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These websites offering scratch cards in the name of private companies/GOI are fraudulent - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 8, 2024
Update (08 January 2024):
Another Facebook post carrying a website link is being widely shared claiming that the Government of India is offering a free Paytm scratch card worth up to ₹2,000. Let’s check the veracity of the post.
Firstly, we searched to determine if the Government of India had launched any such scratch card scheme but found no evidence to support this. Subsequently, upon accessing the link mentioned in the Facebook post, we discovered that it redirects to a malicious third-party website. After scratching the scratch card, it was found that the user was redirected to the Paytm app, which then requested payment from the user to the scammer. In the past, the police department, payment apps such as Paytm and PhonePe, and the Press Information Bureau (PIB) have issued warnings about such scams, advising users to refrain from opening such links to avoid financial loss.
Update (29 December 2022):
Another website link is being widely shared claiming that Reliance is offering a free Paytm scratch card worth up to ₹10,000. Let’s check the veracity of website link.
No such announcement is made by Reliance company. Upon clicking the scratch card, user is redirected to Paytm Payment page where the user is asked to transfer ₹ 4,441 to a fraudster. Also, Paytm warns its customers to be aware of these kinds of phishing scams. It is strictly advised not to click any unauthorised links to receive or send money, as it may cause money loss.
Update (21 December 2022):
Another website link is being widely shared claiming that TATA company is offering a free Paytm scratch card worth ₹2999. Let’s check the veracity of website link.
No such announcement is made by TATA company. Upon clicking the scratch card, user will be redirected to Paytm Payment page where the user is asked to transfer ₹2,999 to  fraudster.  Also, Paytm warns its customers to be aware of these kinds of Phishing Scams. It is strictly advised not to click any unauthorised links to receive or send money, as it may cause money loss.
Update (20 December 2022):
Another website link is being widely shared online offering Paytm scratch card. Let’s verify the veracity of website link.
Claim: Website offering Paytm cash back through scratch coupons.
Fact: This is a fraudulent website created by copying Paytm’s User Interface. Paytm warns its users not to click any unauthorised links as it may cause loss of money to the user.
Though the website’s interface is similar to that of Paytm, the URL, clickandgrow.co.in, indicates that it is trying to dupe the users by copying the Paytm’s Users Interface. Paytm’s URL is paytm.com. Also, Paytm warns its customers to be aware of these kinds of Phishing Scams. It is strictly advised not to click any unauthorised links to receive or send money, as it may cause money loss.
To demonstrate this kind of scam, we clicked on the scratch card, and it instantly redirected to payment page in Paytm app. The message from the other person says, ‘Transfer to your bank’. But, if one observes carefully, ‘You (user) are paying’ ₹949 to the fraudster. Hence, the link shared in the post is fraudulent.
Published (18 January 2022):
A social media post that shares a website link offering scratch card coupons of PhonePe is being widely circulated. Let’s fact-check the veracity of the viral website link.
Claim: Website offering PhonePe cash back through scratch coupouns.
Fact: This is a fraudulent website. PhonePe has warned users about such fraudulent websites offering cash backs and scratch cards. It asked the users to refrain from clicking such links. Earlier, the police have also warned citizens of such websites which lead to financial frauds. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The user interface of the viral link also resembles the interface of the scratch coupons section of PhonePe. However, this is not the original PhonePe web address. The purported website link ‘phoneqe.com.get-creadit.xyz/home’ tries to mimic the popular Indian digital payment processor Phonepe.com. Moreover, the viral URL is registered only in December 2021, with the domain name get-credit.xyz. All these establish the fact that it’s a fraudulent website.
Google search with relevant keywords led us to PhonePe’s cautionary message to users warning about the fraudulent links offering cashback rewards. The message advises users of similar social media posts sharing fraudulent links offering cash backs and scratch cards.
Further, Thane Police have warned people against fraudulent website links offering cashback rewards in the name of PhonePe earlier in April 2021.
सावधान ! कॅशबॅक रिवॉर्डच्या फोनकॉल्सबाबत सावधान !! #StaySafe #StayAlert pic.twitter.com/m22NqDwfIi
Moreover, it is noteworthy to mention that PhonePe offers its financial services only through its mobile app and not through its website.
To sum it up, this website offering PhonePe scratch cards is fraudulent.

created: January 8, 2024


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This website selling blood vessel cleaning drug in the name of a German doctor is Fraudulent - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 20, 2023
A social media post which shares an interview transcript of German Cardiologist Dr. Thomas D. Walker is being widely shared. Through this interview, Dr. Walker roots for a blood vessel cleaning drug named ST Heart. In this interview Dr. Walker, a centenarian, credits clean blood vessels for his longevity. This article promotes a blood vessel cleaning drug called ST Heart and provides online sale of this drug. Through this article let’s fact-check the veracity of this claim.
Claim: Website promoting sale of blood vessel cleaning drug ‘ST Heart’.
Fact: This website promoting the sale of the blood cleaning drug is dubious. There is no credible information about the purported award-winning doctor Walker. There is no information about such drug approved by the nodal drug regulating authority of India. The same information is doing rounds on the internet, advertising different drugs, using names of different fake doctors.   Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The viral message appears to be a hoax, as it contains dubious information. Firstly, the viral message wrongly attributes the image of American businessman Warren Buffett to the purported award-winning German doctor, named Walker.
Secondly, the viral message is attributed to award-winning German Cardiologist, Dr. Thomas D. Walker. However, we could not find any credible information about any such award-winning German doctor.
Moreover, the website also appears to be fraudulent. Scamadviser , an online tool, to check whether a website is legitimate or a possible scam, also rated ‘astoklon.com’ as suspicious one.
As per the analysis, this domain was registered just a month ago and the website’s owner is hiding his identity on WHOIS using a paid service.
Further, we could not find any credible information about this viral drug ST Heart being approved by the Indian drug regulatory authority (DCGI & CDSCO).
Earlier, the same information is circulated in the name of different alleged doctors and advertising different drugs (here & here).
One such interview content, shared advertising another alleged blood vessel cleaning drug called ‘Heart Keep’. This drug was also advertised using the identity of the same purported doctor Walker. However, this time around the website attributed the image of Russian-American journalist Vladimir Pozner Jr, to the purported Dr. Walker.
We could not find any credible information about this drug either. This further ascertains that the viral message, doing rounds on internet advertising different drugs, is dubious.
FACTLY, advises readers to be cautious about such fraudulent websites and to double check with authentic sources.
To sum it up, this website selling blood vessel cleaning drugs in the name of a German doctor is Fraudulent.

source: news-factly

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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This WhatsApp message asking people to clear their pending electricity bills is a fraudulent one - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 25, 2022
A WhatsApp message stating, “Dear Consumer Your Electricity power will be disconnected. Tonight at 9:30 pm from electricity office because your previous month bill was not update. Please immediately contact with our electricity officer 9339504201 thank you”, is being widely sent to the residents of different cities in the country. The message asks people to clear all their pending electricity bills by contacting an unknown number or else their power supply would be disconnected. A screenshot of this message was sent to our WhatsApp Tipline (+91 92470 52470) number to check the authenticity of the message. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: A WhatsApp message asking people to pay their pending electricity bills, warns them of power disconnection to their houses.
Fact: The viral message circulating on social media is a fraudulent one. The Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TSSPDCL) and several other state power distribution companies issued a clarification confirming that the message is fake. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether electricity distribution companies  send such warning messages to customers, we found a tweet made by the Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TSSPDCL) regarding a similar viral message circulating on WhatsApp. Confirming the message as fake, TSSPDCL tweeted, “Dear Consumer, TSSPDCL will never send any website links for bill payments. Be aware of fraudulent calls or messages related to electricity bill payment. Please don’t share Bank A/c details & OTP to others. We recommend u to use TSSPDCL Mobile app & Website for bill payments”. Also, one could easily spot spelling and grammatical errors in the message.
Dear Consumer,
TSSPDCL will never send any website links for bill payments. Be aware of fraudulent calls or messages related to electricity bill payment. Please don't share Bank A/c details & OTP to others. We recommend u to use TSSPDCL Mobile app & Website for bill payments. pic.twitter.com/DENXpSgLHZ
According to an article published by ‘The Tribune’, similar fraudulent messages were circulated to the residents of almost 22 cities in the country. Speaking to ‘The Tribune’ regarding this viral message, the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited Deputy Chief Engineer said, “The Electricity Department never sends SMS or WhatsApp messages regarding pending bills. A public advisory in this regard has been issued and we have warned the consumers not to make calls on the given numbers as it’s not related to any officer of the electricity wing”. The Madhya Gujarat Vij Company Limited had also published a Facebook post and clarified that the viral message is fake.
Reporting the clarifications issued by different power corporations, several news websites published articles in August 2022. They can be seen here, here and here.
To sum it up, this WhatsApp message asking people to clear their pending electricity bills by contacting a number is a fraudulent one.


