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Clipped video of Narendra Modi’s speech shared with false claims of his remarks on Droupadi Murmu's skin colour - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 21, 2024
A video of Prime Minister Modi’s speech is being widely shared alleging that he made remarks about President Droupadi Murmu’s skin colour. In the video, he is heard saying in Hindi something that loosely translates to: “those with black skin are from Africa. Droupadi Murmu is also African because she has dark skin; therefore, she should be defeated.” This article aims to fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video showing Narendra Modi commenting on President Droupadi Murmu’s skin colour.
Fact: The viral video shows an incomplete version of Modi’s speech. In the full video, it’s clear that he made these statements in reference to Sam Pitroda’s recent remarks comparing dark skin to Africans. Modi alleged that Congress opposed Droupadi Murmu’s candidature because of her skin color. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The viral video shows only a part of Modi’s speech. From the full video, it is clear that he made these remarks in reference to former Congress leader Sam Pitroda’s comments comparing people in South India to Africans. A YouTube search with relevant keywords led us to the complete footage of Modi’s speech from which the viral excerpt was taken.
He delivered this speech on 8 May 2024, during an election campaign in Warangal, Telangana. At the 42:50 timestamp in the video of Modi’s Hindi speech, he refers to Congress’s efforts to defeat Droupadi Murmu in the Presidential election and recalls Sam Pitroda’s recent statements comparing people with black skin to Africans.
He then stated that Congress attempted to defeat Murmu based on her skin colour. In this context, Modi used the phrase “those with black skin are from Africa. Droupadi Murmu is also African because she has dark skin; therefore, she should be defeated,” linking Sam Pitroda’s comments to the Presidential election.
News articles that reported Modi’s speech can be viewed here and here. All these clearly show that the portion where Modi referred to Sam Pitroda’s comments was edited out, and only the segment where he talks about Droupadi Murmu’s skin colour is being shared.
Earlier, Congress leader Sam Pitroda sparked controversy with his remarks on diversity, comparing Indians from the South and East to Africans and Chinese respectively during an interview. However, the Congress party distanced itself from Pitroda’s comments, calling them ‘unfortunate and unacceptable.’
To sum up, a clipped video of Modi’s speech is shared with false claims about remarks on Droupadi Murmu’s skin colour.


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Clipped video of Rahul Gandhi shared as Congress planning to abolish the constitution - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 9, 2024
In light of the 2024 General elections, a video (here & here) featuring Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, in which he can be heard saying, ‘If our government comes to power, we will abolish the Constitution,‘ is being widely shared on social media. Let’s verify the authenticity of the video.
Claim: Rahul Gandhi said Congress will abolish the constitution after forming the Government.
Fact: The viral video is clipped. In the full video, Rahul Gandhi was quoting remarks made by BJP members regarding the abolition or alteration of the Constitution. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A reverse image search of the keyframes extracted from the viral video has led us to the full video (here & here), which was live-streamed on the official YouTube channel of the Indian National Congress on 29 April 2024.
Speaking at a public meeting in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, Rahul Gandhi said(at 13.17), ‘BJP leaders—not just one, but many—have stated that if our government is formed, then this time we will abolish the Constitution.’ This indicates that Rahul Gandhi’s speech has been clipped to show as if he is saying that the Congress party is planning to abolish the Constitution.
Furthermore, in his speech, he mentioned that the 2024 Lok Sabha election has become a battle to save democracy, reservation, the Constitution, and the rights of the poor. He emphasized that the Congress party is committed to protecting the Constitution from the BJP.
To sum up, a clipped video of Rahul Gandhi is being shared as if he is revealing the Congress’s plans to abolish the Constitution.

source: news-factly

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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Clipped video of Rahul Gandhi’s old speech is falsely linked to the protests against the Agnipath scheme - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 29, 2022
A video is being shared on social media claiming it as visuals of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi making provocative statements while predicting the violence at the protests against the Agnipath scheme. Sharing the video, the post claims that Congress and all other opposition parties have planned to incite violence during the Agnipath protests. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Rahul Gandhi predicting violence at the protests against the Agnipath scheme.
Fact: The post shared a clipped video of Rahul Gandhi’s speech at the Nav Sankalp Chintan Shivir meeting held in Udaipur on 15 May 2022. Rahul Gandhi made these comments accusing the BJP government of suppressing government institutions and ending conversations with states, religions, and castes in the country. These statements from Rahul Gandhi have nothing to do with the Agnipath scheme that was cleared by the Cabinet Committee of Security on 14 June 2022. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched for the details of this video using relevant keywords on the internet, we found that the video shows a clip from Rahul Gandhi’s speech at the Nav Sankalp Chintan Shivir meeting held in Rajasthan’s Udaipur on 15 May 2022. The full video of Rahul Gandhi’s speech at this meeting was published on the official YouTube channel of Rahul Gandhi.
From 32:22 minutes of the video, we could notice the same visuals as shared in the post. While explaining his battle against the BJP policies, Rahul Gandhi said, “The fight has just started. And in the coming days, you will see, there will be a fire in India. The more they suppress the government institutions in the country, as much as they end healthy conversations between states, religions and castes, the fire will ignite with much more force. And the job of the Congress party is to restart these conversations and to protect the government institutions” (when translated from Hindi to English). Rahul Gandhi made these comments accusing the BJP government of suppressing government institutions and end conversations with states, religions, and castes in the country.  Rahul Gandhi did not mention anything about the Agnipath protests that took place a month after the Nav Sankalp Chintan Shivir meeting in Udaipur.
On 14 June 2022, the Cabinet Committee of Security cleared the Agnipath scheme for recruitment in the armed forces. Following the announcement of the Agnipath scheme, multiple states have witnessed protests against the scheme. Congress expressed its solidarity towards the protests against the Agnipath scheme and held a ‘Satyagraha’ at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi on 19 June 2022. Lately, Rahul Gandhi had made multiple tweets and public statements opposing the Agnipath scheme announced by the Government of India.
To sum it up, a clipped video of Rahul Gandhi’s old speech at the Nav Sankalp Chintan Shivir was falsely linked to the protests against the Agnipath scheme.


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Clipped video of Rahul Gandhi’s old speech is passed off as if he admitted that he would settle in London - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 10, 2022
A social media post accompanying a video of Rahul Gandhi allegedly admitting in a public meeting that he would settle in London and he has nothing to do with Hindustan is being widely shared. Through this article, let’s fact-check the authenticity of the video in the post.
Claim: Video of Rahul Gandhi admitting in a public meeting that he would settle in London, and he has nothing to do with Hindustan.
Fact: The viral video is an excerpt of Rahul Gandhi’s speech, which he made in Latur, Maharashtra, back in 2019. From the original speech, it is evident that Rahul Gandhi made those comments referring to Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, who fled the country over allegations of financial fraud. This part of Gandhi referring to fraudsters is omitted and being shared as if Gandhi was talking about himself. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The same video of Rahul Gandhi also went viral in 2019. It is actually an excerpt from a longer speech of Rahul Gandhi, which he made in Latur, Maharashtra, back in October 2019. A lengthier version of the video can be seen here.
In the original video, Rahul Gandhi made those viral comments in reference to Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi who fled the country over allegations of financial fraud. At 15:10 of the video, Rahul Gandhi starts referring to them and, in this context, he made those viral comments.
At 15:19, we can hear Rahul Gandhi saying, ‘Nothing’s going to happen, I will go to London, my children will go and study in America, I have nothing to do with India’. Further at 15:34, Rahul Gandhi says ‘I have thousands of crores of rupees, I will go anytime’.
These comments of Rahul Gandhi are added together digitally, omitting the part where Rahul Gandhi refers to Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi. News reports of Rahul Gandhi’s Latur speech can be read here. This proves that the viral video is a digitally edited one.
To sum it up, a digitally edited video of Rahul Gandhi’s old speech is passed off as if he admitted that he would settle in London.

created: January 10, 2022


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Clipped video of Shah Rukh Khan’s 2007 speech calling Pakistan’s victory a win for his father’s side shared ahead of ‘Pathaan’ release - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 21, 2022
A video is being shared on social media claiming it as visuals of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan calling himself a Pathan from Pakistan and heard saying that whenever Pakistan wins a match, he felt like his father’s side had won the match. In the wake of the upcoming release of Shah Rukh Khan’s movie ‘Pathaan’, this video is going viral on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Shah Rukh Khan calling Pakistan’s win as a victory for his father’s side.
Fact: The video shared in the post is a clipped one. The video shows a clip from the ‘Chak De Yaara’ event hosted by Shah Rukh Khan in 2007.  An extended version of this video clip shows Shah Rukh Khan saying- “ When you (Pakistan cricket team) win, I feel like my dad’s side has won. And when our India wins, it feels like my mother’s side has won.” The video shared in the post clipped the portion of Shah Rukh Khan talking about India’s victory. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
The video shows Shah Rukh speaking at an event attended by Pakistan players Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Umar Gul and others. When searched for this video using relevant keywords on the internet, a video showing similar visuals was found published by a YouTube channel with the title, “SRK fun with Paki players in 2007 Chak de Yaara show”.
When we searched for further sources using relevant keywords on the internet, we found the full video of the 2007 Chak De Yaara event on a YouTube channel. From 33.18 minutes of this video, Shah Rukh Khan was heard saying- “I want to tell you that my father is actually from Peshawar, Pakistan. I am a Pathan too though I don’t look like them. Maybe because of  lack of height. This is not to create any controversy but, when you (the Pakistan cricket team) win, I feel like a victory for my father’s side. And when our India wins, it feels like my mother’s side has won. My dad has died young otherwise I would have liked him to marry English and Australian women. So, I would be happy whoever had won.”  The video shared in the post clipped the portion of Shah Rukh Khan talking about India’s victory.
The longer version video of the ‘Chak De Yaara’ event is also available on the Dailymotion site. Shah Rukh Khan in multiple interviews revealed about his ancestral origins in Pakistan and said that his father is from Peshawar in Pakistan. Several news websites published articles reporting Shah Rukh’s family background.
Lately, in the context of Shah Rukh’s upcoming movie ‘Pathaan’, when a morphed ‘BBC News’ tweet was shared claiming that Shah Rukh Khan has promised to donate ‘Pathaan’ first-day collections to a Pakistan NGO, FACTLY published a fact-check article debunking that claim.
To sum it up, this video of Shah Rukh Khan calling Pakistan’s victory a win for his father’s side is a clipped one.

