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‘Doctor’ spreads anti-masking and anti-vaccine misinformation - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 26, 2021
In a 1.30-minute video, a man who identifies himself as Dr. Tarun Kothari is seen to downplay the impact of masks and vaccines in curbing the coronavirus. This video has now gone viral on social media platforms. He makes several claims including that the COVID-19 is a simple flu and that there is no need to wear masks, practice social distancing, or even get vaccinated. Let us now verify the claims made in the post.
Claim 1: Wearing masks would deplete the oxygen levels leading to several diseases which require hospitalization.
Fact: All the health authorities across the globe recommend wearing of masks as a comprehensive strategy to combat COVID-19. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
In the video, Dr. Tarun Kothari urges people to not wear masks because it will cause several diseases due to low oxygen levels. These in turn will require hospitalization & prove to be fatal which will then be considered as COVID-19 death. However, this is false. In fact, all the national & international health authorities across the globe recommend wearing masks to control the spread of COVID-19. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Masks should be used as part of a comprehensive strategy of measures to suppress transmission and save lives”. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also confirms that data further demonstrates the efficacy of wearing masks in reducing new infections and reduce community exposure to COVID-19. However, the CDC guidance also lists the activities where wearing a mask may not be possible such as dining, water activities, workout/high-intensity activities, children under 2 years, outdoor workers, specially-abled people, among others. This in no way implies that wearing a mask leads to other respiratory illnesses or the lack of it is safe for COVID-19.
Claim 2: Vaccine kills more people than COVID-19.
Fact: Only one death was reported by national AEFI committee as opposed to over 4.2 lakh reported deaths due to COVID-19. Therefore, the claim made in the video is FALSE.
India has witnessed over 4.19 lakh deaths owing to COVID-19 of which 41% of total deaths occurred in April-May 2021 during the deadly second wave. On the contrary, according to a report submitted by the National Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI), a 68-year-old man died of anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction) post-vaccination on 8 March 2021. The death is reported as “vaccine product related reaction”. As of 19 July 2021, causality assessment for 179 serious and severe AEFI cases has been approved by the National AEFI Committee of which only one death case was found to be associated with COVID-19 vaccine. According to the health ministry, as of 26 July 2021, 34.18 crore persons have been administered at least one dose of the vaccine. On the other hand, according to CDC, out of the 339 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered in the United States, Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) received 6,207 reports of death (0.0018%) among people who received a COVID-19 vaccine. They also clarified that, “Reports of adverse events to VAERS following vaccination, including deaths, do not necessarily mean that a vaccine caused a health problem.”
Claim 3: COVID-19 is a simple flu with minimal deaths.
Fact: There are significant differences between COVID-19 and the common flu including higher reproductive and mortality rates for COVID-19. Therefore, the claim is FALSE.
While both influenza (flu) and COVID-19 are contagious respiratory illnesses, the differences are quite stark. Flu is caused by influenza viruses while COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus which is much more virulent & dangerous than the normal flu. There are a number of differences between flu and COVID-19 but the main difference is that the speed of transmission of COVID-19 i.e., spreads much faster and is more reproductive i.e., transmits to other people when compared to the flu. Mortality for COVID-19 appears higher than for influenza, especially seasonal influenza. In fact, the mortality rate from COVID-19 is yet to be determined accurately, the crude mortality rate is between 3-4 percent which is much higher than that of the flu which is usually below 0.1 percent. Also, as mentioned above, India has crossed over 4 lakh deaths due to COVID-19. Other differences include COVID-19 takes longer incubation & recovery periods, complications exacerbated by comorbidities, and external medical treatment including hospitalization. Therefore, it is much more dangerous and life-threatening when compared to the common flu.
In fact, Navbharat Times has reported that Delhi Police has registered an FIR against Dr. Tarun Kothari for his controversial anti-masking and anti-vaccine comments and spreading misinformation that COVID-19 is a fake epidemic. Further research revealed that his two Facebook accounts have been blocked for spreading COVID-19 related misinformation, as per his latest tweet. Dr. Kothari has a history of spreading misinformation and is the author of ‘Corona Pandemic Scam’. Despite removing his multiple accounts on social media, the misinformation continues to spread.
In summary, people must be careful to not fall for such misinformation and only trust COVID-19 related information from reliable sources such as health authorities.