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This Wikileaks list disclosing BJP politicians black money stash in Swiss bank is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 6, 2021
A screenshot of a list published in a Hindi Journal is being shared on social media claiming that the UK-based Wikileaks had disclosed the list of BJP and RSS leaders who have stashed their black money in the Swiss bank. This journal listed the amounts stashed by several prominent BJP leaders like Amit Shah, Smriti Irani, Mohan Bhagwat, and Indian business tycoons Mukesh Ambani and Goutham Adani. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Wikileaks disclosed the list of Black money holders in BJP and RSS.
Fact: WikiLeaks had never published the list of Indians who stashed their money in Swiss banks. In 2011, Wikileaks through a tweet clarified that they had not disclosed the black money details of any individual Indian politician. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
This news about WikiLeaks publishing the list of Indian black money holders in Swiss bank is circulating on social media at least since 2011. This list of Black money holders in BJP and RSS is circulating on social media at least since 2019. They can be seen here and here. This list was reportedly published by a Hindi Journal named ‘Kameri Duniya’.
On searching the WikiLeaks.org website regarding this list of Indian black money holders in Swiss banks, we could not find any relevant information about this list on this website. In 2011, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said that black money to Swiss banks mainly comes from India.
But the organization never published any list of Indians who stashed their black money in Swiss banks. WikiLeaks through their official Facebook and Twitter posts in 2011 clarified that the lists being circulated on social media are fake and denied releasing any such list.
WARNING: WikiLeaks and Indian black money: The following is a FAKE  image and never appeared on WikiLeaks http://t.co/Dwbpc3P
Earlier, when a similar list of Indian politicians was shared as WikiLeaks list of black money holders in the Swiss banks, FACTLY published a fact-check article debunking that claim.
To sum it up, this Wikileaks list disclosing the names of BJP politicians who stashed black money in the Swiss bank is a fake one.

created: December 6, 2021


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This woman being assaulted by lawyers in Pakistan is not a ‘Hindu’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 16, 2019
A post with a video is being widely shared on Facebook claiming that it shows a woman in Pakistan being attacked as she was a ‘Hindu’. Let’s analyze the authenticity of the claim in the post.
Video of a ‘Hindu’ woman being assaulted in Pakistan.
Fact: The woman in the video is Amrat Shahzadi D/o Mohammed Suleman Ansari. She was attacked by the Advocates Yasir Khan, Waseem Latif and Asif Sultan. So, the woman is a ‘Muslim’ and she wasn’t attacked on the basis of her ‘religion’. Hence, the claim is FALSE.
When searched on Google with the text ‘Woman beaten up by lawyers in Pakistan’, an article of ‘Geo Tv’ with the stills seen in the video was obtained. As per the article, the incident occurred outside Shakargarh court after a brawl between a group of lawyers and Amrat, the woman who had come for an appearance at the court hearing.
When searched on Twitter to find information regarding the incident, a tweet by Tahir Imran Mian, a journalist with ‘BBC Urdu’ was found. The tweet had an image of FIR copy of that incident and as per the FIR copy, Advocates Yasir Khan, Waseem Latif and Asif Sultan have dragged Amrat Shahzadi D/o Mohammed Suleman Ansari from the chamber of Advocate Md. Atif to the road and have attacked her. So, it was found that the woman is a ‘Muslim’ and she wasn’t attacked on the basis of her ‘religion’.
This is lawyer who was seen on video kicking a woman In Shakargarh. pic.twitter.com/N8oivB6vHO
To conclude, in the video, the woman assaulted by lawyers is nota ‘Hindu’.
Did you watch our new Episode of the DECODE series?

created: December 16, 2019


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This wooden building is the Sanctuary of Truth Museum located in Thailand, not a temple in Madhya Pradesh - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 22, 2022
A social media post containing a video claims that the visuals shown in the video are of an under-construction temple located in Madhya Pradesh’s Anuppur district. Let’s verify this post through this article.
Claim: Visuals of a temple located in Madhya Pradesh’s Anuppur district completely built using teak wood.
Fact: Visuals of the building shown in the video belong to the Sanctuary of Truth Museum  located in Thailand. There is no credible information about a similar temple being constructed in Madhya Pradesh’s Anuppur district using teak wood . Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Searching on the internet with relevant keywords led us to a YouTube video, which is the same as in the viral post. The video is  titled ‘Hindu temple constructed entirely with *teak wood* in Thailand, height being 345 feet.’ With this clue, we looked for further information and found that this building is located in Thailand and is called the Sanctuary of Truth museum. The pillar, which is seen in the viral post, matches with the pictures posted on Google Maps. The same pillar can also be seen in this travel vlog (14:04 timestamp) posted by a YouTuber named Travel Guru.
According to their official website, the Sanctuary of Truth is the largest wooden castle in the world and has been under construction since 1981.
We searched the internet to see if any Hindu temple is being built in Madhyapradesh’s Anuppur District completely with teak wood, but we could not find any relevant information.
To sum it up, video of the Sanctuary of Truth Museum located in Thailand is shared as visuals of a temple located in Madhya Pradesh’s Anuppur district..

created: September 22, 2022


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This work-from-home Dona Pattal packing job offering a salary of Rs. 30,000 is dubious - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 9, 2023
A post offering work-from-home Dona Pattal (plastic plates) packing jobs with a salary of Rs. 30,000 per month is being widely shared on social media. Sharing a video showing the manufacturing process of plastic plates, the post asks interested people to contact a mobile number which is displayed in the video. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: A social media post offering work-from-home Dona Pattal packing jobs with a salary of Rs. 30,000.
Fact: The work-from-home job related to Dona pattal packing, mentioned in the post, is a dubious one. There is no official website or registered company associated with the individual whose contact number was provided in the post. Earlier, similar fake posts allured people to register for work-from-home pen packing jobs in the Nataraj company, for which the organization had to issue a clarification stating these posts as fraudulent. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
Upon reaching out to the mobile number displayed on the video to gather more details about these work-from-home jobs related to Dona Pattal packing, the individual claimed to operate a Dona Pattal packing enterprise in Jaipur. The individual says that he employs people from different states for the manufacturing of Dona Pattal by facilitating the required manufacturing equipment. He says that registered employees can manufacture Dona Pattal free of cost that too by working from home.
The entrepreneur advertising this Dona Pattal packing job is asking interested job aspirants to make an advance payment of Rs. 650 as part of the application process. He assures a refund of Rs. 600 upon successful approval of the license for employment. When we asked about the official website and the registration details of his company, the individual sent the manufacturing videos, pictures of an Aadhar card copy, and a few pictures of warehouses. The details provided on the Aadhar card states the person’s name as Vinod Sharma and says he is from Sant Ravidas Nagar in Uttar Pradesh.
On reverse image search of the images shared by this individual, we found that these photos show unrelated warehouses in the United States of America. The individual did not provide any further information related to the official website or the registration details of his company.
Earlier, when similar fake posts allured people to register for the work-from-home pen packing jobs of Nataraj pencils/pens, Factly published a fact-check article debunking those posts.
To sum it up, this work-from-home dona pattal packing job offering a salary of Rs. 30000 is a dubious one.

created: August 9, 2023


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This year’s Winter Session to be the shortest in 20 years
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 29, 2017
As the ruling party & opposition spar over convening the winter session of parliament, the proposed 14 sittings during the upcoming winter session is the shortest in the last 20 years.
After a lot of accusations & counter accusations about holding the winter session of parliament, the session for the year 2017 has finally been summoned.  This year’s winter session will begin on 15th December 2017 and end on 05th January 2018.  As per the provisional calendar uploaded on the Lok Sabha website, there will be 14 sittings during the proposed winter session. Data available on the Rajya Sabha website indicates that 14 sittings is the lowest for any winter session since 1999.
2017 will see the lowest number of sittings during Winter Session since 1999
Data available on the Rajya Sabha website indicates that the 14 sittings proposed during the upcoming winter session is the lowest since 1999, the year from which the data is available on the website. Next in the list is the year 1999 during the first NDA regime when only 15 sittings were held. In the rest of the 4 years during NDA-1, the parliament convened for at least 20 sittings during winter session every year. During UPA-1, the number of sittings was less than 20 in 2004, 2007 and 2008. During UPA-2, the number of sittings during the winter session was 24 in each of the years 2009, 2010 and 2011. The year 2012 was the only occasion during UPA-2 when the number of sittings was less than 20. During NDA-2, the number of sittings during the winter session was at least 20 in each of the first 3 years (2014, 2015 & 2016).The average number of sittings during the winter session was the same during both NDA-1 and the two terms of UPA.  The average during NDA-1 and 10-year UPA regime was both 21 sittings per session.  During NDA-2, it dropped to an average of 19 sittings per session mainly on account of 14 sittings proposed during the upcoming session. The average during the first five years of UPA was only 19 which increased to 23 during their second term.
Budget Session – Average number of sittings during NDA-1 was highest
If the number of sittings during the budget session are taken into account, NDA-1 was better than both UPA and NDA-2. During the first NDA government, average number of sittings during the budget session was 37 which was down to 34 during the UPA regime. During the first 3 years of the NDA-2 regime, the average number of sittings during the budget session is 32. It has to be noted that the election years (2004,2009 & 2014) were excluded from this analysis since the budget sessions are usually shorter during an election year because of vote-on-account budget. As far as number of sittings during monsoon session are concerned, the NDA-1 was best with an average of 24 sittings per session. During UPA’s term, the it was down to 21 sittings per session on average. The average during the current government is also at 21 sittings per session for the monsoon session.

created: November 29, 2017


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Thomas Friedman’s reference to growing competence of Indians is exaggerated in this post - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 7, 2021
A social media post attributing a couple of quotes to American political commentator and author Thomas L Friedman’s article in the New York Times is being shared widely on social media. The quotes describe the transition of India over the years. One of the quotes goes like ‘Finish your homework. Think of children .in India, who would become CEOs and make you starve, if you don’t’. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: ‘Finish your homework. Think of children in India, who would become CEOs and make you starve, if you don’t’  – Thomas Friedman.
Fact: It is true that Friedman commented about India’s poverty earlier. In this regard Friedman wrote in his book ‘when I was growing up, my parents used to say to me, Tom, finish your dinner, people in China and India are starving’. In the very same book in the context of describing what his advice would be to his daughters in the light of globalisation and growing competition from Indians and Chinese, Friedman wrote ‘Girls, finish your homework, people in China and India are starving for your jobs’. This reference of Friedman is exaggerated and shared as ‘Indian children would become CEO’s and make Americans starve.’ Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
In an article titled ‘Doing our Homework’ penned by Thomas L Friedman for New York Times back in 2004, he wrote ‘when I was growing up, my parents used to say to me: Finish your dinner people in China are starving. I, by contrast, find myself wanting to say to my daughters: Finish your homework people in China and India are starving for your job.’ . Even in his 2005 article for New York Times regarding his book mentioned above, Friedman used China’s reference but not India’s.
Thomas L Friedman authored a book titled ‘The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century’ in 2005. However, in this book in the context of describing what his advice would be to his daughters in the light of globalization and growing competition from Indians and Chinese, Friedman wrote ‘Girls, when I was growing up, my parents used to say to me, Tom, finish your dinner people in China and India are starving. My advice to you is : Girls, finish your homework, people in China and India are starving for your jobs’.
From his book, it is evident that Friedman’s reference in the context of growing competence of Indians for American jobs is exaggerated and shared as ‘Indian children would become CEO’s and make Americans starve.’
Further, there have been many instances when Friedman commented on India on various aspects ranging from economy to democracy. However, he did not make any such comments as claimed in the post.
To sum it up, Thomas Friedman’s reference to growing competence of  Indians is exaggerated in this post.

