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Bharat Biotech vaccine for COVID-19 will not be available in the market from 15 August 2020 - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 30, 2020
A post claiming that Bharat Biotech has received permission from the central government to launch the vaccine for COVID-19 and that the vaccine will be available in the market from 15 August 2020 is doing rounds on social media. The claimants are posting the letter from ICMR to Bharat Biotech to support their claim. Through this article lets fact-check the claim made in the post.
Vaccine for COVID-19 by Bharat Biotech will be available in the market from 15 August 2020.
Fact: The ICMR letter only mentions that they envisage to launch the vaccine by 15 August 2020, and not make the vaccine available in the market. Bharat Biotech founder had said that if the clinical trials of Covaxin go well and meet the highest safety and efficacy standards, and if the regulators approve of them, it can be available for mass use by early 2021. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
If we closely observe the letter which is going viral, it is said in the letter that they envisage to launch the vaccine by 15 August 2020, after all clinical trials, however the final outcome will depend on the cooperation of all clinical trial sites involved in this project.
When we ran a search on internet using the keywords ‘ICMR Bharat Biotech Vaccine’ we found several news articles reporting ICMR-Bharath Biotech to launch COVID vaccine by 15 August 2020, these articles quoted the letter written by ICMR to Bharat Biotech. These news articles can be seen here and here. Hence, we can say that the letter is a genuine one.
As ICMR attracted criticism for their haste regarding the launch of the vaccine, they clarified through a press release that ‘ICMR’s process is exactly in accordance with the globally accepted norms to fast-track the vaccine development for diseases of pandemic potential wherein human and animal trials can continue in parallel‘. Also, in the press release it said their intention is to that to make sure red tape and slow file movement do not become hindrance to the development of the vaccine.
Also, talking to Mint, an ICMR official on condition of anonymity said “Our internal communication is being misinterpreted. We only said that we envisage to have a vaccine by 15 August 2020, and it is not a deadline. We have not said that we will launch a vaccine by then. The process can be expedited but the vaccine still will have to undergo all safety clinical trials”.
Also, in an interview with New Indian Express, Dr Ella, Bharat Biotech founder had said that ‘if the clinical trials of Covaxin go well and meet the highest safety and efficacy standards, and if the regulators approve of them, it can be available for mass use by early 2021’.
To sum it up, ICMR letter asking Bharat Biotech to fast track approvals is misinterpreted as permission to launch the vaccine for public use and is being shared as proof that the vaccine will be available in the market from 15 August 2020.
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Bharat Biotech's Covaxin did not receive any approval to vaccinate children above 12 years - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 12, 2021
A social media post is being widely shared online claiming that Covaxin, an India-made COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Bharat Biotech has been approved for usage in children above 12 years of age. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin received approval to vaccinate children above 12 years.
Fact: According to the Covaxin fact sheet released by Bharat Biotech, the vaccine is approved for restricted use in an emergency situation for individuals above 18 years of age. Even the Press Information Bureau has clarified that no such approval has been given by the Government of India, and that currently, only citizens above the age of 18 are eligible for COVID- 19 vaccination. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Covaxin, a COVID-19 vaccine by Bharat Biotech is developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)- National Institute of Virology (NIV). Bharat Biotech had released a Fact Sheet for vaccine recipients and caregivers. According to the fact sheet, Covaxin is given approval for restricted use in an emergency situation that may prevent COVID-19. It has also been mentioned that Covaxin is approved for individuals 18 years of age and older.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) had released Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document for healthcare workers and frontline workers in relation to COVID-19 vaccination in India. They have answered in the document as to why vaccination is not extended to children. As per this document, the currently available vaccines have not been evaluated in children so far, and that there are a few clinical trials now underway to test the effectiveness and safety of the COVID-19 vaccines in children. Hence, Covaxin is not authorized to be given to children yet.
When similar posts were being circulated on Twitter widely, PIB Fact Check had also mentioned that the claim was fake. No such approval has been given by the Government of India and currently, citizens above the age of 18 years are eligible for COVID-19 vaccination, says PIB Fact Check.
A tweet has claimed that Bharat Biotech's vaccine, Covaxin, has been approved for children above 12 years.#PIBFactCheck: This claim is #Fake. No such approval has been given by the Government of India. Currently, citizens above the age of 18 are eligible for #COVID19Vaccination pic.twitter.com/qdzBSfwllq
There are news articles, claiming sources, that a Subject Expert Committee (SEC) on COVID-19 of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) had recommended Covaxin for Phase II/III trials on 2–18-year-olds. The articles can be seen here, here, and here. The news reports also say, ‘Earlier, the proposal to conduct trials on children was deliberated in the SEC meeting dated February 24 and Bharat Biotech was asked to submit a revised clinical trial protocol.’ But this proposal discussed in February 2021 was for 5–18-year-olds, according to the SEC recommendations dated February 24 2021 given on the CDSCO website.
However, in the United States of America, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to include adolescents 12 through 15 years of age. Earlier it was approved only for people above 16 years of age. But this has been done in USA, not in India and that too for Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and not Covaxin.
To sum it up, Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin did not receive any approval to vaccinate children above 12 years as of today.

source: news-factly

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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Bharath Biotech’s Covaxin does not contain Newborn Calf Serum - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 17, 2021
Amidst vaccine hesitancy in certain sections of the population and the concerns about the COVID-19 vaccines, a post based on Congress’s Gaurav Pandhi’s Tweet of an RTI response is going viral. The post claims that Bharath Biotech’s Covaxin contains Newborn Calf Serum (NBCS). Let us now verify the claims in this post.
Claim: Bharath Biotech’s Covaxin contains Newborn Calf Serum (NBCS).
Fact: Bharath Biotech’s Covaxin does not contain Newborn Calf Serum (NBCS). The government issued an official statement that NBCS was used only as a building block in the vaccine development for the growth of Vero cells and is not an ingredient in the final vaccine. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin uses a purified and inactivated (killed) virus approach to help the body build an immune response against COVID-19. An RTI petition was submitted to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) on 15 April 2021, where a person asked 12 questions including if the vaccine manufacturing involved the use of Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) in any form, composition, or as an ingredient. The question was about both the vaccines made by Bharath Biotech and Serum Institute. The response to the RTI sparked controversy around the use of Newborn Calf Serum (NBCS), a procedure where clotted blood is extracted from young calves. Some Hindus have expressed their concern in the past over the contents of Covaxin currently being rolled out in India. The crux of their apprehension is whether the vaccines contain cattle blood, since Cow is revered by Hindus.
What is FBS?
In order to grow cells in laboratory settings for vaccine research, serum from calf or fetal blood is sometimes used. It helps cells grow and replicate so they can be studied. This technique has been used for decades in Polio, Rabies, and Influenza vaccines. Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) provides all the necessary nutrients for a cell to grow outside of an animal. Its successful application in cell culture led to widespread use in drug and vaccine manufacturing. FBS is collected through slaughtering a pregnant cow and further puncturing the heart of the fetus to collect the blood.
The study on the Hamster model of Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine does refer to the usage of 2% of Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) for the growth of Vero cells. However, Bharath Biotech has developed and assessed the protective efficacy and immunogenicity of an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (BBV152) in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), closest to human beings, according to this study.
Therefore, in the finalized method (rhesus macaques), 2% of FBS was used for virus isolation but not in the generation of the Vero Cells.  Bharath Biotech’s Covaxin does mention the use of Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM), along with 5-10 per cent new-born bovine calf serum (NBCS) for the revival of Vero cells. The serum is extremely rich in growth factors. The blood is collected from new-born calves, within 14 days after the birth. Thus, this NBCS is not the same as Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) that is mentioned in the RTI plea since scientists have stopped using FBS owing to ethical concerns and cruelty of the process. And hence even the NBCS is only used in the development of Vero cells and not in the making of the final vaccine.
Additionally, given that Bharath Biotech has published the list of ingredients that have been used to make Covaxin, it is clear that there has been no use of blood serum of newborn cattle in the final vaccine.
An official statement from the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare also clarified that the NBCS is used only for the preparation of the Vero cell that is later completely destroyed in the process of viral growth. Therefore, the final Covaxin vaccine does not contain newborn calf serum at all.
At the same time, there seems to exist a difference of opinion on how the NBCS is extracted. There are conflicting reports on whether there is cruelty involved or not in the process of extraction of NBCS. One report said the blood is collected from calves that are less than 10 days old (there is no mention of dead or alive) and another report said the blood was likely collected from a newborn calf in the form of a cardiac puncture.


