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Kisan Vikas Mitra Samithi website (kvms.org.in) offering jobs in the Agriculture sector is a dubious one - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 23, 2020
A website – ‘Kisan Vikas Mitra Samithi’ (‘किसान विकास मित्र समिति’) (kvms.org.in), which looks official government website belonging to the Department of Agriculture Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, is offering jobs for various positions in the Agriculture sector. The State Emblem of India on the website suggests that it claims to be a government website as private websites cannot use the emblem. The recruitment page lists various positions like Agriculture Field Surveyor, Agriculture Officer, Agriculture Security Assistant, etc. To apply for jobs, the website asks the aspirants to pay 500 rupees for each post. Let’s fact-check the authenticity of the website.
Claim: Apply for the Agriculture sector jobs on the government website ‘Kisan Vikas Mitra Samithi’ (kvms.org.in) by paying the submission fees.
Fact: It is not a government website. It is a dubious website which has been intentionally designed to look like the official Agriculture department website so that people can be duped to pay money for fake recruitments. Hence the claim that it provides government jobs is FALSE.
We found various clues that suggest that the website is a dubious one. Let’s look at each of them below:
1. Domain Name
The given website has ‘.org.in’. But the ‘Guidelines for Indian Government Websites’ mentions – ‘all Indian Government websites MUST use ‘gov.in’ or ‘nic.in’ domain exclusively allotted and restricted to Government websites’.
2. Website name:
On the website, the main heading in Hindi text reads – ‘किसान विकास मित्र समिति’ (‘Kisan Vikas Mitra Samithi’) whereas the English text reads – ‘DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE COOPERATION & FARMERS WELFARE’. No information was found regarding ‘Kisan Vikas Mitra Samithi’. The original website does not mention anywhere about ‘Kisan Vikas Mitra Samithi’.
3. Recruitment:
On filling the basic details on the website, the aspirants are asked to pay 500 rupees for each post.
But, previously, addressing a similar fraud the Ministry has said –  ‘It may please be noted that recruitment in Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare is carried out through a well-established selection procedure mainly through Staff Selection Commission / Union Public Service Commission’.
4. Inconsistency in dates:
While the published date for the recruitment notice is given as ‘20-09-2020’, the job title mentions – ‘Agriculture Security Assistant (ASA) Recruitment 2019’. We also found that the link to the same page was posted on Facebook in August 2019. So, an old fraud is revived again by just changing the dates to 2020.
5. Old pictures and content
The photos and documents (in the ‘What’s New’ section) on the fake website are old. Some of the similar photos and documents (in the ‘What’s New’ section) were found in the ‘June 2019’ archived version of the original website. So, the fake website might have been developed in 2019 with the then available content on the original website.
To sum it up, the Kisan Vikas Mitra Samithi website (kvms.org.in) offering jobs in the Agriculture sector is a dubious website.

created: October 23, 2020


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‘Kissing couples’ images in the post aren’t from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 18, 2019
A post with two images that show couples kissing in public is being shared widely with the claim that they are the photos of ‘Kiss Day’ celebrated in JNU, New Delhi. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Images of ‘Kiss Day’ at Jawaharlal National University (JNU), New Delhi.
Fact: The images were taken during the ‘Kiss of Love’ rally at the Marine Drive in Kochi (Kerala) in 2014 and 2017 and are not related to the ‘Kiss of Love’ campaign in JNU. Hence, the claim is MISLEADING.
When the images in the post are subjected to Google reverse image search technique, search results were obtained about the ‘Kiss of Love’ rally at the Marine drive in Kochi (Kerala).
Image-1: The image was found in the article of ‘Deccan Chronicle’ and from the information in the article, the photo was found to be taken during the ‘Kiss of Love’ protest held in 2017 at the Marine Drive in Kochi (Kerala). The same can also be read in the article of ‘Asianage’
Image-2: The image was found in the article of ‘Bangalore Mirror’ and from the information in the article, this photo was also found to be taken in 2014 during the ‘Kiss of Love’ protest held at the Marine Drive in Kochi (Kerala). The same can also be found from the article of ‘E-vartha’.
According to an article in Times of India, some of the students participated in the ‘Kiss of Love’ campaign in JNU. But, the posted images are not related to JNU.
To conclude, images taken during the ‘Kiss of Love’ rally at the Marine Drive in Kochi (Kerala) are shared as the images of ‘Kiss Day’ at Jawaharlal National University (JNU), New Delhi
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source: news-factly

created: November 18, 2019

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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Kolkata police arrested these children for not carrying valid documents - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 4, 2020
A video is being shared on Facebook with a claim that the police arrested 63 madrasa children in Razbazar, Kolkata; it also claims that the children said that they are being trained to become terrorists. Let’s try to analyze the authenticity of the claim made in the post.
Kolkata Police arrested 63 madrasa children who were on their way to participate in terrorist training.
Fact: The children in the video were traveling for studying at a madrasa in Pune, not for terrorist training. They were intercepted by Railway police on 2 August 2015, at Sealdah station as the group failed to provide their identity documents. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched using relevant keywords, it is found that the same video was shared with a similar claim in the year 2015. The incident was also reported by multiple media outlets, which claim that 63 students who were on their way to join a madrasa in Maharashtra were intercepted by government railway police at Sealdah station as the group didn’t provide identity documents. These reports also mentioned that the children were sent to State-run homes by Kolkata’s child welfare committee.
DNA reported that the children were intercepted by GRP after they failed to produce any valid documents. More information about this incident can be found here.
In order to check if the children were being taken to madrasa for terrorist training, ‘The Quint’ contacted  Asokendu Sengupta, chairperson of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, who said that it was a far-fetched claim.
To conclude, there is no truth in the claim that the children in the video were arrested when they were on their way to terrorist training.
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created: February 4, 2020


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Kolkata Police clarified that they did not start any specific free night pick-and-drop scheme for women. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 9, 2019
A couple of helpline numbers are being shared widely on social media with a claim that the Kolkata Police launched a free ride scheme for women in need at nights. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Women can call ‘1091’ or ‘7837018555’ numbers to avail the free ride scheme started by the Kolkata Police.
Fact: The Kolkata Police clarified that they have not started any such free ride scheme with the helpline numbers ‘1091’ and ‘7837018555’. But, they said that they are ready to help anyone who calls the police on ‘100’. The numbers given in the post are related to the free ride scheme started by the Ludhiana Police for women travelling at nights in the city. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When the numbers given in the post were searched on Google, an article by ANI was found in the search results. In the article, it can be read that the Ludhiana Police launched a free night pick-and-drop scheme for women. Talking to ‘ANI’, the Ludhiana Police Commissioner has said that women can call ‘1091’ (child and women helpline) or ‘7837018555’ if they do not find a ride at night, and a police vehicle will drop them at their house.  While ‘1091’ is a general woman helpline number in various states, ‘7837018555’ is specific to this scheme. So, a woman can call on both the numbers to avail the service in the city.
When searched if any similar scheme was started by the Kolkata Police, it was found that they did not start any such scheme. The Kolkata Police clarified on Facebook and Twitter that the message being circulated on social media is false. But, the police assured the citizens that they can call on ‘100’ to get immediate assistance when in distress. So, the scheme started by the Ludhiana Police (for the people in Ludhiana) is being shared as a scheme started by the Kolkata Police (for the people in Kolkata) to mislead the people.
Incorrect message circulating in social media. pic.twitter.com/rMuilw4pTu
When the same numbers were previously shared in the name of ‘Hyderabad Police’, Factly has written an article debunking the claim. The article can be read here.
To sum it up, the Kolkata Police have clarified that they did not start any specific free night pick-and-drop scheme for women.
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created: December 9, 2019


