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No, the government did not appoint 340 upper caste people as IAS officers through lateral entry - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 9, 2022
A social media post claiming that ignoring SCs, STs, and OBCs, the government has appointed 340 people from upper castes as IAS officers without any exam is being widely circulated. Through this article let’s fact-check the veracity of the claim made in the post.
Claim: The government has appointed 340 upper caste people as IAS officers without any exam.
Fact: The government made no such appointment of 340 upper caste people as IAS officers without any exam. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
In 2018, the central government has taken a decision to induct private sector professionals into the administrative setup of the government at the Joint Secretary and Director levels through a lateral entry scheme. It is in this backdrop the claim made in the post is being shared since then.
Lateral Entry
Earlier NITI Aayog, in its three-year Action Agenda, and the Sectoral Group of Secretaries (SGoS) on Governance in its report submitted in February 2017, recommended the induction of personnel at middle and senior management levels in the central government.
Accordingly, the central government in 2018 has decided in principle, to appoint outside experts to 10 positions of Joint Secretary in identified Ministries/Departments and 40 positions at Deputy Secretary/Director level. The government has confirmed the same in the Parliament.
In the subsequent years, ‘9 candidates were selected for appointment as Joint Secretaries in various Ministries/Departments of the government of India through lateral recruitment in 2019. Further, 31 candidates have been selected for appointment through lateral recruitment in 2021, comprising 3 candidates for the post of Joint Secretary, 19 for the post of Director, and 9 for the post of Deputy Secretary.’
Further, details of recruits and various positions filled under different departments/ministries can be viewed here & here. Therefore, as per the available information, till date, the recruitments made under the later lateral entry are very less (40), compared to the claim made in the post (340).
Reservations in Lateral Entry
Moreover, contrary to the claim made in the post, reservations or caste-based quotas do not apply to these recruitments.  Responding to a question in Lok Sabha on the impact of lateral entry on reserved posts, the government has stated that it does not maintain any centralized data on the category of persons appointed through the lateral entry scheme. This implies that caste/religion is not a criterion while recruiting for these positions.
This is also evident from the recruitment notifications issued by the UPSC (here & here), for filling the lateral entry positions. In this notification, there is no mention of caste/religion in the eligible criteria.
Further in the above-mentioned Lok Sabha reply, the government has categorically mentioned that there won’t be any reduction in reserved posts meant for SCs, STs, and OBCs in the regular posts as the lateral entry recruits are appointed on a contract basis. This means the recruitment through lateral entry would not have any impact on the reserved posts, who are usually recruited through an examination conducted by UPSC. Thus the available information proves that the claims made in the post are fictitious rather than based on factual information.
To sum it up, the government did not appoint 340 upper caste people as IAS officers through lateral entry.


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No, the government does not incur a loss of Rs. 2600 crores due to scribbled notes. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 18, 2020
A post claiming that the government incurs a loss of Rs. 2600 crores in the form scribbled notes as they have to be replaced with new notes is doing rounds on social media. Through this article lets fact-check the claim made in the post.
Government incurs a loss of Rs. 2600 crores because of scribbled notes as they have to be replaced with new notes.
Fact: Even assuming the RBI replaces the entire quantum of soiled notes, except for the years following the demonetization, the cost of printing these overall soiled notes was hovering around Rs. 2700 crores. Even in that case, the cost of printing scribbled notes would be much less as scribbled notes would just form a fraction of soiled notes.  Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
How many notes are printed every year?
Government of India in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) prints currency notes taking into cognizance factors like inflation, GDP growth and reserve stock requirements. Every year government spends thousands of crores for the printing of currency notes. As per a written reply to the Rajya Sabha in 2018, Rs. 7965 crores were spent on printing of currency notes in the year 2016-17 whereas the cost for printing the currency notes stood at Rs. 4912 crores for the year 2017-2018. Demonetization of 500 and 1000 rupee notes, the introduction of new denomination notes and a new design with additional security features for the other denominations led to the huge cost for the printing of notes in the year 2016-17.
What are soiled notes?
Despite the huge expenditure on printing of notes, the government incurs some loss as it has to replace damaged notes (mutilated, soiled, scribbled, etc.) which reach the central bank, so as to pump the currency of this value back into the economy. Every year, crores of mutilated and soiled notes reach the RBI for disposal. The official definition of mutilated & soiled notes is given below.
Mutilated: A note of which a portion is missing, or which is composed of more than two pieces.
Soiled: A note which, has become dirty due to usage and also includes a two piece note pasted together wherein both the pieces presented belong to the same note, and form the entire note
Following the demonetization of 500 and 1000 rupee notes in November 2016, a total of 2767.4 crore pieces of notes were disposed of in 2017-18 which include the old demonetized notes as well.
Cost of Printing Currency Notes
According to the data provided by the Ministry of Finance in reply to a query, the denomination wise selling price and cost of printing of a currency note for the years 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 is as below.
Total Cost of replacing Soiled notes:
Neither the RBI nor the government provides specific data related to the value/volume of scribbled notes. The RBI only provides data related to the quantum of soiled notes. Assuming Scribbled notes form a subset of soiled notes and RBI reprints the entire volume of soiled notes to replace them, the total cost to replace these soiled notes is as given below.
Total cost of printing the entire quantum of soiled notes = SUM[ (number of soiled notes of each denomination)*(cost price of printing single note of each denomination)]
Example (2017-2018):
The cost of priting the entire quantum Soiled notes = sumproduct (49.7,11.4,8.3,10.5,2002)*(0.837,1.226,1.430,1.784,3.375) = Rs. 6844.28 Crores.
Assuming the cost price of printing each note of different denomination for all the years is same as the price in 2017-18 and 2018-19, the total cost of printing the entire quantum of soiled notes for the years 2014-15,2015-16 would amount to Rs. 2739 & Rs. 2827 crores respectively. Further, the cost of printing the entire quantum of soiled notes for the years 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 would amount to Rs. 2600, Rs. 6844 and Rs. 1490 crores respectively.
Anomalies in total cost for the years 2017-18 & 2018-19:
The stark rise in the cost of printing of the entire quantum of soiled notes in the year 2017-18 is due to the huge influx of demonetized notes to RBI which had to be replaced whereas the comparatively low cost in the year 2018-19 is due to the lower quantum of soiled notes, as the Rs. 200 and Rs. 2000 denomination notes were newly introduced and the quantum of soiled notes of these denomination would be less or comparatively negligible.
Cost of Printing Scribbled notes:
From the above calculations, we can infer that except for the years 2017-18 and 2018-19 which witnessed the spillover effect of demonetization, the cost of printing the entire quantum of soiled notes is hovering around Rs. 2700 crores. However, the cost of printing the scribbled notes would be much less than this, as scribbled notes would only form a fraction of the total soiled notes. Also, the depreciation factor comes into play i.e. When a note is soiled, it doesn’t mean that the amount invested on the production of the note is wasted. The note would have served its purpose at least to some extent from the time it is introduced into the system until it has reached the central bank for destruction. More information regarding the durability of currency notes can be read here. As per a committee report constituted by RBI, highest median lifespan is for a Rs. 1000  note ranges between 4.6-9.9 years, whereas the lowest median lifespan is for a Rs. 50 note ranges  between 2.5-2.6 years.
Also, not every soiled note is reprinted, in order to maintain desired denomination mix for facilitating transactional demand for public. The government in consultation with RBI prints the notes as per the requirement. From all this information, we can infer that the loss incurred due to scribbling on notes would not amount as much as Rs. 2600 crores as being claimed in the post. The loss would be much less compared to this amount.
In a nutshell, except for the years following the demonetization, the cost of printing the overall quantum of soiled notes was hovering around R. 2700 crores. Since scribbled notes form just a fraction of the soiled notes, the cost of printing the entire quantum of scribbled notes that become unusable would be much less making this claim false.
This does not mean you should scribble on the currency notes. The RBI has on multiple occasions urged the public not to write on the currency notes and deface them as per the clean note policy.

source: news-factly

created: September 18, 2020

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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No, the handphone signals do not attract lightning - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 22, 2022
A video of a man getting struck by a lightning is being shared on social media with a claim that handphone signals attract lightning. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Handphone signals attract lightning.
Fact: The ‘National Weather Service (US)’ categorised ‘cell phones attract lightning’ as a myth. Also, on the ‘CDC’ website, it can be read – “Avoid using corded phones. Corded phones are NOT safe to use during a thunderstorm. However, cordless or cellular phones are safe to use during a storm.” Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the screenshots of the video were run through Google Reverse Image Search, many news reports regarding the incident in the video were found in the search results. The incident reportedly occurred in December 2021 in Indonesia. In the ‘Mirror’ article, it can be read – “An umbrella being held by a security guard suddenly burst into a fireball and disintegrated after being struck by lightning. The man miraculously survived the incident, which was caught on camera, as he was struck and then collapsed……The victim was patrolling the depot with a radio transmitter and umbrella when the bolt of lightning zapped him in the open courtyard.” Talking to ‘Kompas.com’ on the incident, Professor Reynaldo Zoro (an expert in the field of lightning) said – “cellphones or handy talkies do not cause a person to be struck by lightning. Because they have different frequencies.” (translated version)
On the website of ‘National Weather Service’ (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – US), it can be seen that ‘cell phones attract lightning’ is categorised as a myth. It says – “Height, pointy shape, and isolation are the dominant factors controlling where a lightning bolt will strike. The presence of metal makes absolutely no difference on where lightning strikes. Mountains are made of stone but get struck by lightning many times a year……While metal does not attract lightning, it does conduct it so stay away from metal fences, railing, bleachers, etc.” The same can be read on the ‘AccuWeather’ website. However, they advise people to be away from corded phones.
Also, on the ‘Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’ website, it can be read – “Avoid using corded phones. Corded phones are NOT safe to use during a thunderstorm. However, cordless or cellular phones are safe to use during a storm.”
To sum it up, the handphone signals do not attract lightning.