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Bhupesh Baghel did not welcome Congress leaders with gold chains during the AICC plenary session in Raipur - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 28, 2023
A video is being shared on social media claiming it as visuals of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel welcoming Congress leaders with gold chains during the All India Congress Committee’s (AICC) meeting in Raipur. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Bhupesh Baghel welcoming Congress leaders with gold chains during the recent AICC plenary meeting held in Raipur.
Fact: Biran Mala, the garland that Bhupesh Baghel used to welcome Congress leaders during the 85 AICC plenary session, is a traditional Baiga tribe garland made using grass and the stem of a tree named Khirsali. The Biran Malas Bhupesh Baghel used to welcome Congress leaders are not made up of gold. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
When we searched for the details of the garland Bhupesh Baghel used to welcome Congress leaders at the AICC 85 plenary session in Raipur, we found the details of the garland in an article published by the ‘ETV Bharat’. ‘ETV Bharat’ in the article reported that the garland Bhupesh Baghel used to welcome Congress leaders at the recent AICC plenary session in Raipur was Biran Mala, a traditional Baiga tribe garland made using grass and the stem of a tree named Khirsali.
Speaking about the Biran Mala, Itwari Ram Machiya Baiga, the Chhatisgarh state president of the Baiga tribe, said, “This Biran Mala is one of the adornments of the Baiga tribes. This garland is made from the stem of the tree named Khirasali and the grass named Suta Khand. It takes a lot of hard work to make this garland. The state government led by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is making special efforts to facilitate the art culture and traditions of Chhattisgarh. Due to this effort of the government, the cultural heritage of the special backward Baiga tribe living in the state is getting a new identity.”
Bhupesh Bhagel through a tweet issued a clarification regarding the social media rumours alleging that he had gifted gold chains to the Congress leaders who attended the AICC’s plenary session. Accusing the BJP of spreading false rumours about him and insulting the tribal traditions of  Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Bhagel tweeted video clips of Itwari Ram Machiya Baiga and a making video of Biran Mala. Bhupesh Bhagel in the tweet clarified that the traditional Baiga tribe garlands were made using grass and bamboo.
"झूठ बोलो, बार-बार झूठ बोलो, जितना ज़ोर से बोल सकते हो, उतना बोलो"..
इस सूत्र पर चलने वाले इस अनमोल तोहफे का भी अपमान कर रहे हैं, साथ ही प्रकृति पुत्रों/पुत्रियों की कला और #छत्तीसगढ़ की संस्कृति का भी।
आख़िर छत्तीसगढ़ के लोगों, यहाँ की संस्कृति से भाजपा को इतनी नफ़रत क्यों है? pic.twitter.com/O2r86BG8YJ
A few pictures of Baiga tribe women wearing Baira Mala during their festivals can be seen here. More details about the Biran Mala can be found here.
To sum it up, Bhupesh Baghel did not welcome Congress leaders with gold chains during the AICC plenary session held in Raipur.

created: February 28, 2023


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Unrelated bicycle sculpture visuals are shared as that from Panchavarna temple in Tamil Nadu - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 16, 2023
Update (16 August 2023):
Another image depicting a wooden carving of a man riding a bicycle is being widely shared, with the claim that it represents an ancient art form from India. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Conducting a reverse image search on the viral image, we discovered multiple artworks showcasing similarly styled carvings, which are held in various museums globally. These artworks are attributed to the Nigerian artist Dada, renowned as Areogun (1880-1954). Upon comparing these various works by Areogun with the carvings present in the viral image, it becomes evident that the art depicted in the viral image certainly originates from the Areogun.
Update (27 May 2022):
Another picture is being shared on social media claiming it is a 2000-year-old bicycle sculpture designed on the walls of Panchavarna swamy temple in Tamil Nadu.
However, we found that the photo shows a wooden sculpture carved on a palace door by Dada Areogun, one of the greatest artists of the Yoruba art in Nigeria. ‘BBC’ published the photo of the bicycle sculptured wooden carved door with a description, “Wooden door panel carved by Dada Areogun of Osi village, Ekiti State, Nigeria, 1924”. This palace door shows the sculpture visualisations of a king riding a motorcycle and a horse, holding a sword and a pistol, smoking a pipe, and accompanied by two people carrying boxes full of trade items. Dada Areogun reportedly sculptured this wooden door to visually show that all aspects of society are functioning well due to the king’s ability to rule and his wish to serve his people.
Published (02 February 2021):
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it as the 1300-year-old bicycle sculpture built in Panchavarna temple in Tamil Nadu. Let’s verify the claims made in the post.
Claim: 1300-year-old bicycle sculpture created on the walls of Panchavarna Swamy temple in Tamil Nadu.
Fact: The photo shows a bicycle sculpture created on ‘Pura Dalem Jagaraga Temple’ on Bali island in Indonesia. Sculptures in this temple depict the Dutch invasion in the 19 century. The bicycle sculpture in the photo is not 1300 years old and has nothing to do with India. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a similar photo was found on ‘Tripadvisor’ website. On the website, it is mentioned as the sculpture built on the walls of ‘Pura Dalem Jagaraga Temple’ in Bali island of Indonesia.
When we searched for this temple on the internet, we found similar sculpture photos referring it to ‘Pura Dalem Jagaraga Temple’ in Indonesia. They can be seen here, here, and here. We can see a similar sculpture in a video showing the inside view of ‘Pura Dalem Jagaraga Temple’.
The carved sculptures on ‘Pura Dalem Jagaraga Temple’  is a testament of Dutch invasion in 1849. More information about this temple can be seen here and here.
Earlier, when similar images of bicycle are shared with the same claim, FACTLY published a fact-check article on it.
To sum it up, unrelated bicycle sculpture pictures are shared as that from Panchavarna temple in Tamil Nadu.


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Big Brother India – Credit support promised by the PM yet to take off
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 22, 2017
Out of the more than USD 7.5 billion credit line promised by the current Prime Minister to various countries in the last 3 years, hardly any money has been disbursed.
Narendra Modi has been touted as the most travelled Prime Minister as well as a leader who has played many masterstrokes in international diplomacy. He has visited many countries, some for the very first time by any Indian leader in his position. But his foreign trips seem to be creating a peculiar problem for India.
On a trip to Mongolia in 2015, the Indian Prime Minister announced a credit of $1 billion along with an English Medium School and an IT Centre as a gift to Mongolia. Immediately after, The Telegraph reported that this could be an empty promise because the foreign office does not even have the financial ability to fulfill it.  The report also lists several other promises previously made by the Prime Minister, which have been stalled or not fulfilled.
The promised line of credit to Mongolia temporarily made headlines and created speculation about a possible emergence of new power in India competing with China and Russia. By March 2017, Mongolia has not received any money from India (of the promise made by PM Modi) in spite of its economic troubles. Many commentators have written about the lost opportunity in Mongolia.
India’s lines of credit woes don’t seem to end with just Mongolia. Exim (Export- Import Bank of India) Bank data tells a familiar story.
Who is Exim Bank?
The Exim (Export – Import) Bank of India was set up in 1982 by the government of India to act as a provider of export credit and facilitating India’s international trade. Through different services and schemes, Exim bank aims to create more opportunities for Indian companies in the export map and in the larger frame increase India’s export capabilities by supporting the participating companies and clients by both risk analysis and provision for credit.
Exim Banks has offices in 9 Indian cities and overseas branches in Abidjan, Dhaka, Addis Ababa, Yangon, Dubai, Johannesburg, London, Singapore and Washington.
What is Lines of Credit (LOC)?
Lines of Credit (LOC) is Exim Bank’s core scheme. The scheme extends financial credit (loan) to overseas financial institutions, regional development banks, and sovereign governments. The credit includes promises made by the Indian PM in his foreign visits. The main clause of providing this credit is for the borrowing agency to import developmental, infrastructural projects, equipment, goods and services from India. According to Exim website, below are the important features of the scheme:
Exim Bank’s Contracts and Disbursements
The data of Government of India’s lines of credit is available since 2002-03. A large number of African countries, followed by Asian countries have been beneficiaries of the Exim Bank’s lines of credit scheme. Mozambique & Senegal have been recipients of 12 such contracts followed by Myanmar with 11. A total of 64 countries have been approved credit by India since 2002-03.
As per Exim Bank’s records, the time between borrowers requesting credit, approval by the bank and signing the contracts has taken approximately two years or less since 2002-2003. In some special cases like with the Government of Syria, it took 4 years for the contract to be signed after it was requested in 2004. In fact, 23 such LoCs are yet to be signed though they are already approved. One such approval dates back to 2006-07, one to 2009-10, one to 2011-12. The others are pending since 2013-14.
Delay in signing the Contracts
In December, 2015, replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, the Minister of State for External Affairs – General VK Singh (Retd) said “The actual implementation of LOC projects in various countries is dependent on local factors, such as prevailing political & social conditions, statutory clearances by the borrowing Governments, making available land and other infrastructural support.  In many cases, the borrowing governments may not wish to proceed with the LOC or change the purpose or are unable to provide detailed information regarding the project through a proper Detailed Project Report / Feasibility Study.”
While it is true that local factors and commitment do play a huge role in the lines of credit (LOC) translating into an actual disbursement, it is shocking that so many countries or agencies are not interested to complete their credit process after initiating it and getting approval from Exim Bank. Out of the 80 contracts that have been approved between 2012-13 and 2016-17, 52 contracts have not been disbursed any money by Exim Bank. 23 of the contracts have not even been signed after approval, as of 07 March 2017.
Considering that many of these contracts are soft loans that countries have requested for financial support due to their inability to get credit elsewhere for market rate, the delay and pattern of delay is not only demoralizing but also absolutely unprofessional. If the feasibility study of Exim Bank does not find the borrowing country’s request meritorious, it could either not approve it or terminate the process. Instead just having many pending contracts to be signed for years without clarity is puzzling.
Delay in Disbursement
It is worth noting that 40% of more than USD 18.6 billion credit approved by India since 2002-03 has been approved in the last 3 years. 18% of all the credit was approved in 2015-16, 16.75% in 2014-15 and 6.34% in 2016-17.  Interestingly, the number of contracts signed in these three years’ account for only 18% of all the contracts signed since 2002-03. In other words, the worth of the contracts signed in the last three years has been significantly high and the number of contracts, which have reached beyond approval stage, is very low.
Of the 64 countries that have been approved LoC by India, 12 countries have received less than 10% of the approved amount including Mongolia.  22 countries have received less than 25% of the approved amount and 41 countries have received less than half the approved the amount. Only 9 countries have received more than 90% of the approved amount. Of the more than 18 million USD of committed LoC, only USD 6 billion odd has been disbursed till date (less than 1/3rd).
Most pending disbursements from recent years.
Most of the pending disbursements are from the recent years. Out of the more than USD 7.5 billion approved credit since the current government took over, hardly any money has been disbursed.
Cause for embarrassment?
A closer look at the borrowing countries and projects tendered indicate that many of them are in order to build crucial infrastructural systems. The following are the areas with highest no of projects pending:
On top of these pending contracts, the bank lists up to 17 new projects from various tenders that are still in the pipeline, indicating that credit has been requested.
Promise of credit made by the Prime Minister to various countries is a serious step in trade diplomacy.  Such delay or ambiguous processing of lines of credit not only causes international embarrassment but also makes India’s global trade commitments flippant in nature.
Featured Image: Credit support promised by the PM