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If you are a 'Low Risk' Customer, Banks should update your KYC only once every 10 years
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 27, 2016
The KYC directions from the RBI clearly state that the KYC process should follow risk categorization of customers into high, medium and low risk. The directions also state that the KYC updation of low risk customers should be done only once every 10 years if there is no change in the identity or address.
Ever since the government announced demonetization on 08 November, banks have been busy asking customers to bring fresh documents for the purpose of KYC. Even those customers with regular banking operations were asked to submit fresh documents for the for the purpose of KYC. But the KYC directions issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) this year clearly mention that the periodic updation for low risk customers should be done once in every 10 years.
What is KYC?
KYC means ‘Know Your Customer’. It is a process by which banks obtain information about the identity and address of the customers. This process helps to ensure that banks’ services are not misused. The KYC procedure is to be completed by the banks while opening accounts. Banks are also required to periodically update their customers’ KYC details.
To open a bank account, one needs to submit a ‘proof of identity and proof of address’ together with a recent photograph. The Government of India has notified six documents as ‘Officially Valid Documents’ (OVDs) for the purpose of producing proof of identity. These six documents are Passport, Driving Licence, Voters’ Identity Card, PAN Card, Aadhaar Card issued by UIDAI and NREGA Job Card. You need to submit any one of these documents as proof of identity. If these documents also contain your address details, then it would also be accepted as ‘proof of address’. If the document submitted by you for proof of identity does not contain address details, then you will have to submit another officially valid document which contains address details.
KYC Policy of Banks should have four key elements
The RBI directions on KYC mention that the KYC policy of every bank should have the following four key elements
Accounts to be categorized into 3 different risk types
For Risk Management, RBI directions state that banks should have a risk based approach which includes categorizing customers as low, medium and high risk category, based on the assessment and risk perception. This is called the Anti Money Laundering Standards (AML) risk assessment. It has to be noted that banks do not inform customers about their risk categorization.
Risk categorization should be undertaken based on parameters such as
The directions also state that while considering customer’s identity, the ability to confirm identity documents through online or other services offered by issuing authorities may also be factored in like in the case of identifiable documents like PAN, Aadhaar etc.
The directions also mention that the information collected from different categories of customers relating to the perceived risk, is non-intrusive and the same should be specified in the KYC policy.
Periodic review of Risk Categorization
The RBI directions also state that Banks will undertake on-going due diligence of customers to ensure that their transactions are consistent with their knowledge about the customers, customers’ business and risk profile; and the source of funds.
For eg., the following activities should be monitored by the banks.
The extent of such monitoring should be aligned with the risk category of the customer which means that high risk accounts have to be subjected to more intensified monitoring. A periodic review of risk categorization is also stated in the RBI directions (at least once in six months). The RBI directions specifically state the example of transactions of marketing firms, especially accounts of Multi-level Marketing (MLM) companies where a large number of cheque books are sought by the company and/or multiple small deposits (generally in cash) across the country in one bank account and/or where a large number of cheques are issued bearing similar amounts/dates.
Periodic Updation of KYC based on Risk Categorization
The RBI directions on KYC clearly mention that the periodicity of KYC updation should be based on the risk profile of the customer. Periodic updation of KYC should be carried out
The periodic updation is also subject to the following conditions.
If your bank is frequently asking you for fresh KYC documents, check with them if you are being treated as a high-risk customer.
Featured Image: KYC

created: December 27, 2016


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'Laptops for Construction Workers' - How the welfare fund in their name is being Misused & Unspent
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 23, 2018
In 1996, two acts were passed to promote the welfare of building and construction workers. These acts mandated constitution of construction workers’ welfare boards at the state level and collection of 1% Cess on cost of construction. More than Rs 25000 crore rupees of cess collected in the last 20 years is still unspent.
In the course of a hearing of the ongoing case in the Supreme Court (SC), in W.P. (Civil) No. 318/2006, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) informed the court that the cess collected for the welfare of construction workers was being misused. The CAG informed the court that expenditure  was shown for payment of entry tax / value added tax,  for purchase of washing machines & laptops for construction workers etc. among other things. The Supreme Court while expressing its anguish over the manner in which the State & Central governments have failed to implement the act, issued specific directions for both governments.
The Standing Committee on Labour also submitted a report in the previous session of Parliament about the workers’ welfare cess and their utilization. As per data published in this report, more than Rs 25000 crore cess collected in the last 20 years is still unspent and labour welfare sounds more like an empty talk.
The Building Workers Cess
Government of India brought  ‘The Building And Other Construction Workers Welfare Cess Act’ in 1996 to levy and collect 1% to 2%  cess on the cost of construction incurred by builders to augment the resources of the Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Boards. These boards are constituted in every state under the Building and Other Construction Workers Act of 1996. As noted by Factly earlier, these welfare boards are supposed to take up a variety of activities for the welfare of the workers. Though the act was passed in 1996, the actual implementation began in 2007.
Less than 50% of the Workers registered with the Welfare Boards
A total of 2.58 crore construction workers are registered across the country with these boards as of March 2017. According to the available state wise data, Uttar Pradesh with 32.14 lakh has the most number of registered workers followed by West Bengal with 28.81 lakh workers. Madhya Pradesh is third in the list with 26.53 lakh registered workers. Apart from these three states, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Karnataka & Chhattisgarh have more than 10 lakh registered workers each. Another six states have more than 5 lakh but less than 10 lakh registered workers.  Big states like Bihar, Gujarat, and Jharkhand have fewer numbers of workers registered with the respective boards. Fewer than 10000 workers are registered in the states of Goa, Nagaland & Meghalaya. The Secretary for Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India recently told the SC that the number of registered workers has increased to 2.8 crore.
It is widely believed that the entire construction workforce is not registered with these boards because of lack of awareness and  stringent conditions like age criteria, 90 days of work etc. The committee also noted that the primary work relating to registration of workers has not been given the desired priority by the Ministry and the welfare boards. The Ministry of Labour representatives told the committee that there are around 4.6 crore construction workers. The committee noted that these estimates could be wrong and there could be many more construction workers since the construction activity across the country has picked up.
To increase the number of registrations with the welfare boards, the committee has suggested multiple measures including giving registration powers to greater number of officers, visiting construction sites for registration of workers, wide publicity, online registration of workers etc.
The Cess collected in the last 20 years is too low
The State and the Local governments are supposed to collect the Cess and then transfer to these boards. The Ministry of Labour reported to the committee that a total of Rs 32,632.96 crore had been collected by the states during the last 20 years. The Committee felt that the amount of cess collected in the last 20 years does not match with the construction activities carried out. The committee further noted that the amount reported by the Ministry could be of the government organizations like the Railways/NHAI/PWD/CPWD alone.
The committee also noted that there is no proper system of collection of cess and its transfer to the welfare boards. In some states, the welfare boards were constituted 7-8 years after the cess collection started. The committee asked the ministry to identify such states and seek the actual numbers related to the cess collection in the last 20 years.
As per the data submitted by the government to the standing committee, only Rs 7516.52 crore has been spent by the welfare boards out of the total cess collection of Rs 32,632.96 crore. This is only 23% of the total cess collected. Only 6 states have spent more than half the cess collected. Kerala spent close to 99% of the cess collected, the only state to have spent more than 90%. The Secretary for Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India recently told the SC that the total cess collection has increased to Rs 37,482 crore and that the total utilization has increased to Rs 9,491 crore as of 30th June 2017. However, the detailed breakup of state wise collection & expenditure is not available.
The data indicates that the states that collected the highest amount of cess spent the least on the welfare of the construction workers. Maharashtra collected a total of 5074 crore rupees, but spent just 5% of this amount on the welfare of workers. Similarly, Karnataka collected 3861 crore rupees, but spent just 6% of this amount. Uttar Pradesh (20%), Delhi (9%), Haryana (9%), Tamil Nadu (35%), Rajasthan (39%), Madhya Pradesh (35%) are next in the list.  A total of 13 states collected more than 1000 crore rupees each. These 13 states collected more than 82% of the total cess collected in the country and together spent just 21% of the amount collected.
Labour Welfare an empty talk?
The committee noted that 5% of the total 23% expenditure was on administrative expenditure like salaries etc. The committee also noted that many state welfare boards have not submitted audited accounts to the state government.
This indifference is seen across party lines and in various states. Gujarat that has been ruled by the BJP for close to two decades has spent only 2.2% of the cess collected. States like Maharashtra that have been ruled by the Congress till 2014 have fared no better. Of the bigger states, the only exception seems to be Kerala & West Bengal.
The Central Government says it has been constantly reminding the State governments and State Welfare Boards to take steps to accelerate registration of construction workers, collection and utilization of cess. But despite all this talk, there is hardly any progress on ground. The SC had asked all the state governments to submit to the CAG,  the details of cess collection, amount of cess transferred to the welfare boards and their utilization during. The CAG filed an affidavit in the court based on some preliminary findings that expenditure was shown as incurred for  payment of entry tax / value added tax, for  purchase of washing machines & laptops for construction workers etc. The court observed that the collected cess was being frittered away.
While the Secretary for Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India assured the court that she will call a meeting of the Monitoring Committee consisting of the Labour Secretaries of all the States and Union Territories within a month to discuss all the issues, only time will tell if this will change anything on ground.
Featured Image: Labour Welfare


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'Lack of Views' is not the reason for this YouTuber’s death by suicide - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 26, 2022
An Instagram post is being shared widely claiming that a Hyderabad based YouTuber ended his life due to ‘lack of views on his YouTube channel’. Let’s verify the claim made in this post.
Claim: A 23-year-old Hyderabad based YouTuber ended his life due to lack of views on his YouTube channel.
Fact: The victim, C Dheena, posted a letter on his Twitter handle before ending his life. In his letter, he says, he’s been struggling with childhood trauma, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, improper parenting, etc. Additionally, he also mentioned that his YouTube channel ‘seLFlo’ was “probably the happiest thing happened to him”. He felt happy to see the channel analytics improving every month. Also, in the FIR, there is no statement related to his YouTube channel.  Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
We searched the internet with the relevant keywords and found several news reports regarding this incident. They can be seen here and here.
According to these reports, C Dheena , a 23 year old  student of IIITM Gwalior, used to run a gaming YouTube channel called ‘seLFlo’. He jumped from the terrace of his apartment on 21 July 2022 . He also posted a letter on his Twitter handle just before his death. Saidabad police registered an FIR and investigating the case.
Taking the cue from this, we found a letter on his Twitter account. He posted it on 21 July 2022 at 4:38 AM. One can find it here
According to this letter, Dheena has been struggling with various issues like Childhood trauma, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, improper parenting etc.  However, he was very happy for having the YouTube channel ‘seLFlo’, since it gave him an opportunity to interact with friendly & supportive people. In fact, he felt satisfied with his channel growth.
Upon further research, we found an FIR copy filed at Saidabad police station. You can find it here. The victim’s father clearly stated that, “On 21-07-2022 at about 05:30 AM, my son C Dheena, Age: 23 yrs studying at IIIT Gwalior, 5th year, Committed Suicide in our Apartment. We have no foul play in the incident. Hence requested to take necessary steps as per procedure at the earliest.”
Hence, it is evident that ‘lack of views’ on his YouTube channel is not the reason for this YouTuber’s death by suicide.