created: December 21, 2022


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Clipped video of Sonu Sood’s interview is shared as his endorsement of Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 21, 2022
A video through a post is being widely shared on social media claiming that Sonu Sood had endorsed Charanjit Channi as the Chief Minister face for the upcoming state elections in Punjab. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Sonu Sood endorsing Charanjit Channi as the CM face for the upcoming state elections in Punjab.
Fact: The video had been edited to show that Sonu Sood was endorsing Charanjit Channi as the CM face for the upcoming state elections in Punjab. The video was taken from Sonu Sood’s interview with Barkha Dutt where he was talking about himself and his plans to contest elections in the future. Sonu Sood did not endorse anyone as the CM face in this interview. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When reverse image search is done on the screenshots of the video, the same video was found on the official Facebook page of the Indian National Congress. The video was also found on its official Twitter handle.
बोल रहा पंजाब, अब पंजे के साथ- मजबूत करेंगे हर हाथ। pic.twitter.com/qQOZpnKItd
However, the portion where Sonu Sood talks about a Chief Minister candidate was taken from an interview with Barkha Dutt for Mojo Story. The interview video from 13:15 timeframe had been clipped to make a video of Sonu Sood endorsing Charanjit Channi as Congress’ CM face in upcoming Punjab state elections. In the interview, when Barkha Dutt asks Sonu Sood about being a Chief Ministerial candidate, and his entry into politics; Sonu Sood replied (as in the video) about choosing an ideal CM candidate. Sonu Sood did not endorse anyone as the CM face in this interview.
About the same video, Barkha Dutt had Tweeted saying that the Congress party had edited the clip from her interview with Sonu Sood. She added that Sonu Sood, in the interview, was talking about himself and his plans to contest elections in the future.
Not just did @IncIndia filch & edit clip from @themojostory interview with @sonusood to ALMOST endorse Charanjit Channi as CM candidate ( still almost) ; they didnt reveal that Sonu Sood is not talking of Channi; he is talking of himself & his plans to contest elections. Watch ! pic.twitter.com/WzlbtAe9Va
To sum it up, a segment of Sonu Sood’s interview is shared as his endorsement of Charanjit Singh Channi as the CM face for the upcoming state elections in Punjab.

created: January 21, 2022


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Clipped video shared as Bihar's new Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav reneging on his old poll promise of ten lakh jobs - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 14, 2022
A post accompanied by a video clip of Bihar’s Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav is being shared on social media. The post description in Hindi translates to ‘One million job promise = reversed; we will fulfil the promise of providing 10 lakh jobs when we become the Chief Minister, now we are the Deputy Chief Minister.’ Let’s fact-check the claims through this article.
Claim: Bihar’s new Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav has reneged on his old poll promise of providing ten lakh jobs.
Fact: This is a trimmed clip from an interview that he gave to Zee News after he assumed office as the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar. In the full interview, he says, ‘we will fulfil our promise of providing 10 Lakh Govt. jobs…CM spoke to me, and he is earnest about this issue; this will be done for the people once the trust vote finishes.’ Even though Tejashwi Yadav says that their promise of providing 10 Lakh jobs will be fulfilled, the post claims otherwise. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
The video shared in the post contains the logo of Zee News; with this hint, we searched on the internet for the full video and found an interview of Tejashwi Yadav on Zee News’s website, which is 11 minutes and 39 seconds long.
Answering the interviewer’s question on the RJD’s promise of providing 10 lakh jobs, he said, ‘we will fulfil our promise of providing 10 Lakh Govt. jobs.’ He further said, ‘when we made the promise, we said it would be fulfilled when we become the Chief Minister, but right now, I am the Deputy Chief Minister.’ This is where the video clip shared the viral post ends. But in the full version of the video, we can see him saying ‘…CM spoke to me, and he is earnest about this issue; this will be done for the people once the trust vote is finished…’ He said that everyone is very serious about this issue and it does not make any difference whether the promise is fulfilled by him or CM Nitish Kumar.
By using a trimmed version of this interview,  the viral post is trying to show that Tejashwi Yadav is backing off from his promise of providing 10 Lakh jobs to the state of Bihar. But, in the full interview, we can see that he did not back off, but said it would be fulfilled. A shorter version of the same interview was uploaded to the Youtube channel of Zee News, and it can be watched here.
To summarise, a trimmed version of Tejashwi Yadav’s interview is shared to spread a false narrative that he reneged on his old poll promise of ten lakh jobs.


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Clipped video shared as PM Modi explaining the formula to fool poor people of this country - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 24, 2021
A video is being shared on social media claiming it to be the visuals of PM Narendra Modi revealing his formula to fool the poor people of this country. This post claims that PM Narendra Modi while addressing an election meeting in West Bengal said “गरीब को केवल सपने दिखाओ, झूठ बोलो, उसको आपस में लड़ आओ, और राज करो ।। (English translation – ‘Show dreams to the poor, tell them lies, make them fight amongst each other, and rule over them.’)”. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of PM Narendra Modi revealing his formula to fool the poor people of this country.
Fact: The video shared in the post is only a clipped portion of a full video. The extended version of the original video showed PM Narendra Modi referring to this as the Congress party’s formula to stay in power. PM Narendra Modi made this statement while addressing a public meeting held at Bokhakat town in Assam. It has nothing to do with West Bengal Elections. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched for this video using relevant keywords, a video with similar visuals is found on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)  official YouTube channel. This video shows PM Narendra Modi addressing a public meeting held at Bokhakat town in Assam, on 21 March 2021. The same visuals as in the post can be observed from 35:19 minutes of this video. In the original video, we could see PM Narendra Modi saying “गरीब को केवल सपने दिखाओ, झूठ बोलो, उसको आपस में लड़ आओ, और राज करो । यही कांग्रेस सर्कार में रहने का फार्मूला रहा हे। (English translation – ‘Show dreams to the poor, tell lies, make them fight amongst each other, and rule over them. This has been the formula of Congress Party to stay in power.’)”. At 35:26 minutes of the video, we could see PM Narendra Modi referring to this as the Congress party’s formula to stay in power. By removing the second part in the original video, the video is portrayed as the visuals of Narendra Modi revealing his formula to fool the poor people of this country.
The context in which PM Narendra Modi explained this formula was described in an article published by ‘Hindustan Times’. This article reported that PM Narendra Modi referred to this as formula as the Congress Party’s old strategy to stay in power.
To sum it up, a cropped video is portrayed as visuals of PM Narendra Modi explaining his formula to fool the poor people of this country.


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Clipped video shared as Rahul Gandhi promising Potato cultivation on Moon - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 28, 2020
A video clip of Rahul Gandhi’s speech in Gujarat is widely doing the rounds on social media. In the video clip, Rahul Gandhi can be heard saying ‘I will provide you fields on the moon and in the future, you will grow potatoes there. I will put a machine there and we will bring the potatoes back to Gujarat’. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Video of Rahul Gandhi promising Potato cultivation on Moon.
Fact: The statements of Rahul Gandhi about providing farming lands on the moon and bringing back potatoes to Gujarat were taken out of context from his election speech in Gujarat in 2017. In the full video, Rahul Gandhi can be heard attributing those imaginary statements to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we subjected the screenshots of the video to reverse image search technique, a full video of Rahul Gandhi’s speech in Gujarat was obtained in the results. The video is of Rahul Gandhi addressing the people of Patan ahead of the Gujarat Elections-2017. In the full video, Rahul Gandhi discusses the hardships faced by various communities in Gujarat like farmers, businessmen etc., and also the government’s apathy in providing employment opportunities to the youth of the state. Rahul Gandhi also took a dig at PM Modi’s promises and his ‘demonetisation’ move. In the full video, the context of the statements that Rahul Gandhi has made in the video clip can be heard from 19:58 duration. Rahul Gandhi says–‘Modi ji says.. You are not able to make money from farming here.. Look! there is the moon there.. I will provide you farm lands on it.. and in the future you will grow potatoes there.. I will put a machine there.. and we will bring those potatoes back to Gujarat’.
To sum it up, statements of Rahul Gandhi about providing farming lands on moon and bringing potatoes back to Gujarat were taken out of context. In the full video, Rahul Gandhi can be heard attributing those imaginary statements to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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Clipped video shared as Rahul Gandhi saying that he was thankful people had to face difficulties because of the rain - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 22, 2022
A video through a post is being widely shared on social media claiming that Rahul Gandhi said he was thankful that people faced difficulties because of rain. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Rahul Gandhi saying that he was thankful people had to face difficulties because of the rain.
Fact: The video was clipped from a longer speech given by Rahul Gandhi at a public meeting in Manipur. At the end of his speech, he thanked people who attended the meeting for coming from far off places. Rahul Gandhi said that the people who attended the meeting must have faced difficulties because of rain and he was thankful that they managed to attend despite such unfavourable weather conditions. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When reverse image search is done on the screenshots of the video, the same visuals were found in a longer video uploaded by the official YouTube channel of Rahul Gandhi. The YouTube video was live-streamed on 21 February 2022 from a public meeting at Hapta Kangjeibung, Imphal in Manipur. The 10-second viral video is clipped at 1:04:51 timeframe from this longer YouTube video.
Rahul Gandhi’s speech starts from 38 minutes where he talks about India being a union of states, Congress’ vision, and BJP’s assault on the culture and democratic values of India. At the near end of the speech, after talking about Manipur, he thanks the people at the meeting for coming from very far places. Rahul Gandhi says that the people who attended the meeting must have faced difficulties because of rain and he was thankful that they managed to attend despite such unfavourable weather conditions.
To sum it up, this video is clipped from Rahul Gandhi’s speech in Manipur when he was thanking the people for attending the public meeting despite the rain.