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Bihar Education Department has not issued this press release ordering complete shutdown of schools - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 22, 2021
An image of a notification letter is being shared on social media claiming it as a press release from the Bihar Education Project Council, ordering the complete shutdown of schools from 19 March 2021 to 15 June 2021. In the wake of rising COVID-19 cases in the country, this post claims it as the Bihar Government’s move to contain the spread of the COVID-19 cases. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Bihar Education Project Council’s latest press release announcing the complete shutdown of schools till 15 June 2021.
Fact: The letter shared in the post is a fake one. In a tweet, the Bihar Education Department clarified that Bihar Government has not taken any such decision to shut down the schools and colleges again in the state. Bihar Education Department mentioned this letter as a fake one. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched for this press release on the Bihar official Government website, it is found that Bihar Government has not issued any such press release on their website. On observing the letter carefully, we could see a paragraph of this letter mentioning the school’s shutdown date till 15 June 2021. In another paragraph, this letter mentioned the shutdown date till 15 April 2021. Also, a lot of spelling mistakes can be found in this letter. No official press release or notification from the state Governments usually has such errors.
When this letter was widely circulated on social media, Bihar Education Department through a tweet, clarified it as a fake letter. Bihar Education Department informed people that the Bihar Government has not taken any such decision to shut down schools and colleges again in the state. From all these pieces of evidence, the letter shared in the post can be concluded as a fake one.
Social Media में  बिहार शिक्षा परियोजना परिषद के एक फर्जी पत्र द्वारा #COVID19 के कारण स्कूल बंद किये जाने की बात वायरल की जा रही है वो गलत है और शिक्षा विभाग उसका खंडन करता है।
➡अफवाहों से बचें।#BiharEducationDept @sanjayjavin @NitishKumar @EduMinOfIndia @IPRD_Bihar pic.twitter.com/mwUDL5afGE
In the wake of rising COVID-19 cases, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar informed media that every citizen who is coming to Bihar from other states to celebrate Holi will get tested for the COVID-19 virus. CM Nitish Kumar reiterated that Bihar Government is not planning to implement lockdown again and said the educational institutions in the state will remain open.
To sum it up, the Bihar Education Department has not issued this press release ordering the complete shutdown of schools.


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Bihar & Uttar Pradesh among the states with lowest PAN Cards per 1000 population - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 15, 2016
Only 3% of the Indian Population pays Income Tax and this is one of the lowest percentages in the world. Holding a PAN Card is the first step before paying Income Tax. According to government data, there are 203 PAN cards for every 1000 population in the country. Delhi leads the pack with 664 cards for every 1000 population while Bihar & Uttar Pradesh are in the bottom five.
Permanent Account Number (PAN) is an alpha numeric code that is one of the forms of identification for Citizens or Organizations. PAN is primarily used for paying Income tax and is to be quoted during various financial transactions or payments. PAN is supposed to prevent tax evasion by tracking all financial transactions of an individual citizen or organization.
Close to 3% of the Indian Population pays Income Tax which is way below the global average. Holding a PAN card is the first step before paying Income Tax. There are only 203 PAN Cards for every 1000 population in the country as per government data.
Delhi leads the way
As expected, Delhi has the highest number of PAN Cards per 1000 population in the larger states. This could be because of a large presence of central government establishments coupled with a large number of people working in the organized sector. Delhi has 664 PAN cards for every 1000 population followed by Chandigarh with 644. Goa & Maharashtra are next in the list with 523 and 380 PAN cards respectively, for every 1000 population. Haryana and Gujarat are 5 and 6 in the list respectively. The analysis did not take into consideration, some of the smaller Union Territories (UTs) because of their lower population.
Bihar & Uttar Pradesh at the bottom
Mizoram has the lowest number (18) of PAN Cards for every 1000 population. Bihar is second from the bottom with just 96 cards. Uttar Pradesh & Chhattisgarh are also in the bottom five. Number of cards in Bihar for every 1000 population is less than half the national average. Almost half the states are below the national average while half are above the national average. Surprisingly, Andhra Pradesh (including Telangana) & Kerala with relatively better per capita income are in the bottom half.
24.56 Crore PAN cards in all
In terms of absolute numbers, there are 24.56 crore PAN cards in the country. Close to 50% of these cards are from five states of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Incidentally these are also the states with the highest population. Only Bihar and Madhya Pradesh are not part of the top five despite a large population. Nine (9) states have more than one crore PAN Cards. Among all the states, only Mizoram has less than one lakh PAN cards. Eight (8) states have less than 10 lakh PAN cards.


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Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ‘reportedly’ funded the 2009 HPV studies in India, but it was not kicked out - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 30, 2019
A post is being shared on social media with a claim that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) has been kicked out of India for conducting unethical medical vaccination trails. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
‘Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) kicked out of India for conducting unethical medical vaccination trails’.
Fact:  There is no news on BMGF being kicked out of India. Currently, the BMGF is actively working in the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Similar news that the Indian government had broken ties with the BMGF went viral in 2017, but the Health Ministry, on the same day, issued a press note that termed the viral news as ‘inaccurate and misleading’. The information in the post about the 2009 case is true but in that case, it was ‘PATH’ (Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health) organization, which was involved. The BMGF is one of the donors of ‘PATH’ and was reportedly funding the programme. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When searched on Google about BMGF leaving India, no relevant news was found. On the BMGF website, it can be found that the BMGF is ‘working closely with India’s central and state governments’. Also, it can be seen that the BMGF is currently focusing in the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
In the FAQ section on the BMGF website, it can be found that the BMGF operates in India under RBI’s FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act) and funds the Indian NGOs which are under the regulation of Home Ministry’s FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act).
So, the news that the BMGF was kicked out of India is false. Similar news went viral in 2017 that the Modi government had broken ties with the BMGF. But, on the same day, the Health Ministry issued a press note saying that ‘some media reports have suggested that all health related collaboration with the Gates Foundation with National Health Mission (NHM) has been stopped. This is inaccurate and misleading. BMGF continues to collaborate and support the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.’
Regarding the 2009 vaccination incident, the information given in the post is true but it was not the BMGF which vaccinated the children. It was ‘PATH’ (Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health) organization which was involved and the project was ‘reportedly’ funded by the BMGF. On the ‘PATH’ website, it can be found that the BMGF is one of the donors of ‘PATH’.
A Parliament Standing Committee report titled ‘Alleged Irregularities in the Conduct of Studies using Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Vaccine by Path in India’ was tabled in both the Houses of Parliament in 2013. The committee has found irregularities as claimed in the post and recommended action by the Government against PATH. The report did not recommend any direct action on the BMGF. The report can be read here and the counter argument by the ‘PATH’ officials can be read here.
To sum it up, Bill Melinda Gates Foundation ‘reportedly’ funded the2009 HPV studies in India, but it was not kicked out.
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Bio-toilets in Indian Railways were introduced in 2010 - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 29, 2023
A social media post claims that, earlier governments have ignored the issue of cleanliness of railway toilets, and it is only during the current government after 2014, that the issue is acknowledged, and railway coaches were equipped with bio-toilets. The post compares an image of a railway tract filled with litter with that of an image showing a clean track, as a symbolic representation. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Bio-toilets are introduced in train coaches only after 2014.
Fact: Indian Railways in collaboration with DRDO, developed the existing bio-toilet system in 2010. And by June 2014, Indian Railways have installed 11,777 bio-toilets in 4356 passenger coaches. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
According to a Lok Sabha response as on 25 March 2022, more than 2.5 lakh bio-toilets have been installed in Indian Railway coaches, catering  to the need of more than 100 lakh passengers on a daily basis.
Moreover, as per the latest news reports, Indian Railways is aiming to replace the existing toilets in trains with upgraded ones with better amenities. As a pilot, Indian Railways has introduced an AC coach with four newly designed bio-toilets in Ranchi Rajdhani.
Bio-toilets were introduced in 2010:
It is true that the equipping of rail coaches with bio-toilets has increased after 2014. However, it is not the current government which introduced these bio-toilets, but the previous government. It is during the previous Congress led UPA regime (2009-14), Indian Railways introduced these bio-toilets.
An MoU was signed between the DRDO and Ministry of Railways, to work together to develop a bio-toilet system for use in Indian Railway coaches. Subsequently, this IR-DRDO collaboration developed an anaerobic bio-toilet, tailor made to Indian railway passenger coaches. And Bundelkhand Express became the first rake to be equipped with bio-toilets in January 2011.
4356 train coaches equipped with bio-toilets by June 2014:
Accordingly, the 2012 railway budget envisaged to equip 10000 bio-toilets in 2500 coaches.  Further in 2014, the then government has announced its plans to equip the entire fleet of passenger coaches with bio-toilets by 2021-22.
And by 30 June 2014, Indian Railways have installed 11,777 bio-toilets in 4356 passenger coaches. Details of the trains in which these toilets have been installed can be seen here.
Thus, these details imply that, contrary to the claim made in the viral post, it was the previous Congress government that initiated the replacement of old toilets with bio-toilets.
To sum it up, Bio-toilets in railways were introduced by the Congress led UPA government in 2010.