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No, the image of Muslims burning the Indian flag isn’t from India - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 2, 2019
On Facebook, a few users are posting a picture of Muslims burning an Indian flag and are alleging that the incident happened in India. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
In the picture, Muslims burning the Indian flag are Indians and the incident happened in India.
Fact: This is a 2015 photo taken when Pakistani protesters burnt an Indian flag during a protest in Multan. Hence, the claim that the Muslims burning the tricolor flag are Indians stands FALSE.
When the photo in the post is run through Google Reverse Image Search technique with a filter “Indian flag burnt”, it was found in a blog with the title “Pakistani protesters burn a poster of PM Narendra Modi”. In the blog, the photo credits to this image are given to “AP Photo”. If the official website of Associated Press (AP) Photos is searched, this particular photo can be seen. From the description given about the photo, it was known that on June 11, 2015, Pakistani protesters have burnt an Indian flag during a protest in Multan. They have done it in response to the comments made by Indian Prime Minister Modi, who acknowledged that Indian forces had a role in the war that created Bangladesh, which was part of Pakistan until 1971 when separatists won independence after a war.
To conclude, the Muslims burning the Indian flag aren’t Indians and the incident is not from India.
Did you watch our new Episode of DECODE series on Parliament?


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The IMF World Economic Outlook report 2020 did not claim that India will be poorer than Bangladesh by 2025 - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 3, 2024
A social media post alleges that according to the most recent World Economic Outlook report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), “India will be poorer than Bangladesh by 2025” (here & here). In this article, we verify the accuracy of this statement.
Claim: IMF in its latest World Economic Outlook stated that “India will be poorer than Bangladesh by 2025”.
Fact: This claim originated in 2020, when the IMF Outlook projected that Bangladesh’s per capita GDP had surpassed India’s. However, this conclusion can be misleading because GDP per capita does not directly indicate a country’s overall wealth. Importantly, since then, India has outperformed Bangladesh in various economic metrics and is projected to continue doing well in the future. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The IMF published its most recent World Economic Outlook in April 2024. Although the report does not compare the Indian economy directly with Bangladesh, it provides growth projections for both countries. According to the report, India’s GDP is expected to grow at 6.8% in 2024 and 6.5% in 2025. In contrast, Bangladesh’s GDP growth is estimated to be 5.7% in 2024 and 6.6% in 2025.
The narrative that India had fallen behind Bangladesh economically began in 2020, following an IMF Outlook report that indicated Bangladesh’s real per capita GDP had overtaken India’s. In nominal US dollar terms, the report projected India’s per capita GDP for 2020 at $1,876.53, slightly below Bangladesh’s projection of $1,887.97. It was based on these figures that the discussions about India becoming economically poorer than Bangladesh started.
India leads in multiple indicators:
However, this conclusion is misleading because GDP per capita does not directly reflect a country’s wealth. It’s important to distinguish between total GDP and GDP per capita; the latter is a measure of the average income per person within an economy, calculated by dividing the total GDP by the population size. Additionally, it should be noted that the 2020 GDP per capita projections were made during the COVID-19 pandemic when economies were disrupted by lockdowns, further complicating direct comparisons.
Contrary to the widespread assertion, India has consistently maintained a significantly larger economy than Bangladesh, irrespective of the year. According to the IMF’s latest April 2024 Outlook, India’s GDP at current prices is projected to reach $4.3 trillion in 2025, whereas Bangladesh’s is expected to reach only $491.81 billion.
Even the GDP per capita projections further indicate that India has overtaken Bangladesh. The IMF forecast for 2024 indicates that India’s per capita GDP will be $2730, compared to Bangladesh’s $2650. These projections suggest that India’s per capita GDP will continue to exceed that of Bangladesh at least through 2028.
Moreover, projections of GDP at purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita also indicate that India is performing better than Bangladesh. Historically, India has consistently led Bangladesh in this measure. Although India’s GDP at PPP per capita approached Bangladesh’s levels during the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, subsequent projections show India’s figures improving. By 2025, India’s GDP at PPP per capita is expected to reach $10,870, compared to Bangladesh’s $10,170.
Therefore, these metrics refute the viral claim that India has become economically poorer than Bangladesh. It’s evident that an erroneous conclusion has been drawn by conflating GDP per capita with overall GDP projections. Previously, when a similar claim circulated widely, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) clarified that it was false, emphasizing that India continues to be a significant contributor to global growth.
It is being falsely claimed that as per IMF's latest World Economic Outlook, "India will be poorer than Bangladesh by 2025 & is no more a developing nation" #PIBFactcheck
✅India remains a ‘bright spot’ & contribute 15% of global growth in 2023: IMF MD Kristalina Georgieva pic.twitter.com/82rDIcyxU4
To sum up, the IMF World Economic Outlook report 2020 did not claim that India will be poorer than Bangladesh by 2025


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No, the Indian government did not remove the nationality column from Indian passports - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 21, 2022
A social media post that claims central government has removed the nationality column from the passport is being circulated across social media platforms. Through this article let’s fact-check veracity of the claim made in the post.
Claim: Central government has removed nationality column from the passport.
Fact: Government did not remove the nationality column form the passport. Applicants still have to mention the type of Indian citizenship one holds in the passport application form. Further, when the same claim went viral earlier, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs has clarified that the government has not removed nationality column and is still  maintained in the passport. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
There are no reports of government doing away with the nationality column in the passports of the citizens. Had the government taken any such decision, media would have reported it, however, we could not find any such reports.
Also there is no regulation or any notification in this regard on the passport seva portal.  Applicants still have to mention the type of Indian citizenship one holds in the passport application form.
When the same claim went viral on social media back in 2021, Anurag Srivastava, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, speaking to India Today clarified that the government has not removed nationality column and is still  maintained in the passport.
“It is absolutely incorrect. In all categories of travel documents issued by the government, the nationality column is maintained, and there has been no change in the same,” said Srivastava in a statement to India Today.
To sum it up, Indian government did not remove the nationality column from Indian passports.


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The Karnataka government did not allocate funds to minorities from Hindu temples' income - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 21, 2024
After the Karnataka government presented its state budget, a series of social media posts have been circulating, accusing the government of bias in fund allocation against Hindus. One post asserts that the state government allocated 330 crores to the Waqf and Christian communities but neglected to allocate anything for Hindus. Another post suggests that the funds allocated to minorities were sourced from the earnings of Hindu temples. This article aims to fact-check the assertions made in these posts.
Claim: The Karnataka government allocated funds for minorities but not for Hindus; these funds for minorities were drawn from the earnings of Hindu temples.
Fact: According to the Hindu Endowment Acts in force in Karnataka, the funds collected from the Hindu temples must be spent only on Hindu temples and related matters. According to these laws, the present government has also made allocations to Hindu religious endowments. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
On 16 February 2024, the Karnataka government unveiled the budget for the fiscal year 2024-25, earmarking funds, including Rs. 100 crores for the conservation and restoration of Waqf properties, Rs. 200 crores for the development of the Christian community, and allocating Rs. 393 crores for programs through the minorities’ development corporation, as outlined in the viral posts.
Additionally, funds were designated for the construction of the Haj Bhavan in Mangalore and the fee reimbursement of minority students, among other initiatives. In addition to Muslims and Christians, the government allocated funds to other minority communities such as Sikhs, Jains, and others. These allocations were made under the Minorities Welfare category.
Allocations were made to Hindu endowments :
However, in contrast to the viral assertion, the Karnataka government also allocated funds for Hindu temples and religious activities. Funds were designated for the construction of residential complexes at pilgrimage destinations like Thirumala, Srishaila, Varanasi, etc. Allocations were made for the tasdik amount to be paid to the priests of all 29,523 ‘C’ category temples. Details about the allocations made toward Hindu religious endowments can be reviewed here and here.
Contrary to the viral assertion, the government did not allocate funds for minorities from the revenues of Hindu temples. According to the existing endowment acts within the state (The Hindu Religious Institutions And Charitable Endowments Act, 1997), earnings from Hindu temples are mandated to be used solely for Hindu religious activities and not for other purposes.
This is explicitly stated in the endowment act, indicating that regardless of the governing party, the revenue generated by Hindu temples must be dedicated solely to Hindu activities and not diverted elsewhere. In response to the viral assertion regarding the budget allocations suggesting a transfer of funds from Hindu temples to other communities, the relevant state minister clarified that endowment funds will exclusively support Hindu temples.
To sum it up, no, the Karnataka government did not allocate funds to minorities from Hindu temples’ income.