created: February 22, 2022


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Clipped video shared as Rahul Gandhi's statements on fighting against the Infrastructure of the country - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 10, 2022
A post is being shared on social media, which contains a video clip of Rahul Gandhi saying, “We are not fighting against the government; we are fighting against the entire infrastructure of India.” It also states that this is why Rahul Gandhi is called Pappu. Let’s fact-check the claim.
Claim: Rahul Gandhi says, “We are not fighting against the government; we are fighting against the whole Infrastructure of India.”
Fact: This statement was made by Rahul Gandhi at a recent press conference. Responding to a question, he said that opposition in democracy fights the ruling party with the support of various institutions like the judiciary, electoral structure, media, etc. He said that the country’s institutions support the ruling government since each of those contains at least one person from the RSS. He went onto say that they (the opposition) are not fighting a political party but the whole infrastructure. This was in the context of the institutions. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
After searching the internet with relevant keywords, we found videos and reports of Rahul Gandhi’s press conference, which was held on 05 August 2022. After going through the video streamed on India Today, we found he makes the same statement as in the viral post at 12:18 sec. He says, “We are not fighting against a political party; we are fighting against the entire infrastructure of India.” But this is just a part of his answer to a question which he starts from 11:18 sec.
He says that opposition in democracy fights the ruling party with the support of various institutions like the judiciary, electoral structure, media etc. But the country’s institutions support the ruling government since each of them contains at least one person from the RSS. He went onto say that they (the opposition) are not fighting a political party but the entire infrastructure.
The Quint and The Indian Express have also written about this in their reports. Other news reports about this press conference can be read here and here. From this, it is evident that a statement made by him in the context of institutions in the country is trimmed and shared with a misleading narrative.
To summarise, clipped video of Rahul Gandhi’s statements on fighting against the infrastructure of the country is shared out of context.


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Clipped video shared as Smriti Irani predicting victory of Samajwadi Party in the elections - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 10, 2022
In the light of the general elections in Uttar Pradesh, a post accompanying a video clip of Union Minister Smriti Irani speaking at a public gathering is being widely circulated across social media platforms. In the 31-second video clip,  Smriti Irani can be heard saying ‘You might be thinking the candidate is roaming around with a hand pump (RLD election symbol), but I’m talking about cycle. If RLD gets votes and support, then red caps (Samajwadi Party) government will be formed.’ This video clip is being shared with a claim that Smriti Irani is predicting a Samajwadi Party victory in the elections. Through this article let’s fact-check the veracity of claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Smriti Irani predicting Akhilesh Yadav’s victory in a public meeting.
Fact: The short video clip being shared is an excerpt of Smriti Irani’s recent address at a public gathering in UP’s Baghpat. The video is being shared out of context. In the lengthier version of the speech, Smriti Irani’s viral comments followed after her reference to Ayodhya firings of 1990, when the then CM Mulayam Singh Yadav ordered police firing at karsewaks, marching towards Ayodhya. Further, following the viral comments, Smriti can be heard saying ‘the women have already decided that they will not allow the SP-RLD government to form. Now, I came here to hear what the brothers have to say’ referring to the men and women present in the meeting. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The viral video is an excerpt from Smriti Irani’s recent speech in UP’s Baghpat. Although Smriti Irani said the exact words as in the viral video, they were made in a different context.
Keyword search on the internet directed us to a news report which carried a lengthier version of  Irani’s speech. In this speech, Smriti Irani made those comments following her reference to the Ayodhya firing of 1990, when Mulayam Singh Yadav ordered firing at karsewaks, marching towards Ayodhya, according to her. Another report of the incident can be viewed here.
In this context, Smriti Irani said those words shared in the viral video. ‘You might be thinking the candidate is roaming around with a hand pump (RLD election symbol), but I’m talking about the cycle. But if RLD gets votes and support, then red caps (Samajwadi Party) government will be formed’ said Irani.
Following the viral comments, she further added ‘the women have already decided that they will not allow the SP-RLD government to form. Now, I came here to hear what the brothers have to say’ referring to the men and women present in the meeting. This clearly indicates that her speech was not in favour of the Samajwadi party and her comments are being quoted out of context.
To sum it up, clipped video is shared as Smriti Irani predicting the victory of Samajwadi Party in the elections.

created: February 10, 2022


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Clipped video shared as Uddhav Thackeray calling Mughal emperor Aurangzeb his brother - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 1, 2023
A video of the former chief minister of Maharastra Uddhav Thackeray calling referring to Aurangzeb as his brother, is being shared on social media. The post’s description in India translates to ‘ Aurangazeb was my brother’, said the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackrey‘, alluding to that Thackeray was referring to the Mughal emperor. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: A video of Uddhav Thackeray calling Mughal emperor Aurangzeb his brother.
Fact: The viral clip is an edited version of Thackeray’s entire speech, which he gave on 19 February 2023. In the full version, he talks about a soldier named Aurangzeb, who was kidnapped and killed by militants in Jammu and Kashmir. Hence the claim made in the post is False.
We performed a keyword search on YouTube to find the full version of the viral clip. This led us to a video uploaded by ‘ABP MAJHA.‘ Titled ‘Uddhav Thackeray Full Speech: नाव आणि चिन्ह गेल्यानंतर ‘मोगॅम्बो खुश हुआ’, रोख अमित शाहांवर’ This was uploaded on 19 February 2023. At 15:02, he talks about a soldier named Aurangzeb, who militants in Kashmir killed in July 2018.
He says, ‘was he not ours or not? Who sacrificed himself for the country… His name was Aurangzeb. He was a mulsim but sacrificed his life for our country; was he not my brother? He was my brother.‘ More details about the Martyred soldier late Aurangzeb can be found here and here.
To sum it up, a clipped video of Uddhav Thackeray’s speech is being shared with a claim that he called Mughal emperor Aurangzeb his brother.


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Clipped video shared as visuals of a Muslim woman boxer preventing the referee from holding her hand - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 12, 2022
A video of a Muslim woman boxer preventing the referee from holding her hand during the announcement of the winner is being widely shared on social media platforms claiming that she behaved this way because of her religious beliefs. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of a Muslim woman boxer preventing the referee from holding her hand during match winner announcement because of her religious beliefs.
Fact: Full video of the boxing match shows that the women boxer (Kholova of Tajikistan) later allowing the referee to hold her hand during winner announcement. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING
We ran a reverse image search using keyframes extracted from the viral video and found that the full-length video uploaded on SPORT LIVE YouTube channel with a title “HERE IS AN UZBEK GIRL WINNING A LONG TIME AGO | Kazakova Feruza (uzb) – Kholova Husniya (tjk)”.  This video shows a semi-final boxing match between Kazakova Feruza (Blue Jersey) of Uzbekistan and Kholova  Husniya (Red Jersey) of Tajikistan in Asian U22 Boxing Championship in Flyweight category.
At 3:00 minutes time stamp in full length video, Kholova can be seen covering her face and getting emotional. When the referee tried to hold her hand during the winner announcement, initially she refused. But at 3:14, she eventually allowed him to do so.
After the referee announced Kazakova of Uzbekistan as winner, both the players greeted each other and their opponent’s coaches as well. The official draw sheet of the tournament can be seen here
We then searched to check if there are any instances where Kholova preventing the referee from holding her hand but couldn’t find any videos of her online. However, we found instances where referees declare the winners with and without holding the hands of women Muslim boxers. Also, boxing rules for each tournament vary regarding winner announcement. Some of them can be seen here, here, and here.
To sum it up, a clipped video is being shared as visuals of a Muslim woman boxer preventing the referee from holding her hand.

created: September 12, 2022


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Clipped video shared as visuals of a school stage play making a girl dressed as ‘Mother India’ to offer only Namaz - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 16, 2022
A video of a stage play performed by school children is being widely shared on social media claiming that a girl dressed as ‘Mother India’ was made to offer Namaz while taking away the crown on her head. This post claims that the stage play was performed at the Shishu Bharatiya Vidhyalaya located at the Malviya Nagar in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: A video of a school stage play in which a girl dressed as ‘Mother India’ was made to offer Namaz in Lucknow.
Fact: The video shared in the post is a clipped one. A full video of the stage play shows the school children sending out a message not to fight in the name of religion and to maintain social harmony. As part of this play, a girl dressed in a saree was made to offer different religious prayers in the respective religious customs (Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christianity). Lucknow Police Commissionerate through a tweet confirmed that the video is clipped and informed that legal action was being taken against the persons who tweeted the clipped video. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the screenshots of the video, a video with similar visuals was found tweeted with a similar claim by a user on 15 August 2022. Responding to the tweet, Arvind Chauhan, a journalist working in the ‘Times of India’ group, tweeted the complete video of the stage play performed by the school students. The full video shows different groups of students and a girl dressed in a saree performing different religious prayers. As part of this play, the girl dressed in a saree was made to offer Hindu, Christian, Sikh and Muslim prayers in the respective religious customs.
Here is the complete video of the students offering prayers in various ways (as per the religions)#Lucknow https://t.co/OS99RE0ie8 pic.twitter.com/DIsHq9GB4m
The Police Commissionerate Lucknow tweeted the full video of this stage play performed by the students of the Shishu Bharatiya Vidhyalaya in Lucknow. Sharing the full video, Lucknow Police Commissionerate tweeted that a few anti-social elements have shared a clipped video of this stage play in an attempt to disturb communal harmony in the society.  Lucknow Police Commissionerate through another tweet clarified that the full video of the stage play shows the school children presenting a message not to fight in the name of religion and maintain social harmony. Lucknow Police Commissionerate informed that legal action was being taken against the persons who tweeted this clipped video.
छोटे बच्चों द्वारा सांप्रदायिक सौहार्द हेतु प्रस्तुत नाटिका का सम्पूर्ण वीडियो,जिसको कुछ असामाजिक तत्वों द्वारा गलत ढंग से प्रचारित कर सांप्रदायिक द्वेष फैलाने का अपराधिक कृत्य किया गया है। ऐसे लोगों के विरुद्ध सख्त कानूनी कार्रवाई की जाएगी।@Uppolice https://t.co/eWBatkgnyc pic.twitter.com/oKOmLGVszX
Several news websites published articles reporting the clarification given by the Lucknow Police Commissionerate regarding this viral clipped video circulating on social media.
To sum it up, a clipped video shared as the visuals of a school stage play making a girl dressed as ‘Mother India’ to offer Namaz.