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Doctored video clip is shared as visuals of Union Cabinet Committee’s discussion to remove Sikh Generals from the Indian Army - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 8, 2022
An alleged live recorded video of a Union Cabinet meeting is being shared on social media claiming that in a recent meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, the Narendra Modi government called for the removal of all Sikh Generals from the Indian army. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Visuals of Union Cabinet Committee discussion to remove all Sikh Generals from the Indian Army.
Fact: The video shared in the post is a doctored one. This video was created by adding audio of a clubhouse discussion to the visuals of the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, held on 08 December 2021. PIB through a tweet clarified that the Union Cabinet Committee had no such discussion or meeting to remove Sikh Generals from the Indian army. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the screenshots in the video, it is found that the video shared in the post shows the visuals of the meeting of the Union Cabinet Committee on Security, held on 08 December 2021. Reporting the complete details of the meeting, several news websites published articles in December 2021. They can be seen here and here. However, it is nowhere reported that in the meeting, the Union Cabinet Committee on security had discussed the proposal of removing Sikh Generals from the Indian army.
When we searched for more information regarding this video circulating on social media, we found a tweet made by ‘India Today’ Journalist Shiv Aroor on 07 January 2022. Shiv Aroor confirmed it to be a doctored video created by altering the audio of the Union Cabinet committee’s meeting held on 08 December 2021. Several Twitter users have also mentioned that the audio in this video is from a discussion in the Clubhouse, a voice-based social media application. Those tweets can be seen here and here.
Laughable fake rubbish in the form of morphed audio doing the rounds by bots. Wouldn’t normally need to call out such obvious crap, but when the ‘Khali-Pindi Desk’ is in overdrive, must step in. @PunjabPoliceInd @adgpi @NIA_India https://t.co/JpdsbZ9BZ9 pic.twitter.com/LZRB9CHDSM
When we searched for sources of the audio overlayed in the video, the original clubhouse discussion audio was found in a tweet made by a user on 05 January 2022. Responding to a tweet made by the OpIndia Editor-In-Chief,  Nupur Sharma, this Twitter user shared a clubhouse discussion in which Nupur Sharma was also one of the participants. A clubhouse participant named ‘Khal’ had allegedly made this controversial statement of removing all Sikh army personnel from the Indian Army.
Is this the video you talking about @UnSubtleDesi where you let a person/friend complete their monologue about #indianarmy shame on you. This is not hilarious but shameful. And pretending to be a patriot while you and your NRI friend are traitors. pic.twitter.com/ixKomtM4Rt
On 07 January 2022, Nupur Sharma tweeted a TFI fact-check article that reported her clarification regarding this doctored clip circulating on social media. Nupur Sharma confirmed to TFI that these statements were indeed made by an individual in response to several Khalistani elements on Clubhouse proclaiming that India must be thankful to them because they are the ones who have saved the nation and even Hindus on numerous occasions.
When this doctored video clip went viral on social media, PIB through a tweet clarified that the ‘Government of India’ held no such discussion or meeting to remove Sikh Generals from the Indian army. PIB confirmed that the video circulating on social media is fake.
A tweet referring to a viral video claim that in a #Cabinet Committee meeting on Security, there was a call for the removal of Sikhs from the Indian Army.#PIBFactCheck
▶ The claim is #Fake
▶ No such discussion/meeting has taken place pic.twitter.com/ESec0ALjr3
To sum it up, a doctored video clip is falsely shared as visuals of the meeting of Union Cabinet Committee on Security to remove Sikh Generals from the Indian Army.

