of India.
India’s per capita consumption is 1/3rd the World average
Compared to some of the developed countries of the world, the per capita electricity consumption in India is very low. India’s per capita consumption is 1/3 of the world average and is just 10% of that of Australia. It is just 7.5% that of USA and 6.6% of Canada. The per capita consumption in UK also is more than 5 times that of India.
Featured Image: Pexels.com[Creative Commons 1.0]


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India's population by Religion 2011 Census - Factly
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 27, 2015
The Government released the 2011 Census data by religion a few days ago. Here is an infographic capturing that data. Leading the pack are Himachal Pradesh with 95% Hindus, Jammu & Kashmir with 68% Muslims & Nagaland with 88% Christians.
Source: Census India


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Who were India’s Republic Day Chief Guests since 1950?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 29, 2019
Contrary to popular perception, a dignitary from France was invited on maximum occasions as a Chief Guest to the Republic Day Parade, followed by the King of Bhutan. On 10 different occasions, there was no Chief Guest. The Republic Day parade of 2018 was the first such occasion when there were multiple guests.
India has the tradition of inviting Heads of State and Dignitaries from other countries as the Chief Guest for the annual Republic Day (RD) parade. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was the Chief Guest this year. The Republic Day parade of 2018 was special in the sense that Heads of State/Dignitaries from 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) were invited as Chief Guests. This was also the first time in history that India hosted more than one Guest for the RD parade. Data shared by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in response to an application under RTI reveals some interesting insights about the ‘Chief Guest’ to the Republic Day parade.
There was no ‘Chief Guest’ on 10 occasions
India celebrated the 70th Republic day in 2019. In these 70 years, India always had a Chief Guest for the RD parade except on 10 occasions. Five of these 10 occasions were in the 1950s. India did not have a Chief Guest for the RD parade in 1952, 1953, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1967 and 1970. Since 1971, we have had a Chief Guest every year for the RD parade.
Which country did the Chief Guest come from?
The Chief Guest for India’s RD parade came from 47 different countries till 2019. We have covered most of Asia, parts of Europe, Africa & the Americas. A dignitary from France was the chief guest most number of times (5) followed by Bhutan (4), Indonesia (3) and Mauritius (3). Dignitaries from Brazil, Cambodia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, UK, erstwhile Yugoslavia and South Africa were chief guest on two occasions each.
A dignitary from Pakistan was also the Chief Guest on two occasions; first in 1955 when Malik Ghulam Mohammed, the then Governor General was invited. Then in 1965, Rana Abdul Hamid, who was the then Minister of Agriculture in Pakistan was invited. In fact, this was one of the very few occasions when a person other than a Head of State was invited as the chief guest.
Which part of the world did the Chief Guest come from?
In the 1950s, only dignitaries from Asia were invited. India started inviting European dignitaries from the 1960s. In fact, European dignitaries were invited the most number of times in the 1960s, 1970s and even in 1980s. Their number has reduced in the last three decades. Dignitaries from India’s neighbouring South Asian countries were invited in every decade starting with the 1950s. South East Asian dignitaries seem to be the favourties of this decade as 14 of them were invited (including 10 in 2018) between 2010 and 2019. This is a part of India’s ‘Act East Policy‘. A dignitary from the Middle East was invited for the first time in 2003 when the Iranian president Seyed Mohammad Khatami was the Chief Guest.
Three dignitaries were invited twice
Of the 60 occasions when a dignitary was invited as the Chief Guest for the RD parade, only three persons were invited twice each. The former French President Jacques Chirac, the 4th King of Bhutan Jigme Singye Wangchuk and the former Yugoslavian President Josip Tito were the only three people who have been invited twice to the RD parade as the Chief Guest. The President of a country was invited on 34 occasions followed by a Prime Minister (18 times). The King of a country was invited 9 times and Queen Elizabeth was invited once. The Crown Prince of UAE was the Chief Guest in 2017. The Chinese Head of State was invited in 1958, the only occasion when a Chinese dignitary was invited.
Featured Image: India’s Republic Day Chief Guests

created: January 29, 2019


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India’s RTI Act is the 4th Best in the World
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 29, 2016
India’s RTI act is rated the 4th best in the world according to an annual rating of RTI like laws across the world. Pakistan’s law is at the 89th position, the worst in South Asia. Mexico is rated number one followed by Serbia and Slovenia.
India’s Right to Information (RTI) act that was passed in the year 2005 is widely hailed as one of the landmark legislations made after independence. While the implementation of the act has been a mixed bag, the act is considered by many, as a quality piece of legislation. Non-profits in the right to information advocacy space, Center for Law & Democracy & Access to Info Europe rate countries based on the quality of the RTI legislation every year. In the latest released rankings, on the eve of International Right to Know day, India is at the 4 place out of 111 countries that have a similar law. Mexico has now replaced Serbia as the top country in these ratings.
The Methodology
The Global Right to Information Rating comparatively assesses the strength of legal frameworks for the right to information from around the world. At the heart of the methodology for applying the RTI Rating are 61 Indicators. For each Indicator, countries earn points within a set range of scores (in most cases 0-2), depending on how well the legal framework delivers the Indicator, for a possible total of 150 points. The indicators are divided into seven different categories, namely: Right of Access, Scope, Requesting Procedures, Exceptions and Refusals, Appeals, Sanctions and Protections, and Promotional Measures.
Mexico on the Top
The most notable change in the latest rankings is the displacement of Serbia as the top country on the Rating for the first time since it was launched in 2011. Mexico has now replaced Serbia in the top spot. Mexico has substantially revamped its ‘General Act of Transparency and Access to Public Information’ and hence scored 136 points out of a possible total of 150. This is a significant improvement on their previous score of 117 and just ahead of Serbia, which scores 135 points.
Among the new countries that enacted the legislation, the strongest law was found to be that of Sri Lanka, which scored 121 points, putting it at 9 place globally. Every country in South Asia now has a RTI like legislation except Bhutan. The South Asian region is also a strong performer according to the new ratings with every country scoring over 100 points except Pakistan. Pakistan’s law scored only 66 points and is placed in the 89 position.
Five countries enacted a RTI like legislation in 2016 that includes Kenya, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Togo and Vietnam. Countries like Iran, Austria, Jordan, and Germany are in the bottom 10 of these rankings.
India at 4th position
India scored a total of 128 out of 150 points. While India scored well in terms of Right to Access, it lost 5 points in scope since the law exempts certain organizations from its ambit and also does not explicitly include private organizations that perform a public function. India also scored 25 out of 30 in requesting procedures since it is not free to file an application under RTI and the law does not mention anything about the unlimited reuse of information obtained through RTI. India’s RTI law scored 26 in the Exceptions category since the harm test is not applicable to all the exemptions mentioned in Section 8 of the RTI act. India scored the highest on appeals (29 out of 30). In the Sanctions category, India scored 5 out of the 8 since there is no strong legal protection for whistle blowers. India scored 13 out of 16 in the Promotional Measures category since there are no prescribed standards for record management and they are not followed in practice.

created: September 29, 2016


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india's share in spices production
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 22, 2015
India produces 3/4th of the World’s Mint. India leads the world production of various well known and commonly used spices. No wonder Europeans Came to India for Spices. Here is an infographic with detailed numbers on various commonly used spices.
Infographic design idea:Fresh Ideas Design group