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Clipped video shared as visuals of Rahul Gandhi calling himself a tailor while addressing a public meeting - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 18, 2023
A video is being shared on social media claiming it shows visuals of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi calling himself a tailor while recently addressing a public meeting. The video shows Rahul Gandhi describing himself as a skilled tailor, proficient in the art of cutting clothes, asserting that he can grasp the quality of cloth by just seeing it. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Rahul Gandhi describing himself as a tailor while addressing his speech during a public meeting.
Fact: The video shared in the post shows a clipped video of Rahul Gandhi’s full speech during the OBC Sammelan meeting held in 2018. In the extended version of the video, Rahul Gandhi makes these statements while referring to a comment made by a fashion designer during a conversation with him. Rahul Gandhi did not call himself a tailor during his address at the OBC Sammelan meeting in 2018. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
When we searched for the details of the video using relevant keywords from the video, we found an article published by the Jansatta news site in June 2018. The article reports that Rahul Gandhi while addressing the Congress OBC Conference meeting in 2018, slammed PM Narendra Modi by telling a story of how the tailor was overpowered by a fashion designer.
When searching for the video using this information, we found the same visuals in a video published by the Congress Party’s official YouTube channel on 11 June 2018. The video shows Rahul Gandhi’s speech during the OBC Sammelan meeting held in 2018. Rahul Gandhi started his address with a story targeting the disregard given to the skilled individuals under the Narendra Modi government. Rahul narrated a story detailing an incident in which Indian fashion designers were humiliated by designers from other countries while presenting their creations in France. He mentioned meeting one of the designers from that fashion show a year or two later, expressing his dismay over the public mockery of an Indian fashion designer. Rahul queried him about ridiculing Indians based on their brown skin. Rahul Gandhi said that the fashion designer had a laugh and gave an interesting answer to him.
Quoting fashion designer’s response, Rahul Gandhi said, “Fashion designer replied to me saying- ‘Rahul ji, The world calls me fashion designer, but I am not that what they say. I am a tailor. And, when I see the clothes, you can show me any cloth, any coloured cloth, just by seeing the cloth, I can understand everything about the cloth. How to cut it? How to arrange the attire in person? Which colour should go where? That’s my talent and my work. I can understand it. And, I can say to you, I can understand my work and talent. The person whom you sent to us was not a tailor. When the person came onto the stage, we understood in two minutes that the person has no knowledge of clothes. The way he was holding the clothes, we came to know that he did not anything about clothes. But the cloth he was holding, was so beautiful. Rahul Ji, the cloth was made by a tailor. The tailor was kept in a room behind the person (fashion designer). Bring out the tailor, and send him to France. We will clap and honour him. But If you send people who don’t have any knowledge of his work, we will make fun of him. We did not make fun of him because of his skin colour, but because he was not the tailor. It shows that in India, those who do the work will be kept inside the back room.” The video shared in the post shows an edited video clip of Rahul Gandhi’s full speech while he was quoting a statement from his conversation with the fashion designer.
To sum it up, a clipped video is shared as the visuals of Rahul Gandhi calling himself a tailor during a public meeting.

created: December 18, 2023


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Close to 3 lakh Under Trial Prisoners are languishing in jails as Governments turn a blind eye
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 13, 2018
At the end of 2016, there are close to 3 lakh under trial prisoners in Indian jails. Many of them are eligible for bail as per Sec 436A of the CrPC, but are still in jail due to lack of awareness. State Governments have failed to act despite a Supreme Court order.
Overcrowding of jails in the country has been an often talked about issue. As per latest available government data (end of 2016), a total of 4,33,003 inmates were lodged in various jails across India, 14% more than the capacity of 3,80,876. Government data also shows that close to 3 lakh or 2/3rd of all the prisoners are under trials.
1/3rd of the Under trials in UP & Bihar
As per government data, a total of 2,93,058 under trials were lodged in jails across India by the end of 2016. Uttar Pradesh & Bihar together account for more than 96,000 of these under trials, about 1/3rd of the under trials in the country.
Almost 96% or 2.8 lakh under trials are male. Among the male under trials, UP has the most followed by Bihar. Three (3) different states have each more than 20,000 male under trials while eleven (11) states have each more than 10,000 male under trials.Out of all the under trials, only about 4% or 12288 are female. UP again has the most number of under trials followed by West Bengal & Maharashtra. These are the only three states with more than 1000 female under trials each. An additional five (5) states have more than 500 female under trials each.
Why are there so many Under trial prisoners?
There are two major reasons for such a large number of under trial prisoners. One of them is the huge pendency of cases resulting in many of the accused langushing in jails. The second reason and most important reason is the lack of implementation of an existing law.
Section 436 of the CrPC was amended in 2005 to include a new section 436A. Under Section 436A, an under trial prisoner (UTP) has the right to seek bail on serving more than half of the maximum possible sentence on their personal bond. No person can be detained in prison as an undertrial for a period exceeding the maximum possible sentence. This provision is, however, not applicable for those who are charged with offences punishable with the death sentence.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has noted in many of its advisories on the issue that it is only the poor who have not been able pay for the surety that have continued to languish as under-trials for very long periods and that too for minor offences. The lack of adequate legal aid and a general lack of awareness about rights of arrestees are principal reasons for the continued detention of individuals accused of bailable offences.
Noting that there is a great lack of awareness of this provision, the MHA has issued multiple advisories to state governments on this issue since ‘Prisons’ is a state subject.  In its advisory issued in January 2013, the MHA has asked states to constitute a review committee in every district that will meet every 3 months to review the cases. It has also asked jail superintendents to survey all cases and prepare a list of UTPs to be send to the District Legal Services Authority. It has also asked states to educate the UTPs and extend legal aid. But none of these guidelines have been strictly implemented.
Little progress even after the Supreme Court order
The Supreme Court in a related case directed the governments in 2014 (in W P(Criminal) 310/2005) that concerned judges  should hold one sitting in a week in each jail for two months starting from 1st October, 2014 for the purposes of effective implementation of 436A of the CrPC. The case is still pending in the court.
Even in May 2015, the Supreme Court directed the National Legal Services Authority to coordinate with the MHA to ensure urgent review of such UTP cases for granting them bail. A Social Justice Bench of Justices Madan B. Lokur and U.U. Lalit noted that 67 per cent of those lodged in the prisons in the country are under trials who are too poor to get bail.
In September 2014, the MHA issued another advisory to the states with clear instruction for classification of UTPs.  The advisory explained the calculation of half the maximum possible sentence in cases where a person is accused of multiple offences and under multiple sections of the IPC.Even after all these advisories, under trials and especially those from the disadvantaged sections of society continue to languish in jails while their trials drag on for years, often for petty offences. We could decongest our jails and provide relief to lakhs of under trials provided our governments are willing to implement the law.
What can we do as Citizens?
We could use the RTI act to understand what is happening in our respective states. That will at least push the state governments to act. We could ask for the following information from the state governments based on the MHA advisory and the Supreme Court directions.
One Ms. Divya Iyer filed an application under RTI with the Tihar Jail authorities. The case went up to the Central Information Commission and the CIC in a detailed order, directed the Delhi home department officials to issue directions to all jail authorities. We could do the same.

created: January 13, 2018


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Close to 3000 people lost their lives in Stampedes between 2001 & 2015
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 29, 2017
Stampedes at mass gatherings have claimed close to 3000 lives between 2001 and 2015. More than 3500 incidents of stampede took place during this period according to the NCRB. Jharkhand with 441 deaths accounted for the most number of deaths during this period followed by Andhra Pradesh & Maharashtra.
More than 20 people lost their lives in an unfortunate stampede in Mumbai’s Elphinstone station. Every year, hundreds of incidents of stampedes have been taking place in various parts of the country highlighting dangers at places with mass gatherings. Data available with the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) indicates that there have been a total of 3550 incidents of stampede in the country from 2001 to 2015 resulting in the death of 2901 people.
More than 100 people lost their lives because of stampedes in eight (8) of these 15 years. The highest number of incidents occurred in 2009 (1532 incidents). But the highest number of lives were lost in 2011 (489 deaths). In 2011, more than 100 people lost their lives in each of the three states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu & Kerala. At least 400 people have lost their lives in four different years namely 2008 (434 deaths), 2011 (489 deaths) , 2013 (400 deaths) and 2015 (480 deaths). The least numbers of deaths occurred in 2006 (18 deaths). The total number of deaths in the eight years between 2008 & 2015 is almost three times the total number of deaths between 2001 & 2007.
In the fifteen (15) years from 2001 to 2015, 2062 men, 834 women and 5 transgender persons lost their lives in incidents of stampede. Except in 2005, more men lost their lives than women in each of the remaining 14 years. More than 100 men lost their lives in six (6) of these 15 years while more than 100 women lost their lives in three (3) of the 15 years. Most men lost their lives in 2011 (412) while most women lost their lives in 2005 (200).
In the fifteen years from 2001 to 2015, Jharkhand leads with most deaths due to stampedes. 441 people lost their lives in Jharkhand because of stampedes, 386 of them in just one year 2015. Andhra Pradesh with 389 deaths is second in the list followed by Maharashtra with 368 deaths because of stampedes. More than 100 people lost their lives in twelve (12) states during this period. Tamil Nadu (239 deaths), Rajasthan (220 deaths) and Madhya Pradesh (213 deaths) are next in the list. Even in 2016, there have been some major stampedes in Uttar Pradesh.
Maharashtra (2005): The Mandher Devi temple stampede occurred in January 2005, in Satara district of Maharashtra. More than 300 people lost their lives.
Rajasthan (2008): A stampede occurred in September 2008, at the Chamunda Devi temple in Jodhpur in Rajasthan. More than 200 people lost their lives.
Himachal Pradesh (2008): The Naina Devi temple stampede occurred in August 2008 in Himachal Pradesh. More than 100 people lost their lives.
Kerala (2011): The Sabarimala stampede occurred in January 2011, at Sabarimala in Kerala. More than 100 people lost their lives.
Madhya Pradesh (2013): This stampede occurred during the festival of Navratri, near the Ratangarh Mata Temple in Madhya Pradesh. More than 100 people lost their lives.
Detailed guidelines issued by NDMA
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued detailed guidelines to State governments to manage crowd at events of mass gathering.
Source: National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)