source: news-factly

created: January 8, 2022

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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Doctored video shared as crowd raising Kejriwal slogans during PM Modi’s road show in Gujarat - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 2, 2022
A video is being shared on social media in which PM Modi can be seen waving his hand to the public gathered at a road show. One can hear the slogans taking the name of Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in this video. The post claims that this happened during PM Modi’s roadshow in Gujarat’s Surat. The video is being shared in the context of the PM’s Surat visit on 27 November 2022, which is part of the campaign for the ongoing assembly elections in Gujarat. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: People shouting the name of Arvind Kejriwal during PM Modi’s Surat rally.
Fact: The video in the viral post is doctored. The visuals were shot  during the PM’s Surat roadshow on 27 November 2022, but the viral video contains a different audio overlaid on the original video. The original clips from the roadshow were uploaded on the YouTube channels of different news media outlets. This audio in the original clip makes it clear that people were not shouting the name of Arvind Kejriwal. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A keyword search on the internet for PM’s Surat road show led us to various news reports (here and here) and videos (here and here) published by various news outlets. The roadshow video was streamed on PM Narendra Modi’s YouTube channel, which can be viewed here. The roadshow was also telecast live India Today’s YouTube channel. In none of these videos, one can hear Kejriwal slogans.
On further search, we found a video similar to the one from the viral post uploaded on the YouTube channels of NDTV and Aaj Tak, which can be seen here and here. Nowhere in these videos can one hear people shouting the name of Kejriwal. One can clearly hear people shouting ‘Modi Modi’ in them. The viral video is created by muting the audio from this original video and overlaying it with some other audio in which people shout Kejriwal’s name.
To sum up, a doctored video is being shared as crowd raising Kejriwal slogans during PM Modi’s road show in Gujarat.

created: December 2, 2022


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Doctored video shared as Rahul Gandhi saying eagles were hovering due to unemployment created by Modi and BJP - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 10, 2020
A video of Rahul Gandhi’s speech is being widely shared on Facebook. In the video, Rahul purportedly is saying eagles are hovering due to the unemployment created by Modi and BJP. Let’s analyze the authenticity of the video in the post.
Rahul Gandhi in his speech said that eagles are hovering due to unemployment created by Modi and BJP.
Fact: The video clip is a doctored one. In the original video, Rahul Gandhi can be heard saying that eagles were hovering at that place due to the dirt piled up over there. So, the claim is FALSE.
The video shows Rahul Gandhi’s speech at a rally in Kondli (Delhi), ahead of the Delhi Elections-2020. In the full video, Rahul can be heard speaking about eagles at 8:42 seconds. He said that eagles were hovering at that place due to the dirt piled up over there. Also, in the video, Rahul talks about the rise in unemployment and violence in the country in the past five years and accused Modi and BJP of the same. So, the video is doctored in such a way that it shows Rahul Gandhi saying eagles were hovering due to unemployment created by Modi and BJP.
To conclude, a doctored video is being shared as Rahul Gandhi claiming that eagles were hovering due to unemployment created by Modi and BJP’.
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created: February 10, 2020


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Doctored video shared as visuals of PM Modi applauding Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan movie trailer - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 23, 2023
A video is being shared on social media claiming it as recent visuals of Prime Minister Narendra Modi applauding and cheering after watching Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan movie trailer on television. Sharing the video, this post claims that PM Modi had stated that every politician or star works day and night to create a quality product and said it is not correct to make comments against their work.  Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of PM Narendra Modi applauding Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan movie trailer.
Fact: The video shared in the post is an edited one. The original video shows PM Narendra Modi watching the live telecast of the Chandrayan-2 launch by ISRO on 22 July 2019. The video does not show PM Modi clapping for the Pathaan movie trailer. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether any such video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi cheering Pathaan movie trailer had been released on the internet, we could not find any such video on the official social media handles of the Prime Minister’s Office and Narendra Modi.
On searching for further sources related to the video using relevant keywords on the internet, a video with similar visuals was found in a tweet made by ANI news channel on 22 July 2019. ANI tweeted the video stating, “Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi watched the live telecast of #Chandrayaan2 launch by ISRO, at 2:43 pm today. (Earlier visuals)”. The original video shows PM Narendra Modi watching the live telecast of the Chandrayan 2 launch by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
#WATCH Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi watched the live telecast of #Chandrayaan2 launch by ISRO, at 2:43 pm today. (Earlier visuals) pic.twitter.com/drh8o4oTWj
Reporting the same, several other news channels have also published the same video in July 2019. On comparing the visuals from these news reports and the video shared in the post, it can be confirmed that the video shared in the post is a morphed one.
Earlier, when another edited version of the same video was being circulated on social media as the visuals of PM Modi clapping for Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, FACTLY published a fact-check article debunking that claim.
To sum it up, a doctored video is shared as visuals of Prime Minister Narendra Modi applauding Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan movie trailer.