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Biogas Production in India - Factly
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 19, 2015
Biogas is one of the viable alternatives to the burning energy question. In 2014-15, about 20,700 lakh cubic meters of Biogas is produced in the country which is equivalent to 5% of the total LPG consumption in the country. The Government is also extending substantial subsidy for setting up of new Biogas plants.
At a time when the viability and safety of energy alternatives is being debated, it is pertinent to look at one of the oldest renewable energy alternatives, Biogas.
Biogas is primarily Methane and Carbon dioxide. It may have small amounts of hydrogen sulphide moisture and siloxanes. The gases methane, hydrogen and carbon monoxide can be combusted or oxidized with oxygen. This energy release allows biogas to be used as a fuel; it can be used for any heating purpose, such as cooking. It can also be used in a gas engine to convert the energy in the gas into electricity and heat.
A family type biogas plant generates biogas from organic substances such as cattle –dung, and other bio-degradable materials such as biomass from farms, gardens, kitchens and night soil wastes etc. The process of biogas generation is called anaerobic digestion (AD). The following are the benefits of the Biogas technology
Biogas Plant (source: Green Pammal)
In response to a series of questions posed to the New and Renewable Energy Ministry in the Loksabha on Biogas plants and the production of biogas across the country, the minister in charge, Mr. Piyush Goyal has given the following information
In India, the estimate for the production of biogas is about 20,757 lakh cubic meters in 2014-15. This is equivalent to 6.6 crore domestic LPG cylinders. This is equivalent to 5% of the total LPG consumption in the country today.
Within states, Maharashtra tops the production with 3578 lakh cubic meters while Andhra Pradesh comes next with 2165 lakh cubic meters.
Apart from these, under the twelfth five year plan (2012-2017), the government of India had set a target to set up 6.5 lakh biogas plants across the nation with a budget of Rs.650 crore under a program called, the National Biogas and Manure Management Program (NBMMP). It had been estimated that by setting up of these biogas plants, about 1-6 cubic meter of biogas per day and 4745 lakh cubic meter biogas could be produced annually. The program is being implemented by the State Nodal Departments/State Nodal Agencies and Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Biogas Development and Training Centers (BDTCs).
The NBMMP is being implemented as a central sector scheme. It provides for setting up of family type biogas plants mainly for rural and semi-urban households. The scheme provides for capital subsidy, turn-key job fee for supervision of installation and free maintenance warrantee for five years, organization of training courses, workshops/seminars and information dissemination. The
Out of the 1.06 lakh biogas plants planned to be setup in 2013-14, 79% that is, 83540 plants have been successfully setup. For the year 2014-15, of the 1.1 lakh plants planned to be setup, 45146 were already setup as of 31 December 2014. Comparing both the years, there is a 1.7% increase in the number of plants that were planned to be setup and also an encouraging 3% increase in the number installed until the end of 2014.
NISARGRUNA Biogas plants (source:BARC)
Central subsidy is being extended for setting up of a biogas plant. For one cubic meter biogas plant, subsidies of Rs.5500 and Rs.7000 are given for general category and SC/ST respectively whereas for setting up a 2-6 cubic meter biogas plant, Rs.9,000 and Rs.11,000 subsidies are given to the general and SC/ST categories respectively.
North-Eastern states, including Sikkim are given a higher subsidy in setting up biogas plants. In this region, Rs.15000 and Rs.17000 are given for one cubic meter and 2-6 cubic meter biogas plants respectively. However, in Assam, these numbers are a little lower. There is also an additional subsidy of Rs.1200 given for toilet linked biogas plants. The following table captures the amount of subsidy extended for setting up of a biogas plant.
The minister also said that 2.53 lakh families were benefited with biogas plants which were set up using the Rs.307.08 crore that was released from the proposed budget until 12 March 2015.
Unfortunately, around 4.5% of the inspected Biogas plants are non functional. A total of 4194 biogas plants established during the 11 plan period in 8 different states were inspected. The main reasons for this as explained by the minister could be,
Featured Image: McKay Savage


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Birds in India are dying due to Bird flu, not due to 5G testing by Jio - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 18, 2021
Update (21 November 2022): Multiple posts are being shared recently claiming that birds are dying due to 5G radiation. However, as mentioned below, experts stated that the levels of exposure in the 5G frequency range are comparable to existing technology, and it very unlikely that that the 5G exposure could cause mortality in birds.
A post is being shared on social media with a claim that birds in India are dying due to 5G technology testing by Jio whereas people are being fooled into believing that birds are dying due to Bird flu. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Birds in India are dying due to 5G testing by Jio, not due to Bird flu.
Fact: Reliance Jio is yet to begin its 5G trials in India. The Press Information Bureau has reported about the outbreaks of Avian Influenza/Bird flu in migratory birds, wild and domestic crows, and poultry in certain States of the country. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched about Reliance Jio’s 5G trails, the statements made by Mukesh Ambani at Reliance Industries Annual General Meeting in July 2020 were found in the search results. He said – “This Made-in-India 5G solution will be ready for trials as soon as 5G spectrum is available and can be ready for field deployment next year”. The transcript of his full speech can be read here. In October 2020, ‘ANI’ has reported – “Jio, Qualcomm align efforts on 5G, achieve over 1Gbps speed in trials in US.” The press release by Reliance Industries Limited regarding these trials can be found here. The ‘Financial Express’ in December 2020 reported that IT and telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has said – “4G is working here and for 5G, we are going to start trials very soon”.
Mukesh D. Ambani announces a roadmap to Jio 5G and upgrading India's digital experience.#RILAGM #NayeIndiaKaNayaJosh #Jio #JioPlatforms #JioDigitalLife pic.twitter.com/5WTtvlKCl2
Also, talking at the virtual India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2020, Mukesh Ambani said – “Jio will pioneer the 5G revolution in India in the second half of 2021.” His full speech at the event can be seen here.
"Jio will pioneer the 5G revolution in India in the second half of 2021."
– Mukesh D. Ambani
One more reason to look forward to the new year 😊. #JioAtIMC #Jio5GInternet #IMC2020Virtual #DigitalIndia #JioDigitalLife #5G @exploreIMC
The Department of Telecommunications has tweeted that it issued a “Notice Inviting Applications for auction of Spectrum in 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz and 2500 MHz bands. Last date for submission of applications for participation in auction is 5 Feb 2021. Auction to commence online from 1st March 2021”. More information regarding the notice can be found here and here.
DoT issues Notice Inviting Applications for auction of Spectrum in 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz and 2500 MHz bands.
Last date for submission of applications for participation in auction is 5 Feb 2021. Auction to commence online from 1st March 2021.
On 13 January 2020, the ‘Financial Express’ has reported – “telecom firms have sought clarity if 5G can be launched on the airwaves bought through this sale……A total of 2,251 MHz spectrum in seven bands ranging from 700 MHz to 2500 MHz will be auctioned. Airwaves for 5G (3300 MHz-3600 MHz) won’t be auctioned this time. The DoT has asked the operators to send their written queries by Friday, after which a clarification will be issued……Reliance Jio has said in the past that it plans to roll out 5G services in the second half of 2021, but as 5G spectrum is not being auctioned, the telco may have to use spectrum bought through this sale to launch 5G.” So, it can be concluded that Reliance Jio is yet to begin its 5G trials in India.
The Press Information Bureau has reported about the outbreaks of Avian Influenza/Bird flu in migratory birds, wild and domestic crows, and poultry in certain States of the country. In the same press release, it can be read that the disease spreads mainly by migratory birds coming into India during the winter months i.e. from September – October to February – March. The ‘Status of Avian Influenza in the country’, as of 17 January 2020, can be found here. More information regarding the Avian Influenza can be read here, here, and here.
Few people are sharing an old article photo (archived) with a similar claim made in the post. The article was published by ‘Punjab Kesari’ in December 2018. It reported that 297 birds have died during 5G testing in the Netherlands. FACTLY has already debunked this claim in June 2019. The fact-check article can be read here.
In one of the stories on the UNICEF website, it can be read – “Although the expert public has repeatedly warned that the fifth generation of mobile internet is neither killing the living world nor spreading the virus, misinformation about 5G continues to be published in the media and spread on social networks.’ Talking to ‘Snopes’, Dr Eric van Rongen (a member of the Health Council of the Netherlands and the Chairman of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection) said – “the levels of exposure in the 5G frequency range are comparable to existing technology. Even if there would have been 5G exposure, it is very unlikely that could cause the [bird]mortality.” A video by ‘Huawei’ on this issue can be watched here.
To sum it up, birds in India are dying due to Bird flu, not due to 5G testing by Jio.

created: January 18, 2021


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BIS releases draft Smart City Indicators
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 5, 2016
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has developed a draft of Smart Cities – Indicators. The Indicators are in 17 different sectors with 46 core indicators and 47 supporting indicators.
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has recently developed a draft of ‘Smart Cities – Indicators’. Comments on these indicators can be sent till 29 November 2016.
Two types of indicators have been developed with respect to cities.
The cities would need to maintain the data online with the framework developed by the Ministry of Statistics & Program Implementation (MoSPI). The framework is known as ‘Basic Statistics for Local Level Development (BSLLD). These indicators are applicable to any city or municipality that wishes to measure its performance.
City Indicators
City Profile Indicators
Featured Image: Smart City Indicators