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Ladli Foundation does not provide financial support to private individual marriages - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 16, 2019
Marriage in India is a costly affair. Many poor families go into debts for wedding of their daughters as that involves dowry, marriage arrangements and gifts. A message on Facebook being virally shared promises to alleviate that burden. The message contains information about an organization which supports poor families for the marriage of their daughters with a financial support of Rs. 1 lakh. Many people are sharing that post to spread the message and help poor families. But, is this true? Let us check the authenticity of the message in the post.
Ladli Foundation supports poor families who cannot bear the burden of marriage expenses. The foundation will take care of the total cost of the wedding and will provide the bride with the basic things worth Rs. 1 lakh, to start a new family.
Fact:  The message in the post is fake. Ladli Foundation only conducts mass marriage ceremonies for couples from poor families and provides basic things to start a new life. It does not support single marriage ceremonies as written in the message and does not give Rs. 1 lakh worth goods. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched for the details of the marriage support on the Ladli Foundation Trust’s Facebook page, it is found that Ladli Foundation’s Founder Devendra Gupta has already denied the claim way back in 2015. He posted on the Ladli Foundation Trust’s Facebook page that their message has been edited and being falsely shared. He clarified that they do not give financial support to individual marriages but conduct mass marriage ceremonies, where basic things to start a new life are given to couples. He also appealed to people not to share the message and not call on the numbers given in the message.
Even after clarification, the message is being shared for the last 4 years. Some websites have also written some fact-check articles on this issue in 2017 and 2018. Also, ABP news ran a program on this issue and interviewed Devendra Gupta in 2017, which can be found posted on their Facebook wall.
To sum it up, Ladli Foundation does not support private individual marriages. They only conduct mass marriage ceremonies.


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In the last 3 years, Petrol Bunks commissioned in less than 5% of the advertised locations
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 12, 2016
As per the latest data shared by the government, 16 States or Union Territories have more than 5 functional retail Petrol Bunks each for a lakh population. Petrol bunks were commissioned in less than 5% of the advertised locations in the last 3 years.
There is an ever rising demand for petroleum products in India with a population of more than 1.3 billion. As per the latest data shared by the government, only 16 States/UTs have more than 5 functional retail petrol outlets for every lakh population.
Punjab has most number of functional petrol bunks per lakh population
Most densely populated states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Bihar and West Bengal have most number of functional petrol bunks as expected. But these states have less than 5 functional petrol bunks for every 1 lakh people in the state which is an indicator of demand and access to petroleum products in these states.
States like Punjab, Haryana, Goa and Sikkim have a density more than 7 functional bunks for every lakh people. Puducherry and Daman & Diu have a density more than 11 functional bunks for lakh people largely on account of the lower population. Tripura, Assam, Delhi, Bihar, West Bengal, Nagaland and Manipur have less than 3 functional petrol bunks for every lakh population.
Demand exists, but Commissioning is a slow process
As per the data shared by the government, the number of retail petrol bunks pending to be commissioned as of October 2016, is more than 600 in states like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. And all these 4 states have less than 6 functional petrol bunks for every lakh people. Haryana, which has more than 11 functional petrol bunks for every lakh people also has approximately 500 Retail Outlets yet to be commissioned. The letter of intent (LOI) is issued for all these outlets.  States like Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Chandigarh have 0 pending outlets.
IOCL commands a more than 50% share in retail outlets
Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) are the three major Oil Marketing Companies in India and all of them PSUs. IOCL commands the major market share with more than 50% of all the functional retail outlets owned or operated by IOCL and its dealers.
BPCL has the least number of functional petrol bunks in the rural areas followed by HPCL & IOCL.
Petrol Bunks commissioned in less than 5% of the advertised locations
The following process is followed in commissioning a new petrol bunk.
State wise data for Locations Advertised, Response Received, scrutinized, selected and commissioned are available for the last 3 years and for the current year till September 2016.
The data clearly indicates that responses were received for only 45.49% of the locations advertised for. This is a matter of serious concern as there seems to be a lack of interest in setting up petrol bunks.  In fact, this percentage drops for every subsequent stage in the entire process and new petrol bunks were commissioned in only 4.3% of the total number of Locations advertised for in the last 3 years.
In the following States/UTs, the response rate for the locations advertised is high, but number of locations commissioned is zero. Except for Goa & the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, the rest of the states have a low number of functional petrol bunks for every lakh people.
The following are the top five states in terms of the percentage of commissioned petrol bunks of the locations advertised for.

created: December 12, 2016


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Last year’s funeral procession video is being shared as a recent protest in J&K to liberate Kashmir - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 7, 2019
A procession video is being shared on Facebook with a claim that the procession took place in Jammu and Kashmir yesterday. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Hundreds of thousands of Kashmiris took street yesterday in Jammu and Kashmir to liberate their land from India.
Fact: The gathering in the video is a funeral procession of two Kashmiri youth in a gun battle with Indian security forces. The procession took place in December-2018. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the screenshots of the video were run through Yandex Reverse Image Search, a link to a YouTube video was found in the search results. The title of the video reads: ‘Two Teenage Kashmiri Rebels Were Killed Yesterday | Kashmiri women take out a procession’. The video was uploaded by ‘U TV Viral’ in December-2018.
When searched on Google with the description given below the YouTube video, some newspaper articles on the procession can be found in the search results. The ‘AP News’ article writes: ‘Kashmiri villagers attend the joint funeral of teenage rebels Saqib Bilal Sheikh and Mudasir Rashid Parray at Hajin village, north of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, Dec. 10, 2018.’ For more information, ‘The Diplomat’ article on this issue can be read here.
To sum it up, last year’s funeral procession video is being shared as a recent protest in J&K to liberate Kashmir.
Did you watch our new Episode of the DECODE series on Parliament?

created: August 7, 2019


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Latest NSSO Survey reveals the stark Inequality in India - Factly
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 1, 2016
The 70th round of the NSSO Survey on Household Assets & Liabilities revealed a stark picture of inequality in India. The average value of the assets per household in rural areas was found to be 10.07 lakh while the corresponding value in urban areas was 22.85 lakh. The difference in the average asset holding of the top and bottom 10% was as high 50000 times in urban areas.
The latest NSSO 70 round report on Household Assets and Liabilities revealed the stark Inequality in India between those at the top and the bottom. The report has data on assets held by households in both rural and urban areas apart from information on their debt.
Significant changes in the procedure compared to the previous survey
The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) made significant changes to the procedure of this survey compared to the previous round in 2003. The NSSO says that these changes were made to reflect the changed scenario in the country. Some of the procedural changes include the following.
Majority value of the assets in this round was found to be from Land & buildings.
Average Value of Assets in Urban India is more than twice the value of Rural India
According to the report, the 93.5% of the households in Urban India hold assets while the corresponding percentage for Rural India is 98.3%. These percentages are significantly lesser than the corresponding percentages in the previous round, possibly because of the exclusion of Gold and other durable items.
In terms of average value of assets, the average value of assets per household was 10.07 lakh rupees in Rural India and 22.85 lakh rupees in Urban India.
Asset Holding: Haryana leads in the Rural Areas
In Rural India, the average value of assets per household is highest in Haryana at 46.17 Lakh rupees followed by Punjab (42.95 lakh). These are the only two states out of the eighteen surveyed with the average value of assets that is four times the national average. The other states in the top five are Kerala (27.3 lakh), Gujarat (18.43 lakh) and Maharashtra (11.23 lakh). Out of the eighteen states surveyed, the average value of assets was more than the national average in 7 states, while it was less than the national average in the remaining 11 states.
Asset Holding: Maharashtra leads in Urban Areas
In Urban India, the average value of assets per household is highest in Maharashtra at 43.37 Lakh rupees followed by Kerala (40.24 lakh). The other states in the top five are Haryana (36.78 lakh), Assam (28.48 lakh) and Punjab (26.38 lakh). Out of the eighteen states surveyed, the average value of assets was more than the national average in 6 states, while it was less than the national average in the remaining 12 states.  The four states of Maharashtra, Kerala, Haryana & Punjab are in the top five in both Urban and Rural areas.
Huge Difference in the Top & Bottom 10%
In Rural, the average value of assets of the bottom 10% is Rs 25071 while the corresponding value for the top 10% is Rs 56.89 lakh rupees. The average asset holding of the top 10% is almost 228 times the average asset holding of the bottom 10%.
In Urban, this difference is even starker. The average value of assets of the bottom 10% is just   Rs 291 while the corresponding value for the top 10% is 1.45 crore rupees. The average asset holding of the top 10% is almost 50000 times the bottom 10%. This could be because of the large number of poor people who migrate to the urban areas with no asset after migration.