created: February 21, 2024


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‘The Kashmir Files’ film director Vivek Agnihotri did not pledge any money or houses for Hindus in Kashmir - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 11, 2022
Update (11 April 2022):Another post with an image of ‘The Kashmir Files’ director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri with PM Modi is being widely shared with a claim that Vivek Agnihotri has donated 200 crore rupees to the PM Relief Fund. However, there are no news reports about Vivek Agnihotri donating 200 crore rupees to PM Relief Fund. Moreover, the image shared in the post is from March 2022 when the ‘The Kashmir Files’ team met PM Modi. Vivek Agnihotri had tweeted the same visuals on 12 March 2022. Aaj Tak team got in touch with the Vivek Agnihotri’s PR team who clarified that the message about Rs. 200 crore donation is just a rumour.
A post is being shared on social media claiming that ‘The Kashmir Files’ film director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri has recently pledged to build houses for Kashmiri Hindus from his movie profits. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: ‘The Kashmir Files movie’ director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri pledged to build houses for Kashmiri Hindus from his movie profits.
Fact: ‘The Kashmir Files’ director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri did not make any such announcement to build houses for Hindus in Kashmir. The ‘Karni Sena’ national president Suraj Pal Ammu had recently appealed to ‘Zee Studios’ and Vivek Agnihotri to pledge 50% of the ‘The Kashmir Files’ profits for the welfare of Kashmiri Pandits. While responding to a similar request from an IAS officer from Madhya Pradesh, Vivek Agnihotri sarcastically tweeted asking him to give his appointment to exchange ideas on how they can help Kashmiri Pandits from the profits of his movie and his power as an IAS officer. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether the Kashmir Files film director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri had made any such announcement to build houses for Hindus in Kashmir, we could not find any on the official Twitter handle of Vivek Agnihotri. If Vivek Agnihotri had made such a promise, several mainstream news websites would have published articles reporting that information. But we could not find a single article reporting this news on the internet.
Suraj Pal Ammu, the national president of ‘Karni Sena’, had recently appealed to ‘Zee Studios’ and Vivek Agnihotri to pledge 50% of ‘The Kashmir Files’ movie profits for the welfare of Kashmiri Pandits. A few news articles that reported this information can be seen here and here. Suraj Pal Ammu warned ‘The Kashmir Files’ filmmakers that if they failed to contribute film profits to displaced Kashmiris welfare, it would be presumed that they had produced the movie only to cash in on the sufferings of the displaced people and had no genuine concern for their welfare.
While responding to a similar demand from an IAS officer from Madhya Pradesh, Vivek Agnihotri through a tweet requested his appointment to exchange ideas on how they can help Kashmiri Pandits from his movie profits and his power as an IAS officer, and the royalty that the IAS officer receives on his books. Reporting Vivek Agnihotri’s sarcastic response to Madhya Pradesh IAS officer, several news websites published articles. They can be seen here and here.
Sir Niyaz Khaan Sahab, Bhopal aa raha hoon 25th ko. Please give an appointment so we can meet and exchange ideas how we can help and how you can help with the royalty of your books and your power as an IAS officer. https://t.co/9P3oif8nfL
To sum it up, ‘The Kashmir Files’ film director Vivek Agnihotri did not pledge to build houses for Hindus in Kashmir.


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No, the Kerala government does not allocate any funds for the payment of salaries to Madrasa teachers - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 4, 2024
A social media post claims that the Kerala government is providing unwarranted benefits to the Muslim community. The content in the post provides information about the number of Madrasas in operation in the state and the government’s expenditure on the teachers in these Madrasas The post alleges that there are 21,683 Madrasas in the state with 2,04,683 teachers, and the Kerala government is spending Rs. 123 crores on their salaries. This article aims to fact-check the assertions made in the post.
Claim: The Kerala government allocates a substantial sum for the salaries of Madrasa teachers.
Fact: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan explicitly stated in the assembly that the state government does not allocate any funds from its treasury for the payment of salaries or other benefits to Madrasa teachers. The salaries of Madrasa teachers are covered by the respective Madrasa committees, with payment based on the financial capacity of each committee. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The viral message has been circulating for a minimum of two years. While the post identifies KT Jalil as the education minister, it’s important to note that the current Education Minister in Kerala is Vasudevan Sivan Kutty. KT Jalil held the Minority Welfare ministerial position during the previous term.
Kerala Madarsas and teachers:
In 2019, the Kerala government enacted the Kerala Madrasa Teachers Welfare Fund Bill, establishing a welfare fund for Madarsa teachers. Presenting the bill, the former Minority Welfare Minister, KT Jalil, mentioned that there are 21,683 Madrasas in the state of Kerala, employing a combined total of 2,04,683 teachers (here & here). These Madrasa details align with the assertions made in the claim.
However, when the same assertion gained traction in 2021, The Quint contacted the CEO of the Kerala Madrassa Welfare Board. The CEO clarified that there are 27,814 madrasas in Kerala operated by various organizations, with 1,70,816 teachers associated with these institutions.
Madrasa teacher’s salary:
In response to the identical assertion, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan explicitly declared in the assembly that the state government does not allocate any funds from its treasury to pay salaries or other benefits to Madrasa teachers (here & here). Additionally, responding to The Quint, the then Minister KT Jaleel explained, “The salaries of madrasa teachers are covered by the respective madrasa committees, with payment based on the financial capacity of each committee.” In contrast to the viral claim, this establishes that the government is not covering the expenses for the salaries of madrasa teachers.
As per the information available on the website of the Directorate of Minority Welfare, Kerala government, there are 16 coaching centers in the state dedicated to assisting Muslim youths in preparing for competitive exams. The information indicates that the teachers of these coaching centers receive a fixed sum of Rs 25,000. This information has probably been misinterpreted as the salary for teachers in Madrasas across the entire state. Nonetheless, there is no specific mention of the salary for a typical madrasa teacher. Earlier Factly debunked a similar claim about madrasas of Kerala.
To sum it up, no, the Kerala government is not spending a substantial sum on the salaries of Madrasa teachers.

created: January 4, 2024


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No, the Kerala man in this video is not feeding ‘meat’ to the elephant - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 27, 2022
A video through a post is being widely shared on social media claiming that a Kerala Muslim was feeding meat to an elephant. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video showing a Kerala Muslim feeding meat to an elephant.
Fact: The person in the video is not trying to feed meat but was feeding coconut to the elephant. The man in the video is Nabeel Kunhappu. When Nabeel first fed the elephant a coconut, it did not respond violently. Seeing this, his son too came forward to feed the elephant coconut for the second time, but this time the elephant attacked them. This viral video was taken when the elephant attacked them while they were feeding coconut for the second time. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When reverse image search is done on the screenshots of the video, an article with similar visuals was found. The man in the video was identified as Nabeel, who, along with his son, was trying to feed the elephant near Thrikkalayoor temple in Malappuram, Kerala. According to the article, Nabeel first fed the elephant a coconut. Looking at it, his son became interested to feed the elephant. However, when the father and son went towards the elephant to feed coconut, the elephant tried to grab the son, but they escaped, as can be seen in the video. According to the article, the video is from late 2021.
When we searched on Google about Nabeel, we found a clarification video by him on Facebook. He stated quite clearly that they were only trying to feed coconut to the elephant before it attacked them. When the video went viral on social media, it was reported that the boy and his father escaped without any injuries. It was nowhere reported that the Kerala man tried to feed meat to the elephant. Elephants do not eat meat, they are herbivores.
To sum it up, the Kerala man who was attacked by an elephant in this video was not feeding ‘meat’ to the elephant.


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No, the kidneys were not robbed by this Mumbai hospital on the pretext of COVID-19 - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 20, 2020
A video of few people creating ruckus in a hospital ward is being shared on social media with the claim that kidneys were robbed from a patient by hospital authorities in Nagpur, by conducting a post-mortem on the patient who is still alive and later, the patient was declared dead due to COVID-19. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Video of the relatives of a patient creating a ruckus as kidneys were robbed from the patient at a hospital in Nagpur on the pretext of COVID-19.
Fact: The incident in the video took place at Cooper Hospital in Mumbai. It has been reported that the family members alleged that the patient died after being administered an injection. On the other hand, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has said that all the necessary medical procedures were followed and there were no lapses from the hospital side. There is no kidney robbery angle to the incident. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the screenshots of the video were run through Google Reverse Image Search, many news articles regarding the incident were found in the search results. In the ‘ANI’ article, it can be read that the ‘relatives of a patient, who died at Cooper Hospital in Mumbai where he was admitted for treatment, created ruckus at the hospital premises on July 19. The family members alleged that the patient was administered an injection after which he died’. ‘ANI’ has also tweeted regarding the incident.
#WATCH Mumbai: Relatives of a patient, who died at Cooper Hospital in Mumbai where he was admitted for treatment, create ruckus at the hospital. His family alleges that he was administered an injection after which he died. (Note: Abusive language) (19.07.2020) pic.twitter.com/qm9bC8lBPD
In the India Today article, it can be read that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has clarified regarding the incident saying – ‘A 30-year-old man was brought to the Cooper Hospital for treatment on Sunday, July 19, 2020, at around 10 pm. At this time, a health complaint was lodged by his relatives that blood was coming out of his mouth. The senior medical officers present at the hospital immediately examined the patient and started treatment after an X-ray examination. However, the patient died shortly after that, at around 11.15 pm”. They also said – “The patient was also provided with immediate and appropriate treatment by the hospital. There is no negligence in it‘. Reports by other news agencies regarding the incident can be read here and here. So, there is no kidney robbery angle to the incident.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, a lot of posts are being shared on social media alleging that kidneys are being robbed from the patients on the pretext of COVID-19. Some of those posts can be found here and here. But there are no confirmed reports of any such incident. One of those posts was already debunked by FACTLY previously. The fact-check article can be read here.
To sum it up, the kidneys were not robbed by the hospital on the pretext of COVID-19 in this incident. The relatives alleged that proper treatment was not given, and the patient died due to administering an injection.
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No, the lockdown has not been extended till 03 June 2020 in Telangana. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 6, 2020
A piece of news has been published by some news agencies that CM KCR has announced the extension of lockdown in the Telangana State till 03 June 2020. FACTLY has found that no such announcement has been made by CM KCR. The Chief Minister himself has responded to the news in his press conference and has debunked the fake news.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact –
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1v6T9X2hAIVTSufYl4ZkFUfTzUIuou8SA/view
https://twitter.com/TelanganaCMO/status/1247158168464982022
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No, the man hasn’t set his car ablaze for being issued a challan - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 16, 2019
A video of a car being burnt while a man and a woman held pistols is being shared on social media with a claim that a man set up his car ablaze and made his wife and children sit on the road giving them a pistol as his car was issued a challan of Rs 35,000. Let’s analyze the authenticity of that claim.
Man set up his car ablaze and threatened with a pistol as his car was issued a challan of Rs 35,000.
Fact: The man in the video is Shubham Choudhary and the woman is Anjula Sharma.  They had set ablaze the car to gain media coverage to announce their marriage. The kids seen in the video are the children of Shubham Choudhary’s sister. So, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The video in the Facebook post has the logo of ‘ABP Ganga’. So when searched on Youtube that news video was found and is known to be aired on September 25, 2019. In the news video, a reporter from the incident sight speaks over a call to the news anchor and tells that the incident has taken place in Mathura 15 minutes back and the actual details of it are yet to be known. So, no concrete details of the incident were known from that video. When searched on Google with keywords ‘man set ablaze car Mathura’, an article of ‘News18’ that was published about the incident was found in the search results. From the article, it is known that Mathura Police have arrested  Shubham Choudhary and Anjula Sharma in this incident and they have revealed that they have set ablaze the car to get media coverage and get married in the middle of the road. It was known from the article that the kids seen along with them were the children of Shubham Choudhary’s sister and Anjula Sharma
When the video has gone viral with false claim, Mathura Police clarified that the claim with which it has gone viral is baseless and false.
मथुरा पुलिस द्वारा इस भ्रामक व असत्य खबर का खंण्डन किया जाता है ।#UPPAgainstFakeNews pic.twitter.com/lB2ZGCPVWD
To summarize, the man hasn’t set his car ablaze for being issued a traffic challan of Rs 35,0000.
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created: October 16, 2019