created: December 7, 2021


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Though Some Medications Interact with Grapes, No Evidence Suggests It Causes Death - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 11, 2023
A post is being widely shared on social media claiming that eating grapes (Vitis Vinifera) after taking medicine can cause death. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Eating grapes after taking medicine leads to death.
Fact: While it’s true that certain medicines can have minor to moderate interactions when consumed with grapes or grape-derived products, there is no established scientific evidence to validate the claim that eating grapes after taking medication can result in death. Therefore, the claim made in the post is deemed MISLEADING.
Renowned health authorities such as New Zealand’s Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority and WebMD acknowledge that certain foods and fruits, including oranges, pomelos, pomegranates, cranberries, grapes, apples, and grapefruit, can interact with certain medications, potentially inducing side effects.
Specifically, medications metabolized by the liver or those that inhibit blood clotting may experience minor to moderate interactions when consumed with whole grapes, grape juice, or grape pulp. This interaction stems from the possibility that grapes might alter the speed at which the liver metabolizes these medications, consequently modifying their effects and potential side effects. Additionally, the grape extract could potentially decelerate blood clotting. Therefore, consuming grape extract alongside medications that also slow blood clotting might heighten the risk of bruising and bleeding.
Despite these interactions, there is no established research affirming that consuming grapes post-medication would lead to fatal outcomes. This claim has been consistently dismissed as baseless by numerous medical experts. Nevertheless, as per US FDA, Harvard Medical School, and the National Health Service, there is a notable interaction between several medications and grapefruit (or its juice, extract, or pulp). It’s important to distinguish grapefruit (Citrus × paradisi) from grapes (Vitis vinifera), as they belong to different botanical families.
Grapefruit juice can delay, decrease, or enhance the absorption of certain drugs. It can interfere with the enzymes that metabolize some drugs in the digestive system, resulting in a higher concentration of the drug in the body. This can potentially lead to dangerously high drug levels, causing serious side effects. Additionally, grapefruit can interfere with transporters in the intestines that aid drug absorption, reducing the amount of drug absorbed and potentially diminishing the medication’s efficacy.
For this reason, it’s crucial always to check the medication’s label and consult with a doctor or pharmacist to understand the potential interactions of the medicines with food items. Being cautious and well-informed can help avoid any unwanted side effects.
In conclusion, there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that consuming grapes after administering medication can result in fatal outcomes.


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Three Kerala cities in EIU’s fastest-growing cities list – What does this mean?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 22, 2020
The Economist released a list of top-ten fastest growing cities around the world. Three cities from Kerala have featured in the top-ten list – Malappuram, Kozhikode and Kollam. Two broad perspectives have emerged after this announcement. What are those perspectives & where do the numbers come from? Here is a deep dive.
In a recent post, the Economist released a list of top-ten fastest growing cities around the world according to a chart prepared by Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Three cities from Kerala have featured in the top-ten list – Malappuram (1st position), Kozhikode (4th position) and Kollam (10th position). The EIU survey also features Thrissur (13th position), Surat (27th position) and Tirupur (30th position). The total percentage change in the population of each city, based on a 2015-20 forecast, has been outlined in the chart released by EIU. In light of these intriguing numbers, two major perspectives have emerged. While some are lauding this as remarkable growth of smaller cities, others are attributing this growth to increase in the Muslim population in North Kerala.
In light of these perspectives, the purpose of this article is three-fold.
Where do these numbers come from?
Thefindings of the EIU survey were juxtaposed with UN Population Division’s database and publications, as the EIU surveymentions UN Population Division as its source. The Population Division of theUN Secretariat’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs provides analysis ofpopulation trends based on all three components of population change –fertility, mortality and migration. In preparing estimates and projections ofthe urban population, the United Nations relies on data from national sourcessuch as Census and other additional national datasets and reports.
In the World Urbanisation Prospectus 2018, of the UN Population Division, a list of fastest-growing urban agglomerations in 1990-2018 and 2018-2030 has been published, based on population size and average annual rate of change. Four cities from India have featured in the list – Malappuram (4th position), Kollam (18th position), Thrissur (23rd position) and Surat (25th position).
Beforemoving forward, let’s take a look at these frequently used terminologies:
The Geographical Expansion of Urban Agglomerations
In line with UN Population Division’s methodology, the Census 2001 and Census 2011 database is used to track changes in the population and demographic composition of these cities. It is important to note that in the state of Kerala, 13 Urban Agglomerations of 2001 Census continue in 2011 Census also, but with jurisdictional changes as a result of the addition of a number of census towns. These 13 Urban Agglomerations include Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kollam & Thrissur with high numbers of additions in the number of census towns for each of these Urban Agglomerations.
Therefore, it can be established that the geographical expansion of the above-mentioned urban agglomerations has an important role to play in the population growth recorded between 2001 and 2011 Census. This partly explains why the overall change in urban population as noted below, stands particularly high (highest for Malappuram, followed by others). To understand this growth further, each city’s profile has been explained and to understand if there has been any change in the demographic composition. Further, religion-wise population in urban and rural parts of these districts has been compared between Census 2001 and 2011. The primary focus is on two major religious communities – Hindu and Muslims – in order to critically analyse the claims of Muslim population growth in urban areas of North Kerala cities.
Theprofile of Malappuram reveals that while the change in the district’s urbanpopulation is high, the overall change in the district’s population (rural andurban combined) remains low. Both Hindu and Muslim populations have moved outof rural areas and their populations in urban areas have increased manifold(more so for Muslims as compared to Hindus). The demographic composition ofurban Malappuram, in terms of religious composition, has not seen a significantchange between 2001 and 2011, though there is a marginal increase in the shareof Muslims.
Theprofile of Kollam shows that the district’s population (rural and urbancombined) has remained almost stable over the decade (between 2001 and 2011)with a growth of merely 1.94%. Although the change in the district’s urbanpopulation is significant, we can see that both Hindu and Muslim populationshave moved out of rural areas and their populations in urban areas haveincreased manifold (more so for Muslims as compared to Hindus). The demographiccomposition of urban Kollam, in terms of religious composition, has not seen asignificant change between 2001 and 2011. In fact, the share of both Hindus& Muslims has increased in Urban Kollam.
Theprofile of Kozhikode reveals that while the change in the district’s urbanpopulation is relatively high, the overall change in the district’s population(rural and urban combined) remains low. Both Hindu and Muslim populations havemoved out of rural areas and their populations in urban areas have increasedmanifold (more so for Hindus as compared to Muslims). The demographiccomposition of urban Kozhikode, in terms of religious composition, has not seena significant change between 2001 and 2011, with a marginal increase in theshare of Hindus.
Theprofile of Thrissur shows that while the change in the district’s urbanpopulation is relatively high like in the case of other cities in Kerala, theoverall change in the district’s population (rural and urban combined) remainslow. Both Hindu and Muslim populations have moved out of rural areas and theirpopulations in urban areas have increased manifold (more so for Muslims ascompared to Hindus). The demographic composition of urban Thrissur has seen ashift in terms of an increased share of Muslim population (from 11.67% to17.73%), while the share of Hindu population remained almost the same between2001 and 2011.
Theprofile of Surat shows that while the change in the district’s urban populationis high, the overall change in the district’s population (rural and urbancombined) is relatively low. In terms of decline in rural population, Hindusdisplay a comparatively higher decline as compared to Muslims. There is nosignificant decline in Muslim populations in rural area, however, thepopulation of both communities has increased in urban areas. The demographiccomposition of urban Surat, in terms of religious composition, has not seen asignificant change between 2001 and 2011.
What does all this mean for the Bigger Picture of Urbanisation in these
places?
First,the district profiles help us understand the rural-urban dynamics that hastaken shape between Census 2001 and 2011. With rural areas facing a decline inpopulation and urban areas witnessing a sharp rise, the overall population ofdistricts has not registered an unprecedented growth.
Second,there has been no significant statistical change in the demographic compositionof urban areas with respect to Hindu and Muslim populations – in most cases,except for Thrissur, where the share of Muslims increased by around 6%.
Third, in a nutshell, the growth in the urban population of Kerala’s featured cities in the EIU list between Census 2001 and 2011 is a result of geographical expansion and the urban migration from within the district and outside. It cannot be attributed to a growth in the Muslim population.