created: September 29, 2017


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Data: Close to 50% of the cases registered for Food Safety & Standards violations are registered in UP alone
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 23, 2021
As per the data shared by the government in the Lok Sabha, 47.5% of the cases registered in the country between 2015-16 & 2019-20 for food safety & standards violations were registered in Uttar Pradesh alone. The conviction rate in such cases continues to be very low at less than 15%.
With the proliferation of food joints & home-chefs entering the Indian food industry, it has become more important than ever to conduct regular inspections and ensure strict adherence to the rules and regulations pertaining to the hygiene and quality of food being served. Consuming poor quality food & food prepared in unhygienic conditions can sometimes prove to be fatal. Hence, it is of utmost importance that the government strictly monitors the industry. Besides the quality of food being served in food outlets, the presence of adulterants is also to be checked regularly.
FSSAI set up to monitor the quality of food and hygiene
The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare established the Food Safety and Security Authority of India (FSSAI) under the Food Safety and Security Act, 2006 (FSS) consolidating all the erstwhile laws relating to food, in an effort to regulate the science-based standards of food and for manufacturing, packing, storage, distribution, import, and sale. This is to ensure good quality food for human consumption. The Act mandates maintenance of hygienic conditions in and around manufacturing premises has provisions for assessment and management of risk factors to human health in a scientific manner.
State governments implement the provisions under the Act
Standards for food products and additives and quality parameters have been prescribed in the Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011. It is mandatory that all Food Business Operators (FBO) or the persons in the business of selling food comply with the standards given in these regulations. State governments have been entrusted with the responsibilities of implementation and enforcement of the provisions under the FSS Act and the FSS rules.
State Food Safety Officers may conduct inspection at any food outlet
As per the existing regulations, State Food Safety Officers must regularly conduct surveillance, monitoring, and inspection activities to check for compliance with the provisions of the act. For this, they may draw samples of food items from an outlet and send them to the laboratories which are recognised by FSSAI for analysis. In cases where samples are found to be non-conforming to the provisions of the Act and the Rules and Regulations made under the act, the action is taken against the FBO under the penal provisions of the FSS Act. For instance, if a person sells unsafe food which results in death, they are liable for imprisonment ranging from 7 years to life imprisonment, in addition to a penalty of Rs. 10 Lakhs.
Number of food samples analysed has increased by more than 60% in 5 years
As per data shared by the government recently, the number of samples analysed across the country has increased by nearly 64% in the last five years. Over 72,499 samples were analysed in 2015-16, of which about 22% of the samples or 16,133 samples, were found to be non-conforming with the prescribed standards. The percentage of samples identified to be non-conforming increased to nearly 28.6% in 2018-19 when the number of samples tested was above one lakh and about thirty thousand were non-conforming. In 2019-20, though over 1.18 lakh samples were tested, the percentage of samples which were non-conforming was about 25%.
More than half the samples analysed in India are from four states
Of the 1.18 lakh odd samples tested in 2019-20, nearly 18% of the samples were from Uttar Pradesh. While more than 20,000 samples analysed from UP, more than 15,000 samples were analysed from Madhya Pradesh, and more than 10,000 samples each from Gujarat and Tamil Nadu were analysed in 2019-20. These four states alone accounted for 51% of all the samples analysed in India in 2019-20. The number of samples being analysed varies across states. With more than 10,000 samples being analysed in each of the last five years, UP has been the state which has conducted the most sample analysis in each of these years. The same state has also reported the highest percentage of samples identified to be non-conforming to the government laid standards or adulterated- from 42% in 2016-17 to about 59% in 2019-20.
All the states except Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh have increased the scale of sample analysis. During the five-year period, the percentage of samples found to be non-conforming has reduced gradually in the states of Telangana, Kerala, Karnataka, and Chhattisgarh. The states of Rajasthan, Jharkhand, and Jammu, and Kashmir have consistently reported more than 25% of the samples to be non-conforming. Punjab and Odisha have also reported more than 20% of the samples to be non-conforming throughout the five-year period from 2015-16 to 2019-20.
48% of the cases registered in five years under FSS Act were in UP
A total of 91,636 cases, including civil and criminal cases, have been registered in the country for violating the FSSAI’s standards in the last five years between 2015-16 & 2019-20. These cases have been a result of the sample analysis and other inspections. Close to half of all these cases which is 43,517 or 47.5% were registered in UP alone. More than 5000 cases each were registered in the states of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Punjab, and Madhya Pradesh and these states together account for nearly 29% of the cases registered in the last five years.
Rs. 59.4 crores penalties raised in 2019-20
The penal provisions under the FSS act and relevant regulations include both imprisonments as well as penalties. In 2019-20, penalties totaling Rs. 59.4 crores were raised as per the data shared by the government. Prior to this, the penalties raised increased from Rs.17 crores (in 2016-17) to Rs. 32.57 crores in (2018-19).
Poor conviction rate helps violators easily get away
Around 8000 cases resulted in convictions for FSSAI standards violation in the four years between 2015-16 and 2018-19. In other words, out of the 59,453 cases registered in these four years, only a fraction has resulted in conviction indicating a low conviction rate. The low conviction rate has also been highlighted in a parliamentary standing committee report on the functioning of FSSAI tabled in 2018. The report observes that this gap between cases registered and conviction indicates that the FBOs involved in supplying adulterated or misbranded food products are not caught and get away easily without punishment. The committee asked the concerned ministry to scrutinize the reason behind the poor conviction and take remedial measures.
Lack of trained manpower is a hindrance
Some of the major problems faced by FSSAI are financial constraints, lack of equipment in laboratories, and shortage of skilled manpower, according to the aforementioned standing committee report. It was recommended that trained and competent officers with expertise in the subject of food science be employed. However, there is an acute shortage of regulatory staff with the state governments to implement the FSS Act. Though there was a requirement of 4850 Food Safety Officers (FSOs), there were only 3130 FSOs in the country at the time of tabling the report in 2018. Furthermore, the committee also recommended the restructuring of the FSSAI to make it competent to meet the evolving challenges in this space.
This has also been highlighted in a CAG report in 2017 which observed that the shortfall in FSOs ranged from 33% to 99% in all the states, in 2016. The shortfall was more than 90% in 12 states. The report observed that there was a shortage of not just the FSOs, but even other staff required for the functioning of the FSS Act.
Amendment to FSS Act has been proposed
Currently, the government has proposed to amend the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The Ministry of Health has invited public comments through a Public Notice on amendment proposal which seeks to revamp the functioning of FSSAI. The proposed amendments seek to include animal feed in the FSSAI jurisdiction and monitoring would also be applicable to exports. The amendments also seek to increase the quantum of penalties for violations.
Featured Image: Food Safety & Standards violations


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Closure of accounts at Bank of Baroda's UAE branch is unrelated to its CEO's statement on Adani - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 27, 2023
Following the Bank of Baroda’s willingness to lend to the Adani group despite the controversy surrounding the Hindenburg Report, a photo showing a long line of customers queuing up at a Bank of Baroda branch in the UAE has been widely shared on social media claiming that they were closing their accounts in response to the Bank’s decision to lend to Adani.
Claim:  A photo of customers queuing up at a Bank of Baroda branch in the UAE to close their accounts in response to the bank’s decision to lend to the Adani group despite the Hindenburg report controversy.
Fact:  On 20 January 2023, Bank of Baroda announced that it would be closing its Al Ain branch in the UAE for commercial reasons. According to a statement from the bank’s representative, the decision to close the branch was made a year prior and was subsequently approved by the central bank of the UAE. The accounts held at the Al Ain branch will be transferred to the Abu Dhabi branch, and customers who wish to close their accounts may do so without penalty before 22 March 2023. The bank also advised customers to disregard any false or misleading information that may be circulating on social media regarding the closure. It is worth noting that the Hindenburg report on Adani was released on 24 January 2023, which is after the Bank of Baroda’s decision to close its Al Ain branch. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Initially, we conducted an inquiry into Bank of Baroda’s social media accounts to ascertain further details regarding this matter. Our investigation revealed that the bank had released a statement regarding this issue via Twitter on  26 February 2023.
According to the statement, a year ago, Bank of Baroda made a commercial decision to close its Al Ain branch in UAE, which was approved by the Central Bank of UAE. The closure will take effect from 22 March 2023, and all accounts will be transferred to the Bank’s Abu Dhabi branch. Customers can close their accounts before the closure date without any charges or penalties. Furthermore, the statement clarifies that the Customers are visiting the Al Ain branch to provide their consent or further instructions and urges users not to believe any misleading and false information that is being shared on social media platforms.
pic.twitter.com/FYrs0WuYMl
After searching the Bank’s website, we discovered that the bank had released a notification regarding the branch closure on 20 January 2023. It’s worth noting that the Hindenburg report was published on 24 January 2023, while Bank of Baroda’s MD & CEO, Sanjiv Chadha, spoke about the bank’s readiness to provide loans to Adani only in February 2023.
Bank of Baroda’s decision to close its Al Ain branch in UAE is not unprecedented, as the bank has previously closed two branches in UAE due to financial losses in 1986 and 1987. This information is available on the bank’s website. In addition, other Indian public sector banks have also shut down their branches in India and overseas for various reasons in the past.
To sum it up, there is no truth to the rumour that Bank of Baroda customers in the UAE are closing their accounts in protest of the bank’s decision to lend to Adani. This is because the bank had already made a decision to close its UAE branch before the release of the Hindenburg report, making any alleged connection between the two events unfounded.