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No, the man in this video who saved two children from drowning in floods is not their father - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 29, 2022
A social media post accompanying a video of a man saving two children from drowning in floods is being widely circulated with a claim that video shows a father saving his two children. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Visuals showing father saving his two sons from drowning in floods.
Fact: The visuals are reported by Omani news articles recently. However, as per these articles it is not the father of the children who saved them from drowning but a photographer, who is present at the scene. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
The viral visuals showing a man saving couple of children from drowning in floods is from Bahla, a town in Oman. However, the man saving the life of the children is not their father.
Reverse image search of the screenshots of the viral video yielded multiple news reports which reported the same visuals. As per one such news report, it is not the father but a photographer named Ali bin Nasser Al-Wardi who was present at the scene to take pictures, saved the life of two children drowning in the floods.
Even according to another news article, it is evident that the children were not saved by their father but by a stranger present at the location. Further, the article reported that he was appreciated by the police and government officials for his bravery.
To sum it up, the man in this video who saved two children from drowning in floods is not their father.


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No, the Nepal government did not release currency notes featuring Buddha’s image - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 10, 2023
A social media post claims that Nepal gave respect to Lord Buddha by releasing currency notes with Buddha’s image. The post shares a set of currency notes which has Buddha images on them. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Nepal government has printed currency notes with Buddha images.
Fact: Nepal government hasn’t released any currency note with Lord Buddha’s image. In 2013, Nepal’s Central Bank released a 100 rupee note featuring Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha. According to news reports, earlier in 2007, Nepal government has made a futile attempt to introduce currency notes with Lord Budda’s image.  Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The viral image showing Buddha’s photo on a currency note is digitally created and the Nepal government has not released any such currency notes with Buddha’s photo.
A search on Nepal’s Central Bank website did not yield any specimen of a currency note with an image of Lord Buddha on it.
However, we could find a 100 rupee Nepali note featuring Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha. According to news reports, this currency note was introduced in 2013.
If there is any such currency note with Lord Buddha’s image, it would have been featured on the Central Bank’s website or news agencies would have reported it. But, we could neither find any such note on the Central Bank’s website nor any such news reports.
Earlier in 2007, the Nepal government made a futile attempt to introduce currency notes with Lord Budda’s image. According to news reports, in January 2007, a cabinet meeting approved Nepal Rastra Bank’s (Central Bank) proposal to use the Buddha’s picture replacing those of King Gyanendra (here & here).
A month later in February 2007, they retracted back on this and decided to replace the picture of King Gyanendra with that of Mount Everest on the 10-rupee notes. “We decided to go in for Sagarmatha instead of the Buddha because some Buddhist religious organizations were against having his picture on currency notes,”  the then Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat told Reuters.
Further, Narayan Prasad Pokhrel, Deputy Spokesperson, and Information Officer of the Central Bank of Nepal, speaking to Vishwas News, clarified that the viral images as fake. Hence, it is clear that the Nepal government has not released currency notes with Buddha’s image and the viral images are digitally morphed.
To sum up, the Nepal government did not release currency notes featuring Buddha’s image.


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No, the New York Times did not publish any article on the AAP’s recent rally in Gujarat - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 4, 2022
An image of a purported article by the New York Times is being widely shared on social media through a post with a claim that the Aam Aadmi Party had set a world record by gathering the highest number of people in a political rally. The article carries a sub-title that reads, “Nearly 25 crores people attended Arvind Kejriwal’s rally in Gujarat after his Landslide win in Punjab Election.” Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Image of the New York Times article on the Aam Aadmi Party’s 25 crore people rally in Gujarat.
Fact: A huge rally was held on 02 April 2022 by Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in Ahmedabad, Gujarat where many people turned up. However, there is no article on the Aam Aadmi Party that was published on 02 April 2022 by the New York Times. The New York Times tweeted that the image was a mocked-up image and that it did not write or publish any such article. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched on the New York Times website, we could not find any article on the Aam Aadmi Party that was published on 02 April 2022. The India page of the New York Times also does not feature an article on the Aam Aadmi Party recently.
The words used in the supposed article are unlike what is used by the New York Times. The usage of ‘crores’, and ‘Landslide’ with a capital ‘L’, is unlike the New York Times.
Replying to a user who tweeted the same image, the New York Times clarified that it was a mocked-up image and that it did not write or publish the article.
That screenshot is a mocked up image. The New York Times did not write or publish that story. Please visit https://t.co/wnc1L2kU2m for our fact-based, independent journalism about India.
A huge rally was held on 02 April 2022 by Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. According to reports, many people turned up for the rally; before the rally, nearly 50,000 people were expected to be part of it.
To sum it up, the New York Times did not publish any article on the AAP’s recent rally in Gujarat.


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The person criticizing Rahul Gandhi in this video is not communist party leader Subhashini Ali - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 7, 2024
Amidst the 2024 general elections, a video has surfaced online featuring a woman commending Modi and criticising Rahul Gandhi, with claims that she is the well-known CPM leader Subhashini Ali (here & here). In the video, the woman can be heard praising Modi on various issues. In this article, we examine the accuracy of this assertion.
Claim: Video depicts well-known CPI(M) leader Subhashini Ali commending Modi.
Fact: Subhashini Ali has clarified that she is not the person in the video and that the comments have been incorrectly attributed to her. Additionally, a comparison of photos of Subhashini Ali with the woman in the viral video clearly shows that they are not the same person. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Taking a cue from the logo on the microphone, a YouTube search using pertinent keywords directed us to an extended footage of the viral excerpt, hosted on a channel named “99 Khabar.” This video was posted in December 2023. In this footage, the woman appears to be speaking the same words as in the viral video. Nevertheless, the YouTube video does not explicitly label the woman as Subhashini Ali, instead presenting her as a representation of public opinion.
After closely comparing a photo of Subhashini Ali with the woman in the viral video, it is evident that the woman in the video is not Subhashini Ali.
A comparison between the woman’s voice in the viral clip and Subhashini Ali’s voice in previous interviews (here & here) shows clear differences.
Additionally, we found no reports linking these comments to Subhashini Ali. As the video gained traction, Subhashini Ali responded on Twitter, clarifying that she was not the person in the video and that the comments were wrongly attributed to her. She explicitly stated that neither the voice nor the views expressed are hers.
This is a fake video attributed to me. Not me. Not my voice. Not my views. Have reported to ECI and police. Let's see what they do. https://t.co/AKGI67lcgV
To sum up, the person criticizing Rahul Gandhi in this video is not communist party leader Subhashini Ali.