created: January 22, 2020


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Three out of the four images in the post are related to a luxury hotel ‘The Lalit Grand Palace Srinagar’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 12, 2019
A post with four images of bungalows is being shared on Facebook with the claim that they are the residences of Jammu & Kashmir leaders – Gulam Nabi Azad, Omar Abdullah, Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti. Also, a reference to that post was given to Ajit Doval.  Let’s check the authenticity of those images
Images of bungalows of Jammu & Kashmir leaders – Gulam Nabi Azad, Omar Abdullah, Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti.
Fact: Three out of those four images in the post are related to a luxury hotel ‘The Lalit Grand Palace Srinagar’. So, the claim is FALSE.
Image 1:
When the image is subjected to the Google Reverse Image Search technique, search results were obtained about a luxury hotel ‘The Lalit Grand Palace Srinagar’. The image with a similar building/view can be seen in this Google photo of the hotel.
Image 2:
When the image is subjected to the Google Reverse Image Search technique, search results were obtained about a luxury hotel ‘The Lalit Grand Palace Srinagar’. The image with similar a building can be seen in this Google photo of ‘The Lalit Grand Palace Srinagar’.
Image 3:
When the image is subjected to the Google Reverse Image Search technique, the same image was found in the article of ‘Kashmir Life’ published in November 2014. The description of the image had the text ‘Omar in his Gupkar house’. An article of ‘India Tv’ also quoted it as the residency of Omar Abdullah at Gupkar road.
Image 4:
When the image is subjected to the Google Reverse Image Search technique, the same image was found as that of ‘The Lalit Grand Palace Srinagar’ on a travel website ‘TripAdvisor’ and it can be seen here.
Also, in the post, a reference was given to Ajit Doval. When searched, a similar post was shared by a Facebook page ‘Ajit Doval’ was found. Earlier, when FACTLY contacted the Prime Minister Office, we were told that National Security Advisor Ajit Doval doesn’t have any social media accounts. So, that post was not shared by Ajit Doval.
To conclude, three out of the four images in the post are that of a luxury hotel ‘The Lalit Grand Palace Srinagar’.
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created: November 12, 2019


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Three states get 69% of the Houses sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) so far - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 19, 2016
The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) has replaced the Rajiv Gandhi Awas Yojana for building affordable housing to the urban poor after the NDA came to power. Under the PMAY (Urban), a total of 5.07 lakh houses are sanctioned so far out of which the three states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana & West Bengal got 69%.
The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) has replaced the Rajiv Gandhi Awas Yojana after the NDA came to power. Under PMAY(Urban), government has targeted assisting construction of 2 crore houses for urban poor in 4041 urban local bodies in the country. This is part of the ‘Housing for All by 2022’ mission.
The PMAY Scheme
The PMAY seeks to address the housing requirement of urban through the following 4 different verticals
Slum Redevelopment using land as Resource: Housing would be provided to eligible slum dwellers using land as a resource with private participation. This is aimed at leveraging the locked potential of land under slums to provide houses to the eligible slum dwellers bringing them into the formal urban settlement.
Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme:  Credit linked subsidy will be provided on home loans taken by eligible urban poor for acquisition and construction of house. Beneficiaries of Economically Weaker section (EWS) and Low Income Group (LIG) seeking housing loans from Banks, Housing Finance Companies and other such institutions would be eligible for an interest subsidy at the rate of 6.5 % for tenure of 15 years.
Affordable Housing in Partnership with Public & Private sectors: The Mission will provide financial assistance to EWS houses being built with different partnerships by States/UTs/Cities. To increase availability of houses for EWS category at an affordable rate, States/UTs, either through its agencies or in partnership with private sector can plan affordable housing projects. Central Assistance at the rate of Rs. 1.5 Lakh per EWS house would be available for all EWS houses in such projects.
Subsidy for beneficiary-led individual house construction: Assistance would be provided to individual eligible families belonging to EWS categories to either construct new houses or enhance existing houses on their own, to cover the beneficiaries who are not able to take advantage of other components of the scheme. Such families can avail the central assistance of Rs. 1.5 lakh for construction of new houses.
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana & West Bengal get 69% of the Sanctioned Houses so far
Till date, a total of 5.07 lakh houses have been sanctioned under the various components of the scheme. A total of 13 states got houses sanctioned under the PMAY so far. Out of these, the three states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana & West Bengal got 69% of all the sanctioned houses.
Andhra Pradesh got the lion’s share of 38% (193,147) of all the sanctioned houses, followed by Telangana with 80481 houses and West Bengal with 74880 houses. Tamil Nadu with 34013 houses and Gujarat with 32311 houses are other states in the top five.
Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Mizoram, Odisha & Uttarakhand are the remaining eight states to have been sanctioned houses.  The least number of houses were sanctioned in Uttarakhand (484).
For the 5.07 lakh houses sanctioned so far, the central assistance will be at the rate of Rs 1.5 lakh per house, making it a total of 7519 crore rupees.
Houses for the urban poor are yet to be sanctioned in 23 other States/UTs.
Most Central Assistance released to Andhra Pradesh
Out of the sanctioned assistance, the most amount of central assistance is released to Andhra Pradesh (335 crores) followed by Madhya Pradesh (115 crore). Till date, a total of 899.46 crore rupees has been released out of the sanctioned central assistance of 7519 crore rupees.

created: February 19, 2016


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Three unrelated clips joined to falsely claim that Police are killing COVID-19 affected people in China - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 14, 2020
A video is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it shows Police killing the people affected by the COVID-19 (2019 novel Coronavirus has been named as COVID-19) in China. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Video of Police killing COVID-19 affected people in China.
Fact: The posted video was edited with three unrelated clips to falsely claim that Police with arms are killing people. The Yiwu Police have clarified that the armed Police in the video were on their duty to kill a rabid dog. And, the last clip is related to an accident. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The number ‘G1796’ can be seen on the Police car. So, when searched with the keyword – ‘G1796’ on Google, an article by ‘CGTN’ was found in the search results. In the article, the clarification given by the Yiwu Police Bureau regarding the video can be seen. The Police said – ‘At 11:37 a.m. on February 1, Yiwu Police received a report from civilians asking for help to handle a ravenous dog, which had been hurting people in Futian neighbourhood. The policemen shot the dog after evaluating the danger it imposed on humans’.
In the video, there are three different clips. The Yiwu Police have said that the first clip is relevant to them and it is not related to the other two clips show in the video. While no credible information was found about the second clip, it was found that the third clip in the video is related to a road accident in China. In a video uploaded by ‘CGTN’ on YouTube, the Wuzu Police official, showing the accident location, explains that ‘a 15-year-old Liu took his cousin on the motorcycle and due to wrong operation, the vehicle rammed into the cemented curb in the afternoon on January 29’. The statements of the Doctor and Liu’s cousin, regarding the accident, can be also watched in the video. The accident video was also fact-checked by ‘France 24’ previously.
To sum it up, three unrelated clips joined to falsely claim that Police are killing COVID-19 affected people in China.
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created: February 14, 2020