created: February 1, 2016


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Latest updates on the Demonetization of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 8, 2016
Here is the latest on the demonetization issue with detailed information on various limits as on 31st December 2016
The official date for deposit of old notes is now over. Only a specific set of people can deposit old notes during the grace period of the next 6 months.
ATM withdrawal limit has been increased to Rs 4,500 per day per card from January 01, 2017. There will be not change in the weekly withdrawal limits. RBI has instructed banks that ATM disbursals be made in the denomination of Rs 500.
New Deposit Rules (with effect from 19th December 2016)
Quoting of PAN is mandatory in the following transactions
Exchanges
Cash Withdrawal at Bank Branches
ATM Withdrawals
Special Provisions for Farmers & Traders buying Agricultural Produce
Special Provisions for Weddings
Special Provisions for Group C & Other Employees
Central Government employees up to Group `C’ including equivalent levels in the Defence and Para Military Forces, Railways and Central Public Sector Enterprises will be given an option to draw salary advance up to Rs 10,000 in cash. This amount will be adjusted in their salary for November, 2016.
Using the Banking Correspondents Network (BCs) for rural areas
e-Payments
Old Notes will be accepted for the following till 15th December 2016
The old Rs 500 notes will be accepted till the midnight of 15th December 2016 for the following transactions/payments. It has to be noted that the old Rs 1000 notes won’t be accepted in these places. The government has also notified certain changes the earlier list. Purchase of Airline tickets & petrol/diesel with the old notes will not be possible from 03rd December.
Apart from these
Others
One may approach the control room of RBI by email or on Telephone Nos 022-22602201 or 022-22602944.
Featured Image: www.rbi.org.in

created: December 8, 2016


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'Launch a special drive to dispose the pending Online RTI applications', CIC to Election Commission - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 15, 2018
About 2000 RTI applications filed through the ‘RTI Online’ portal are waiting for response by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The Central Information Commission (CIC) has now directed the ECI to launch a special drive to dispose these pending applications.
Factly was the first one to report about the ongoing tussle between the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) & the ECI about accepting RTI applications online. The CIC in a related case, has now directed the ECI to launch a special drive to dispose the 2000 odd pending applications.
The ‘RTI Online’ portal
The RTI Online portal is a good initiative aimed at reducing the need to file paper based physical RTI applications. The portal was first launched during the previous UPA government. From just 96 public authorities of the Central Government in 2013-14, the portal has now been extended to more than 2100 public authorities (including independent organizations) of the central government. The number of online RTI applications filed has increased from 87831 in 2013-14 to 231688 in 2015-16. In 2015-16, the proportion of RTI applications filed through the online portal reached 24% of all the applications filed with public authorities of the central government. The ECI is still listed as one of the public authorities on the portal.
The ongoing tussle between the ECI & DoPT
As reported by Factly earlier, there is an ongoing tussle between the DoPT & the ECI regarding the use of ‘RTI Online’ for filing online applications with the ECI. Documents reveal that the ECI was earlier prepared to accept the online RTI applications through the portal. Documents also reveal that the officials of ECI had taken training regarding the usage of the portal. The CIC in its latest order highlighted that the ECI has not opened & accessed the close to 2000 applications filed in its name on the portal. The CIC has also observed that the ECI did not take any step to ensure citizens do not file the applications online.  Factly had also highlighted earlier that the ECI could have put up a notice on its website about non-acceptance of the applications through the portal.
No deadline for developing its own portal
In response to a complaint filed by Factly, the ECI had earlier maintained that the RTI Online facility was not available in the ECI and the commission was developing its own portal for RTI applications. The ECI mentioned that the development of the online facility for ECI was under process. The CIC in its order also observed that the ECI did not have a deadline to launch its own portal for online RTI applications.
‘Launch a special drive to dispose pending applications’
Observing that close to 2000 RTI applications are left unattended by the ECI, the CIC has now directed that a special drive be taken up to clear all the pending RTI applications. Further, the CIC also directed that a compliance report be submitted about the special drive.

created: January 15, 2018


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What is the law on Cheque Bouncing?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 28, 2017
This video in association with Nyaaya explains the law on Cheque Bouncing.


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Debarring Independent Candidates from Contesting Elections - Did the Law Commission get its recommendation right?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 13, 2015
The Law Commission of India has now submitted its 255 Report on Electoral Reforms. The recommendations were made in a host of areas. Some of the important areas where the recommendations were made include
We will do a series of articles on some of these important areas and look at the recommendations of the Law Commission. In this article we will look at the issue of Independent candidates in elections since the Law Commission in its 255th Report has recommended debarring Independent candidates from contesting in Parliament & Assembly Elections.
Even the 170 Law Commission report in 1999 had recommended debarring the independent candidates from contesting in elections. The reasons for these recommendations are manifold. The NCRWC (The National Commission to Review   the Working of the Constitution) recommended the “discouragement” of independent candidates, who are often “dummy” candidates or defectors from their party or those denied party tickets. It is also argued that independent candidates are non-serious candidates with very little chance of winning. In the recent times it is also observed that there exists a practice of independent candidates standing with the same name as candidates from recognized political parties, and this can cause a real confusion in the minds of the public, which might only look at the name of the candidate instead of the party symbol. But what do the numbers say about these reasons?
Number of Independents over the years
The number of independents contesting elections has steadily increased starting from the first general election in 1951. In 2014, a total of 3234 independents contested the election. An overwhelming number of these independents forfeit their deposits every election. In 2014, 99.5% of these 3234 candidates forfeited their deposits. From 1951 to 2014, a total of 97.92% of the independent candidates forfeited their deposits adding credence to the charge that a large number of these candidates are non-serious candidates.
(Any candidate who secures less than 1/6th of the total valid votes polled in a constituency will forfeit the security deposit paid)
Independent Candidates & Success
The ability of independent candidates to win an election always had a question mark and the numbers don’t prove otherwise. In all the General elections since 1951, independent candidates could win only 3% of the total seats and their success rate (Number of winners/Number of contestants) has been a mere 0.5%.
Independent Candidates & Vote Percentage
Independent Candidates polled more than 10% of the total valid vote in the first four general elections. After that, their vote percentage saw a steady decline and in 2014, they polled just 3% of the total vote.
What did the Law Commission Recommend?
Looking at the ahove numbers, it does look like the Law Commission got its recommendation right when it said that independents be debarred from contesting elections since it is not difficult to register a political party. The Law Commission recommended that independent candidates be barred from contesting in Parliament & Assembly elections and that Section 4, Section 5 of the Representation of People’s Act be amended accordingly.
Data Sources:
Election Commission of India Statistical Reports
Law Commission of India, 255 Report on Electoral Reforms


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The Law Commission's call for suggestions on Simultaneous Elections
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 19, 2018
The Law Commission has sought views of various stakeholders on its draft working paper on simultaneous Lok Sabha & Assembly elections. This is after the President, Prime Minister and the NITI Aayog spoke about simultaneous elections at various times.
Simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha & State Assemblies have been debated for quite some time now. It started with the 79th report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice. The NITI Aayog on its part also released a discussion paper on the subject. The President of India also touched upon this subject in his joint address to the Parliament earlier this year. The Prime Minister also spoke about the advantages of simultaneous elections on multiple occasions in the past. Now, the Law Commission has sought the views of various stakeholders including general public, on its draft working paper ‘Simultaneous Elections – Constitutional & Legal Perspectives’.
Such a system exists in some Countries
In its summary note, the commission mentioned that the system of simultaneous elections exists in countries like South Africa. Sweden, Belgium etc. As noted previously by various other committees, the cycle of simultaneous elections was disrupted after the year 1967 when certain state assemblies were dissolved followed by the dissolution of the Lok Sabha in 1970. The commission in its note mentions that the founding fathers of the constitution did foresee that the elections to the Lok Sabha & State Assemblies may not always be concurrent.
Should a No-Confidence motion be accompanied by a Confidence motion?
One of the major road blocks to simultaneous elections is the prospect of premature dissolution of Lok Sabha or an Assembly when government loses majority. The commission’s summary of the working paper mentions that a no-confidence motion in any government should also put forward an option for an alternative government, a system that exists in Germany. The 170th report of the law commission had suggested that a new rule be added to enable the introduction of a no-confidence motion along with the motion of confidence in an alternative government.
The commission also raises an important question in the context of hung parliament or assembly when the leader of the house is elected to form a government. That would mean members of the house voting beyond their party line (in some cases), which would automatically attract disqualification under the anti defection law (10th schedule of the constitution). One of the questions raised by the commission is about the dilution of the anti defection provisions for the purpose of a stable government.
Commission seeks views on the following recommendations
The commission in its summary note has put out a list of recommendations on which views are sought. The recommendations include amendment to the Constitution, to the Representation of the People Act 1951, amendment of the relevant rules in the Lok Sabha and State assemblies, electing a leader of the house similar to the election of the speaker among other things.
Suggestions to be made by 08th May
Suggestions/views on the summary note can be sent via post to the Member Secretary, Law Commission of India, 4th Floor, Lok Nayak Bhavan, Khan Market, New Delhi – 110033. The same can also be emailed at        LCI-DLA@NIC.IN latest by 08th May 2018.