created: January 23, 2023


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Doctored video shared as Yogi Adityanath raising 'Islam Zindabad' slogans - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 2, 2022
A video is being shared on social media through a post in which the CM of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, is heard saying, ‘Islam Zindabad.’ Let’s find the truth in this video through this article.
Claim: The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath said ‘Islam Zindabad’ during his speech.
Fact: The video in the post is doctored and is made using a clip from Yogi Adityanath’s speech during the ‘Garib Kalyan Sabha’ event. In the original Clip, he says, ‘ Bharath Mata Ki (Jai -The audience responds) and Vande (to which the audience shouts Mataram).’ Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
We searched the internet for the source of the video in the viral post using the following hints.
We went through various speeches (videos) of Yogi Adityanath on the internet and could trace down the original footage. We found a video on Yogi Adityanath’s official Facebook page that matched the viral video’s hints. This is a live stream of the ‘Gareeb Kalyan Sabha’ event that took place on 08 June 2022.
Evidently, the background, microphones and speaker match the viral video. At the very beginning of his speech, CM Yogi Adityanath says, ‘ Bharath Mata Ki (Jai -The audience responds) and Vande (to which the audience shouts Mataram).’ The viral video contains a part of this live stream from 0:10 Sec. till 0:15 Sec. We can conclude that voice of a person saying ‘Islam Zindabad‘ was added to this footage to create the viral video.
To summarise, doctored video is being shared as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath raising ‘Islam Zindabad’ slogans.