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Three year old photo falsely shared as woman securing third rank in UPSC Civil Services exam - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 29, 2020
A post congratulating Revathi from Karnataka, for acquiring third rank in Civil Services examination is being shared on social media. Sharing the photos of her parents and the situation of her house, it praises that her success will be an inspiration for many youngsters who wish to clear Civil Services Exam. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Photo of IAS third ranker Revathi from Karnataka celebrating success with her parents who are daily wage workers.
Fact: The girl shown in the photo is Mathi Revathi from Andhra Pradesh, not from Karnataka. In the photo shared in the post, she is being congratulated by her parents for being selected as a Sub-Inspector of Police (S.I.) in Andhra Pradesh in 2017. Revathi was not selected for IAS as mentioned in the post. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Photo shown in the post was shared in the past by then Member of Parliament, Kalvakuntla Kavita in 2017. Kavita in her tweet praised the girl for securing third rank in Civil Services despite being from a poor family. Gujarat Minister Bhupendra Sinha also shared the photo in his tweet, with the same context. But, there is no mention of a candidate with the name Revathi in the UPSC Civils examination 2016 results, that were announced in 2017.
Congratulations to topper Miss Revathi who got selected for I.A.S. She is an inspiration for the new generation. #Inspiration #Motivation pic.twitter.com/jVxOf0d265
On reverse searching the photo shared in the post, similar photo was found in an article published by ‘Journalismpower.com’. It is understood from the article that woman in the picture is Mathi Revathi hailing from Avanigadda District in Andhra Pradesh. Revathi was selected as a Sub Inspector of Police (S.I.) under the open category in the list announced by A.P Government in 2017. A Facebook group named ‘Mana Avanigadda’ posted these photos, sharing her success story. Also, ‘Sivaji Institute of Police’ (where Revathi got trained) shared an article that was published in Namasthe Telangana about Revathi being selected as an S.I. in Andhra Pradesh. Photos of Sivaji Institute of Police facilitating  Revathi could also be seen here.
Also, in the 2017 Andhra Pradesh S.I. selection list published in Eenadu, we could see the name, Mathi Revathi.
To sum it up, three year old selection of a woman named Mathi Revathi from Andhra Pradesh as a Sub Inspector (S.I.) is currently shared as the girl child of daily wage workers securing third rank in Civil Services (IAS).
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Tiger population in India increases by 74% in 8 years
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 30, 2019
The recently released report on the status of tigers in the country revealed that the number of tigers in India increased by 74% between 2010 and 2018 and by more than 33% between 2014 & 2018. It has to be noted that certain methodological changes may also have contributed to the increase in numbers.
In the pristine forests of the Indian sub-continent roams the majestic cat having survived the anthropogenic pressure inflicted upon it and its habitat. The Government of India recently released the fourth quadrennial report on the status of tigers in India. The results of the largest biodiversity survey carried out in the world revealed that the population of tigers has increased. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in collaboration with the State Forest Departments, Conservation NGOs and Wildlife Institute of India conducts this survey every four years. This study is significant since it helps in identifying the areas that have been successful in conservation efforts and those which need to be focused on while drafting policies. In this story, we look at the population of tigers in India and how the numbers have changed over the years.
The Survey Methodology has changed in 2018
As per the information provided in the report, the estimation of tiger population has been carried out in three phases. The first phase involved data collection of different components such as carnivore sign encounters, tiger prey abundance, vegetation, human interference and dung counts. This data was collected digitally in an application M-STrIPES. Phase two of data collection involved remote sensing to identify wildlife population and also have a look into the habitat characteristics. Phase three made use of camera traps. The 2018 data has been lauded since 83% of the tiger population was individually camera trapped.  However, there are other methodological changes in 2018 that may have contributed to the increased number of tigers.
The estimate of tiger population may not be accurate owing to the limitations in counting the highly secretive carnivore. The survey provided the range of tiger numbers i.e., the number of tigers could be between 2,603 and 3,346. In other words, the survey data has a possible error of 14% and the estimated number can be 14% more or less than what has been mentioned as the mean, 2,967 tigers. Similarly, for each of the regions and states, the report mentions the range of the number of tigers.
Another important point to be noted is the difference in age used for the tiger census. For the 2018 census, all tigers above the age of one (> 1)  have been included while in the previous 2014 census, only those above 1.5 years of age (> 1.5) have been included. In all the previous surveys (2010 & 2006), the census considered those tigers above 1.5 years of age (> 1.5). This change may also have contributed to the increase in tiger numbers.
The 2018 census covered an area of 3.81 Lakh square kilometres across 20 states (includingNagaland and Telangana) with 26,838 camera trap locations while the 2014 census covered an area of 3.78 lakh square kilometres in the 18 tiger states with 9735 camera trap locations.
Note: The number of tigers used in the following analysis is the mean in each case as mentioned in the report.
Population of tigers has more than doubled in a dozen years in India
With around 3900 tigers remaining across the globe, India is home to the largest tiger population in the world- about 75% of them. The total number of tigers in India has risen from a mere 1411 in 2006, to 1706 in 2010, 2226 in 2014 and has now reached 2967 in 2018. The growth rate of the population has been 20.9% in 2010, 30.4% in 2014 and 33.3% in 2018. The number has more than doubled between 2006 & 2018 and has increased by more than 70% between 2010 & 2018.
Madhya Pradesh registers the largest increase in the number of Tigers
Based on the landscape and in order to makethe estimation of tiger population pragmatic (since tigers keep moving withinforests and are not restricted to any one state), India’s states have beenclassified into five different regions. Starting from the North, Shivalik hillsand Gangetic plains landscape includes the states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhandand Bihar. The states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Mizoram and Northern WestBengal comprise the North East Hills and Brahmaputra Plains landscape. Themangrove forest of Sunderbans which lies in the southern part of West Bengal isconsidered a separate landscape. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, MadhyaPradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Odisha together constitute theCentral Indian landscape and the Eastern Ghats. Western Ghats include the southIndian states of Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Goa.
State wise data shows that there has been aremarkable increase in number of tigers in Madhya Pradesh, almost by 71%  or an increase by 218 tigers in the four yearperiod  2014-2018. In Maharashtra, tigerpopulation has increased from 190 to 312 during the same period. The number oftigers in Karnataka and Uttarakhand has increased by 118 (29%) and 102 (30%)respectively during this period.
35% of the total Tiger population of India has been found to be living in the Central Indian landscape
If one looks at the region wisedistribution of India’s tiger population, each of the landscape has witnessedan increase in the number of tigers in 2018 compared to the previous survey in2014. The largest population of tigers has been found to be in the forests of CentralIndia and Eastern Ghats- 1033 tigers which is almost 35% of the total tigerpopulation in India.  The lush greenforests of Western Ghats is home to 981 tigers (33% of all the tigers in India).The Shivalik hills landscapes, followed by the North Eastern landscape are hometo 646 and 219 tigers respectively as per the 2018 report. There are 88 tigersin the Sunderbans.
The Central Indian landscape witnessed 50% increase in the tiger
population in 4 years
Considering the growth rate of the numberof tigers, the Central Indian landscape has witnessed an increase in thepopulation by 50%. Shivalik hills and Gangetic plains also witnessed a 33%increase in tiger population. The increase in the case of Western Ghats was 26.4%.The tiger population growth rate in the North Eastern hills and Sunderbans was foundout to be 9% and 16% respectively.
Multiple threats put the Tiger in a vulnerable position
Tigers are a flagship species forconservation since their role as the top predator plays a vital role indetermining the health of the ecosystem. Being prolific hunters with theirdistinctive coat as camouflage, tigers require sufficient space and preys inorder to contain long term viable populations. Thus, tigers also act asumbrella species which leads to the conservation of other species. Globalwarming and climate change which are beyond human control too have a severeimpact. According to the IUCN Red List, tigers are in theendangered list of animals.
Fragmentation of habitat, degradation offorests, poaching, and retaliatory killings are some of the threats that puttigers in a vulnerable position.  Toaddress these issues, Project Tiger was started by the government of India in 1973 to promote theconservation of tigers across the country. The project was later converted intoa statutory authority called the National Tiger Conservation Authority in 2006through the amendment to the Wildlife Protect Act.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on Land stresses on sustainable management of forests, curb biodiversity loss and reverse land degradation. Prevention of threatened species from extinction and taking urgent action to put an end to wildlife trafficking are two important targets of the goal. An increase in tiger population by almost 74% between 2010-2018 is a step in the right direction.
Featured Image:  Tiger population in India


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M for majestic and M for most vulnerable - The Tiger - Factly
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 13, 2015
The ‘Life of Pi’ is the latest in the celluloid world which depicted the tiger in its majestic best. In fact, the tiger has always been portrayed as a powerful and a symbol of ferocious aggression. However, the reality is quite the opposite, in fact, it’s horrific. The tiger is the most vulnerable animal and is fighting for its mere survival. But the good news is that the Tiger Population is increasing according to the latest data available with the Government.
Tiger Population
The Indian government has released a report called “Status of Tigers in India” in the year 2014. The findings indicate a countrywide 30% increase in tiger population in 2014 with an estimated number of 2226 tigers as compared to 2010 estimation of 1706 tigers. The chart below shows the number of tigers in each of the four different regions and the corresponding tiger population in 2010 and 2014.
A state wise breakdown indicates that there has been no major decline in any of the tiger landscape / State except for the state of Jharkhand where the decline was due to non assessment of tiger population owing to the problem of left wing extremism.  The tiger population in rest of the states has either increased or remained stable.
Poaching
Poaching has been a major challenze in the conservation of the Tiger. Just in the year 2014, 14 cases of poaching have been confirmed and 48 cases are still under scrutiny. In other words, out of the tigers that died in 2014, 18% of them have fallen prey to poaching while a large number of cases are under scrutiny. This number could further increase once the investigation is complete.
Funding for the Project Tiger
Under the ongoing centrally sponsored scheme, ‘Project Tiger’, funding assistance is provided to the states, based on the reserve specific Annual plan of operations, for protection, management and related works as per the Project Tiger guidelines. A look at the allocation & utilization of funds indicates that the funds released have been largely utilized.
(Utilized amount is more than the released amount owing to carried over unspent funds of the previous years.)
A state wise breakdown further indicates that while the funds are being allocated for the tiger protection, the utilization of these funds hasn’t always been on target. There are large variations across states. Andhra Pradesh for instance hasn’t spent a single rupee in 2011-12 through 1.54 crore rupees was released. In 2011-12, states like Karnataka & Chhattisgarh have spent much less than what was allocated. Hopefully the governments at the center & the states do a better job at managing and utilizing the funds so the tiger can truly go back to being majestic.
Data Source:  Answer to Starred Question No 8, Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change dated 24 February, 2015.


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Till date, Electoral bonds worth ₹ 4715 Crores encashed in New Delhi alone
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 1, 2019
The government has notified the 11th phase of the sale of electoral bonds in the first 10 days of July, 2019. Data from the first 10 phases indicates that electoral bonds worth ₹ 4715 Crores or 81% of the total bonds encashed so far were encashed in New Delhi.
The Supreme Court (SC) will continue to hear the electoral bonds case after the summer vacation. Before the vacation, the court had passed interim directions on the issue of ‘Electoral Bonds’ which mandated political parties to disclose in a sealed cover to the Election Commission of India (ECI), the names of donors of these bonds by 30 May, 2018. Data from the 10 cycles of the sale of electoral bonds clearly indicates that the national parties may be garnering a greater share of these bonds than the regional ones.
The Story so far – 10 Cycles, 108 days and ₹ 5851 crores
The government has recently notified the 11 phase of the sale of electoral bonds that will take place from the 01 to 10 July 2019. Here are some of the highlights of the first 10 phases between March 2018 and May 2019.
More than 82% of the bonds purchased from these 4 Cities
Electoral bonds were purchased from a total of 16 branches of SBI in 16 different states till date. The bonds were purchased in each & every phase only in New Delhi & Mumbai. In Kolkata, they were purchased in 9 out of the 10 phases. In 9 of these 16 cities, bonds were purchased in at most 5 phases. In Visakhapatnam, Thiruvananthapuram & Lucknow, they were purchased only in one phase each.
In terms of the bonds purchased, thefour cities of Mumbai, Kolkata, New Delhi & Hyderabad accounted for morethan 82% of the bonds purchased till date. These are the only four cities fromwhere bonds worth more than ₹ 500 crores& 10% of the total value each were purchased. More than 30% of the bondswere purchased from Mumbai, which is bonds worth ₹ 1782 crores, the highest for any city. Kolkata is the only other citywhere bonds worth more than ₹ 1000 croreswere purchased.
More than 81% of the bonds encashed in New Delhi alone, benefiting National parties
As per the guidelines of the scheme, no political party can have more than one current account in SBI for the redemption of these bonds. So it is natural that the national parties maintain such a current account in Delhi while the regional parties in the respective state capitals.
As per the latest data, bonds wortha total of ₹ 4716 crores  were encashed in New Delhi alone. This ismore than 81% of the total amount encashed across the country. It is amplyclear that national parties are the principal beneficiaries of the electoral bondscheme.
Except in Hyderabad, where more than ₹ 500 crores (8.8%) were encashed, substantial amounts weren’t encashed in any of the other states where major regional parties are based.
Going by the past data of 2017-18, the national parties, especially the BJP could have been the biggest beneficiary of electoral bonds.
99.74% of the bonds purchased in the denomination of  ₹ 10 lakh & ₹ 1 Crore
Of the ₹ 5851 crores worth electoral bonds purchased in the 10 phases till May 2019, bonds in the denomination of ₹ 1 crore accounted for 91.74% or ₹ 5368 crores. Further, bonds in the denomination of ₹ 10 lakh accounted for 8% or ₹ 468.1 crores Together, bonds in the denomination of ₹ 10 lakh & ₹ 1 crore accounted for 99.74% of all the bonds purchased so far, reinforcing the belief that it is majorly corporates which are purchasing these bonds.