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Less than 1% NRIs registered as Voters.More than 90% of registered from Kerala
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 18, 2019
The Representation of People Act, 1950 (RP Act) was amended in the year 2010 that made special provisions for Indian Citizens living abroad to get enrolled as a voter. Of the more than 1.31 crore NRIs who are eligible, less than 1% (only 71735) have registered as voters as per the latest electoral roll published by the ECI in early 2019.
The Representation of People Act, 1950 (RP Act) was amended in the year 2010 that made special provisions for Indian Citizens living abroad to get enrolled as a voter. Ever since, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has been trying to promote voter registration among NRIs. But the data released by the ECI paints a very grim picture of the interest among NRIs. Of the more than 1.31 crore NRIs, less than 1% (only 71735) have registered as voters as per the latest electoral roll published by the ECI in early 2019.
History of NRI Voting rights
Following demands from various NRI groups, the provisions of the RP act were amended in the year 2010. This amendment inserted a new section 20A to enable NRIs (citizens of India residing outside India) to get enrolled as a voter. It is to be noted that the NRIs should not have acquired citizenship of any other country. All such eligible ones can register in their place of residence in India.
This amendment was followed by change of rules that defined procedures for NRIs to get enrolled. NRIs can register themselves online on the National Voters’ Service Portal (NVSP). In addition to other details, they are supposed to submit the details of their passport & VISA of the country they are living in.
Hardly any improvement in 8 years
The ECI started publishing data on NRI (Overseas) voters from the year 2012. As per the 2012 data, a total of 10002 were registered as NRI voters. This number increased to only 24507 in 2018. Of the 24507 registered as per the 2018 roll published by the ECI, only 1942 are women (less than 10%) while the rest are men. This number however has almost tripled as per the 2019 roll published recently. From 24507 in 2018,  the number of NRI voters increased to 71735 in 2019. The number of Women NRIs registered as voters remains at less than 10% even in 2019. For the first time in 2019, twenty (20) NRIs of the third gender also registered as voters.
While it looks like the number of such NRI voters has increased to 7 times in these 8 years, it is a minuscule number compared to the total number of NRIs. As per the data published by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), more than 1.31 crore NRIs are living in various parts of the world. Compared to this number, the number of registered NRI voters is less than 1%, in fact less than 1 registered for every 180 NRIs.
More than 92% of the registered from Kerala
Of the various states where the NRIs are registered, Kerala has led right from the year 2012. Out of the 10002 registered in 2012, 9838 were registered in Kerala. All the other states/UTs together accounted for only 164. In other words, more than 98% of the NRIs who registered themselves as voters in India in 2012 had done so in Kerala. As of 2019, a total of 66584 NRIs registered in Kerala compared to 5151 who registered in the rest of India, making it a total of 71735. As of 2019, Andhra Pradesh (2511) & Telangana (1127) are the only two other states where more than 1000 NRIs  registered as voters.
Even as of 2019, NRI voters registered in Kerala accounted for more than 92% of all the NRI voters in the country.
What are the possible reasons for such low registration?
The low registration could be a result of multiple issues. Though the ECI has undertaken multiple awareness campaigns, they do not seem to have reached everybody. In addition, the cumbersome  process could be another reason for lower registration. But the real issue could be the the voting methods available for such registered voters. As on date, the only way NRIs can actually vote is to be physically present during elections. A committee setup by the ECI had recommended proxy voting as a possible option of all the options explored by them. The Government had introduced an amendment to the RP act in December 2017, in the Lok Sabha, to enable such proxy voting. This amendment was passed by the Lok Sabha on 09th August 2018. But the bill is yet to be passed in the Rajya Sabha. Hence if NRIs would like to vote in the upcoming 2019 Lok Sabha elections, they have to be physically present at the place of registration on the day of the poll. In fact, the ECI has dismissed rumours that NRI voters can vote online.  No such facility exists as on date.
Only 8 NRI voters voted in 2014 LS Elections
As per the data released by the ECI, only 8 NRI voters voted in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections out of 13039 registered by then. Four (4) of them voted in Gujarat, 1 in Rajasthan, 1 in West Bengal and the remaining 2 in Chandigarh. In other words, less than 0.1% of the registered NRI voters actually voted.
Parties differ on allowing proxy voting for NRIs
The debate on the amendment to the RP act went on for an hour and thirteen (1 hr and 13 minutes) in the Lok Sabha. Twelve members from various parties participated in the debate. There were divergent views on allowing proxy voting for NRIs.
R Gopalakrishnan (AIADMK): He felt that proxy voting could be misused since even close friends and family members have their own voting preferences and there is no guarantee that the proxy will vote for a candidate preferred by the NRI. He also felt that proxy voting could lead to vote trading. He suggested that the government should extend foolproof online voting for NRIs or voting through the Indian embassies instead of proxies.
Rajiv Pratap Rudy (BJP): He welcomed the move and asked the government to further extend facilities to voters within India who live outside their constituency. He suggested that the ECI could look at setting up special polling booths outside the constituency if there are more than 100 voters.
Dr. Mamtaz Sanghamita (TMC): She also raised the issue of the proxy not voting as per the original voter’s preference and how migrant voters are not allowed to vote by proxy. She also did not agree with the Minister that this is a simple amendment. She concluded by saying it is an irregular bill and the government should think twice before implementing the provisions of the bill.
Anandrao Adsul (Shiv Sena): He raised some basic questions as to how the concept of ‘one person, one vote’ will be violated if the same person is chosen as proxy by multiple voters. He also sought to know this is going to implemented in practice. While supporting the bill, he asked the government to look into the practical issues.
Kalikesh N. Singh Deo  (BJD): He felt that that the amendment is not fully thought out and raised multiple issues like ‘One person – one vote’, accuracy of NRI voter registration etc. He went onto say that an individual’s choice of vote will be violated if the proxy does not vote based on the choice of the voter and the secrecy of the voting process will get vitiated. He asked the government to explore e-voting instead of proxy voting while supporting the amendment.
Konda Vishweshwar Reddy (TRS): He said that while the principle behind the bill is very correct, the path is not. He felt that the premise of the bill is like all NRIs are honest people and all Indians living in India are dishonest because the proxy mechanism might lead to sale of votes. He suggested that the proxy should only be a blood relative. While he agreed with the principle behind the bill, he did not agree with methodology, the technology and the procedure used. He asked the government to explore e-voting.
Mohammad Salim (CPI(M)):  He said while it looks like a simple amendment, it is not and such important decisions are being rushed through. He raised the issue of migrant labour and also mentioned about how voting in other country elections happens through embassies. He supports the voting rights to NRIs, but not by proxies.
Dharam Vira Gandhi (AAP): He said that he supports voting rights to NRIs, but not by proxy voting. He felt proxy voting is like bogus voting. He suggested that e-voting is an ideal alternative for allowing NRIs to vote.
Prem Singh Chandumajra (SAD): He said it is a very good bill and supports it whole heartedly while mentioning that 40% Punjabis live outside the country. He also supported the issues raised by the other members about the voting issues of internal migrants.
Dushyant Chautala (INLD): He raised many issues concerning the entire process including the authenticity of approving proxies. He said for military and other service personnel, the proxy is approved by a higher authority which may not be the case with NRIs. He asked that the bill be sent to the standing committee.
Kunwar Haribansh Singh (Apna Da): He supported the bill whole heartedly while saying that the process & procedure should be transparent so that proper voting takes place.
Jayadev Galla (TDP): He wanted to know about e-voting.
The bill was passed by voice vote. But the common issues raised by members across the political spectrum were about the sanctity and probable misuse of the proxy voting and why such proxy voting cannot be extended to internal migrants. Quite a few members suggested other measures such as e-voting and voting at embassies be explored. How the government plans to enable proxy voting on ground without allowing any misuse remains to be seen.