created: October 5, 2016


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‘Bitter Gourd’ juice is good for health, but not a cure for Coronavirus - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 19, 2020
A message that scientists have found a cure for Coronavirus and that it is the drinking of bitter gourd juice that will cause the virus to fade away in two hours is making rounds on social media. Let’s check the authenticity of the message in the post.
Scientists have found that drinking bitter gourd juice can cure Coronavirus.
Fact: The World Health Organization (WHO) or the Ministry for Health & Family Welfare (India) hasn’t announced that drinking bitter gourd juice will cure Coronavirus. The Press Information Bureau (PIB) has clarified that the message is ‘fake’. So, the claim is FALSE.
When searched if drinking bitter gourd juice was found to cure Coronavirus, information corroborating it wasn’t found either on the World Health Organization (WHO) website or on the Ministry for Health & Family Welfare (India) website. The Press Information Bureau (PIB) has debunked the claim in the message and clarified that the information is fake.
#FakeNews alert !
करेले का जूस पीने से #coronavirus के लुप्त हो जाने का  दावा झूठा है | #CoronavirusOutbreak पर सटीक जानकारियों को साझा करें और अफवाहों से दूर रहें | pic.twitter.com/w7Ijs34CDY
During the search process, it was found that bitter gourd juice has many health benefits. It-
To conclude, ‘Bitter Gourd’ juice is good for health, but scientists have not found it to be a cure for Coronavirus.
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BJP and Congress Candidates didn’t get 211820 and 140295 votes respectively in many constituencies - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 27, 2019
A post is being shared on Facebook with the claim that many BJP candidates got the same number of votes in many constituencies in the General Elections-2019. Let’s try to check the authenticity of the numbers given in the post.
If EVMs were not hacked, how did BJP and Congress candidates get 211820 and 140295 votes respectively in many constituencies?
Fact: The number of votes given in the post does not match with the official numbers on the ECI website. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
In the post, the names of seven BJP candidates were given along with the number of votes (211820) they secured on the EVMs in the General Elections- 2019. Also, it was given that respective Congress candidates got the same votes (140295) in all the constituencies against the above BJP candidates. The authenticity of the numbers given in the post can be ascertained from the official ECI Results website. The attached photos in the post have the name of the constituencies of the candidates. So, when one checks for the votes of the candidates according to constituencies, it can be found that the numbers given in the post were FALSE.
To sum it up, BJP and Congress Candidates didn’t get 211820 and 140295 votes respectively in many constituencies.
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BJP attacked Manmohan when he was called ‘The Underachiever’ by ‘Time’ magazine. Only a few BJP leaders supported him. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 15, 2019
A post is being shared on Facebook by many users claiming that BJP supported Manmohan Singh when he was criticized by the ‘Time’ magazine in 2012. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post
In 2012, when the ‘Time’ magazine called Manmohan Singh as “The Underachiever”, BJP has condemned it. But, in 2019, when the same magazine called PM Modi as “India’s Divider in Chief”. Congress party is backing the foreign media.
Fact: The BJP as a party did not support Manmohan Singh. The ‘Time’ magazine story was used by the BJP to criticize Manmohan Singh. Ravi Shankar Prasad also demanded Singh’s resignation. But, few leaders like the then Madhya Pradesh’s CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Madhya Pradesh’s BJP President Prabhat Jha supported Manmohan Singh.  Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When searched for the issue on Google with the keywords “BJP supports Manmohan the underachiever’, many newspaper articles on this issue come in the search results. According to some articles in India Today and The Hindu, BJP attacked the Congress showing the ‘Time’ magazine. BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad also held a press conference on this issue, where he criticized Manmohan for the corruption in his government. So, it is not true that BJP has not attacked Manmohan when ‘Time’ called Manmohan him “The Underachiever”
But, according to the Business Line article, few BJP leaders like Madhya Pradesh’s CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Madhya Pradesh’s BJP President Prabhat Jha supported Manmohan Singh. So, there are some individual leaders who supported him, but as a party, BJP criticized Manmohan using the ‘Time’ magazine’ story.
Below comments are taken from the Business Line article:
BJP leaders against Manmohan:
Ravi ShankarPrasad: “It is sad that India is perceived as the one of the most corruptcountries in the world. Dr Manmohan Singh’s Government is the most corrupt.”
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi: “Definitely, he is not an achiever…. All that he has achieved is corruption, scam and bad governance.”
BJP leaders supporting Manmohan:
Prabhat Jha: “Noforeign magazine has a right to look down upon the Prime Minister of India”
Shivraj Singh Chouhan: “we do not need a certificate from a foreign media publication for our Prime Minister”
To sum it up, BJPattacked Manmohan when he was called ‘The Underachiever’ by ‘Time’ magazine.Only a few BJP leaders supported him.


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BJP Did Not Secure Seats in Multiples of 56 in the Recently Concluded 2023 Assembly Elections in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 7, 2023
A post is being shared on social media claiming that BJP has secured seats in multiples of 56 in the recently concluded assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. According to the post, the BJP secured 56 seats in Chhattisgarh, 112 seats in Rajasthan, and 168 seats in Madhya Pradesh during the 2023 assembly elections held across five states. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: BJP secured seats in multiples of 56 in the recently held 2023 Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh assembly elections.
Fact: In the recently concluded 2023 assembly elections across five states, the BJP emerged victorious in three states by securing 54 seats in Chhattisgarh, 115 seats in Rajasthan, and 163 seats in Madhya Pradesh. BJP did not secure seats in multiples of 56 in any of these three states. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
Upon searching for the details of the claim made in the post, we found the party-wise election results of the recently concluded 2023 assembly elections across five states on the Election Commission of India website. According to the details provided on the ECI website, the BJP secured 54 seats and emerged as the leading party in Chhattisgarh by defeating Congress. BJP did not secure 56 seats in Chhattisgarh as mentioned in the post.
As per the final results mentioned on the ECI website, the BJP secured 115 seats in Rajasthan, and 163 seats in the Madhya Pradesh state assembly elections. BJP emerged victorious in these three states’ assembly elections but did not win seats in multiples of 56. Detailed constituency-wise election results of these three states can be seen here, here, and here.
To sum it up, the BJP did not secure seats in multiples of 56 in the recently concluded 2023 Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections.

created: December 7, 2023


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BJP leader Kirodi Lal Meena did not say that if BJP wins 400 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, it will change the constitution - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 24, 2024
A video of Rajasthan minister and BJP leader Kirodi Lal Meena allegedly stating that “if BJP wins 400 seats, then Modi ji will end the reservation and change the Constitution” is being shared on social media (here, here, and here). Let’s verify the viral video shared.
Claim: Kirodi Lal Meena said that “if BJP wins 400 seats, then Modi ji will end the reservation and change the Constitution.”
Fact: The video is clipped and shared. In the original video, Kirodi Lal stated, “The Congress is spreading a misconception that if Modi gets more than 400 seats, he’ll abolish reservations and alter the Constitution. This misinformation campaign aims to mislead innocent voters for their support. Modi himself stated in Barmer that even if Bhimrao Ambedkar were alive, the Constitution wouldn’t change. Amit Shah also assured no interference with reservations. I’m here to reassure my SC-ST brothers that they can trust us. Let’s make Om Birla victorious by voting for the lotus symbol on the 26th.” Hence, the claim made in the video is FALSE.
On conducting a relevant keyword search on the viral video claim, we found that numerous social media users shared it. In response, some users commented that the video was edited.
Using the information from the video, we looked for the First India news channel by identifying the microphone shown in the viral footage, and found a longer version of the viral video on its YouTube channel uploaded on 22 April 2024.  In the original video, he mentions, “The Congress is spreading a misconception that if Modi gets more than 400 seats, he’ll abolish reservations and alter the Constitution. This misinformation campaign aims to mislead innocent voters for their support. Modi himself stated in Barmer that even if Bhimrao Ambedkar were alive, the Constitution wouldn’t change. Amit Shah also assured no interference with reservations. I’m here to reassure my SC-ST brothers that they can trust us. Let’s make Om Birla victorious by voting for the lotus symbol on the 26th.”
Further investigation led to a tweet (archived post) by Kirori Lal Meena himself, clarifying the statement. He posted “Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji has made it clear that even if Baba Saheb Ambedkar himself comes, the reservation will not end. Some mischievous elements share my incomplete statement on social media with the opposite claim. They should stop doing this otherwise I will be forced to take legal action” while posting a one-minute-long video.
प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi जी स्पष्ट कर चुके हैं कि खुद बाबा साहब अंबेडकर भी आ जाएं तो भी आरक्षण खत्म नहीं होगा। कुछ शरारती तत्व सोशल मीडिया पर मेरे अधूरे बयान को इसके उलट दावे के साथ शेयर कर रहे हैं। वे इससे बाज आएं अन्यथा मुझे कानूनी कार्रवाई के लिए बाध्य होना पड़ेगा। pic.twitter.com/j4xEui9RZr
To sum up, BJP leader Kirodi Lal Meena did not say that if BJP wins 400 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, it will change the constitution.