created: September 2, 2022


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Does Hindi gain from the exponential population growth of its native speakers?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 7, 2019
Has population growth something to do with the language debate? We look at the numbers.
Is language a means of communication or an identity of one’s culture?
A reflection of this conundrum provides insights into the reasons behind the invigorated debate around Hindi imposition and the resistance, which was brought back into limelight thanks to the recent draft National Education Policy (2019) submitted by Kasturirangan committee.
Irrespective of the controversy around the alleged imposition of Hindi, the numbers relating to speakers of various language, do tell a story – the story of Hindi’s growth over the decades.
Hindi – the larger chunk
As per the 2011 census, Hindi constitutes the largest share of speakers in India.
The below table illustrates the number of speakers and their percentage of population, of the 10 largest spoken languages in India. It has to be noted that the number of speakers is calculated from those who returned a particular language as their mother tongue during the census exercise.
The numbers ascribed to these languages includes the various dialects spoken. For ex: Hindi includes – Bundeli, Haryanvi, Bhageli, Braj, Khari-boli, Avadhi etc. Similarly, Bengali has – Rajbhanshi, Manbhumi, Sundarbani, Rarhi etc.
The ever-increasing share in the pie
Hindi has always been the largest spoken language in Independent India. However, the significant aspect which needs to be noted from the 2011 census data, is that it is growing at a much higher and positive rate when compared to the other major languages in India.
The numbers clearly indicate to consistent increasing trend in the number of Hindi speakers in India.
Let’s take a look at the proportion of  the population who speak the top 10 languages have  over the last four decades, from 1971 to 2011.
The following trends emerge from these numbers.
It is evident from the numbers that Hindi is the only major language whose proportion of speakers is increasing at an India level. But, where does the Hindi language get its numbers from?
Hindi Heartland – The major contributor
Apart from being the official language used for communication at the center along with English, Hindi also happens to be the official language of 10 states – Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Haryana & Himachal Pradesh along with National Capital Territory (Delhi).
While there are other languages which are spoken in these states, Hindi is the predominant language. The numbers which are added up to Hindi includes all the dialects that are spoken in these states. Each of the dialects are distinct from each other.
The 2011 Census provides details of the total number of speakers of a particular scheduled language, in each of the states.
Below is the representation of the share of each of the Hindi speaking state of the total number of Hindi speakers in India.
The following emerges from the data.
These numbers are completely different when we look at the non-Hindi speaking states.
As the data indicates:
Further, the proportion of Hindi speakers within the states is less for the southern states.  In AP and Karnataka only 3.69 % and 3.6 % of the state population are Hindi speakers. Tamil Nadu and Kerala have lesser proportion with only 0.55% and 0.16% of population being Hindi speakers.
Population explosion, the major contributor for increase in Hindi speakers
From the data presented above, it emerges that
This disproportionate increase is due to the increased contribution from the Hindi speaking states and the lower growth rates of the non-Hindi speaking states. The analysis is incomplete, unless the dimension of ‘Population Growth’ is also considered.
Let us look at the population growth in few of the state with high population. The data from 2011 census is compared with the data of 1991 Census. The following chart shows the population growth rate in 20 years (from 1991 to 2011) in major states.
Two major trends that can be observed from this comparison are:
What does all this mean for the language debate?
Certain studies show the direct relationship between socio-economic factors and population growth in India. The southern states which do well on socio-economic factors have comparatively less population growth, compared to the northern states (especially, the states in the Hindi Heartland) that have not controlled population growth.
Hindi has benefitted from this population growth and this phenomenon has given way to new narratives.
There is a section of people who have an alternative view point of using Hindi as an “Umbrella” language for a host of various dialects and imposing standardization.
The data does point out the major increase in the number of Hindi speakers, being largely a result of standardization beyond the dialects and an exponential population growth. While, there are arguments in favour of promoting Hindi, there are many other questions that need to be considered before an answer is arrived at.
Rather than making the issue as ‘for or against’- Hindi, many aspects like preserving the form and nature of various dialects, the aspirations of southern states and other non-Hindi speaking regions, socio-cultural context etc. needs to be considered and reviewed in any discourse relating to the concept of ‘National Language’.
Featured Image: Indian Languages


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Does India receive aid from Foreign Countries? - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 25, 2018
Kerala floods have given rise to a controversy around India receiving aid from foreign countries. Does India receive aid from foreign countries? Does India also provide aid to foreign countries?
UAE’s purported announcement of aid to Kerala in the aftermath of the floods and the subsequent denial by UAE officials has stirred a hornet’s nest. In the mean while, Government of India has made it clear that it is committed to meeting the requirements for relief and rehabilitation through domestic efforts. It has however said that contributions to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund and the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund from NRIs, PIOs & other agencies would be welcome. Does India receive any foreign aid? What is the quantum of such aid compared to the aid provided by India to other nations?
India receives aid from various countries & agencies
India receives grants (aid) from various countries & agencies for specific projects. Between 2007-08 and 2015-16, India received an average of Rs 2575 crore annually in the form of foreign aid (grant) as per the data provided by the government in the Lok Sabha. During this period, India received the highest aid of Rs 3384 crore in the year 2013-14.
What is the purpose of these grants?
The foreign aid is usually provided for specific projects. For instance, more than Rs 6000 crore was received between 2011-12 & 2014-15 for various health related projects across India. The assistance received from various foreign sources is being utilized for specific projects including  Immunization Programme, National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, Reproductive and Child Health-II Programme, Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme, National Leprosy Eradication Programme, HIV/AIDS Control Programmes, and   various projects for strengthening of health systems in the States. Similarly, multiple projects are funded by external agencies/countries in the drinking water & sanitation space. Even in the case of Gujarat earthquake in 2001, more than Rs 500 crore was received as external aid.
Who is providing foreign aid to India?
Various foreign governments & agencies have been extending aid to India. Between 2007-08 & 2015-16, the greatest amount of aid was provided by United Kingdom at Rs 11,362 crore followed by the Global Fund at Rs 8,226 crore. The European Union provided Rs 2249 crore during this period while the USA provides Rs 293 crore as aid. Among the other global agencies, the UNDP provided Rs 452 crore during this period while the IBRD provided Rs 390 crore.
Does India extend aid to other countries?
India does provide aid to other countries for varied purposes. The aid is extended under the aegis of Development Administration Partnership (DPA) under the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). India provides aid to mostly its neighbours, east asian & african countries. Between 2006-07 & 2015-16, India provided an average of Rs 3930 crore as aid to foreign countries. India’s aid to foreign countries increased substantially from 2012-13.
The aid is provided for varied projects like housing, supply of equipment/vehicles, creation of infrastructure, educational fellowships etc. During this period, India provided aid to Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Myanmar, Africa, Eurasia, Mongolia, Afghanistan, Latin America & other developing countries. In effect, India is a net donor of foreign aid.