created: February 27, 2023


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Colored-side outwards: the only way to wear a three-layered surgical mask. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 30, 2020
In the backdrop of recent novel Coronavirus outbreak, a message is being widely shared on social media with a claim that there are two ways of wearing a surgical/medical mask. The two ways are: “1. Colored side out if you’re sick and do not want to spread your germs around. 2. White side out (this is the filter part) for when you’re not sick and you want to stop germs from getting in”. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Two ways of wearing a surgical mask: Colored side out if you are sick and White side out if you do not want to become sick.
Fact: There is only one way of wearing a three-layered surgical mask. The colored side of the surgical mask should face outwards. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched regarding the ways of wearing a surgical mask, no information was found regarding the ways mentioned in the post. In an article published by ‘The Strait Times’, in September-2019, it can be read that ‘there is only one way to wear the good quality surgical masks that most people are familiar with – with the colored side facing outwards’. Also, in the document released by the ‘Centre for Health Protection’, it can be read that, ‘in general, the colored side/the side with folds facing downwards of the surgical mask should face outwards with the metallic strip uppermost’.
Also, a similar suggestion can be seen in the ‘wiki How’ article on ‘How to Put on a Medical Mask’.
Some videos by the experts on how to wear the surgical mask can be watched here and here. The Health Promotion Board of Singapore also released posters on its Facebook page explaining how to wear a mask.
To sum it up, there is only one way to wear a three-layered surgical mask: Colored-side outwards.
Did you watch our new video in the DECODE series?

created: January 30, 2020


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Comedian Dinesh Hingoo has not passed away; he dismissed death rumours circulating on social media. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 7, 2024
News of the alleged death of comedian Dinesh Hingoo has been making rounds on social media platforms. The claim states that the Indian actor, known for his comedic roles in films, is no more. Let’s verify this claim through this fact-check article.
Claim: Comedian Dinesh Hingoo has passed away.
Fact: Dinesh Hingoo is alive and well. The actor himself debunked this misinformation in a video. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
To verify this claim, we conducted a keyword search on the internet, but we couldn’t locate any reliable news reports about the death of Dinesh Hingoo; such significant news would have attracted widespread media attention if it were true. During this search, we found a news report published on this matter by Gujarati Mid Day.
This report provided a link to a video where Dinesh Hingoo personally clarified the rumour about his death. In the video, Hingoo reportedly says, “Yes! I am Dinesh Hingoo. My health is quite good. …I am not sick or in bad health…..”
To sum up, there is no truth in the news of the death of actor Dinesh Hingoo. He himself dismissed the rumours circulating on social media about his death.


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Commemorative Ramayana postage stamps released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2017 shared as recent ones - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 30, 2020
An image of ‘Ramayana’ postage stamps is doing the rounds on Facebook claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released them ahead of his ‘Bhoomi Puja’ event in Ayodhya. PM Modi is set to visit Ayodhya on ‘5 August 2020’ to lay the foundation stone for ‘Ram Temple’. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Image of ‘Ramayana’ postage stamps recently released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Fact: The ‘Ramayana’ postage stamps in the image were released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September 2017. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When we subjected the image to reverse image search technique, the same image was found in an article of a blog ‘Sapost.blogspot.com’. The blog article was published on ‘26 September 2017’ and it had the title ‘India Post issued a set of 11 commemorative postage stamps on “RAMAYANA” on 22.09.2017’.
With the above information, when we looked on ‘India Postage Stamps’ website, a link was found which says that India Post has issued a set of 11 Commemorative postage stamps on ‘Ramayana’ on ‘22 September 2017’. The viral image can be seen in that link of ‘India Postage Stamps’ website.
The Postage stamps on ‘Ramayana’ were released  by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi in September 2017.
Released postage stamps on the Ramayana. pic.twitter.com/E6wYPh2hmy
Several news articles were found that reported that on 5 August 2020, after the ‘Bhoomi Puja’ event at Ayodhya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to launch postal stamps on a symbolic model of the Ram temple and the Ramayana. Those reports can be seen here and here. However, the stamps in the image shared on social media are not new.
To sum it up, image of Commemorative postage stamps on ‘Ramayana’ released in 2017 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is shared those released recently.
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India had 58 communal incidents per month in the last 5 years & 85% of these incidents happen in just 8 states
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 1, 2015
Update: This post from October 7, 2015 has been updated with the latest available data from the Ministry of Home Affairs as on December 1, 2015.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, a total of 3365 communal incidents occurred in the country from 2011 to October, 2015. This is an average of 58 incidents a month. Eight states Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan & Uttar Pradesh account for 85% of all the incidents. These states were ruled by various parties at different points in time in these 5 years and not a single party. Seven states did not report a single such incident in these five years and all of them belong the North East.
The issue of communalism has attracted the center stage in Indian Politics for quite some time now. Fringe groups of all hues make statements to incite people that result in small incidents giving way to large communal disturbances. Data about communal incidents in the country provides very interesting insights into the spread of these incidents and the states where they mostly happen.
How many incidents from 2011 to 2015?
According to the data available with the Home Ministry, a total of 3365 communal incidents occurred in the country from 2011 to 2015 (till Oct).  This is an average of about 700 incidents an year. The lowest number of incidents occurred in 2011 (580) and the highest in 2013 (823). The number of such incidents in 2012 and 2014 are 668 & 644 respectively. The number of such incidents in 2015 (till Oct) is 650. The number of people killed in these incidents was more or less proportional to the number of incidents with the highest number of people getting killed in 2013 and the lowest in 2011. The same is true for the number of people injured. The increase in the number of incidents in 2013 could be attributed to the unusual rise in the number of such incidents in Bihar & Uttar Pradesh. While the number of incidents in Bihar tripled in 2013, it rose by more than twice in Uttar Pradesh in 2013 compared to 2012. Does this rise have anything to do with the end of the BJP- JD(U) alliance in Bihar is something that needs a deeper investigation. Uttar Pradesh contributed for 30% of the communal incidents in 2013, which is very high for a single state. This unusual rise just before the 2014 general election could be because of the communal politics of various political parties. The data for the number of injured & killed is not yet available for 2015.
The Eight States are evenly spread across the country
Of the 35 States/UTs of India, only eight (8) states contributed for close to 85% of all the communal incidents in the country.  Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan & Uttar Pradesh are part of this group. It is also interesting to note that these states are from all the regions of country. Karnataka & Kerala are from the South, Gujarat & Maharashtra are from the West, Rajasthan & Uttar Pradesh from the North, Bihar from the East and Madhya Pradesh from Central India. What is interesting is that, these eight states were ruled by different parties during this period.  The Congress, BJP, NCP, SP, BSP ruled these states at various points in time.
The trend within these states
For the sake of this analysis, the eight states that account for more than 85% of all the incidents have been divided into two groups. The first group of states are those where the BJP is currently in power (Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra & Rajasthan) and the second group where a non-BJP party is in power (Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala & Uttar Pradesh).
In states where the BJP is currently in power, the trend is a mixed one. In Gujarat, the number of incidents has been continuously increasing till 2014, while there is a decline in 2015. The BJP has ruled the state in all these 5 years. In Madhya Pradesh where the BJP has ruled all these five years, the number of incidents decreased significantly in 2014 only to increase in 2015. In Maharashtra, the number of incidents has more or less remained constant with over 80 such incidents every year. In Rajasthan, the number of incidents increased in 2013 & 2014, only to come down in 2015.
In the other four of these eight states where the Congress & others are in power, the trend is again mixed. In Bihar, the number of incidents was in the 20s after which it suddenly tripled in 2013. The number of incidents in Bihar was about 60 in each of the three years from 2013 to 2015. In Kerala, the number of incidents almost doubled in 2012 compared to 2011. Since then, there has been a gradual decrease in the number of incidents. In 2014, there were just 4 such incidents and in 2015, there is just 1 such incident reported in Kerala.  In Karnataka, the number of incidents is more or less close to 70 in each of these years. Uttar Pradesh seems to be the communal tinder box of the country. The number of incidents in Uttar Pradesh increased from 84 in 2011 to 247 in 2013. There was a substantial decrease in the number of incidents in 2014 (133 incidents). In 2015, the number of incidents stood at 139.
What about the other states?
Among the other states, only Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Telangana & West Bengal reported incidents in double digit in one or all of these five years.  The newest state of Telangana reported 10 such incidents in 2015. Seven states did not report a single communal incident in these five years. These states include Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim & Tripura. All these states are from the North East.
What are the Governments Doing?
Law & Order (including Police) is a state subject. Hence the responsibility of dealing with communal incidents rests primarily with the respective State Governments. The Central Government assists the State Governments in a variety of ways like sharing of intelligence, sending alert messages, sending Central Armed Police Forces, including the composite Rapid Action Force created specially to deal with communal situations. The Central Government has also circulated revised Guidelines to promote communal harmony to the States and Union Territories in 2008, which laid down standing operating procedures to be put in place to deal with situation arising out of the communal violence. The activities of all organizations having a bearing on communal harmony in the country are under constant watch of the law enforcement agencies and requisite legal action is taken, wherever necessary.
Featured Image Source: Flickr | Kashmir Global

created: December 1, 2015


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Communal Incidents in India
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 5, 2018