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Less than 30% of Rural Women used Internet in 10 States as per NFHS-5
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 29, 2020
The NFHS-5 provides data on internet usage for the first time. As per the available figures, less than 30% of the rural women have ever used the internet in 10 states. While most states have reported improvement in access to an improved sanitation facility, data indicates that the majority of the rural households are still sourcing drinking water from a public facility.
The National Family and Health Survey (NFHS) provides estimates on various key indicators relating to the population, health, nutrition, etc. The recently published factsheets of 22 States/UTs under Phase-1 of NFHS-5 offer insights on a variety of important aspects of family well-being. In our earlier stories, we covered some important observations regarding a few of these key indicators from NFHS-5.
Access to various facilities is an important component of family well-being. The provision of basic facilities to its population is also key to a welfare state. Over the years, access to various basic facilities has improved across the country.  However, disparities exist among the various regions and sections of the population.
In this story, we take a look at access to a few of the basic facilities based on the data provided by NFHS-5 for the 22 States/UTs covered under phase-1.
Less than 30% Rural Women ever used Internet in 10 States
It is estimated that India has the second-highest number of Internet users in the world, second only to China. However, this accounts for just more than a quarter of India’s population, as per the data available in 2015.  The indicator ‘Men/Women who have ever used the Internet’ was introduced for the first time in the latest NFHS- 5 survey.
Among the 22 States/UTs that are part of Phase-1 of the survey, Goa has the highest share of men who have used the internet with around 83% while Sikkim has the highest share of women who ever used the internet with around 77%.
Among the states with a large population, Kerala tops the list with around 76% men and 61% women that have ever used the internet respectively.
Data indicates a consistent trend among all the States/UTs with a higher share of urban men that have ever used the internet.  Barring a few exceptions, a very low proportion of rural women have ever used the internet in a large number of states. In fact, this proportion is less than 30% in 10 of the 17 states part of the first phase of the NFHS-5.
The disparity between the States can also be observed in the data provided by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). As per its latest Quarterly Report – The Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicators for April-June’2020, Kerala has around 77 internet subscribers per 100 population. Himachal Pradesh has around 82 internet subscribers per 100 population.
Andhra Pradesh, which also includes Telangana as per the TRAI report has around 66 internet subscribers per 100 population. While the criteria are different both for TRAI data and the estimates as per NFHS-5, a general trend is observed that Bihar and Wes Bengal are among the states with a lower share of internet subscribers. While NFHS-5 estimates the number of people who have ever used the internet, TRAI data is based on the subscriber information from the telecom companies.
Population in most states report improved Sanitation facility
As per the information updated on the Swachh Bharat Mission portal, India is declared to be 100% Open Defecation Free (ODF). As per the National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey 2019-20 (NARSS), 94.4% of Rural Households have access to toilets. Of these, 79.2% of households have access to their own toilet.
One of the key indicators under NFHS-5 is ‘Population living in households that use an improved sanitation facility’. Any household reporting the following in its own household is counted under this indicator.
Less than 50% of the population reporting an improved sanitation facility in only Bihar & Ladakh. In the rest of the states/UTs part of the first phase of NFHS-5, this is more than 50%.
However, there is a considerable improvement even in these two with over 20% improvement from the previous survey. The best improvement compared to the previous survey is seen in Telangana with nearly 24%.
A lower proportion of the population living in households with improved sanitation facilities as estimated in NFHS-5, when compared to the ODF numbers on the Swachh Bharat Mission portal is an indication of the issues with access to individual toilet units that are being used.
Majority of the rural households still sourcing drinking water from a public facility
Access to clean drinking water is one of the basic needs for sustainable living. As per the criteria specified in NFHS-5, a population who have access to piped water directly to their homes, or access to a clean water source with the neighbours or within the neighbourhood, are deemed to have access to an improved drinking water source.
As per the fact sheets as part of NFHS-5 for the 22 states/UTs of Phase-1, with the exception of few northeastern states, more than 90% of the population has reported access to the improved drinking water sources in the rest of the states. The improvement is not as much compared to sanitation facilities since more than 90% of the population reported access to improved drinking water sources even in NFHS-4 (2015-16).
As per the Ministry of Jal Shakti’s Jal Jivan Mission’s Dashboard, about 33% of the rural households have Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC). As per the information, the number has nearly doubled compared to 15 August 2019, the date on which the scheme was launched.
The estimates for NFHS-5, indicate that an average of more than 90% rural population in these 22 states/UTs have access to improved drinking water sources. The lower FHTC in these states could be due to the fact that the majority of the population in rural areas source drinking water from a public facility rather than from a household tap.
Featured Image: Access to basic facilities

created: December 29, 2020


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‘Less vote share but more seats won’ -cannot be considered as a proof of EVM tampering - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 13, 2020
A video is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it shows the proof of EVM tampering by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recent Bihar Assembly Elections – 2020. In the video, the person says that the BJP has less vote share in the recent elections than the previous election but won more seats, whereas the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has more vote share in the recent elections than the previous election but won fewer seats. It is being claimed that the reason for the above phenomenon is EVM tampering by the BJP. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video explaining the proof of EVM tampering by the BJP in the Bihar Assembly Elections – 2020.
Fact: One cannot conclude that there have been discrepancies in the EVMs by just analyzing the vote share and the number of seats won. There are many factors which impact the vote share and seats won by a political party in the elections. The less vote share of BJP might be due to contesting in fewer seats in 2020 compared to 2015, and the BJP might have won more seats due to high ‘vote % in seats contested’ in 2020 compared to 2015. The same applies to the RJD’s performance. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
From the Election Commission of India website, we found that the vote share and seats won data given in the posted video is correct. But let’s check whether the reasoning provided to conclude the EVM tampering is valid or not.
There are many factors which impact the vote share and seats won by a political party in the elections. In most cases, one can generally see that the total vote share (i.e. share in valid votes polled in State) increases with the increase in the number of contested seats. While BJP has contested in 157 seats in the 2015 elections and won 53 seats with 24.4 per cent total vote share, it contested in 110 seats in the 2020 elections and won 74 seats with 19.4 per cent total vote share. In 2015, RJD has contested in 101 seats and won 80 seats with 18.3 per cent total vote share whereas it has contested in 144 seats and won 75 with 23.1 per cent total vote share in 2020.
In the posted video, it is being questioned that how BJP can win more seats in 2020 with less vote share than in 2015. As discussed above, the decrease in the vote share for BJP in 2020 might be due to contesting in fewer seats than in 2015. Also, the answer to that question may be found in the ‘vote % in seats contested’. In the table, it can be seen that the ‘vote % in seats contested’ for BJP increased from 37.4 in 2015 to 42.5 in 2020. So, in reality, BJP’s vote share increased in 2020 if only the votes polled in the seats it contested are considered. The same applies to the RJD. The increase in vote share of RJD might be due to the increase in the number of contested seats and the decrease in the seats won might be due to less ‘vote % in seats contested’ in 2020 compared to 2015.
Considering just less or more vote share, one cannot determine the proportion of seats one can win. In the first-past-the-post system, in some seats where there are more contestants, one can win with fewer votes whereas, in seats with few contestants, one can get more votes. The aggregate vote share is a combination of all such varying seats.
To sum it up, just with the vote share and the number of seats won, one cannot conclude that there have been discrepancies in the EVMs.

created: November 13, 2020


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Let Senior Citizens know of these schemes run by the Central Government - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 10, 2018
The Central Government through various ministries runs multiple programs for the welfare of senior citizens. Here is a snapshot of all such schemes.
Integrated Program for Older Persons (IPOP)
This program is run by The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Under this program, grants are given for running and maintenance Old Age Homes, Day Care Centres, Mobile Medicare Units, Multi Facility Care Centre for Older Widows etc. The main objective of the Scheme is to improve the quality of life of Older Persons by providing basic amenities like shelter, food, medical care and entertainment opportunities etc. Implementing agencies eligible for assistance under the Scheme are Panchayati Raj Institutions/Local Bodies, Non-Governmental Voluntary Organizations, etc. Funds under the Scheme of IPOP are not released to the States, but released to the implementing agencies like NGOs etc.
In the year 2016-17, a total of 396 old age homes were given grants under this scheme. The total grant amount was Rs 36.99 crore covering a total of 40200 beneficiaries.
Action Point: Details of old age homes receiving grants under this are available on the ministry’s website. One can visit these homes and admit old age people who have nobody to take care of.
Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY)
This scheme is also run by The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. This is a Central Sector Scheme funded from the Senior Citizens’ Welfare Fund. The fund was notified in the year 2016. All unclaimed amounts from small savings accounts, PPF & EPF are to be transferred to this fund.
Under the RVY scheme, aids and assistive living devices are provided to senior citizens belonging to BPL category who suffer from age related disabilities such as low vision, hearing impairment, loss of teeth and loco-motor disabilities. The aids and assistive devices viz. walking sticks, elbow crutches, walkers/crutches, tripods/quadpods, hearing aids, wheelchairs, artificial dentures and spectacles are provided to eligible beneficiaries. The Scheme is being implemented by Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) which is a Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
The estimated outlay of the Scheme is Rs. 483.6 crore up to 2019-20. The Scheme will be implemented in 260 districts and benefit 5,20,000 beneficiaries up to 2019-20. The list of selected districts and other features of the scheme are available on the PIB website. The beneficiary identification will be done by a committee at the district level headed by the District Collector and the distribution of kits will be done in a camp mode. Till date, the scheme has benefitted over 38000 beneficiaries against the target of 5,20,000 by 2019-20.
Action Point: Get old age people with such ailments in the identified districts to approach the District Collector’s office to know more about the upcoming camps and take advantage of the scheme.
Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS)
The Ministry of Rural Development runs the National Social Assistance Program (NSAP) that extends social assistance for poor households- for the aged, widows, disabled and in the case of death of the breadwinner. This is in addition to the benefits that the State Governments extend to these people. Under this scheme, financial assistance is provided to person of 60 years and above and belonging to family living below poverty line as per the criteria prescribed by Government of India. Central assistance of Rs. 200/- per month is provided to person in the age group of 60-79 years and Rs. 500/- per month to persons of 80 years and above.
Funds under the schemes of NSAP are released on the basis of reports submitted by States/UTs. A total of Rs 5901 crore was released under the scheme in 2016-17.
Action Point: Find out the details of the relevant state scheme and get eligible old age people around you apply for the pension.
Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana(VPBY)
This scheme is run by the Ministry of Finance. The Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana(VPBY) was first launched in 2003 and then relaunched in 2014. Both are social security schemes for Senior Citizens intended to give an assured minimum pension on a guaranteed minimum return on the subscription amount. These Schemes are implemented through Life Insurance Corporation(LIC) of India, which is paid the difference between the actual yield earned by LIC on the funds invested under the scheme and the assured return of 9% committed by the Government. Both the schemes VPBY 2003 and VPBY 2014 are closed for future subscriptions. However, policies sold during the currency of policy are being serviced as per the commitment of guaranteed 9% return announced by the Government under the schemes. As on 31st March 2017, a total of  2,74,885 beneficiaries and 3,11,981 beneficiaries are being benefited under VPBY 2003 and VPBY 2014 respectively.
The Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana(PNVVY) was launched in May 2017 to provide social security during old age. This is a simplified version of the VPBY and will be implemented by the Life Insurance Corporation(LIC) of India. Under the scheme, on payment of an initial lump sum amount ranging from Rs. 1,50,000  for a minimum pension of Rs. 1000 per month to a maximum of Rs. 7,50,000/- for a maximum pension of Rs. 5,000  per month, subscribers will get an assured pension based on a guaranteed rate of return of 8% per annum payable monthly/quarterly/half-yearly/annually. The duration of the scheme will be for a period of ten years and the scheme is opened for subscription for a period of one year i.e. from 4th May, 2017 to 3rd May, 2018. As on 30th November 2017, a total of number of 1,83,842 persons are being benefited under PMVVY.
Action Point: The PMVVY is open for subscription till May 2018. Get old age people around you who are eligible for this scheme to explore and subscribe.
National Program for the Health Care of Elderly (NPHCE)
The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare had launched the ‘National Programme for the Health Care of Elderly’ (NPHCE) during 2010-11 to address various health related problems of elderly people. The major objectives under district level activities of the NPHCE are to provide dedicated health facilities in District Hospitals, Community Health Centres (CHCs), Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Sub-Centres (SCs) levels through State Health Society. The health care facilities, being provided under this program, are either free or highly subsidised The Following facilities are being provided under the Program.
The Centre will bear 75% of the total budget and the State Government will contribute 25% of the budget, for activities up to district level.
Action Point: As on date, the district level activities of the program have been sanctioned in 520 districts of 35 States/UTs. Check for districts in your state that have benefitted under this program.
Featured Image: Max Pixel