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No, the person in this video is not a 200 years old Himalayan monk - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 1, 2022
Update (19 September 2023):
Another video is being shared claiming that is shows a 399 old person having food. However, based on the marking on the left side of his face and the ear, it can be concluded that he is the same person from the TikTok videos of ‘auyary13’ who was addressed below.
Update (01 AUGUST 2022):
Another similar video is being shared on social media with a claim that it shows a 399 years old woman. However, it is the same person from the TikTok videos of ‘auyary13’. Similar visuals can be seen here and here. Also, according to the posts on the profile of ‘auyary13’, the person reportedly died. So, the person in the video is not 399 years old.
Published (24 FEDRUARY 2022):
A video is being widely shared on social media with a claim that it shows 200 years old Himalayan monk Maharudra. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of 200 years old Himalayan monk Maharudra.
Fact: The person in the video is not 200 years old. He is reportedly around 109 years old and is from Thailand. Several news agencies have reported that the world’s oldest living person is Kane Tanaka, who is around 119 years old. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On observing the video carefully, one can see a TikTok username – ‘@auyary13’. When we looked at the profile of ‘auyary13’ on TikTok, the same video was found to be uploaded by her five days ago. A lot of videos of the same person with regular updates on his condition can be seen on her profile. From the descriptions and the visuals in her videos, it was found that the videos were taken in Thailand.
She replied to various people about his age in the comments section of her videos.  Her comments can be seen here and here. In one of her comments, she said that his age is 109 years. Some websites have also written articles on him which can be read here, here, and here.
Several news agencies have reported that the world’s oldest living person is Kane Tanaka, who is around 119 years old. Some of those articles can be read here and here.
To sum it up, the person in the posted video is not 200 years old Himalayan monk Maharudra.

created: August 1, 2022


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No, the persons standing next to Aamir Khan are not terrorists - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 25, 2019
A post with an image of Aamir Khan standing with two persons is being shared on Facebook with a claim that the persons standing next to Aamir are terrorists. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
In the image, Aamir Khan is standing with Junaid Samshed and Moulana Tariq, who are Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists.
Fact: The persons standing beside Aamir Khan are Junaid Jamshed and Moulana Tariq but they are not terrorists. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched with the keywords ‘Aamir photo with Junaid and Tariq’ on Google, it was found that the photo was taken in 2012 when Aamir went to Haj. The names of the persons standing next to Aamir Khan are Junaid Jamshed (not Junaid Samshed) and Maulana Tariq Jameel. Both of them are Pakistan nationals and Islamic preachers but they are not terrorists. In an event, Junaid Jamshed told his followers about when and where he met Aamir Khan. Also, Junaid Jamshed is not alive now, he died in a plane crash in 2016.
To sum it up, the persons standing next to Aamir Khan are not terrorists.
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No, the plane performing stunts in the video isn’t a Rafale Fighter jet - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 24, 2019
A video is being shared with the claim that it shows a Rafale Fighter plane that India is procuring from France. Let’s analyze the authenticity of that claim.
Video of Rafale Fighter plane India bought from France.
Fact: Video shows an F-16QQ turbine jet operated by Quique Somenzini of ‘Flex Innovations’, a company working on aircraft control systems, toys, electronics and RC hobby products. So, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
In 2016, India has signed an agreement with France for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets and on 09 October 2019, India has got its first Rafale jet from France.
But, a video is being shared with the claim that it shows the Rafel jet that India is procuring from France. When that video was fragmented and those keyframes were subjected to Yandex reverse image search technique, the search results were obtained about ‘F-16QQ’.
When searched on Google with keywords ‘F-16QQ’, many search results were obtained. A search result had a longer version of the posted 4 minutes 50 seconds clip and was found to be uploaded on YouTube by a channel ‘Flex innovations’. The video had the description ‘Quique flies the F-16QQ on a hot day in August, Venice, FL!’.
When searched on Google for details about Flex Innovations, it was found that it is a company working on aircraft control systems, toys, electronics, and RC hobby products. On the jet flying in the video, the logo of the company can be seen.
Onthe company’s website, the product F-16QQ turbine jet can be found and theproduct can be purchased by ordering it online.
In the original video at 6:19 duration, the jet can be seen operated with remote control by Quique(Quique Somenzini), a co-founder of that company.
To conclude, it isn’t a Rafale Fighter jet that is performing the stunts in the video.
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created: October 24, 2019


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No, the police constable in the photo isn’t the grand-daughter of that old woman - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 26, 2019
On Facebook, a few users are posting a photo of a police constable and an old woman, and are claiming that the former is the grand-daughter of the latter. Let’s try to verify the authenticity of the claim made in the post.
In the photo, the police constable is the grand-daughter of the old woman.
Fact: When the woman constable (Manvi) went to a bank on her personal work, she met an ‘anonymous’ old woman. Upon knowing that she has been starving for food, Manvi took that old woman with her and provided food to eat. The photo was taken in that context. So, the claim that the police constable is the grand-daughter of the old woman is FALSE.
When the image in the post is cropped and subjected to the Google Reverse Image Search technique, a News18 article was found. As per that article, a woman constable in Uttar Pradesh, Manvi, had gone to a bank on her personal work where she met an old woman who was struggling with her work and was also starving for food. Manvi helped the old woman with her work and also offered her food to eat.
The same story can also be seen in the ABP News video. Also, the Uttar Pradesh Police have even tweeted appreciating the generous efforts of Manvi, which can be seen here.
DGP OP Singh commended Const.Manvi,in an appreciation letter, for exemplifying highest human virtues of kindness along with her duty
She not only empathetically comforted an hassled old lady outside a bank,helped her with her work but also offered her food
Congratulations Manvi! pic.twitter.com/HCYC8Eufb6
To conclude, the police constable in the photo isn’t the grand-daughter of that old woman.
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No, the poster showing Modi as ‘the Dracula of Kashmir’ was not put up at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 21, 2019
A poster showing Prime Minister Modi as ‘the Dracula of Kashmir’ is being shared widely on social media with a claim that the poster was put up by the Aligarh Muslim University students after the abrogation of Article 370. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Poster showing Modi as ‘the Dracula of Kashmir’ was put up at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).
Fact: The Aligarh Police have refuted the claim with a tweet that no such poster was put up at AMU. The same poster can be seen in the protests at Indian High Commission (London) against the Modi government’s recent decision on Kashmir. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the photo in the post was run through Google Reverse Image Search, it was found that the Aligarh Police have already refuted the claim by tweeting in reply to a user who has posted the same picture with a similar claim. The Aligarh Police have tweeted that no such poster was put up in the AMU premises and the picture is being falsely shared on social media as poster related to AMU. In a tweet by another user, the same poster can be found, but with a description that it was taken during ‘Black Day protest in London outside Indian High Commission’.
सोशल मीडिया पर वायरल माननीय प्रधानमंत्री का बैनर पर लगे निंदनीय/अशोभनीय चित्र का अलीगढ़ पुलिस पूर्णतया खण्ड़न करती है ।#UPAgainstFakeNews pic.twitter.com/L7GShK01cJ
When looked for the poster in that protest, a similar poster can be found at 46 min 09 seconds in a video uploaded by ‘The Sun’ with the title ‘Kashmir protests outside London’s Indian High Commission’.
To sum it up, the poster showing Modi as ‘the Dracula of Kashmir’ was not put up at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).
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No, the Railway employee in this video is not 'Kacha Badam' singer Bhuban Badyakar - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 22, 2022
A video is being shared on social media with a claim that it shows ‘Kacha Badam’ singer Bhuban Badyakar. In the post, it is claimed that Bhuban Badyakar got a government job in the Railways as a guard. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video shows ‘Kacha Badam’ singer Bhuban Badyakar doing his government job in the Railways as a guard.
Fact: There are no news reports stating that Bhuban Badyakar was offered a government job in the Railways. The person who shot the video told FACTLY that the video was taken in October 2021 before the singer got popular and the person in the video is not Bhuban Badyakar. Also, Bhuban Badyakar has clarified to the ‘India Today’ that it is not him in the posted video. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched whether Bhuban Badyakar got a government job in the Railways, no such reports were found on the internet. Bhuban Badyakar rose to fame for his ‘Kacha Badam’ song and has been widely interviewed by many reputed news agencies in the recent past. However, he did not mention anywhere that he was offered a government job in the Railways. If he had really received any such offer, it would have been reported by multiple news agencies but none of them reported about it.
Talking to the media in March 2022, Bhuban Badyakar said – “I am just a peanut seller, I will sing but also continue to sell peanuts.” However, he also previously said – “People are dancing to my song. So, you can imagine I am a celebrity now. I won’t have to sell peanuts from on. If I try to sell peanuts now people won’t buy, everybody will want to listen to my song. If my song can take me to people let’s focus more on music. I want to create more viral songs.”
The words ‘Daily Travel Hack’ can be seen on the posted video. So, when we searched using those words, the same video was found to be uploaded by the ‘dailytravelhac1’ Instagram page, in February 2022, with the description – “Kacha Badam Fame Bhuban Badyakar Brother…. He looks like same…. what do you think on it??”. However, the page has posted the same video with the original audio, in December 2021, with the description – “When my Son was ready to go with Tejas Guard”. The uploader did not mention that the person in the video is Bhuban Badyakar. Someone commented – “Kacha badam wala”, to which the uploader replied – “arey han yaar”.
When we reached out to the administrator of the ‘dailytravelhac1’ Instagram page, he said – “That man is already working in Indian Railway as a guard (now train manager).  I recorded this video last year October in my hometown before the singer got popular. And yes, that is an original video shot by me. He is not Bhuban Badyakar”. Also, Bhuban Badyakar has clarified to the ‘India Today’ that it is not him in the posted video.
To sum it up, the Railway employee in this video is not ‘Kacha Badam’ singer Bhuban Badyakar.