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Communal Incidents in India (2011 to 2017)
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 4, 2018


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Communal Incidents – NCRB contradicts Home Ministry yet again
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 25, 2016
The data on communal incidents by the National Crime Records Bureau seems to have opened a Pandora’s Box, yet again. For 23 States, there is a difference in the number of communal incidents reported by the Home Ministry & the NCRB. The Home Ministry is still clueless about this data discrepancy.
Factly had earlier reported that the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data on Communal Incidents was not matching with the data provided by the Home Ministry for the year 2014. The same has now repeated again in 2015 with the NCRB reporting 789 incidents of communal riots compared to the 751 reported by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The media had earlier reported that the Home Ministry was probing to understand the discrepancy between the NCRB data and its own data.
MHA still clueless
Factly filed a RTI application with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) seeking information on the probe initiated by the MHA in this regard. To our surprise, we found that the MHA was still as clueless as it was before. In response to the RTI application, the MHA said that the NCRB shows different figures since there could be multiple FIRs in a single incident. Going by this explanation, the number reported by NCRB should always be greater than the number reported by the MHA. But as we reported earlier, this is not the case.
NCRB Data Collection on Riots
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) is an attached office in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). NCRB is tasked with collection and dissemination of a secure national database on crimes, criminals and law enforcement agencies etc. Every year, the NCRB collects data from Police departments at the state level and compiles it into a Crime in India report. The report has detailed information on various types of crimes.
In 2014, the NCRB has made significant changes to the method of its collection and dissemination of crime data. In its new template for collection of crime related data, there is a section on riots as defined under Sections 147,148,149,150 & 151 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
There is a separate section to collect data on offences that promote enmity between different groups as defined under Sections 153A & 153B of the IPC.
Before 2014, all the data related to riots used to be collected under one head called riots. From 2014, the data on riots is categorized into many different sub heads namely communal riots, Industrial riots and riots for political reasons etc.
One has to remember that NCRB gets all the data from state police departments. And this data is strictly based on the sections mentioned in the First Information Report (FIR) of the cases filed. The NCRB also follows ‘Principal Offence Rule’ for counting of crime. Hence among many offences registered in a single case, only most heinous crime will be considered as counting unit, thereby representing one case. Sometimes it is also possible that multiple cases will be filed for a single incident.
NCRB puts Haryana on the Top
The NCRB data on riots has a sub categorization of communal riots. As per the NCRB data, a total of 789 communal riot incidents took place in the country in 2015 and 1174 people were victims of these incidents. Leading the list is Haryana with 201 such cases followed by Karnataka with 163 cases. Maharashtra is third with 80 such cases in 2015.
This data is directly in contradiction with the MHA data. Uttar Pradesh tops the list in the MHA data with 155 incidents followed by Maharashtra & Karnataka each with 105 such incidents. As per the MHA data, Haryana had only 3 such incidents in 2015. The number of victims (killed or injured) as per MHA is 2361 while the number of victims as per NCRB is 1174.
Huge difference between NCRB & MHA Data
There is a difference in the numbers put out by NCRB & MHA for as many as 23 States. The data matches only for 6 states and in five of these States; both NCRB & MHA reported ‘zero’ incidents. There is a double digit difference in 10 states and the difference is quite stark for the following 10 states.  For Haryana, the MHA reported only 3 incidents while NCRB reported 201 incidents. At the other end of the spectrum is Uttar Pradesh. While MHA reported 155 incidents in UP, the NCRB reported only 48 incidents. In Telangana, the MHA reported 11 cases while the NCRB did not report a single incident.
MHA’s explanation is not Plausible
As per the MHA’s explanation, since the NCRB numbers are based on FIRs registered in Police Stations, they should be on the higher side, assuming that a single incident might lead to multiple cases. And this trend should be uniform across states. But as analysed earlier, this is not the case. The only plausible reason for such discrepancy is the shoddy work of state police and the intelligence departments. But why would they goof up with such data is a million dollar question. This also raises some uncomfortable questions about the sanctity of government data.

created: November 25, 2016


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Community Radio in India: Government Procedure is the biggest hurdle in its growth
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 5, 2015
UNESCO believes that Community Radio has the potential to democratize communication & broadcasting. But despite the potential, Government procedure & control remains the biggest bottleneck for the growth of Community Radio in India. A mere 11% of the applications for Community Radio were accepted since 2012 by the Government.
Community Radio hit the headlines recently after the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting reportedly asked all Community Radio Stations (CRS) to send their daily programming schedule to Delhi. It caused much uproar and hence was withdrawn immediately.  It is astonishing to note that India has only 180 operational CRS as on 1 May, 2015 despite its large population.
What is Community Radio & Why?
UNESCO sees community radio as a medium that gives voice to the voiceless; that serves as the mouthpiece of the marginalized and is at the heart of communication and democratic processes within societies. With community radio, citizens have the means to make their views known on decisions that concern them. The notions of transparency and good governance take on new dimensions with Community Radio and democracy is strengthened.
Community Radio catalyses the development efforts of rural folk and the underprivileged segments of urban societies, given its exceptional ability to share timely and relevant information on developmental issues, opportunities, experiences, life skills and public interests.
But how much of UNESCO’s vision of the community radio actually translated into reality on the ground in the Indian context? The official data paints a dismal picture of the situation on ground. UNESCO in 2007 estimated that India would have 4000 CRS with the new policy. Not even 5% of that target is achieved even after 8 years.
The history of CRS in India
Community Radios in India were started after the first policy for Community Radios was approved in the year 2002. This policy allowed only Educational Institutions to set up Community Radios. This policy was broad-based in 2006 when grassroots organizations like NGOs and other Not-for-Profit organizations were also allowed to set up Community Radios in India. The lack of penetration of the CRS can be attributed to stringent guidelines for setting up, heavy initial investment & a cumbersome process. In fact, the entire process of granting licenses runs contrary to the spirit of the CRS, where broadcasting would be liberated from the clutches of regulation and centralized control.
Who can apply for setting up a CRS?
Who cannot apply for CRS?
CRS applications since 2012
Since January 2012, Government has received 689 applications for setting up of CRS in the country. Of these 41.3% applications were either returned or rejected, 38.17% of the applications were referred back to applicants, 9.4% were referred to the concerned ministries and letter of intent (LOI) was issued for only 11% of those applications.
No time frame is prescribed for pending applications, as various inter-ministerial clearances are required to grant permissions to set up community radio stations. Permission to set up CRS is granted only when mandatory clearances from Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Defence and Wireless Planning and Coordination Wing of Ministry of Communications & Information Technology are obtained. Clearances should also be obtained from Ministry of Human Resource Development in case of Educational Institutions and Ministry of Agriculture in case of State Agriculture Institutions, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) institutions and Krishi Vigyan Kendras. All these clearances are mandatory. It is therefore not surprising that there are just 180 operational CRS in the country.
The number of operational Community Radio Stations (CRS) in India at present is rather disappointing keeping in view its size and population. Another reason for the slow growth could be the lack of resources with Non-Government Organizations to meet the capital cost of setting up CRS and hand holding. Their capacity to mobilize resources is extremely limited. It is perhaps time to think of a mechanism to channelize financial assistance to genuine grass roots organizations to enable them set up CRS and relaxation of the long list of mandatory clearances.
The Operational CRS
Tamil Nadu has a maximum 27 CRS followed by UP with 21, Maharashtra at 17 and MP at 14. Among these, the Educational institutions operate 68 CRS,  NGOs operate 98, Krishi Vigyan Kendra and  State Agriculture University are operating 7 CRS.
What is the Government Saying?
As per the ministry of information and broadcasting, awareness workshops are being organized to sensitize people about the policy and create awareness amongst aspiring applicants about issues relating to setting up, operation & maintenance of Community Radios. A new Plan Scheme “Supporting Community Radio Movement in India” has also been introduced to provide financial support to new as well as existing CR Stations for setting up studios, purchase of equipment, building capacity, and upgrading technology etc. The Government says that a total of at least 650 grants are likely to be made over the 12th Plan Period (2012-2017).
But despite all these measures, Government procedure and regulation remains the biggest bottle neck for the growth of Community Radio. Unless that is corrected, it is difficult to see any change in the numbers.
Source:
Featured Image: Community Radio Facilitation Center, Ministry of I&B, Govt of India