created: January 10, 2018


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Let's be GST-Wise - How to search for a taxpayer?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 27, 2018

created: January 27, 2018


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Let’s be GST-wise - No GST can be levied on MRP
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 27, 2018


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Let's be GST-Wise - Profiteering Application
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 27, 2018


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Let's be GST-Wise - The Anti-profiteering Provision
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 27, 2018


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Let's be GST-Wise - Who Should Register?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 27, 2018


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Let's be GST-Wise - Understanding the GST Bill/Invoice
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 27, 2018


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Letters offering employment under the ‘Saur Urja Mission Training and Employment Scheme’ are fake. There is no such scheme - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 28, 2019
Some photos of a letter were sent to FACTLY on WhatsApp to check their authenticity. The letter is being sent to Village Sarpanches asking them to select five qualified members from their village for employment under the ‘Saur Urja Mission Training and Employment Scheme’. Let’s try to check the authenticity of the letter.
Employment for five qualified persons from every village under the ‘Saur Urja Mission Training and Employment Scheme’.
Fact: There is no government scheme with the name, ‘Saur Urja Mission Training and Employment Scheme’. Also, the government does not ask demand drafts in the name of private enterprises (like ‘Urja Enterprises, in this case) for official recruitments. In the letter, there are also many spelling and grammatical errors, which are very rare to find in an official letter. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched for the ‘Saur Urja Mission Training and Employment Scheme’ on Google, it can be found that there is no such government scheme. The results only show about the ‘Suryamitra Scheme’, under which training is provided to youth in the Solar Energy sector (More about ‘Suryamitra Scheme’ can be read here and here). Also, when searched on the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy website, no such scheme was found.
In the letter, it is mentioned that the interested candidates should fill the form and send a demand draft (DD) of Rs. 1000 in the name of ‘Urja Enterprises’, payable at Delhi. But no government agency asks for a DD in the name of a private enterprise for official recruitments.  Also, a lot of spelling and grammatical errors can be found in the letter. No official notification or note contains such errors. It can also be observed that there is no Ministry name or Department name on the letter.
A similar fake letter in the name of ‘Gram Vikas Rozgar Yojana’ is also being sent to Sarpanches across the country. FACTLY has already debunked it and wrote a fact-check article on it.
To sum it up, letters offering employment under the ‘Saur Urja Mission Training and Employment Scheme’ are fake. There is no such scheme.
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Linking your Voter ID with Aadhaar is not mandatory & your name will not be deleted from the Voter List
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 26, 2015
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched the NERPAP campaign to purify the electoral rolls and remove duplicates. In the process, it has launched linking Aadhaar with one’s Voter ID. This was perceived and publicized in the media  as a mandatory exercise and that failing to do so would result in deletion of names from the Voter list. The ECI has now clarified that this exercise is only voluntary and no electoral service will be denied for failing to do so.
For the last few months, citizens have been receiving messages from various quarters about linking one’s Voter ID with their Aadhaar. The messages go to the extent of saying that not linking Aadhaar will result in deletion of their names from the electoral roll. But is this true? And can the Election Commission of India go against what the Supreme Court of India said about Aadhaar?
The Background
On 27 Feb 2015, The Election Commission of India (ECI) launched the NERPAP (National Electoral Rolls Purification & Authentication Program). This was done against the backdrop of duplicate names, multiple entries, repeating images and repeating Voter ID numbers etc. The procedure for deletion of multiple names & replacement is also not streamlined and not followed in all states. ECI also observed that the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) were not giving enough attention to these issues and are not disposing complaints in a given time frame. The ECI also mentioned cases where various courts expressed concern about such defective electoral rolls.
Against this background, the NERPAP was launched with the following major objectives,
A detailed methodology was suggested for feeding the Aadhaar number against the Voter ID. The process followed in Andhra Pradesh & Telangana earlier as a pilot was suggested to be followed by all the states. The Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of various states were asked to do a set of preparatory activities including press conferences, meetings with district officials, formation of Booth Awareness groups, setting up of a state call center and proper training to officials.
The ECI also asked CEOs to give enough publicity to the Voluntary Disclosure of Multiple Entries campaign. It directed the CEOs to give advertisements in media, cinema halls highlighting that enrolling one’s name at more than one place is a punishable offence under Section 31 of the Representation of People’s Act.
The Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of various states have been publicizing this on all platforms. Various media houses (print & electronic) gave ample publicity to this initiative. Though the CEOs did not say it is mandatory, media has been projecting this exercise as mandatory and that names would be deleted in case one does not link their Aadhaar with their Voter ID.
Is Linking Aadhaar Mandatory?
Time & Again, the Supreme Court has made it clear that Government cannot make Aadhaar mandatory for any scheme and issued a stern warning to the Government in March 2015. Surprisingly, the ECI’s letter launching the NERPAP does not talk about whether this is a mandatory or voluntary exercise. But this silence was perceived in the media and on various social media platforms as this exercise being mandatory. Many people who did not possess Aadhaar were forced to apply for one out of the fear of losing one’s voting rights.
After numerous complaints, the ECI clarified in a letter in April that this is only optional and non-furnishing of Aadhaar will not result in deletion of name. Adequate publicity was not given for this clarification and the campaign in various media platforms was still about this being a mandatory exercise.
After a lot of complaints started landing up at their door, the ECI finally had to issue a detailed clarification on 22nd May, 2015 explaining that this exercise is not mandatory, but only optional.
This clarification cleared all confusion surrounding the issue and it unequivocally said that not linking Aadhaar with the Voter ID will not result in denial of any electoral service to the voter including deletion, fresh enrollment etc. It also said that the collection of Aadhaar is only for authentication and that Aadhaar will not be displayed or reflected anywhere in the electoral roll.
While this clarification directs the CEOs to give adequate publicity to these aspects, it remains to be seen if the Media takes it up in equal measure like they did with NERPAP campaign. But for now, spread the word and tell people that this exercise is not mandatory and nobody needs to worry about their name in the electoral roll.