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No, the Ram bhajan in this video has not been sung by PM Modi - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 20, 2022
A video is being shared on social media with a claim that the Ram bhajan in the video is sung by PM Modi. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: The Ram bhajan sung by PM Modi can be heard in the video.
Fact: The bhajan in the posted video was not sung by PM Modi. It is taken from a bhajan conducted by ‘Pujya Prembhushanji Maharaj’. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched with some keywords on the internet, similar videos were found in the search results. Some of those video results had a title related to another YouTube video – “Pujya Prembhushanji Maharaj *Bhajan * Ram Naam Ke Sabun Se Jo (Contact +916394157463)”.
On hearing to the bhajan in that video, it can be concluded that the audio of the posted video was taken from it. It is a bhajan conducted by ‘Pujya Prembhushanji Maharaj’. There is no mention of PM Modi in the video.
To sum it up, the Ram bhajan in the posted video has not been sung by PM Modi


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No, the saint talking about ‘Hindu Rashtra’ in this video is not the saint killed in Palghar - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 23, 2020
A video of a Hindu saint talking about making our country a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ is being shared widely on social media with a claim that the saint in the video is one of the saints killed in the Palghar mob lynching incident. Let’s analyze the claim made in the post.
The saint talking about ‘Hindu Rashtra’ in the video is the one killed in Palghar mob lynching.
Fact: The man in the video is ‘Shri Vratadhar Ramanuj Jeeyar Swami Tridandiji’. He is the President of ‘Akhil Bharat Hindu Maha Sabha’. He confirmed to FACTLY that he is the one in the video. The names of the two saints killed in Palghar mob lynching are Mahant Kalpavruksha Giri (age -70 yrs) and Sushilgiri Maharaj (age – 30yrs). Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the screenshots of the video were run through Google Reverse Image, an extended version (archived) of the same video was found to be uploaded on Facebook with the same claim. In the extended video, at 1 min 35 secs, it can be heard that the saint in the video was referred to as ‘Jeeyar Swamiji Maharaj’. So, when searched on the internet with the keywords, it was found that the person in the video is ‘Shri Vratadhar Ramanuj Jeeyar Swami Tridandiji’. He is the President of ‘Akhil Bharat Hindu Maha Sabha’.
When FACTLY contacted him, he clarified that he is the one talking in the video. Also, the videos and photos of Vratadhar Jeeyar can be found on a Facebook profile with his name. It can be seen that his facial features, tilak and voice match with the man in the video. So, the person talking in the video is not the saint lynched in Palghar. The names of the two Hindu saints killed in Palghar mob lynching are Mahant Kalpavruksha Giri (age -70 yrs) and Sushilgiri Maharaj (age – 30yrs). Their photos are being circulated on different media and they do not match with the man in the video.
To sum it up, the saint talking about ‘Hindu Rashtra’ in this video is not the sadhu killed in Palghar.
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No, the Saudi Arabia government did not re-impose a ban on cinema halls in their country - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 25, 2022
A post is being shared on social media claiming that the Saudi Arabia government has taken a new decision to re-impose a ban on all cinema halls in their country. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Saudi Arabia government imposed a complete ban on cinema halls in their country.
Fact: The General Entertainment Authority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia did not announce any such decision of banning cinema halls again in their country. After the ban on cinema halls for around 30 years, Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s government lifted the ban on cinema theatres in Saudi Arabia and launched the first commercial movie theatre in the kingdom in April 2018. As per the latest press reports, the Saudi Arabia government is encouraging their entertainment sector as part of the Kingdom’s ‘Vision 2030’ to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil and allow it to become a global leader in the creative, leisure, tourism and hi-tech industries. So, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether the Saudi Arabia government had really announced any such decision of banning cinema halls in their country, we could not find any such press release or official statement on Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority official website. The official Twitter handle of  General Entertainment Authority had recently tweeted about the bookings of a reality game event inspired by the famous Netflix series ‘Squid Game’. If the Saudi Arabian government had made any such announcement of banning cinema halls in the country, several media outlets would have published articles reporting that information. But we could not find a single news article reporting this information on the internet.
In 2017, Prince Mohammed Bin Salman abolished the decades-long ban on cinema theatres in the Saudi Arabia Kingdom. The Saudi Arabian government launched the first commercial movie theatre in the kingdom in April 2018.
The General Entertainment Authority was established in 2016 to help drive ahead of the Kingdom’s ‘Vision 2030’ plan to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil, allowing it to become a global leader in the creative, leisure, tourism and hi-tech industries. As part of this mission, the Saudi Arabia government had started permitting cinema, dance and other cultural events to make Kingdom a more modern, liberal and business-friendly country. News articles reporting this information can be seen here and here. As per the latest reports, in 2021, the Saudi Arabia government witnessed a 95% increase in the theatrical box office market compared with that of 2020.
To sum it up, the Saudi Arabia government did not re-impose a ban on cinema halls in their country.

created: January 25, 2022


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No, the Saudi Arabian government hasn’t released the Bhagavad Gita in the Arabic language - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 6, 2019
On Facebook, a few users are posting claims that the Saudi Arabian government has released the Bhagavad Gita in ‘Arabic’ language. Let’s analyze the authenticity of that claim.
A Facebook post with the same claim and carrying an image of a Bhagavad Gita with the Arabic text was also shared earlier.
Saudi Arabian government has released the Bhagavad Gita in the Arabic language.
Fact: Saudi Arabian government hasn’t released the Bhagavad Gita in the Arabic language. Information from no credible source was found to authenticate the claim. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched on Google with keywords ‘Saudi government released Bhagavad Gita Arabic version’, no relevant information was obtained in the search results. If the Saudi Arabian government had released an Arabic version of the Bhagavad Gita, it would have been reported by all the major newspapers and channels in India. But no news agency has reported anything about Saudi Arabian government releasing the Arabic version of the Bhagavad Gita in their country. So, the claim made in the post is false.
During the search process, the image of the Bhagavad Gita with the Arabic text was found to be the one translated by an ISKCON devotee H.G. Ravanari Prabhu.
To summarize, the Saudi Arabian government hasn’t released the Bhagavad Gita in the Arabic language.
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created: November 6, 2019


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No, the Sri Lankan central bank governor did not make these comments about inflation and subsidies - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 13, 2022
In light of the ongoing economic crisis in Sri Lanka and rising inflation scenario in India, a social media post attributing a message to Sri Lankan Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe is being widely shared. The post explains the reasons which led to the current economic crisis in Sri Lanka. Criticizing the move of increasing the interest rates, in the message, Weerasinghe roots for high inflation, and allegedly says it would make people be more productive. Further, being critical of politicians doling out subsidies, he asks foreign countries and institutions to not lend to Sri Lanka. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Sri Lankan Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe comments on inflation, subsidies, and interest rates.
Fact: There are no reports attributing the viral message about inflation and subsidies to the Sri Lankan central bank governor. Also there are no reports attributing any similar comments in line with the claim to Weerasinghe. In fact, after taking charge as the central bank governor, Nandalal Weerasinghe doubled the interest rates to curtail the rising inflation rates, negotiated with foreign countries and financial institutions like IMF for loans, contrary to the arguments attributed to him. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Following the economic crisis in Sri Lanka, Nandalal Weerasinghe recently took charge as the governor of  Central Bank of Sri Lanka. However, there are no reports of Nandalal Weerasinghe making any such comments in line with those mentioned in the viral post. In fact, the central bank governor had announced a series of measures, which are contrary to the claims made in the post.
In the viral post, Weerasinghe roots for high inflation rates. However in his first press briefing after taking charge as the governor in early April 2022, he hinted at a raise in interest rates and subsequently, he doubled the interest rate to 14.50 percent to tame the high inflation rates.
In fact, Nandalal Weerasinghe in a lecture titled ‘Evolution of Monetary and Exchange Rate Policy in Sri Lanka’ in 2017 pointing out the adverse effects of hyperinflation and deflation, the current governor rooted for flexible targeted inflation, which is also followed by India.
Further, contrary to the claims made in the post, Sri Lankan government is in talks with the IMF for loans and the central bank governor is part of the team negotiating with IMF. Moreover, Sri Lanka has accepted lines of credit from foreign countries like India and China.
Also, we could not find any reports of Nandalal Weerasinghe being critical about politicians for doling out subsidies which according to the post is the primary reason for the current economic crisis. If indeed the central bank governor had made such comments, most media agencies would have reported it, however, we could not find any such reports.
To sum it up, the Sri Lankan central bank governor did not make these comments about inflation and subsidies.


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No, the Supreme Court has not yet given any verdict on Lord Ram’s birthplace or Mandir’s construction - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 12, 2019
A post is being shared on Facebook with a claim that the Supreme Court has given a judgment that Ayodhya is Lord Ram’s birthplace and the construction of Ram Mandir would commence from 5 November. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Supreme Court: “Ayodhya is Lord Ram’s birthplace. Ram Mandir to be built from 5th November.”
Fact: The Supreme Court did not give any verdict in the Ayodhya case. The verdict is expected to come by 17th November. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched about the issue on Google with the keywords “ayodhya ram mandir to be built from november 5”, no relevant information was found in the search results. In an article by India Today, it was found that a Rajasthan BJP MLA has claimed that the Ram Mandir will be built by 17 November.  Currently, the Supreme Court is hearing arguments by different sides and these will be wrapped by 17October. The judgment is expected to come by 17 November.
To sum it up, the SC has not yet given any verdict on Lord Ram’s birthplace or Mandir’s construction.
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created: October 12, 2019


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No, the Supreme Court judges did not withdraw their comments on Nupur Sharma as of 08 July 2022 - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 8, 2022
A social media post which claims that the Supreme Court has retracted its  its comments against Nupur Sharma, citing it were personal opinion of the judges is being widely circulated. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Supreme Court retracted its comments against  Nupur Sharma, citing it were personal opinions of the judges.
Fact: Following the scathing remarks by the Supreme Court judges on Nupur Sharma for her remarks on Prophet Mohammed, a group of retired judges, bureaucrats and armed forces  wrote an open letter to Chief Justice of India condemning the observations made by the bench while hearing the Nupur Sharma case. Demands to impeach the judges are also being raised. However, till date, the SC or the judges did not withdraw the comments. In fact, AIBA wrote a letter to CJI, asking him to ignore the petition seeking withdrawal of comments made by the judges. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Earlier, Nupur Sharma has filed a plea in the Supreme Court seeking to club all the FIR’s registered against her across various cities for her remarks on Prophet Mohammed. The plea also sought to transfer all these cases to Delhi.
Rejecting the plea, the Supreme Court has made some scathing observations against Nupur Sharma, holding her ‘responsible for what is happening in the country.’ As reported by the news articles, the court also opined that her ‘loose tongue has set the entire country on fire’ . However, the SC only made these observations orally and did not record them in its official order rejecting the plea.
Following these SC remarks, a group of retired judges, bureaucrats and armed forces on 05 July 2022 wrote an open letter to the Chief Justice of India condemning the observations made by the bench while hearing the Nupur Sharma case.
An open letter has been sent to CJI NV Ramana, signed by 15 retired judges, 77 retd bureaucrats & 25 retd armed forces officers, against the observation made by Justices Surya Kant & JB Pardiwala while hearing Nupur Sharma's case in the Supreme Court. pic.twitter.com/ul5c5PedWU
A petition has also been filed in the Supreme Court asking the Supreme Court to take back its oral comments on Nupur Sharma. Further, a change.org petition to impeach the two Supreme Court judges for their observations on Nupur Sharma is raised and the petition has garnered nearly 50,000 signatures.
However, as on date, the two Supreme Court judges did not withdraw their comments against Nupur Sharma. Had the Judges withdrawn their comments, media would have reported it.
In fact, as per a news report the ‘All India Bar Association has written a letter urging Chief Justice of India N V Ramana not to take cognizance of a letter petition which has sought withdrawal of adverse remarks made by a Supreme Court bench against suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma’. However, the Chief Justice did not make any comments on this yet.
To sum it up, the Supreme Court judges did not withdraw their comments on Nupur Sharma as of 08 July 2022.