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From an all-time high in 2015-16, number of Indian Students in the USA might fall in 2016-17
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 2, 2017
The number of Indian students in the USA touched an all-time high of 165,918 in 2015-16. This is second only to China. Indian Students contributed $5.01 billion to the U.S. economy in 2015-16. But this number might fall steeply in 2016-17 given the uncertainty surrounding visa polices for international students and workers.
The 2016 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange revealed that the number of international students at U.S. colleges and universities crossed one million for the first time. From 974,926 international students in the year 2014-15 academic year, the number went up to 1,043,839 in 2015-16. The number of Indian Students grew by close to 25% during this period to an all-time high of 165,918. This is second only to China. But this number might fall steeply in 2016-17 given the uncertainty surrounding visa polices for international students and workers.
Number of International Students in the USA by origin
As per the Open Doors report, out of the million international students, 66% are from Asia (47% from China & India alone), 8.8% are from Europe, 8.1% are from the Latin America, 10.4% are from Middle East & North Africa. A mere 3.4% are from the Sub-Saharan Africa.
Top 10 countries of Origin
As expected, the two most populous countries of the world account for more than 47% of the total international students in the US. China leads the pack with 328,547 students followed by India with 165,918 students. Saudi Arabia is third with 61,287 students followed by South Korea with 61,007 students. Six of the top 10 countries are from Asia.
Indian Students in the USA
The number of Indian students in the USA has grown five times from 33,818 in 1997-98 to 165,918 in 2015-16, in a period spanning 18 years. They currently make up 15.9% of all international students in the USA. The number of Indian students has seen a consistent growth except for 2005-06 and the period from 2010-11 to 2012-13 when there was a negative growth. The highest growth rate of 29.4% was observed in 2014-15.
Field of Study – Engineering is the favourite for Indian Students
True to its name as a land of engineering graduates, more than 70% of the Indian students in the US chose Engineering/Computer Science/Math (STEM) as their field of study. About 10% chose Business & Management as their field of study. About 6% chose Physical & Life Sciences. Except for engineering & computer science, the percentage of Indian students who chose a specific field of study is way below the global average.  For instance, while 7.8% of the internal students chose Social Sciences, only 2.3% of the Indian students chose Social Sciences as their field of study.
Academic Level & Economic Impact
More than 61% of the Indian students in the USA are at the graduate level. 11.63% of them are at the under graduate level, while 25.51% of them are in OPT (Optional Practical Training).
According to the Open Doors report, Indian students in U.S. colleges and universities contributed $5.01 billion to the U.S. economy in 2015-16. The international student community on the other hand contributed $30.5 billion to the U.S. economy in 2014-15.
Choice of States
The top destination for Indian students was Texas with 19806 students followed by California with 18517 students. New York, Illinois & Massachusetts make up the top five destinations for Indian students. It must be noted that Texas was the not the top destination for all international students. It was the 3 most preferred destination for international students while the most preferred destination was California followed by New York.
Primary Source of Funding for International Students
For close to 2/3 of the international students in the USA, the primary source of funding is their family. About 17% were funded by the US universities either through scholarships or waivers. 7.4% were funded by foreign governments or universities while 6.6% were funded by their current employment. Only 1% were funded by a foreign private sponsor.
Featured Image: Indian Students in the USA

created: February 2, 2017


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Time lost By Lok Sabha - Infographic - Factly
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 14, 2014
First in the series of Infographics to evaluate Lok Sabha Performance, the Lower House of the Indian Parliament. It is interesting to note that the Lok Sabha lost time equal to 90 days (2163 hours) which is also about 1/4th of the time in these last 24 years due to interruptions/adjournments.

created: December 14, 2014


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‘TIME’ magazine’s article on UP government’s COVID-19 management is ‘sponsored content’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 11, 2021
A post is being shared on social media with a claim that the ‘TIME’ magazine has published an article praising the Uttar Pradesh government for its COVID-19 management. Some verified handles on Twitter have also posted the photos of the article with a similar claim. Those tweets can be seen here and here. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: ‘TIME’ magazine has published an article praising the Uttar Pradesh government for its COVID-19 management.
Fact: The article in the ‘TIME’ magazine on Uttar Pradesh government’s COVID-19 management is not written by ‘TIME’. On the top-left corner of the article, ‘CONTENT FROM UTTAR PRADESH’ is mentioned. Many differences can be observed between the article on the Uttar Pradesh government and the articles written and published by ‘TIME’. Also, ‘TIME’ has clarified to ‘The Quint’ that the article on UP government’s COVID-19 management is a ‘sponsored content’. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
FACTLY accessed the physical copy of the ‘TIME’ magazine (December 21/ December 28, 2020) issued in India and looked for the article in the contents page, but the article title was not mentioned in the contents page. If ‘TIME’ has written and published the article, then the article title would have been mentioned in the contents page. Also, the Uttar Pradesh government article was not found in the international issue of the ‘TIME’ magazine.
On the top-left corner of the page ‘CONTENT FROM UTTAR PRADESH’ is written which implies that it is sponsored content.
The differences in fonts can be observed between the article on the Uttar Pradesh government and the articles written and published by ‘TIME’. Similarly, the font differences can be observed between the TIME’s own articles and the sponsored content from the ‘LIC’ in the same magazine. Also, it can be noticed that there are no page numbers on the pages where there are such sponsored articles.
‘Newslaundry’ has published an article on 06 January 2021 mentioning that several Indian news portals reported similar content, as published in the ‘TIME’ magazine, in December first week itself. Some of those articles can be read here, here, and here. Also, ‘The Quint’ reported that ‘TIME’ has clarified to them through email that the article on UP government’s COVID-19 management is ‘sponsored content’. FACTLY has also written to ‘TIME’ for clarification and this article will be updated when they respond.
To sum it up, the article on UP government’s COVID-19 management in the ‘TIME’ magazine is ‘sponsored content’.