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‘Lion Man’ ivory sculpture in Germany falsely shared as the sculpture of Lord Narasimha - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 7, 2022
A collage with a group of images is being shared on social media claiming it as the visuals of 35,000 to 40,000 years old Lord Narasimha sculpture found in Germany. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Images of 40,000-year-old Lord Narasimha sculpture found in Germany.
Fact: The first two images show the 40,000 years old ‘Lion Man’ sculpture exhibited in the ‘Museum Ulm’ in Germany. The fragments of this ivory sculpture were discovered in 1939 during the excavations at Hohlenstein-Stadel cave in South Germany. Later after thirty years, these fragments were reconstructed as Lion Man and exhibited in ‘Museum Ulm’. The other image of Lord Narasimha sculpture is from Badami caves in Karnataka. This sculpture was made between 6 and 8 century. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The post majorly shares two different images. Let’s verify each photo one by one.
Image-1:
On reverse image search of the photos shared in the post, a similar photo was found in an article published by the ‘World Archeology’ website. This article reported it as the picture of the ‘Lion Man’ sculpture exhibited in the ‘Museum Ulm’ in Germany. This sculpture was mentioned as an enigmatic ivory figurine discovered as hundreds of fragments inside the Hohlenstein-Stadel cave in 1939.  According to an article published by ‘Don’s Maps’, these hundreds of fragments of carving were found by geologist Otto Volzing. But, the start of World War II had led him to stop these excavations of ivory sculptures. Later after 30 years, these fragments of ivory have been reconstructed to create a ‘Lion Man’.
‘The British Museum Blog’ has published an article explaining the history of ‘Lion Man’ sculpture exhibited in the ‘Museum Ulm’. This ‘Lion Man’ sculpture was exhibited in the “Living with Gods at the British Museum” exhibition, held in 2017. The ‘Museum Ulm’ has shared multiple images of this ‘Lion Man’ sculpture on their social media handles. They can be seen here, here, and here. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the images shared in the post show the ‘Lion Man’ sculpture in Germany, not the Lord Narasimha sculpture.
Image-2:
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a similar photo was found on the ‘Alamy’ website. The description of the photo states, ‘Narasimha in Cave 3 of the Badami Cave temples in Badami in Karnataka, India’. This Narasimha sculpture was constructed inside Badami cave temples in Karnataka. A ‘Flickr’ user has also shared the same image with a similar description. ‘Amazing Places on our Planet’ YouTube channel has published a video on Badami temple caves in Karnataka. We could see a similar visual of Lord Narasimha in this video. The sculptures inside the Badami temple caves were made in 6th and 7th centuries.
To sum it up, 40-thousand-year-old ‘Lion Man’ sculpture in Germany is falsely shared as a sculpture of Lord Narasimha.
Update (07 October 2022):
Another post with a similar claim is being shared widely on social media.
The black sculpture photo on the left is not from Germany. It is the ‘Lord Nrsimhadev’ statue at Sri Dham Mayapur in West Bengal (India). More visuals of the same statue can be seen here and here.
The sculpture photos on the right are already debunked above. The photos show the ‘Lion man’ sculpture. While it is true that it is 40,000 years old, none of the reputed and credible agencies have mentioned it to be the statue of Lord Narasimha. There is no credible back story or myth to the ‘Lion man’ character. The statue is considered to be half human and half lion, so it is called ‘Lion man’. There are only theories of it being a deity worshipped by early people.

created: October 7, 2022


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Here is the list of approved Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) Training Institutes
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 26, 2016
The Aviation sector is highly regulated because of the priority accorded to the safety regulations. Apart from the well known Pilot & Air Hostess courses, the Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) course is also becoming popular. Currently there are 49 approved training institutes across the country that offer the AME course.
The Aviation sector is highly regulated because of the level of risk involved and the importance accorded to safety regulations. Apart from the well known Aircraft Pilot and Air Hostess courses, the Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) course is also becoming popular. Only those training institutes approved by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are authorized to run these courses. As of 30 June 2016, there are 49 training institutes approved by the DGCA offering the AME course.
Four Categories of Licenses
Licenses to engineers for maintenance of aircraft / engines/ components are issued by DGCA under the provision of Rule 61 of the Aircraft Rules, 1937. There are four categories of licenses A, B1, B2 & C.  The procedure for issue of licenses has been given in Section 2 – Airworthiness (Series ‘L’) of the Civil Aviation Requirements.
The syllabus for the AME examination is laid down by the DGCA. The DGCA conducts the examination for issue of various licenses and the results are put online.
List of approved AME Training Institutes
As on date, 49 training institutes have approval from the DGCA to run the AME course. 15 of these are in the North, 4 in the East, 13 in the West and 17 in the South. The details of these institutes along with the approved courses and the validity of approval are given below.
Featured Image: AME Training Institute


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Here is the list of Authorized Booking Websites of IRCTC
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 5, 2016
In response to a question in the Rajya Sabha, the government has shared the list of authorized private booking websites offering the service of e-ticketing of Indian Railways.
In response to a question in the Rajya Sabha, the government has shared the list of authorized private booking websites offering the service of e-ticketing for reserved tickets of Indian Railways.
These authorized agents are bound by certain rules & regulations. Those who violate rules are blacklisted. The list of blacklisted agents can be found on the IRCTC website.

created: August 5, 2016


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Here is the list of government incentives for Digital Transactions
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 8, 2016
Here is the list of incentives announced by the government for Digital Transactions
The Government of India has announced a package of incentives to encourage digital transactions. Here is the list of such incentives & measures


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List with incorrect price of petrol in different countries is being compared to that of India - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 11, 2020
A viral post claiming that petrol prices in other countries are very low compared to that in India is widely being shared across all social media platforms. Through this article lets factcheck the claim made in the post.
Price of petrol in other countries is very low compared to that in India.
Fact: There are vast discrepancies between the price given in the list and the actual price in the respective country. Price per liter in some countries is high compared to India. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we tried to verify the price of petrol in each of the countries mentioned in the post, we found that in Pakistan the price of petrol per liter according to Oil and  Gas Regulating Authority of Pakistan’s circular dated 26 June 2020, regarding the revision of prices, is PKR 100.11 per liter which in Indian currency is ₹ 45.35. Shell oil and gas company Pakistan is selling petrol for the same amount mentioned above which can be seen on the company website. Whereas in Bangladesh according to Bangladesh Petroleum corporation the cost is Taka 86 per liter which in India currency is ₹ 76.26. In Sri Lanka, according to Ministry of Petroleum Resource Development, the cost is LKR 161 per liter which in Indian currency is ₹ 65.20. However,  the price of petrol according to the post for Pakistan, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka is ₹ 26, ₹ 22 & ₹ 34 respectively.
According to Globalpetrolprices website as of 06 June 2020, the cost of per liter petrol in ₹ in Italy is ₹ 120.50, in Cuba it is ₹ 89.64 and in Nepal it is ₹ 60.23. When we compared these prices with the numbers given in the post, there is a vast difference. According to the post, the price of per liter petrol in Italy, Cuba, and Nepal is ₹ 14, ₹ 19 and ₹ 34 respectively. Similarly, the price in Afghanistan is ₹ 33.01 whereas in the post it is ₹ 36, in Burma, the price is ₹ 38.24 compared to that in the post which is ₹ 30. When we crosschecked the actual price of petrol in India on 06 June 2020, it the same as given in the post.
We can conclude that the price of petrol per liter in some countries is higher than in India and in some countries, it is lower. But the actual numbers are vastly different from what is given in the post. Hence the post is misleading.
In a nutshell, incorrect price of petrol in different countries is being compared to that of India.
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Literacy rates of various religious minorities in India mentioned in this post are inaccurate - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 25, 2022
A Facebook post is being widely shared that compares the literacy rates of various religious minorities in India. This post claims that the minority community comprising 20% of population are involved in 80% of crimes, 90% of treasons but 70% of them are illiterate and only less than 1% pays taxes. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: While 70% of Muslim in India are illiterate, they are involved in 80% of crimes, 90% of treasons, and only less than 1% of them pays tax.
Fact: According to the census 2021 data, literacy rates of Muslims is 68.5% and Christians is 84.5%. Moreover, Government of India does not release crime statistics and tax-related data based on religion. Hence, the claims made in the post are MISLEADING.
The post doesn’t explicitly mention the name of any minority community in the claim, but according to National commission for Minorities (NCM), Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis have been notified as minority communities under National commission for Minorities act, 1992. Since Jain, Parsi and Sikh were already mentioned, it is evident that the post refers to Muslims and Christians which comprise of 14.2% and 2.3 % population respectively as per the Census 2011 data.
Literacy rate:
Taking cue from this, we searched with the relevant keywords and found a drop-in article titled, “Distribution of population by religions”. This article was published on the official Census India website in 2011 based on the 2001 census data. According to this article, the literacy rates among various communities in India are as follows:
We further searched for the latest data regarding the same and found a report by Ministry of Minority affairs titled, “Committee on the Establishment of Educational Institutions for Educationally Backward Minorities”. In page 15, the document shows the literacy rates of various minorities in the country. The raw data sheet from Census India can be seen here.
Crime rate & Tax contribution:
Earlier, Factly debunked a claim that ‘Muslims in India carry out 98% rapes, 95% robberies, 100% terrorism, 300% population explosion, and use 800% of government facilities; but only contribute 0.1% tax to government.’ The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) released ‘Crime in India 2020’ report on its website. In this document, there is no reference to religion as a category for recording crime.
Also, The methodology adopted in Direct tax collection, Income Tax Return Statistics and data related to Goods and Service Tax (GST) are not based on any religion.
To sum it up, Literacy rates of Muslim and Christian communities are 68.5% and 84.5% respectively; Also, Government of India does not release crime statistics and tax-related data based on religion