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No, the UN hasn’t recognised ‘Jammu & Kashmir’ as a separate country in the World map on its website - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 26, 2020
An image is doing the rounds on social media claiming that the UN has recognised ‘Jammu & Kashmir’ as a separate country in the World map on its website ‘www.un.org’. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
The UN has recognised ‘Jammu & Kashmir’ as a separate country in the World map on its website ‘www.un.org’.
Fact: The UN hasn’t recognised ‘Jammu & Kashmir’ as a separate country. In the map, the UN mentioned that the dotted line represents approximately the Line of Control in Jammu & Kashmir agreed upon by India and Pakistan and that the final status of Jammu & Kashmir has not yet been agreed upon by the parties. Also, the name ‘Jammu and Kashmir’ is not completely in capital letters whereas the other countries names are in completely in capital letters. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
We visited the UN website (‘www.un.org’) given in the post, the same World Map was found there. In the map, a dotted line is found in the ‘Jammu & Kashmir’ region and also an asterisk mark (*) over the name. In the map’s legend, the below information about the asterisk mark (*) is given– ‘Dotted line represents approximately the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir agreed upon by India and Pakistan. The final status of Jammu and Kashmir has not yet been agreed upon by the parties’. Also, in the map, the name ‘Jammu and Kashmir’ is not in capital letters whereas the other countries names are in capital letters, indicating they are countries recognized by the UN.
In the map, a dotted line is also found between ‘Sudan’ and ‘South Sudan’. In the map’s legend, it is given that the final boundary between the Republic of Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan has not yet been determined.
Also, in the map’s legend it is given that – ‘The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations’.
It indicates that dotted line is usually used in the UN Map when there is a boundary dispute.
To sum it up, the UN hasn’t recognised ‘Jammu & Kashmir’ as a separate country in the World map on its website.
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The Union Government did not announce any relaxation for the implementation of section 43 b(h) of the Income Tax Act - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 13, 2024
A social media post claims that the government has granted relief to business entities by extending the implementation of section 43 B(h) of the Income Tax Act for one year. The post highlights that this extension has eased the burden on business entities, particularly concerning payments to MSMEs. Let’s fact-check the assertion made in the post through this article.
Claim: Government has extended the implementation of section 43 B(h) of the income tax act by one year.
Fact: As per the reports, multiple representations have been made by industries from multiple forums seeking deferment in the implementation of section 43 B(h). However, contrary to the claim, the union government did not provide any relaxation yet. FOSTTA clarified that viral information is false and that the government has not issued any official decision in this matter. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
In 2023, the central government, through the Finance Act 2023, amended the Income Tax Act, of 1961 to ensure timely remittances for goods supplied by Micro and Small Enterprises (MSMEs). The amendment incorporated a new provision, clause 43 b(h), within the Income Tax Act, which mandates settlement for goods procured from MSMEs within 45 days. This aligns with the directives outlined in Section 15 of the MSMED Act, 2006, aimed at facilitating prompt payments to shield MSMEs from any adverse impacts due to delays in fund transfers.
The proposed bill stipulates that the amendment will become effective starting from 01 April 2024. It is in this context; that the viral message is circulating as the deadline for implementing this rule approaches. As the impact will be experienced for the first time this year, a business entity that fails to remit payment to its vendors classified as MSME within 45 days of delivery will not be eligible for purchase deductions in the year of purchase. Instead, the deduction can only be claimed in the year of actual payment. Therefore, the disallowance of deductions for outstanding payments would raise the taxable income and tax liabilities of companies for the fiscal year 2024.
Reports indicate that multiple representations have been made by industries from multiple forums seeking deferment in the implementation of the rule. However, contrary to the claim, the union government has not provided any relaxation yet, concerning section 43 b(h). However, there are reports suggesting that the government is considering postponing the implementation of the rule.
Following the news claiming a one-year extension granted by the government for the implementation of section 43 b(h), the Federation of Surat Textile Traders Association (FOSTTA) released a clarification, asserting that the viral information is false and that the government has not issued any official decision in this matter.
To sum it up, the Union Government did not announce any relaxation for the implementation of section 43 b(h) of the Income Tax Act.

created: February 13, 2024


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No, the Union Government did not revoke the ban on old petrol/diesel vehicles in Delhi - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 15, 2023
A news report which claims that the government lifted the ban on 10 year old diesel & 15 year old petrol vehicles in Delhi, is being widely shared. The report further claims that such old vehicles can now ply in Delhi-NCR region. Through this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Government has revoked the ban on 10-year-old diesel & 15-year-old petrol vehicles in Delhi-NCR region.
Fact: The Union Government did not revoke the ban on plying of old petrol/diesel vehicles in Delhi, which was imposed by the NGT. Restriction of plying 10-year-old diesel & 15-year-old petrol vehicles in Delhi-NCR region, is still in place. A news agency published this news based on a notification of MORTH, dealing with modalities of sale and purchase of registered vehicles. However, in this notification, there is no mention of revoking the ban on old vehicles. Following the virality of the news, MORTH has clarified stating this news is false.  Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Zee media on 12 February telecast this news report, claiming that Indian government has lifted ban on 10-year-old diesel & 15-year-old petrol vehicles in Delhi-NCR region. The report displayed a notification, in support of their claim.
However, the government of India did not provide any such respite with respect to the ban on 10-year-old diesel & 15-year-old petrol vehicles, which NGT had imposed earlier. The ban still is in place.
Google search with relevant keywords led us to a series of tweets from the official twitter account of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), clearing the air about the viral news. Following the virality of this news on social media, MORTH, through these tweets clarified that the ban imposed on 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol vehicles, is still in place.
A fake news is in circulation in Social Media claiming that MoRTH has issued a notification lifting ban imposed by Hon'ble NGT on vehicles (10 year old for diesel and 15 year old for petrol) in Delhi NCR.
Apart from this, the tweet further clarified that ‘the notification GSR 901(E) dated 22-12-2022, which is in circulation, is published by this Ministry to regulate the trading of in-use registered vehicles and is no way concerned with the ban imposed by the Hon’ble NGT.’
Taking a cue from this, we accessed the viral notification of MORTH, dated 22 December 2022. This notification explains modalities to be followed regarding the sale and purchase of registered vehicles. And there is no mention about revoking the ban on old vehicles, in this notification.
As the news of government revoking the ban went viral, several news agencies initially reported the same  Many of them also reported the clarification by MoRTH (here and here).
To sum it up, the Union Government did not revoke the ban on old petrol/diesel vehicles in Delhi.

created: February 15, 2023


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No, the UP government has not issued any circular to ban mobile phones in colleges and universities - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 22, 2019
A post is being shared widely on social media with a claim that the Uttar Pradesh government has banned the use of cellphones in colleges and universities. The post claims that the ban is also applicable to teaching faculty. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Uttar Pradesh government banned mobile phones in colleges and universities.
Fact: The Directorate of Higher Education (Uttar Pradesh) has issued a clarification that they did not give any directive to ban mobile phones in colleges and universities. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched for the news on Google with the keywords ‘UP ban mobiles in colleges’, it was found that even reputed news agencies like India Today (Archived), News18 (Archived), Outlook (Archived), Business Today (Archived), NDTV (Archived), Business Insider (Archived), Times Now News (Archived), Financial Express (Archived), The Week (Archived), Zee News (Archived), Asianet (Archived), Loksatta (Archived), Republic TV (Archived) and DNA India (Archived) have also published the same news.
In all the news articles, it was written that the Directorate of Higher Education (Uttar Pradesh) had issued a circular to ban mobile phones in colleges and universities. So, when searched for that circular on the Directorate of Higher Education (Uttar Pradesh) website, no such circular was found. But, in the News section on the website, it was found that the Directorate of Higher Education (Uttar Pradesh) has issued a clarification on this issue. The clarification (by Vandana Sharma – Director, Higher Education, U.P.) has refuted the claims made by some of the media channels and denied releasing any circular banning mobile phones in colleges and universities. Also, in a Hindustan Times article, it can be read that the UP Deputy CM has said that ‘the Yogi Adityanath government has not issued any order to ban the use of mobile phones by students in the state’s university and degree colleges’.
To sum it up, the UP government has not issued any circular to ban mobile phones in colleges and universities.
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created: October 22, 2019