created: January 11, 2021


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Timeline Explainer: What is the ‘Uranium Exploration’ issue in Nallamalas all about?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 24, 2019
Recently, the ‘Save
Nallamala’ movement gathered steam in Telangana with celebrities and others
joining in. The demand was not to allow any Uranium mining in the Nallamalas.
But, what is the issue all about? Here is a explainer with the timeline of all
the various official documents.
The Ministry of Environment and Forests’ & Climate Change’s (MoEFCC) in-principle approval for survey and exploration of Uranium in Amrabad Tiger Reserve, by Atomic Minerals Directorate sparked a huge uproar in Telangana and led to the ‘Save Nallamala’ movement. The movement gained momentum when celebrities and politicians joined the campaign. The campaign bore fruit when the Telangana State Assembly passed a unanimous resolution requesting the Central government not to permit uranium mining operations in Nallamala forests.
Amrabad Tiger Reserve became the secondlargest tiger reserve of India following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. Thereserve, lying in the Nallamala hills, in the districts of Mahabubnagar andNalgonda in southern part of Telangana, is the abode for a large diversity offlora and fauna. Chenchus, the food gatheringand hunting primitive tribe classified as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) by Government of India are found in the foothills of these pristine hills.
Those campaigning against Uranium miningargued that if mining was permitted in this area, it would have had irreparableecological implications including loss of biodiversity and possibility ofcontamination of river Krishna in addition to jeopardizing the lives ofChenchus, the PVTGs as declared by Government of India.  But what about the procedure & law relatedto these approvals?
Primary mandate of AMD is to identify and evaluate uranium resources in the country
The Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD) has been vested with the exclusive mandate to conduct exploration of Uranium and other minerals which serve as nuclear raw materials as per the prescribed list of the government. As per the AMD website, the primary mandate of AMD is to identify and evaluate uranium resources required for the successful implementation of ‘Atomic Energy program’ of the country. Prospecting and exploration are scientific techniques used in the estimation of a mineral in a particular area. Before mining, in order to ascertain the quantity and quality of the Uranium present in a particular site, AMD conducts survey, exploration, evaluation and prospecting.
Forest Conservation Rules of 2003 contains the procedure for clearance
of Forest land
Procedure for grant of approvals for miningis mentioned in the Forest (Conservation) Rules, 2003  (FC) under the provisions of Section2 of Forest Conservation Act.
As per the rules, those who want to use forest land for mining including Uranium, which is a non-forestry activity, a proposal has to be submitted to the Nodal Officer authorised by the State Government in the format prescribed by the FC rules along with the necessary details and documents. Upon receiving the proposal, it undergoes close examination at various levels from Divisional Forest Officer, Conservator of Forests, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Nodal Officer and State Government. If it is convinced that the proposal requires prior approval under FC Act, the State Government sends the proposal along with their comments and justification to the Central Government. In case the project is proposed in or within the 10 km vicinity of a National Park, Tiger reserve or Sanctuary, the proposal has to be cleared by the Standing Committee of National Board of Wildlife as well.
If the area of forest land to be divertedfor any such non-forestry activity is up to 40 hectares or involves diversionof forest land for linear projects such as laying roads, pipelines, railwaytracks or similar purposes, the proposal will be sent to the Regional officesof the MoEFCC. In the case of these proposals, the  head of the Regional Office has the authorityto either agree in principle or reject proposals involving land area up to 5 hectares.For proposals that involve between 5 and 40 hectares of forest land, ‘RegionalEmpowered Committee (REC)’ is constituted who are given the authority to decidewhether or not the proposal is to be accepted. Proposals for mining and hydelprojects are referred to REC for recommendations. The Central Government willtake a decision accordingly.
If area is greater than 40 hectares, thenthe proposals are sent by the State Government to the Secretary of MoEFCC,Government of India and to the concerned Regional Office of MoEFCC. Theseproposals are referred to the ‘Forest Advisory Committee (FAC)’ for advice. TheFAC makes recommendations including restrictions and measures to minimiseenvironmental damage. Based on this, the Central Government decides whether ornot to approve the proposal after further enquiry if necessary.
Central Government gives prior approval to a project in two stages
The prior approval of the Central Government is given in two phases. In Stage I, in-principle approval to the proposal is granted. The formal approval is granted (Stage II) only after receipt of compliance report from the State Government with respect to the stipulated conditions regarding transfer and mutation of non-forest area identified for compensatory afforestation, and transfer of funds in favour of Forest Department, etc.
What about Uranium Exploration in Nallamala?
The case of Nallamala is related to survey & exploration of Uranium. As per information available on the PARIVESH website, the proposal of AMD requesting permission for ‘Survey & Exploration of Uranium’ over an area of 7 sq. kms in Nidgul Reserved Forest of Nagarjuna Sagar Wild Life Management division and 76 sq. kms in Amrabad Tiger Reserve in the South Central Region of Hyderabad, was submitted on 11 February 2009, under the category of borehole prospecting. In other words, the proposal requested for approval in 2 different locations.
As already mentioned above, the project is spread out in two different forest divisions and hence concerned officers of both divisions submitted their reports back in June 2016. Divisional Forest Officer of Nagarjuna Sagar WLM reported that the proposed project would require 700 hectares of land in the core area of the tiger reserve and that exploration would result in disturbance to wildlife because of human movement, machineries and vehicles that will be used. Since the flora and fauna will be adversely affected, the project was not recommended.
On the other hand, the Divisional Forest Officer of Achampet recommended the proposal since exploration did not involve felling of trees or habitat destruction. He also added that only the existent roads/tracks could be used for movement of vehicles, men and machinery, felling of trees or lopping of branches and work after sunset was prohibited. The same has been mentioned in their respective site inspection reports.
The Chief Conservator of Forests (Field Director) of Amrabad Tiger Reserve, post inspection of sites, didnot recommend the project due to the possible damage to environment.
While, there were officers, as noted above, who did not recommend, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests of Telangana recommended the proposal with the recommendations put forth by the DFO of Achampet.
The proposal was approved by the National Board of Wildlife on 02 March 2017 stating that uranium had strategic importance for adeveloping nation and hence the proposal was recommended along with theconditions and mitigation measures put forth by the State Chief WildlifeWarden. The recommendations were similar to thatof the Achampet DFO.
The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) in its meeting on 22 May 2019,recommended an in-principle approval since the project is of criticalimportance, despite observing certain deficiencies in the proposal. All theother required documents were asked to be submitted by the state government fora formal approval.
These required documents are to besubmitted in due format- that is, proposal be submitted in Form C along withrelevant verified documents. In an amendment made to the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Rules in 2014, a new ‘Form C’ was introducedexclusively to be filled by the user agency for seeking prior approval by StateGovernment and other authorities for prospecting minerals in forest area. Inthis form, details pertaining to the machinery to be used, estimate of mineral,details of vegetation, wildlife and more needs to be filled. On 03 September2019, the Deputy Inspector General of Forests wrote to the StateGovernment requesting them to furnish the compliance report soon so thatfurther action can be taken.
There have been various media reports that about 4000 boreholes of 4 to 6 inch diameter would be drilled in order to ascertain the Uranium presence in the forest land of the Nallamalas and that the project would be implemented over a period of five years.
However, on 16 September 2019, Telangana State Legislative Assembly passed a resolution which requested the Central Government to not grant permission for mining operations in Amrabad Tiger Reserve. As things stand, the formal approval for exploration will only be given once the requisite documents are submitted by the state government.
Featured Image: Uranium Exploration issue in Nallamalas

created: September 24, 2019


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‘Timeline of the Universe’ given by NASA is falsely shared as ‘Structure of the Universe’. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 9, 2020
A picture is being shared on social media with a claim that it shows the structure of the Universe as per NASA. In the post, it is also being claimed that structure of the Universe as given by NASA resembles the Shiva Linga, which as per Vedas represents the structure of the Universe. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo shows the structure of the Universe given by NASA.
Fact: The posted picture shows the timeline of the Universe given by NASA, not the structure of the Universe. Also, the timeline picture has been rotated in the post to show it as Shiv Linga. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the Universe photo given in the post was run through Google Reverse Image Search, the same photo was found on one of the NASA websites. On the website, it can be read that the posted picture shows the ‘Timeline of the Universe’, not the structure of the Universe. Also, the timeline picture has been rotated in the post to show it as Shiv Linga.
Another similar picture of the timeline of the Universe, as given on the NASA website, can be found here.
Regarding the structure/shape of the universe, NASA has mentioned the following on one of its websites – ‘We now know (as of 2013) that the universe is flat with only a 0.4% margin of error. This suggests that the Universe is infinite in extent; however, since the Universe has a finite age, we can only observe a finite volume of the Universe. All we can truly conclude is that the Universe is much larger than the volume we can directly observe’.
To sum it up, the posted picture shows the timeline of the Universe given by NASA, not the structure of the Universe.

created: October 9, 2020


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Times Now hasn't published any Exit Poll results after the first phase of Lok Sabha elections - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 18, 2019
After the successful completion of the Phase-1 of Lok Sabha General Elections 2019, few posts related to exit polls are doing rounds on social media. One such exit poll alleged to be that of Times Now, has been in circulation on Facebook since the past few days. Let us try to analyze the authenticity of this exit poll.
Times Now has released its Exit Poll survey of Phase-1 of 2019 General Elections.
Fact: The original infographic of the one put in the post can be seen in ‘The Indian Express’ article regarding ‘Gujarat exit polls 2017’. Hence, the claim is FALSE.
When the image in the post is searched using the Google Reverse Image search technique, then we can obtain a link of a ‘The Indian Express’ article published on December 14, 2017. The article titled ‘Gujarat exit polls 2017’ has the exit poll survey results conducted by various news channels for Gujarat Assembly Elections. In it, the infographic of Times Now can also be seen. With the numbers changed, it is now being circulated as the Exit Poll survey of Phase-1 of 2019 General Elections in India.
And moreover, The Election Commission of India in its press note released on 8th April 2019, notified that no exit polls should be published between 7.00 A.M. on 11.04.2019 (Thursday) and 6.30 P.M. on 19.05.2019 (Sunday).
Hence, it is clear that Times Now hasn’t published any Exit Poll results after the first phase of Lok Sabha elections and the infographic doing rounds is a photoshopped one.


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Tired of Unsolicited Calls & SMS? Here is what you can do - Factly
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 10, 2016
Many of us are sick and tired of those unsolicited calls & SMS. But how do you prevent such communication? TRAI has a clearly laid down procedure for registering your preference.
Many of us are sick and tired of those unsolicited calls & SMS. While there is a Do Not Disturb (DND) option to block all such calls & SMS, some of us might want to keep getting information about banking or other such products. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has a clearly laid down procedure for registering your preference for receiving such commercial communication.
Procedure for Registering your Preference
As a telecom customer, you have the option to either block all commercial calls and SMS or to block only commercial calls while receiving SMS of your choice. For this purpose, you have to register your preference. Preference can be registered by
You can register for the Fully Blocked category in which No Commercial Call or SMS will be allowed or for the Partially Blocked category.  If you opt for the Partially Blocked category, you will not receive any commercial call but will receive SMS on subject(s) that you opt for.
The various subjects in the partially blocked category are the following
Registering Through IVRS or Customer Care
Once you dial 1909, listen to the instructions and choose one of the following for registration of the preference:
You could ask the customer care executive for registration of your preference i.e. whether you would like to register in the fully blocked category or the partially blocked category.
The customer care executive will ask you to exercise your preference if you opt for the partially blocked category. You can opt for one, or a combination of some, or all the subjects. The customer care executive will confirm your preference(s) and register the same. You will get an SMS confirming the preferences exercised by you along with your unique registration number.
Similar process has to be followed for registering your preference through IVRS.
Registering Through SMS
You can register your preference(s) for commercial communications by also sending an SMS to 1909.
The procedure for opting for various categories is the following
You can also opt for multiple preferences from categories send SMS START <option1, option2, option3,…>  to 1909. For e.g., START 1,2
Please remember that Preference ‘0’ will always suppress other preferences. If ‘0’ is sent with along any other customer preferences, it will be treated as a fully blocked preference. For example, START 0,2,3  will be considered a fully blocked option.
On receipt of an option exercised through SMS, the telecom service provider will send an SMS to confirm the options exercised. You have to send a confirmation SMS so that options exercised are implemented. On getting the confirmation SMS, the telecom service Provider will register your preference and send you an SMS indicating your preferences along with your unique registration number.
Registering a Complaint
If you receive any unsolicited commercial communications seven days after registration of your telephone number through the above method, you can register a complaint by:
Please note that the complaint has to be registered from the telephone number on which unsolicited commercial communication has been received and the complaint must be made within three days of receipt of the unsolicited commercial communication.
You may register a complaint by sending SMS to 1909 in the below format
‘The Unsolicited Commercial Communication, XXXXXXXXXX, dd/mm/yy’
Where XXXXXXXXXX – is the telephone number or header of the SMS, from which the unsolicited commercial communication has been received. The complaint will be registered and acknowledged by the telecom service provider by sending a unique complaint number through SMS. You will be informed of the action taken on your complaint within 7 days of the booking of the complaint.
De-registering from the system
You can de-register from the system by sending a STOP to 1909. You can also change your preference by following the procedure laid down by TRAI.