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BJP leader Shahnwaz Hussain is not the son-in-law of Murali Manohar Joshi - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 11, 2019
Many Facebook users are sharing a collage claiming that the couple seen along with BJP veteran Murali Manohar Joshi is his daughter and son-in-law and he is celebrating EID with them. Let’s try to analyze the claims made in the post.
The couple seen along with BJP veteran Murali Manohar Joshi is his daughter and his son-in-law Shahnawaz Hussain.
Fact: The woman seen with MM Joshi is BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain’s wife Renu Sharma. But, she is not the daughter of Murali Manohar Joshi. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The rumour that Murali Manohar Joshi’s daughter is married to Shahnawaz Hussain is doing rounds since 2014.  On doing Google Reverse Image search, the picture in the post was found to be the one taken during Eid-2018 celebrations at the residence of BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain. The woman seen in the photo is  Shahnawaz Hussain’s wife Renu Hussain,  but she is not Joshi’s daughter.
With my wife Renu, wishing Advani ji on his 50th Marriage Anniversary. Wish him a long & healthy life. pic.twitter.com/2DygSwFkJi
Shahnawaz  Hussain and Renu Hussain had a love marriage and their story is covered by many media outlets. It is no where mentioned that Renu Hissain is the daughter of MM Joshi. MM Joshi has two daughters named Nivedita Joshi and Priyamvada Joshi as per BJP’s official website.
To sum it up, Murali Manohar Joshi’s daughter is not married to BJP leader
Shahnawaz  Hussain.
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BJP Leader Vikas Dubey falsely portrayed as notorious criminal Vikas Dubey who killed 8 U.P Cops in Kanpur - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 7, 2020
Multiple photos of BJP Leader Vikas Dubey from Uttar Pradesh are being shared on social media, portraying him as the accused criminal who killed 8 Uttar Pradesh police personnel in an encounter at Kanpur. On 02 July 2020, eight police personnel including a Deputy Superintendent of Police and 3 Sub-Inspectors were killed in a violent face-off with a group who work under a gangster Vikas Dubey in Kanpur. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
BJP leader Vikas Dubey killed 8 U.P police personnel in an encounter at Kanpur.
Fact: A gangster with the same name Vikas Dubey, is the one who is accused of killing 8 policemen in Kanpur, not the BJP Leader Vikas Dubey. When his photo went viral on social media alleging him to be that accused criminal, the BJP leader clarified that he is not the person who was involved in that encounter. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched for relevant information related to the encounter that took place on 02 July in Kanpur, we found a article related to that incident in Jagran website. The article had the photo of the accused Vikas Dubey. It is understood that the accused was not the BJP leader Vikas Dubey but, a notorious criminal who shares the same name Vikas Dubey. The accused Vikas Dubey joined Bahujan Samaj party (BSP) earlier. He is a history-sheeter facing 60 criminal cases .
BJP leader Vikas Dubey clarified the same through a video when his photo went viral on social media alleging him to be the one accused of killing 8 police personnel in the Kanpur encounter. An article about his clarification could be seen here.
On 02 July 2020, a team of 15 to 16 police personnel had gone to raid an area in search of criminal Vikas Dubey in Chaubepur village in Kanpur. As the police team reached the spot, they were ambushed by Dubey’s men who were well prepared with arms. A total of 8 police personnel including a Deputy Superintendent of Police, 3 Sub-Inspectors died in that encounter.
To sum it up, BJP leader Vikas Dubey is falsely portrayed as accused criminal Vikas Dubey, who killed 8 Uttar Pradesh police personnel in an encounter at Kanpur.
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BJP lost only one seat by a margin of fewer than 1000 votes in Delhi Elections - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 12, 2020
A post is being shared widely on social media with a claim that BJP lost 27 seats by a margin of fewer than 1000 votes (8 seats by 100 votes margin and 19 seats by 1000 votes margin). Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
In Delhi Assembly Elections 2020, BJP lost 27 seats by a margin of less than 1000 votes.
Fact: In Delhi Elections, only two seats were won by a margin of fewer than 1000 votes. In those two seats, one seat was won by AAP and the other by BJP. So, BJP lost only one seat by a margin of fewer than 1000 votes. Also, no seat was won by a margin of less than 100 votes. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On the Election Commission of India’s website, all the details regarding the winning margins can be found. On analyzing the available data, it was found that the candidates won by a margin of fewer than 1000 votes in only two seats. In those two seats, one seat was won by AAP (in Bijwasan) and the other by BJP (in Laxmi Nagar). So, the claim that BJP lost 27 seats just by a margin of fewer than 1000 votes is false.
Also, it can be seen that, in 55 seats out of 70 seats, the candidates won by a margin of greater than 10,000 votes. While six seats were won by a margin of 5000-10000 votes, 7 seats were won by a margin of 1000-5000 votes. Only two seats were won by the candidates by a margin of fewer than 1000 votes.
To sum it up, BJP lost only one seat by a margin of fewer than 1000 votes in Delhi Elections.
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created: February 12, 2020


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BJP Mahila Morcha leader who made offensive remarks about Muslims is expelled - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 1, 2019
A post, with a screenshot of insensitive and offensive comments made by a BJP leader, is being circulated widely on social media. In her alleged comments, she asks Hindus to rape Muslim mothers and sisters. She also claims that it is the only way to improve India and protect Hindus.  Let’s try to check whether the BJP leader actually made those comments.
BJP Mahila Morcha Leader made offensive remarks asking Hindu brothers to rape Muslim mothers and sisters.
Fact: BJP Mahila Morcha National President has tweeted that the leader in question (Sunitha Singh Gowda) who made the comments was expelled from her post. Also, the UP police officials have said that the investigation on the issue is under way. Hence the claim made in the post is TRUE.
The English translation of the comment in the post reads, “There is only one solution for them (Muslims). Hindu brothers should make a group of 10 and gang rape their (Muslim) mothers and sisters openly on the streets and then cut them and impale their vagina and then hang her in the middle of a bazaar for others to see. When Muslim women won’t be able to get out of their homes then these piglets will correct themselves. If we need to protect India, then Hindu brothers must barge into every Muslim home by making a group of 10-20 and gang-rape their women. There is no other way.”
In the post, it can be seen that a local BJP Mahila Morcha leader who made those comments is Sunitha Singh Gowda. In her profile, she claims that she is ‘President at Mahila Morcha BJP’.
The comments in the post were not found on her profile, since she may have deleted the same. But when we looked for any other information on her bizarre comments, it was found that the BJP Mahila Morcha National President Vijaya Rahatkar has tweeted on this issue. In reply to a tweet with the same screenshots, she has tweeted saying that the BJP Mahila Morcha leader who allegedly made those offensive comments was expelled from the position of Ramkola Mandal BJP Mahila Morcha President. Also, when FACTLY contacted the UP Police Officials, they told that the comments were removed from Facebook and the case is being investigated.
Be assured, BJP Mahila Morcha will not tolerate any hateful comments whatsoever from any karyakarta. The lady in question has been expelled even before you tweeted. pic.twitter.com/r4xIx6AHGG
To sum it up, a BJP Mahila Morcha local leader made offensive remarks about Muslims and she is now expelled.
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‘BJP MLA Anil Upadhyay’: A fictional character of fake news, by fake news and for fake news - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 1, 2019
Various videos are being shared on social media with a similar claim that BJP MLA Anil Upadhyay is involved with the incidents in the videos.
Video shows the actions of BJP MLA Anil Upadhyay.
Fact: There is no BJP MLA with the name Anil Upadhyay. Any random video is being posted on social media with the description that the person in the video is BJP MLA Anil Upadhyay. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched on the ‘My Neta’ website about ‘Anil Upadhyay’, it was found that there is no BJP MLA with the name ‘Anil Upadhyay’. There were two persons with that name in the search results but neither of them belongs to BJP.
While it can be concluded that there is no BJP MLA with the name ‘Anil Upadhyay’, let’s try to debunk the videos which are being shared on social media with the claim (“B.j.p. विधायक अनिल उपाध्याय की इस हरकत पर क्या कहेगे मोदी जी, इस video को इतना वायरल करो की ये पूरा हिन्दुस्तान देख सके”) that it is BJP MLA Anil Upadhyay in the video.
Video Post 1: (Archived Version)
The same video can be seen in an article published by ‘ETV Bharat’ on its website. According to the article, ‘two transporters – Akhil Pohankar and Amit Thakre – were arrested for allegedly brutally assaulting a driver for his drinking habits.’ The same news was also tweeted by ‘ANI’ in July-2019.
Video Post 2: (Archived Version)
The man who is beating the policeman in the video is UP BJP leader Manish Choudhary, not Anil Upadhyay. According to ‘The New Indian Express’ article, ‘a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporator in Meerut was arrested on Saturday for allegedly thrashing a sub-inspector at a restaurant after an altercation over delayed service.’ The same video was also posted by ‘India Today’ on its website with the title, ‘UP BJP leader thrashes police officer in Meerut’.
Video Post 3: (Archived Link)
According to the article published by ‘The Wire’ in July-2017, the Muslim man in the video was allegedly beaten by the Bajrang Dal members during a protest rally in Hisar. The same video was uploaded on YouTube by the ‘Aaj Tak’ with the description, “a Muslim trader from UP was allegedly slapped by an unidentified person when he refused to raise ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ slogan during a protest by Bajrang Dal activists against the attack on Amarnath pilgrim.”
Video Post 4: (Archived Post)
The man speaking in the video is Sant Yuvraj, not ‘BJP MLA Anil Upadhyay’. The same video was upload by ‘Dilli News Live’ on YouTube in March-2019 with the title, ‘सारे दंगों के साज़िश मोदी और शाह नहीं निकले तो मैं फांसी पर चढ़ने को तैयार | Sant Yuvraj | Hindu Sena’
Other video posts: (a, b, c, d)
Since it was already concluded that there is no BJP MLA with thename ‘Anil Upadhyay’, it can also be concluded that the claims made in theabove posts are also false.
To sum it up, all the videos in the name of ‘BJP MLA Anil Upadhyay’ are fake.
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created: October 1, 2019


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BJP MLA Sudhir Gadgil’s car was not caught with Rs. 20,000 crores worth of new currency. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 7, 2019
A post with a couple of photos is being shared on Facebook with a claim that a BJP MLA’s car was caught with Rs. 20,000 crores. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
BJP MLA Sudhir Gadgil’s car was caught with Rs. 20,000 crore of new currency.
Fact: One picture shows a raid where an amount of Rs. 6 crore worth of old notes were caught in Osmanabad. The money caught belongs to Sangli Urban bank owned by Ganesh Gadgil, brother of BJP MLA Sudhir Gadgil. The other picture is taken from the IT raids on Sanjay Gupta, an NSE broker, where Rs. 11 crores were caught. Hence the claim of catching Rs. 20,000 crores new currency is FALSE.
When the image of officials with the vehicle is cropped and run through Google Reverse Image Search, an ABP Maharashtra article with the same image can be found in the search results. According to that article, an amount of Rs. 6 crore worth of old notes were caught in November 2016. Further investigation revealed that the car belongs to Sangli Urban bank owned by Ganesh Gadgil, brother of BJP MLA Sudhir Gadgil. But the police officials claim that the money was being transferred to be used in legislative council elections. Even though if it is believed that money belongs to Sudhir Gadgil, the amount caught was Rs. 6 crores, not Rs. 20,000 crores.
When the second image, with boxes of money, is run through Google Reverse Image Search, a similar image was found in a Times of India article, published in November 2017. According to that article, the image was taken when IT officials raided Sanjay Gupta, an NSE broker, related to the OPG Group in the co-location case. So, this picture is not related to BJP MLA Sudhir Gadgil and also, the amount caught was just Rs. 11 crores.
To sum it up, Rs. 20,000 crores worth of new currency was not caught in BJP MLA Sudhir Gadgil’s car.