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Dog meat seized in Nasik railway station? No, the image is of goat/sheep carcasses from Egmore - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 29, 2020
An image is widely being shared on Facebook claiming that officials have seized 500 kg of dog meat at Nasik Railway station. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Image of official seizing dog meat at Nasik railway station recently.
Fact: The meat seized by the officials in the image is not ‘dog’ meat. Also, the incident happened at Chennai Egmore railway station in November 2018, not recently in Nasik railway station. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we subjected the image to reverse image search technique, a tweet with similar pictures was obtained in the results. In the tweet, it was mentioned that dog meat was confiscated at Chennai Egmore railway station.
Important Information to Non-Veg Food Lovers who eat outside in Hotels & Restaurants.
1000 kg of dog meat confiscated today in Chennai Egmore Railway station.
All of it was for supply to restaurants and hotels , ordered on daily basis for long time. pic.twitter.com/tXUenIOdDU
When we searched with keywords based on that information, an article of ‘Times of India’ was found. As per the article published on ‘18 November 2018’, Food safety officials of Chennai have seized ‘suspected’ dog meat from Egmore railway station and have sent the meat samples for examination.
When we searched for the updates of that incident, an article published by ‘The News Minute’ on ‘22 November 2018’ was found. As per the article, Food safety officials of Chennai have revealed after the tests that the large quantities of meat seized were that of sheep or goat. Other news reports about that incident can be read here and here.
To sum it up, the image of Food safety officials seizing goat meat at Chennai Egmore railway station in 2018, is shared as ‘dog meat seized recently’ in Nasik railway station.
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Donald Trump’s Twitter account has been reinstated - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 30, 2022
Update (20 November 2022): Donald Trump’s Twitter account has been reinstated. Elon Musk through a tweet announced that Trump will be reinstated after 51.8% voted yes in the online poll run by Musk to reinstate the former U.S. President’s Twitter account.
A post is being shared on social media which claims that Donald Trump is back on Twitter. It contains a screenshot of a Twitter post purportedly made by Donald Trump. The tweet reads, ‘Thank you, @elonmusk! Feels great to be back. Hope all the haters and losers have missed me!’ This is being shared in the context of Elon Musk’s acquisition of the social media platform.  Let’s fact-check this post through this article.
Claim: Former President of the United States Donald Trump’s suspended Twitter account is reinstated.
Fact: Twitter suspended the account of Donald Trump on 08 January 2021. The name of his official Twitter handle was @realDonaldTrump. The screenshot of the tweet in a viral post is of a tweet made by a parody account, @TheUltGmr. Donald Trump’s account has not been reinstated. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
After SpaceX & Tesla CEO Elon Musk took over Twitter, speculations about Donald Trump’s suspended account getting reinstated began on the internet. The viral post is also being shared in the same context. To confirm if Twitter truly reinstated his account, we ran a keyword search on the internet and were led to a tweet with the content shown in the viral post.
The tweet was made by a Twitter handle named @TheUltGmr, which reads, ‘Thank you, @elonmusk! Feels great to be back. Hope all the haters and losers have missed me!.’ This is a parody account whose Twitter bio reads, ‘we do a little trolling. (this is a parody)  Smash players love me.’ This clearly means that it is just a parody profile of Donald Trump.
Donald Trump’s Twitter account,@realDonaldTrump, was permanently suspended on 08 January 2021 and remains suspended as of writing this fact-check. Twitter’s official blog post regarding the suspension can be read here.
To sum it up, Donald Trump’s Twitter account is not restored as of 30 October 2022; this tweet is posted by a parody account.