created: February 10, 2016


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Tirumala Temple Chief Priest did not accuse the YS Jagan government of misusing temple income for the welfare of Christians and Muslims - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 26, 2022
A message is being shared on social media claiming that the Head Priest of Tirumala Tirupati Temple has recently urged devotees not to donate money to the Temple Hundis. This post claims that the Chief priest had accused Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy of misusing the Tirumala Temple income for the welfare of Christian and Muslim communities in the state. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Tirumala Temple Chief Priest accused YS Jagan Mohan Reddy of utilising the temple income for the welfare of Christian and Muslim communities in the state.
Fact: In March 2019, during an interview, the then sacked Tirumala Temple Chief Priest Ramana Deekshithulu urged devotees not to donate money to temple hundi. Ramana Deekshithulu then alleged that 95% of temple income was being utilised by the Government and said that not even a single rupee from the Hundi income was utilised for the lord’s seva. Ramana Deekshithulu made these comments before the formation of the YSR Congress Party government in Andhra Pradesh. Also, he did not allege that the hundi income was utilised for the welfare of Christian and Muslim communities in the state. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
The priest seen in the photo is the present Tirumala Tirupati Temple Head Priest, Ramana Deekshithulu. When we searched to check whether Ramana Deekshithulu had made any such statements about the utilisation of Tirumala Temple Hundi income, we found that Ramana Deekshithulu has spoken about the utilisation of the Tirumala Temple Hundi income during an interview in March 2019. While responding to a question about the utilisation of Temple income, the then sacked Tirumala Temple Chief Priest Ramana Deekshithulu has alleged that the 95% of temple hundi income was being utilised by the government.
During the interview, Ramana Deekshithulu urged devotees to not donate money to Tirumala Temple hundi alleging that not even a single rupee from the Hundi income was being utilised for the lord Venkateshwara Swamy’s Seva. Ramana Deekshithulu said, “I request all the devotees not to donate a single rupee in any temple hundi. Tirumala temple will get an income of about 2.5 to 3 crores every day but not even a single rupee was used for the Sri Vari Seva. All the commodities required for the lord’s seva are provided by donors. The temple Hundi income was utilised for the salaries of employees, for the Hindu Dharma Prachara Parishad and also, for providing income for the engineering department and contractors. So, I urge all devotees to not donate money to temple hundi”. Further, Ramana Deekshithulu recommended devotees to participate in live seva, to donate money to the low-income temples so, that can be utilised for the salaries of poor priests and the commodities required for the temple. Ramana Deekshithulu made these comments in March 2019, before the formation of the YSR Congress Party government in Andhra Pradesh.
Ramana Deekshithulu has made several allegations against the Tirumala Temple authorities before he got re-elected as the Tirumala Temple Head Priest in 2021, under the YS Jagan government in Andhra Pradesh. Recently, ‘The Quint’ fact-check team contacted Ramana Deekshithulu for clarification regarding this viral message circulating on social media. Speaking to the Quint, Ramana Deekshithulu said, “As the head priest, it is my duty to ensure that the donation money is being put to good use. In my opinion, distribution of salaries, forming committees or construction isn’t good use. And that’s precisely why I asked devotees to not donate any money. I have never said that the money is being used for Muslims, Christians, or anyone else. My statement is being misrepresented”.
To sum it up, Tirumala Temple Chief Priest Ramana Deekshithulu did not accuse the YS Jagan government of misusing temple income for the welfare of Christians and Muslims in the state.


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TMC MLA's clash with BJP workers in Bengal is being shared as an incident from Bihar - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 16, 2022
A post is being shared on social media with a post description that reads ‘… It’s not even one day the alliance ended and BJP receives its share of Hatred in return.‘ This post is shared in the context of JD(U) ending its alliance with the BJP in Bihar. A video accompanied by the post shows a group of people beating others travelling in an autorickshaw decorated with BJP flags. Let’s fact-check the claim through this article.
Claim: BJP supporters were beaten in Bihar just one day after their alliance with JD(U) ended.
Fact: This video shows an incident that took place in West Bengal. The visuals show TMC MLA Asit Majumdar’s clash with BJP workers in Hoogly District’s Chinsurah. Since an incident in West Bengal is shown as Bihar’s, the post is MISLEADING.
After searching the internet with relevant keywords, we found two social media posts with similar claims. They can be seen here and here. In the comments section of the second post, which was posted on Twitter, we found a comment by Mohammed Zubair of Alt News, which says that the video is from Bengal.
This was from Bengal.
With this hint, we further refined our search and found a few News reports related to the incident in Bengal. A report from ‘Times Now’ contains the same video as the viral post. Reportedly, TMC MLA Asit Majumdar and his supporters beat up BJP workers after they allegedly heckled and stopped his car.
Other news reports about this incident can be read here, here and here. A video story on the same incident by Times Now can be watched here. Hence, it can be concluded that the incident happened in West Bengal, contrary to what the post claims.
To summarise, TMC MLA’s clash with BJP workers in Bengal is shared falsely as an incident from Bihar in the context of JD(U) ending its alliance with the BJP.


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TOI didn't lose 2.8mn Instagram followers after Kohli exposed its inaccurate report - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 18, 2023
‘The Times of India’ (TOI) recently published a report claiming that the former captain of the Indian men’s cricket team Virat Kohli is constructing a cricket pitch at his new farmhouse in Alibaug, Maharashtra. However, on 15 August 2023, Kohli denounced this as fake news. In this context, a post is being widely shared on social media claiming that Instagram followers for TOI have plummeted dramatically from 5.6 million to 2.8 million following this episode. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: ‘The Times of India’ lost 2.8 million Instagram followers after Kohli called it out for spreading fake news about constructing a cricket pitch at his farmhouse.
Fact: The viral screenshot has been edited. Social media stats indicate that the Times of India’s Instagram page has maintained over 2.8 million followers since at least May 2023, and it never reached 5.6 million followers. Furthermore, the stats from the past 7 days indicate a net increase in followers. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
First, we examined TOI’s Instagram account and noted that as of 18 August 2023, the page has 2.8 million followers.
Subsequently, we analysed the page’s follower count over a 90-day period using social media analytics tools like InsTrack and Social Blade. The statistics indicate that the page has maintained 2.8 million+ followers since at least May 2023, and it never reached 5.6 million followers.
Additionally, the stats from the last 7 days show a net increase in followers.
This data contradicts the viral claim that TOI’s Instagram channel experienced a significant loss of followers following Kohli’s criticism of the report and indicates that the viral screenshot has been edited. Furthermore, TOI retracted the article and issued an apology.
To sum it up, TOI didn’t lose 2.8 million Instagram followers after Kohli’s criticism of their inaccurate report.


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Toll receipts are not mandatory to avail the emergency services on the National Highways - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 18, 2019
A post is being shared widely on social media with a claim that the toll receipts come with benefits like help during emergencies, help with tyre punctures and running out of fuel. The post asks people to keep the toll receipts with them during their travel to demand these services from the Toll Plaza. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
During any medical emergency, flat tyre or in the need of fuel, you can call the phone number given on the other side of the receipt for assistance. So, do not throw the toll receipt.
Fact: Irrespective of whether people pay the toll or not, emergency services like ambulance, towing and the crane services can be availed by national highway users by calling on the numbers given on the toll receipt or by calling the countrywide helpline- ‘1033’. Also, it was not found anywhere that fuel will be supplied by the toll plazas if toll users run out of fuel. The emergency services are provided to all the users of National Highways, so the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Toll Plaza Operation:
Once the highway is built, Toll Plazas are setup and rates are fixed by the government. The operation of the toll plaza is entrusted to a private party. These private parties man the toll plazas across the country and collect the toll amount as decided by the government from time to time. The NHAI-TIS (National Highway Authority of India – Toll Information System) website has all the information about any toll plaza in the country. The color code on the map shows the type of toll plaza. More information on NHTIS website can be read here. Details about different types of toll plazas is given below.
BOT (Build Operate and Transfer): ‘In BOT (Toll) pattern, the private developers/ operators meets the upfront cost and expenditure on annual maintenance and recovers the entire cost along with the interest from toll collections as per toll policy during the concession period. To increase the viability of projects, a capital grant up to a maximum of 40% is provided by NHAI.’
OMT (Operations Maintenance and Transfer): ‘In this mode, the agency selected through competitive bidding is responsible for operation, maintenance and collection of Toll/ User Fee for the stretch, with a right to retain the toll collected against payment of a fixed sum to NHAI over a fixed concession period.’
Toll Receipt and Services by Toll Plaza Authorities:
From the concession agreements on NHAI website, it can be found that the concessionaire should provide services like highway patrol, ambulance, tow trucks, and cranes.
The NHAI has prescribed a standardized format for issuing the toll receipts. The receipt must be of the size 8cm X 12cm and should contain the names of the NHAI & toll plaza operator. The receipt must be printed in bi-lingual or tri-lingual as appropriate and each line in the receipt must have the same font size. The receipt must contain the toll plaza location, helpline No., ambulance contact No., crane contact No., etc.
FACTLY has collected toll receipts from some toll plazas to check whether they have any contact numbers for exigencies mentioned in the concession agreement. It was found that they all had helpline numbers.
While it is true that toll receipts have helpline numbers, all the services written in the post are not provided by the toll plazas. The ambulance service is provided but tyre puncture and refuelling services were not mentioned. The concession agreements also do not mention these services. FACTLY has also tried to contact Toll Plaza managers and this article will be updated upon receiving a reply.
Also, the ‘1033’ helpline (the single point of contact for public in case of accident or other emergencies on National Highways), by IHMCL (NHAI jointly with its Concessionaires and Financial Institutions incorporated Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL)), can be used by all the users of national highways. It is not limited to just toll payers. So, the post is misleading people by asking them to carry toll receipts to avail these services.
To sum it up, toll receipts are not mandatory to avail the emergency services on the National Highways.
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created: October 18, 2019