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BJP MP thrashing his party MLA with a shoe is shared as that of a scuffle between AAP MLAs - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 11, 2020
A video of two men exchanging blows during a meeting is being widely shared on social media with the claim that, during an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) meeting on 6 March 2020, Sanjay Singh manhandled his colleague MLA with shoes and also thrashed him. Let’s check the veracity of the claim made in the post.
Video of AAP’s Sanjay Singh beating his co-MLA with shoes during their party’s meeting.
Fact: The men exchanging blows in the video belong to Uttar Pradesh unit of BJP. During a meeting in UP, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sharad Tripathi and BJP Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Rakesh Singh exchanged blows after an argument broke out between them. So, the claim is FALSE.
When searched on Google with keywords, the same video was found on the YouTube channel of ‘ANI’. As per this video, on 6 March 2019, Uttar Pradesh’s Sant Kabir Nagar BJP MP Sharad Tripathi and BJP MLA Rakesh Singh have exchanged blows following an argument over placement of names on a foundation stone of a project. So, the men involved in the scuffle in the video are the party leaders of the Uttar Pradesh BJP unit. More information regarding the incident can be found here and here.
To conclude, the men exchanging blows in the video belong to BJP, not AAP. Also, the incident took place in Uttar Pradesh.
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BJP secures the highest ever vote share by a single party in Madhya Pradesh & Gujarat since Independence
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 27, 2019
The BJP’s landslide in the 17th Lok Sabha general elections has resulted in setting some new records in terms of vote share in various parts of the country. The BJP secured the highest ever vote share by a single party in both Gujarat & Madhya Pradesh.
The BJP’s landslide in the 17th Lok Sabha general elections has resulted in  setting some new records in terms of vote share. In terms of vote share, data from the ECI suggests that in Madhya Pradesh & Gujarat, this is the highest ever vote share secured by a single party in a Lok Sabha election since independence.
Note: The following analysis only considers States & does not include Union Territories. It also does not include alliances that secured more than 50% vote share.
BJP alone secured more than 50% vote share in 11 States
The fact that the BJP has now become the dominant party across large parts of India can be gauged by its vote share in various states. In the recently concluded 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP alone secured more than 50% vote share in 11 states and with its allies, the vote share crossed 50% in a total of 14 states. In other words, the NDA secured more than 50% vote share in 14 of the 29 states. The BJP singly achieved this feat in only 6 states in the 2014 elections. The record for a single party securing more than 50% vote share in most states is still held by the Congress. It secured more than 50% vote share singly in 12 states in 1984 general elections, held in the immediate aftermath of Indira Gandhi’s assassination.
Congress achieved this feat in 55% states in 1984
The Congress singly won more than 50% vote share in 12 of the 22 states or 55% of the states in the 1984 elections, held in the immediate aftermath of Indira Gandhi’s assassination. The BLD achieved this feat in 7 of the 22 states in the 1977 elections, held in the aftermath of the emergency. The Congress crossed the 50% vote share only in 2 out of 18 states in the 1967 elections, the lowest for any Lok Sabha general election till date.
BJP secures highest ever vote share by any party in Gujarat & Madhya Pradesh
In Gujarat, BJP secured a vote share of 62.2% in 2019, surpassing the 60.1% it secured in 2014. BJP’s 2019 vote share in Gujarat is the highest ever by a party since independence. Even in Madhya Pradesh, BJP secured 58% in 2019, the highest ever by any party since independence. In Karnataka, the BJP secured 51.4% vote share in 2019, the first time after 1984 that any party secured more than 50% vote. In each of these states, the Congress last secured more than 50% in 1984, more than 30 years ago.
In the case of Haryana, a single party secured more than 50% vote share after a long gap of 35 years where the BJP secured 58% vote share in 2019. In the case of Goa, the BJP secured a more than 50% vote share in the 1999, 2014 & 2019 elections. In Arunachal Pradesh, the Congress secured 51.1% vote share in the 2009 elections and the BJP has now secured 58.3% in 2019. Himachal Pradesh along with Tripura holds the record for a single party securing more than 50% vote share in most general elections. In each of these states, a single party secured more than 50% vote share in 11 out of the 17 general elections held so far.


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BJP worker in this video was attacked by Congress party workers in Indore, not Bihar. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 17, 2020
A post with the video of a man wearing Modi mask being beaten by a few persons is being widely shared on social media with the claim that a BJP leader was thrashed by the public in Bihar. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of BJP leader being thrashed by public in Bihar.
Fact: The man in the video is actually attacked by Congress party workers and the incident took place in Indore, Madhya Pradesh and not Bihar as claimed. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Google search with relevant keywords led us to a news article which reported the incident. According to the article, the incident took place in Indore, Madhya Pradesh when a BJP worker wearing Modi mask was present at a rally organized by the Congress party on Gandhi Jayanthi over Hathras rape incident.
Another news article dated 02 October 2020 which reported the incident can be read here. Even this article reports that the BJP worker is thrashed by congressmen and the incident took place in Indore. With all this, we can conclude that incident took place in Madhya Pradesh and not Bihar. Further, the people who attacked the BJP worker were actually Congress party workers.
In the wake of the upcoming Bihar elections, posts like these are being widely circulated on social media platforms with misleading claims.
To sum it up, the BJP worker was actually attacked by Congress party workers in Madhya Pradesh and not Bihar.

created: October 17, 2020


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BJP workers attack on TRS MLA's residence in Telangana portrayed as an attack in West Bengal - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 22, 2021
A video is being shared on social media claiming it as the visuals of BJP workers attacking a house in West Bengal. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of BJP supporters attacking a house in West Bengal.
Fact: This video shows BJP supporters attacking a TRS MLA’s house in Telangana. On 31 January 2021, BJP supporters in Telangana attacked the Parakal TRS MLA Challa Dharma Reddy’s residence against his remarks on the Ayodhya Ram Mandir fundraising drive. This incident has nothing to do with West Bengal. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
On reverse image search of screenshots in the video, we found the same video published on ‘Latestly’ YouTube channel. This video was published on YouTube with the title ‘BJP workers arrested for pelting stones, Attacking TRS MLA residence in Warangal, Telangana’. This attack reportedly took place on 31 January 2021, against the Parkal TRS MLA Challa Dharma Reddy’s remarks against the Ayodhya Ram temple fundraising drive. Reporting the same, a few prominent Telugu channels published similar videos on their YouTube channels. They can be seen here and here.
News articles published about BJP workers’ attack on the TRS MLA’s residence can be seen here, here, and here. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the video shared in the post shows BJP workers’ attack in Telangana, not in West Bengal.
To sum it up, a video of BJP workers attacking the TRS MLA’s residence in Telangana is falsely portrayed as the attack in West Bengal.

created: February 22, 2021


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BJP's manifesto for the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections does not incorporate a loan waiver scheme for farmers or self-help groups - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 7, 2023
A post featuring the Chhattisgarh BJP election manifesto for the 2023 assembly elections is being circulated with the claim that the BJP has made a promise to waive loans of up to Rs. 2 lakhs for farmers and self-help groups in the state. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: BJP has promised to waive loans of up to Rs. 2 lakhs for farmers and self-help groups in Chhattisgarh
Fact: The BJP’s manifesto for the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections does not incorporate a loan waiver scheme for farmers or self-help groups. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On conducting a keyword search related to the claim made in the post, it was found that news reports (here and here) indicate that the BJP had not announced a loan waiver for farmers or self-help groups in its Chhattisgarh manifesto, in contrast to the Congress, which included these provisions in its manifesto (here) for the state’s 2023 assembly elections.
Further, after careful study of the manifesto released by BJP in Chhattisgarh in the name of “Modi ki guarantee” and also “Chhattisgarh Vision document 2023″, we confirmed that the BJP neither announced a farmer loan waiver nor a self-help group loan waiver. Instead, major promises in the manifesto include paddy procurement at Rs. 3100 per quintal, complete payment of farmers’ money in one installment, financial assistance to married women and landless agricultural laborers, and cooking gas cylinders at Rs. 500 to poor families among others.
Subsequent research uncovered a Facebook post of the Indian National Congress, Chhattisgarh, which identified the viral post as a fake poster.
To sum up, the BJP’s manifesto for the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections does not incorporate a loan waiver scheme for farmers or self-help groups.

created: November 7, 2023


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BJP’s Rajagopal Reddy did not lead by over 2000 votes after 4 rounds of counting in the Munugode bypoll - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 8, 2022
In the context of recently concluded Munugode bypoll in which TRS party won by a margin of over 10,000 votes, a post featuring the image of BJP’s candidate K.Rajagopal Reddy is being widely shared claiming that BJP was leading by 2000+ votes by the end of 4 round of counting. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: BJP’ candidate K. Rajagopal Reddy led by 2000+ votes by the end of 4 round in Munugode by-election counting.
Fact: According to the official figures released by Election Commission of India, after 4 round of counting in Munugode by-election, TRS candidate secured 26,443 votes whereas BJP’s Rajagopal Reddy secured 25,729 votes. This shows that TRS was leading BJP by 714 votes by the end of 4 round of counting. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
According to the official website of the Election Commission of India, by the end of 4 round,  TRS party’s candidate K.Prabhakar Reddy secured 26,443 votes, whereas BJP’s Rajagopal Reddy secured 25,729 votes. It shows that TRS is leading by 714 votes by the end of 4 round.
The round-wise vote breakup for the first four rounds can be seen below:
TRS secured 408 postal votes, whereas BJP got 212. The final result shows TRS’s candidate winning the seat by securing a total of 97,006 votes whereas BJP managed to get 86,697 votes.
To sum it up, BJP’s Rajagopal Reddy did not lead by over 2000 votes after 4 rounds of counting in the Munugode bypoll.