created: October 30, 2022


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Donations are Being Sought in the Name of Old, Already Fulfilled Campaigns for Medical Disorders - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 10, 2022
Update (10 November 2022):
Another video of a child suffering severe burns is being widely shared seeking donations for an urgent heart operation. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Donation for baby’s heart operation.
Fact: The baby seen in the post is Abel John, son of Aleena from Kozhikode, Kerala. On 19 March 2022, he accidentally fell into fire pit and sustained 24% burns. He underwent scrubbing and membrane application. Doctors said that a sum of ₹12 lakhs would be required to perform multiple surgeries and rehabilitation. Aleena started fundraising campaign on Ketto and collected ₹11.72 lakhs. Though the campaign has ended on 13 April 2022, several social media users are sharing these visuals and asking people to donate money to some unknown fraudulent account. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE
According to Crowdfunding platform Ketto, the boy seen in the video is Abel John, son of Aleena residing in Kozhikode, Kerala. On 19 March 2022, John accidentally fell into a fire pit near their home and is admitted to Aster MIMS hospital. Doctors said that John sustained 24% burns all over his body and underwent scrubbing and membrane application on 20 March 2022. However, he will require multiple surgeries for proper recovery and rehabilitation which will cost around ₹12 lakhs.
Aleena ran a fundraising campaign on Ketto to arrange the required sum for her son’s treatment. However, the campaign has ended on 13 April 2022 and collected ₹11.72 lakhs. But several social media users are sharing these visuals and asking people to donate money to some unknown fraudulent account. We contacted Ketto and Aleena to know the present condition of the baby and will update this article when upon their response.
Published (22 October 2022):
Several images and videos of children suffering from various medical disorders are being widely shared on social media platforms seeking donations for their treatment. Let’s verify the claims made in each case.
Case 1
Images of a baby with a swollen stomach are being shared online asking donations for baby’s treatment with a claim that he’s suffering from cancer. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Donations for the treatment of a baby suffering from cancer.
Fact: Images show Jiyaan, an 8-month-old baby diagnosed with decompensated cirrhosis of liver with portal hypertension in early 2021. Unable to bear an amount of almost ₹ 20 lakhs for his liver transplant surgery, his parents asked for donations through Ketto. Several people donated money and the surgery was performed successfully. Jiyaan is doing well now. This fundraising campaign had already ended in ketto more than a year ago. Social media users are sharing these old images and asking people to transfer money to fraudulent accounts. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE
Reverse image search of these viral images led us to a fundraising campaign by online crowdfunding platform ketto. The website shows that this fundraising campaign has already ended a year ago.
According to ketto, viral images show Jiyaan, born in August 2020. In early 2021, he was diagnosed with decompensated cirrhosis of liver with portal hypertension by Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai. Doctors informed his parents that he needs an urgent liver transplant that will cost around ₹ 20 Lakhs. Unable to arrange this huge an amount, his parents started a fundraising campaign on Ketto. With the help of 1661 generous supporters, a liver transplant surgery was successfully performed, and Jiyaan is now leading a healthy life.
To sum it up, several social media users are sharing images of an already fulfilled fundraising campaign now and asking people to donate the sum to fraudulent accounts.
Case 2
Images of a child with swollen face are being widely shared online seeking donations for her treatment with a claim that it she’s suffering from cancer. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Donations for the treatment of a baby suffering from cancer.
Fact: The child seen in the viral image is 5- year- old Tajrin from Bangladesh who was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer back in 2020. With the help of online donations through ketto, she got the required amount of ₹ 20 lakhs for treatment. She is now cancer free and is doing well. However, several social media users are sharing these images now and are asking donors to transfer money to fraudulent accounts. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE
According to Crowdfunding platform Ketto, these viral images show 5- year- old Tajrin from Bangladesh diagnosed with a rare type of cancer back in 2020. Unable to bear the sum of ₹ 20 lakh for her treatment, her father Zosim started fund raising campaign in Ketto.
With the help of donors, he got the required amount for her treatment. In an update 2 years ago, her father shares that she’s now cancer free and  doing extremely well. Also, the fundraising campaign has ended in Ketto. However, several social media users are sharing these pictures now and are asking to transfer the sum to some fraudulent accounts.
Case 3: (Updated on 23 October 2022)
Another post containing the images of a woman lying unconsciously on a hospital bed with stitches on her head is being widely shared on social media platforms seeking donations, claiming that she has tumours in her head and needs ₹ 20 lakhs for the treatment. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim:  ₹ 20 lakh donations for the treatment of a girl who’s suffering from tumours on her head.
Fact: Images show Preethi Prabhakaran of Tamil Nadu. She met with a bus accident on in September 2022. Due to severe head injuries, she was unconscious at Apollo Hospitals, Trichy, and the estimated cost for her treatment is ₹14 Lakhs. Unable to bear the treatment cost, her mother started a fundraising campaign on Impact Guru. However, some social media users are using her photo and are asking people to donate money to some unknown fraudulent bank accounts. Actual bank account details are available at Preethi’s fundraising page on Impact Guru’s website. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Reverse Image search using the viral images led us to a fundraising campaign on online crowdfunding website ‘Impact Guru’ in the name of Preethi Prabhakaran.
According to Impact Guru, Preethi is a 19-year-old student from Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu who has met with a bus accident on 17 September 2022 and was admitted to Apollo Hospital. Preethi sustained severe head injuries and doctors said that she needs prolonged ICU stay to survive which would require ₹ 14 Lakhs. Unable to arrange such huge amount, Preethi’s mother started a fundraising campaign on Impact Guru for her treatment. Bank account details of Preethi are available on this page. However, some users are sharing this post asking people to donate the money to some unknown fraudulent account.