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No, the UP Police haven't issued an advisory warning people to be careful about terrorists posing as medical students - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 8, 2019
Screenshot of an advisory supposedly issued by the UP Police was received on the FACTLY Whatsapp number asking to check its authenticity. The message in it is in Hindi and its English translation is- ‘If some men/women visit your house and say that they are medical students and offer to do free diabetes test, BP check or any blood test, you should immediately call the police. Because, they are not medical students, they are terrorist gangs. On the pretext of taking your blood sample, they inject AIDS virus into your body. Do not allow any stranger to enter your house. Issued in the interests of public- UP Police’. The same screenshot is also being shared on Facebook. Let’s check the authenticity of that advisory.
Uttar Pradesh Police have issued an advisory warning people to be careful about terrorists posing as medical students as they try to inject AIDS virus into them on the pretext of free blood tests.
Fact: UP Police have clarified that no such advisory was issued by them. So, the claim is FALSE.
When searched on Google to find if Uttar Pradesh Police have issued any such advisory warning people to be careful about terrorists posing as medical students, no information was found in search results that corroborates the message. But, when searched on Twitter, a tweet  by Ayodhya Police in this regard was found. In that tweet, the Uttar Pradesh Police has said that the viral message is ‘fake’ and asked people not to share that message.
कतिपय व्हाट्सएप ग्रुपों में इस प्रकार के भ्रामक मैसेज का प्रसार किया जा रहा है, जिसका @UPPolice पूर्णतया खंडन करती है। कृपया इस भ्रामक पोस्ट को शेयर न करें।@dgpup @IpsAshish @adgzonelucknow @igrangeayodhya
#UPPAgainstFakeNews pic.twitter.com/fLM9WUVOCB
In the official Twitter account of Uttar Pradesh Police, a tweet was also found in which they have denied issuing any such advisory to the public.
अवगत कराना है कि इस तरह की कोई सूचना उत्तर प्रदेश पुलिस द्वारा जारी नहीं की गयी है। यह एक भ्रामक सूचना है।
During the search process, it was found that the same message was also circulated in 2017.
To conclude, UP Police haven’t issued an advisory warning people to be careful from terrorists posing as medical students. It is fake.
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created: November 8, 2019


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No, the Uttar Pradesh government has not abolished the reservation system Within the state - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 1, 2024
A viral message on social media suggests that the Uttar Pradesh government has eliminated reservation entirely from the employment and education sectors. It attributes this development to the Narendra Modi-led government and asserts that reservation won’t apply in the state for the next 25 years. In this article, we aim to fact-check the assertions made in the post.
Claim: Uttar Pradesh government has eliminated reservations entirely from employment and education sectors.
Fact: The Uttar Pradesh government has not abolished reservations within the state. In fact, in its recent recruitment advertisement, the UP Public Service Commission has outlined reservations in compliance with the relevant government regulations. Additionally, the Supreme Court has ruled on multiple occasions that candidates from reserved categories are eligible for seats in the general category. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Had the Uttar Pradesh government issued orders to abolish the reservation policy, it would have undoubtedly garnered significant media attention. However, our search yielded no credible reports supporting such claims. While state governments typically enact reservation policy changes through legislative bills or cabinet ordinances, there is no indication from news sources that the Uttar Pradesh government is considering or planning to abolish reservations at this time.
In fact, the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission, in its most recent recruitment advertisement dated 01 January 2024, for the Combined State/Upper Subordinate Services Examination, clearly specifies that “The reservation for Scheduled Castes of U.P. / Scheduled Tribes of U.P. /Other Backward Class of U.P. / Economically weaker section candidates of U.P. shall be admissible in accordance with the provisions of relevant Govt. Rules.” This indicates that the reservation system is operational and applicable in the state.
In 2019, there were rumours suggesting that the Uttar Pradesh government had abolished caste-based reservations in private medical and dental colleges in the state. However, subsequent clarifications from the relevant authorities revealed that such reservations never existed in the first place. They emphasized that reservation was never a part of the admission process in private-sector medical and dental colleges, as per the existing policy established in 2006.
SC ruled that reserved category candidates are entitled to seats in the general category :
Moreover, the viral post asserts that the Delhi High Court ruled that individuals from reserved categories cannot lay claim to seats in the general category under any circumstances. However, the post lacks details regarding the specific case in which the court purportedly pronounced this judgment.
Nevertheless, there are numerous instances where the Supreme Court has ruled that reserved category candidates, who demonstrate greater merit than general category candidates, are entitled to seats in the general category (here & here).
To sum it up, the reservation system has not been abolished by the Uttar Pradesh government within the state.

created: February 1, 2024


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No, the value of one rupee in 1917 was not equal to 13 USD - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 26, 2020
A post comparing the value of rupee with that of  USD in 1917 and 2014 is doing rounds on social media. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
In 1917, one rupee was equal to $13 USD whereas in 2014 $1 USD was equal to Rs. 63.
Fact: USD was not weaker compared to Indian Rupee in the year 1917. According to the RBI, the value of One rupee in 1917 is equivalent to 0.314 USD. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
In 1917, India was under the British rule and the foreign exchanges were done in the British currency (Pound). According to the  Reserve bank of India, during the year 1917, one rupee was fixed at 1 shilling 4 pence – 1s 4d (equal to 0.066 pounds). When a pound is converted into dollars as per the exchange rate prevailing back then, One rupee would amount to 0.314 USD, which means 1USD was equal to Rs. 3.33. So, in the year 1917, the Indian rupee was weaker compared to USD.
According to the RBI, the exchange rate by the end of 2014  (i.e. 31-12-2014) was 63.3315. However, the average annual exchange rate of Indian rupee to USD for the year 2014 was 61.0295.
To sum it up, value of One Rupee in 1917 is equal to 0.314 USD, not 13 USD.
Update (20 JULY 2022):
Lately in the context of depreciating rupee against the US Dollar, a post which talks about the reasons behind the downfall of rupee’s exchange rate vis-à-vis the dollar wrongly claims that at the time of independence, i.e. in 1947, one dollar was equal to one rupee.
However, as per the historic data related to rupee-dollar exchange rate available on RBI website, at the time of independence one dollar as equal to Rs. 3.31. During 1945-49 time period, the exchange rate hovered around Rs. 3, proving the claim to be misleading.
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No, the video doesn’t show a Policeman being attacked for issuing a Challan - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 13, 2019
A video of a Policeman being hit with sticks by a mob is being shared widely on Facebook and the claim is that the Policeman was attacked by them for issuing a challan. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Video of Policeman being attacked by a mob for issuing a challan.
Fact: The Policeman was attacked when a dalit youth died under mysterious circumstances during a raid conducted on a gambling den by Police in Dabholi, Surat. Hence, the claim is FALSE.
When searched in Google with keywords ‘Police beaten by mob’, many search results were obtained. The search result of ‘AajTak’ news had the same clip in its news video that was uploaded on July 25, 2016. As per the video, a dalit youth had died under mysterious circumstances during a raid conducted on a gambling den by Police in Dabholi area in Surat. Aggrieved by this, the locals there have attacked the sub-inspector, accusing him of ‘thrashing’ the youth.
The same can also be read in the article of ‘Firstpost’ that reported the  incident. So, this video has nothing to do with the claim that the Policeman was attacked by the mob for issuing a challan.
To conclude, the video doesn’t show a Policeman being attacked for issuing a challan.
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created: September 13, 2019


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Video of rioters vandalising cars after a club-level football match in Switzerland is shared with false communal narrative - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 12, 2019
Many Facebook users are posting a riot video claiming that the incident had taken place in Birmingham city of United Kingdom. Let’s try to verify the authenticity of the video and analyze the claims made in the post.
Muslims in Birmingham have attacked vehicles, as they wanted the road to be closed so that they can break their Ramadan fasting on the road.
Fact:  The video is actually from Basel in Switzerland and the rioters in it are football hooligans fighting after a match between Basel and Lucerne. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the video in the post is run through InVid Plugin, several keyframes are obtained. On performing Google Reverse Image Search on the keyframes, Swiss Media news reports on the incident were found. As per the article of Basler Zeitung, published on May 20, 2018, the incident actually took place in Basel city of Switzerland and the rioters seen in it are football hooligans fighting after a match between Basel and Lucerne (two local teams).
To summarize, neither the incident had taken place in Birmingham nor the rioters are Muslims.
UPDATE (28 March 2022):
The same video is again being shared with a claim that Muslims in Kolkata are resorting to violence and are breaking the windows of the vehicles passing through. But as explained above the video is not related to India and is from Switzerland and shows rioters vandalising cars after a club-level football match.
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No, the video doesn’t show Police thrashing two men for not wearing a helmet - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 9, 2019
A video of Police personnel beating two young men is being shared with the claim that the Police were beating them for not wearing a helmet. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
In the video, the two men were beaten by the Police personnel for not wearing a helmet
Fact: The two men were beaten by the Police for eve-teasing a girl in a college. Hence, the claim is FALSE.
When the video in the post is run through the ‘InVid’ plugin, several keyframes were obtained. On subjecting these keyframes to reverse image search technique, a certain keyframe lead to an article published by the newspaper “Daiji world” on 23  June 2019. As per the article, the men were beaten by the Kodagu Police after a complaint from the college Principal regarding their misbehaviour with a girl in the college premises.
The same video can also be seen in the article published regarding the incident by “My Nation”. A news report of “Deccan Herald” which corroborates with the above version can also be seen here.
To conclude, the video doesn’t show Police thrashing two men for not wearing a helmet, they were beaten up in an eve-teasing case.
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created: September 9, 2019