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What are the Compensation norms & Facilities available for Passengers affected by Flight delays & cancellations?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 19, 2016
The CAR by DGCA provide for compensation & facilities to be provided to passengers affected by delays & cancellations of flights and also those denied boarding.  As per data available with the government, more than 15 lakh passengers were affected in 2015 & 2016.
With growing air travel in the country, there has also been an increase in the number of cancellations & delayed flights. As per data available with the government, more than 15 lakh people were affected by delays, cancellations & denied boarding. So what are the norms for compensation for the affected passengers?
Civil Aviation Requirements provide for Compensation & Facilities
Under the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), Section-3, Series-M, Part-IV ‘Facilities to be provided to passengers by airlines due to denied boarding cancellation of flights and delays in flights’ issued by the DGCA, airlines are required to pay compensation/provide facilities to passengers in case of denied boarding, cancellation and delays in flight.
In case a passenger is denied boarding against his/her will after having reported on time, the following norms for compensation will apply.
In case of Cancellations where the passenger has not been informed either two weeks before the scheduled departure or has not been allowed a departure within two hours of the scheduled departure, the following compensation norms would be applicable. These would not apply to cases where the cancellation of a flight is due to an extra ordinary circumstance.
In case of delays, the airlines are required to provide facilities to the passengers in certain circumstances including meals & refreshments, hotel accommodation etc.
How to claim the Compensation?
When affected by denied boarding, a cancellation or a long delay, the passenger should make a complaint directly to the airline if the airline has not provided the compensation and/or reasonable facilities as specified in the CAR. If the airlines fail to fulfill their obligations, then the passenger can approach the Nodal officer and Appellate Authority of the respective airline. The details of these officers should be prominently displayed on the websites of various airlines. The airlines are also supposed to display the policies with respect to compensation etc on their websites and also inform the same to passengers so that they can exercise their rights.
More than 15 lakh passengers affected in 2015 & 2016
As per the data shared by the government in the Lok Sabha, more than 15 lakh passengers were affected by delay, cancellation and denied boarding on flights in 2015 & 2016 (up to September). The number of passengers affected by delay in flights has more than doubled from 3.14 lakh in 2013 to 7.26 lakh in 2015. On the other hand, the number of passengers affected by cancellation of flights has gone down from 1.23 lakh in 2013 to 1.16 lakh in 2015. The number of passengers who were denied boarding has gone up from 11932 in 2013 to 13175 in 2015.
As per the available data, passengers are most affected during the months of December & January, the usual holiday season. Close to 35% of all the passengers affected during this period were affected in the months of December & January.
Airlines spent Rs 53.5 crore in compensation & facilities
Between 2013 and September 2016, the domestic airlines in India spent a total of Rs 53.35 crore in compensation & providing facilities to passengers affected by delays, cancellations & denied boarding. While Rs 17.26 crore was spent on compensation for denied boarding, Rs 16.96 crore was spent on passengers affected by cancellations. Another Rs 19.29 crore was spent on passengers affected by delays.
The average amount spent per passenger who were denied boarding during this period is Rs 3424 while the average amount spent per passenger affected by cancellations is Rs 370. The average amount spent per passenger affected by delays is Rs 90.
Featured Image: Times Of India

created: November 19, 2016


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Complaints regarding shortage of passenger amenities in railways more than doubled between 2015-16 and 2017-18
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 16, 2021
The parliamentary standing committee on railways recently looked at the issue of passenger amenities and recommended various corrective measures. Data shared by the government indicates that the number of complaints regarding the shortage of passenger amenities in railways more than doubled between 2015-16 & 2017-18.
The Standing Committee on Railways submitted its report on ‘Passenger Amenities including Modernisation of Railway Stations’ in February 2021. Modernization or up-gradation of railway stations has been undertaken under various schemes such as Model Station Scheme, Modern Station Scheme and Adarsh Station Scheme. The Model Station Scheme was in existence from June 1999 to November 2008. The Modern Station Scheme was launched in 2006-07 and remained functional up to 2007-08. In the year 2009, the Adarsh Station Scheme was launched and recently, stations are being upgraded under this scheme.
Categorization of Railway Stations
The Railways classifies railway stations into various categories for prioritizing the provisioning of passenger amenities. The standing committee report elaborates that the categorization of railway stations is reviewed every five years. In 2012, for providing the amenities in an objective manner, stations on Indian Railways were classified into seven categories based on the annual passenger earnings of 2011-12 from passenger traffic at the stations. The classification is given in the table below.
In 2017-18, Railways classified stations further based on;
Stations were thus clubbed into 3 groups i.e. (i) Non-Suburban Grade (NSG), (ii) Suburban Grade (SG), and (iii) Halt Grade (HG). Passenger amenities at stations are provided in accordance with the category of each station. The scale of amenities provided at each category of stations have been notified and is also placed on the Indian Railways’ Website.
The Standing Committee, in its 2013 report, recommended that Railways should also consider the following parameters for deciding the relative importance of stations:
The present Committee report noted that this recommendation has not been incorporated by the Railways.
What is the status of Passenger Amenities?
Passenger amenities are provided at the time of construction of new railway stations based on the anticipated volume of traffic. These amenities are further augmented from time to time with growth in passenger traffic handled at stations, based on the felt need, expectations of the traveling public, and availability of funds, as described in the Committee Report.
According to the Committee Report, the passenger amenities have been classified into three categories viz.
On-board minimum amenities include internal fittings such as lighting, fan, comfortable seats and toilets and external fittings like display board, reservation charts, etc.
The Comptroller & Auditor General (C&AG) in their Report (No. 13 of 2016 – Union Railways Compliance Audit) revealed that out of 436 stations, drinking water taps were not provided at 86 stations as per the norms prescribed by the Railway Board in its instructions of September 2012. At several stations, water taps were found choked and appeared very shabby. Water taps at suitable locations to serve passengers of General and 2nd class were not provided at 28 stations of the ‘D’ category; 39 stations of the ‘E’ category and 37 stations of the ‘F’ category. In response to this, the Ministry informed the Committee that Minimum Essential Amenities (MEA) have been revised and fresh guidelines have been issued in April 2018. Water taps are being provided at stations as per norms and deficiencies are being rectified as and when noticed, as per the response of the government.
Apart from drinking water facilities, the audit report also highlighted that Foot Over Bridge (FOB) of prescribed size had not been provided at several stations, platform shelters were not provided as per norms at various stations including shade trees at F category stations, and deficiencies were noticed in providing desirable amenities at various categories, viz. cloakrooms, enquiry counter, provisions of urinals, water coolers, lighting arrangements, ATMs, Train Coach Indicator System, etc.
Underutilisation of funds for passenger amenities
The Committee report details the budget allocated for passenger amenities for the last five years. These numbers are indicated in the chart below.
Hence, the funds earmarked for passenger amenities were underutilized by: 16.3% in 2014-15, 38.2% in 2015-16, 4.3% in 2018-19 and 44.4% in 2019-20.
The Committee recommended that the Railways prepare a realistic budget so that financial and physical targets are optimally achieved.  The Committee also observed that Railways has not been able to utilize funds from Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLAD) and funds provided by Indian Oil Corporation Limited as an initiative under its corporate social responsibility activities. These funds are provided for the installation of amenities at railway stations. The Committee observed that a robust monitoring mechanism for ensuring maintenance and upkeep of assets created for passenger facilities is absent.  This has led to a regular breakdown of such assets and caused inconveniences to passengers.
A Lok Sabha answer from March 2018 highlights the zone-wise number of complaints regarding the shortage of passenger amenities.
The zone-wise number of complaints have steadily risen over the last few years. In terms of overall numbers, the number of complaints regarding the shortage of passenger amenities have more than doubled from 2015-16 to 2017-18.
Another Lok Sabha answer from 2017 highlights the constitution of the Passenger Amenities Committee (PAC), a statutory Organization body under the Ministry of Railways, Government of India. The PAC conducts regular inspections of railway stations. The committee also conducts meetings with field officers to discuss the areas of concern and provides recommendations. According to this Lok Sabha answer, a Passenger Amenities Committee was constituted in March 2016.  It inspected 136 stations along with trains in 26 inspections during the period from March 2016 to November 2016.
Specific Recommendations made by the Committee
The committee recommended an increased number of water taps at stations, improvement in the level of cleanliness, more mobile charging points in coaches, need to remove encroachments, need to improve the number of general coaches in trains, improvement of parking areas, etc. for the convenience of the passengers. The suggestions are referred to concerned Zonal Railways for taking corrective action on an urgent basis. The answer notes that the works on recommendations of the Passenger Amenities Committee are undertaken depending upon feasibility, need, and inter-state priority subject to availability of funds. Reportedly, the PAC conducts regular inspections throughout the railway network and provides timely recommendations to the department.
Featured Image: Shortage of passenger amenities in railways


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Complaints to Banking Ombudsman increased by 40% in 3 years
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 29, 2017
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently amended the Banking Ombudsman Scheme to include complaints relating to Misselling, Mobile/Electronic Banking. This is set to increase number of complaints to the Ombudsman. As per data shared by the government about 47 banks in the Lok Sabha, the number of complaints to the Banking Ombudsman increased by over 40% from 2013-14 to 2015-16.
The number of complaints to the Banking Ombudsman against these 47 banks have increased continuously from 65788 complaints in 2013-14 to 91966 in 2015-16. The number of complaints increased by about 13% in 2014-15 and by about 23% in 2015-16. In these 3 years, the number of complaints increased by 40%.  The number of complaints in the first four months of 2016-17 is already more than 34000. It has to be noted that the Ombudsman data for any year follows the July to June cycle unlike the cycle for a financial year.
More than 70% of all the complaints received by the Banking Ombudsman in 2015-16 were against the public sector banks. Complaints were received against a total of 27 public sector banks in 2015-16. Though majority of the complaints are against the public sector banks, the number of complaints against them have increased by only 35% in the 3-year period from 2013-14 to 2015-16 compared to over 58% increase against private banks. Complaints were received against a total of 21 private banks in 2015-16. Complaints against private banks have increased by over 42% in 2015-16 compared to less than 20% increase against the public sector banks.
SBI, ICICI, HDFC, PNB & Axis Bank together account for more than 50% of all the complaints filed with the Banking Ombudsman. The top 10 banks in terms of complaints received are more or less the ones with the highest revenue, in that order. The top 10 banks together account for more than 70% of the complaints. There are 3 private banks in the list of top 10 banks in terms of complaints received.  In 2015-16, more than 1000 complaints each were received against sixteen (16) banks and less than 100 complaints each were received against 7 banks.
The disposal rate of these complaints is above 90% in each of these years. The number of pending complaints at the end of 2015-16 was 5192 while more than 90000 complaints were disposed in that year. In 2016-17 (up to October), more than 13000 complaints were pending and only 26000 were disposed. While the disposal rate is healthy, the timelines within which these complaints were disposed is not available making it difficult to analyse if the complaints are being disposed within a short time.
Featured Image: Complaints to Banking Ombudsman