created: November 8, 2022


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Blood Collection increases by 12% in 4 years, still 15% short of requirement
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 26, 2018
There are a total of 2903 blood banks in the country i.e., less than 3 blood banks for every 10 lakh population.  The annual blood collection in the country has increased by about 12% between 2013-14 and 2016-17, but is still less than the projected requirement by 15%. In states like Bihar, the annual collection is less than 20% of the projected requirement as per WHO norms.
In 2016-17, 11.09 million units of blood was collected across the country, about 2% more than the collection in 2015-16. Though the collection has increased by about 12% between 2013-14 and 2016-17, it is still short of the requirement, as per the WHO norm of 1% of the population, by 15% . While voluntary blood donation & awareness have improved over the years, the situation in some states is alarming.  As of March 2018,as per the data shared by the government, there are a total of 2903 blood banks in the country or less than 3 blood banks for every 10 lakh population.
Bihar has less than one Blood Bank for 10 lakh population
Of the 2903 blood banks in the country, Maharashtra has 328, the highest for any state. Uttar Pradesh,Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are the only other states with 200 or more blood banks. There are 12 states with more than 100 blood banks each. There are 10 States/UTs with less than 10 blood banks each. Only Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state has more than 100 government blood banks. Six (6) other states have more than 50 government blood banks each.
When normalized with the population, North-Eastern states like Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh & Sikkim rate higher because of their lower population. Of the bigger states, Kerala has 5 blood banks for every 10 lakh people, the highest  for any state with more than a crore population. Telangana also has about 5 blood banks per 10 lakh, second only to Kerala of the big states. A total of 10 States/UTs have fewer blood banks per 10 lakh population compared to the national average of less than 3 blood banks. Bihar is at the bottom of the list with less than one blood bank for 10 lakh people. West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Rajasthan are the four other states  with less than 2 blood banks for 10 lakh population.
There are 74 districts in the country (spread across 14 States/UTs) that do not have a single blood bank.
Achievement still less than requirement while wastage is more than 10%
As per WHO norms, it is estimated that blood donation by 1% of the population is generally the minimum needed to meet a nation’s most basic requirements for blood.  The number of units of blood collected has increased from 9.94 million in 2013-14 to 11.09 million in 2016-17, an increase of about 12%. Even with this increase, annual collection is less than the projected requirement of 13 odd million units. The blood collection is almost 15% less than the required number of units.
Collection in 5 States is less than 50% of the projected requirement
Moreover, there are wide variations within the states. In Bihar for instance, the number of units of blood collected annually is less than 20% of the requirement in each of the last 4 years. In Uttar Pradesh, it is less than 50% of the projected requirement. Jharkhand, Meghalaya & Arunachal Pradesh are the three other states with less than 50% collection. In 12 states, the collection is above the projected requirement. For instance, in Delhi, the annual collection is close to 3 times projected requirement. Collection is more than the projected requirement in states like Gujarat, Haryana, Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu etc. The collection is more than the projected requirement in all the South Indian states except Andhra Pradesh. It also has to be noted that the amount of blood collected annually in India is still less than what is collected in the US while India’s population is almost 4 times the population of the US.
Wastage of the collected blood has been consistently more than 10%. While there seem to be no global markers for such wastage, India has a fairly high rate of wastage especially when the collection is less than requirement. More than 1 million units of collected blood has been discarded in each of the years 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17.  Reactivity for infections, expiry, bacterial contamination, not meeting quality standards etc. have been stated as reasons for discarding the collected blood units.
Regulation & Awareness are key
Though the National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC), the apex body for all issues relating to the operation of blood banks, was established in 1997, the regulation was weak. The National Aids Control Society (NACO) and NBTC are now primarily responsible for blood transfusion services. At the state level, the SACO & SBTC perform that role. Going forward, greater transparency & stronger regulation are needed for improved functioning of the blood banks. Disposal of complaints within a short time frame and hefty penalties for violations are the way forward. The e-RaktKosh portal envisaged to provide real-time information of blood availability is a step in the right direction. The portal has to be expanded to ensure real-time & accurate availability of information.
For a large country like India, voluntary blood donation is still not popular. Less than 0.5% of the population are voluntary blood donors in India. In the west, more than 3% of the population are voluntary blood donors. According to an assessment report of NACO supported blood banks, more than 80% of the donations in such blood banks are voluntary in nature. To achieve WHO’s goal of 100% voluntary blood donation, there is still a lot of work to be done in the country. The rules governing the operation of the blood banks were also modified in 2016 to allow transfer of blood between registered blood banks to avoid wastage. Detailed guidelines have been issued in this regard. Hopefully, this step would help reduce the wastage.
Featured Image: Number of Blood Banks in India


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BMC denied issuing the message – ‘Undetectable higher stage of Corona infecting small children’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 2, 2021
A message purportedly from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) – Health Department is being shared on social media with their logo. The message reads – ‘There is a higher stage of corona which cannot be detected but is infected to small children till the age of 30’. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Message from the BMC – ‘There is a higher stage of corona which cannot be detected but is infected to small children till the age of 30’.
Fact: The BMC did not issue any such message. They clarified on their social media handles that the viral message is fake. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched about the message in the post, it was found that the BMC has already issued a clarification on the message. They have also published the same on their social media handles (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) saying – ‘The following image making rounds on social media is fake and we urge citizens to not circulate it any further. We request Mumbaikars to continue following all COVID-prevention norms and help the city beat the virus.’
As the COVID-19 cases are increasing in the State of Maharashtra, some of the updated guidelines issued by the BMC and the Government of Maharashtra can be found here and here, respectively.
As COVID-19 is quite a new disease and multiple strains of the virus are emerging, its effect on children is an evolving issue. The views of the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF on the topic can be read here, here, and here.
To sum it up, the BMC denied issuing the message – ‘Undetectable higher state of Corona infecting small children’.


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Bombay High Court did not pass any judgement that states 'Anyone can call Sonia Gandhi as Antonia Mino'. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 18, 2020
A post with the text ‘Anybody can call Sonia as Antonio Maino, there is nothing wrong in calling like that: Bombay High Court’ is being shared on social media. It is claimed that Bombay HC made this statement in the context of a plea filed by Arnab Goswami seeking to quash the FIRs filed against him. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Bombay High Court passed a judgement that anyone can call Sonia Gandhi as Antonio Maino.
Fact: The judgment in Arnab Goswami’s plea for quashing the two FIRs filed against him for inciting religious tensions in his shows on Republic TV, was reserved by the Bombay High court on 12 June 2020. The Court said that its interim order passed on 09 June shall continue till the delivery of the final order. In that interim order, the Bombay High Court has not made any statement related to Sonia Gandhi. Hence the claim made is FALSE.
When searched for the information regarding this case in the Bombay HC website, it is understood that the last hearing, in this case, took place on 12 June 2020. After hearing the arguments of both parties, Bombay HC had reserved the verdict and concluded by saying interim order passed on 9 June 2020, shall continue to be in force till the final judgment. Order to that effect issued by Bombay HC on 12 June can be read here. It can be observed that Bombay HC did not make any statement related to Sonia Gandhi in this judgement. Also, in the interim order issued by Bombay HC on 09 June, no mention of Sonia Gandhi has been made. Next hearing regarding this case is most likely to be 19 June 2020.
Arguments made by both parties on 09 and 12 June regarding this case can be found in ‘Live Law’ articles here and here.
To sum it up, Bombay High Court did not pass any order stating Sonia Gandhi can be called as Antonio Maino, the former name of the Congress President Sonia Gandhi.
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Both Arundhati Roy's letter & Ajit Doval's reply on treatment of captive terrorists are Fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 17, 2021
A lengthy social media post claiming to be the reply of NSA Ajit Doval to a letter by Arundhati Roy seeking better treatment of arrested terrorists is being shared widely. We also received a query on our WhatsApp tipline regarding the same letter.  Let’s fact-check the veracity of the claim made in the post.
Claim: Ajit Doval’s reply to Arundhati Roy’s letter seeking better treatment of arrested terrorists.
Fact: Different versions of the same letter are doing rounds on the internet at least since 2002. Few versions attributed the letter to former US President George W Bush, whereas few versions attributed it to former Canadian defense minister Gordon O’Connor. Arundhati Roy has also denied writing any such letter. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The same post has been doing rounds on the internet for many years. Few social media posts which shared the same message back in 2016 & 2013 can be viewed here and here.
Upon Google search with relevant keywords, we found a similar letter published in a blog back in 2007. However, as per the blog, the letter is written by a Canadian citizen regarding her concerns over ‘treatment of the Taliban and Al Qaeda terrorists captured by Canadian Forces who were subsequently transferred to the Afghanistan Government and are currently being held by Afghan officials in Afghanistan National Correctional System facilities’.
Few other versions of the same letter purportedly written by former US President George W Bush and former Canadian defense minister Gordon O’Connor are also available on the internet.
Snopes, a fact-checking agency debunked a similar letter back in 2005. According to Snopes, this letter is actually a satirical piece, which has been shared with different names over the years. Further, it states that the theme of the letter is similar to a cartoon related to the ‘treatment of detainees’ published in 2002.
We found mention of a similar letter in books named ‘The Panama Conspiracy’ and ‘Zero to Hero’.
Further, Arundhati Roy speaking to Altnews, a fact-checking agency, has rubbished the claim and has denied writing any such letter.
To sum it up, this reply letter by Ajit Doval to Arundhati Roy regarding her concern over treatment of captive terrorists is Fake.