created: November 10, 2022


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Donations to the Army Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund are not utilized for purchasing weapons for the Indian army - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 11, 2023
A post is being shared on social media claiming that the Narendra Modi government opened a dedicated bank account to accept donations for the welfare of the families of soldiers who got injured or martyred during the battle casualties.  According to the post, any Indian citizen can donate any amount to the ‘Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund’ (AFBCWF) bank account to financially assist the families of soldiers. The post says the donations will also be used to buy weapons for the army and paramilitary forces. The post provides the bank account details and says that the donated money will be directly deposited in the Defence Ministry’s Army Assistance and War Casualty Fund. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: The donations contributed to the AFBCWF bank account of the Indian Army will be utilized to purchase weapons for the army and paramilitary forces.
Fact: The donations contributed to AFBCWF, run by the Indian Army for the Ministry of Defence, are utilized to pay financial assistance or grant to the families of soldiers who were injured or died during military operations. AFBCWF funds are not spent on purchasing arms for the Indian Army. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
When we searched for the details of the AFBCWF bank account mentioned in the post, we found the details of the dedicated bank account on the official website of the Indian Army. The description provided on the website states, “Indian Army, on behalf of Govt of India/Ministry of Defence is maintaining an account named Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund, which accepts donations for families of battle casualties from Army, Navy and Air Force. The donations received in the fund are utilized to pay financial assistance to Battle Casualties of Army, Navy and Air Force, their next of kins (NoK) and dependents.” It is nowhere mentioned that the donations contributed to the bank account are utilized to purchase military equipment for the army or paramilitary forces.
Indian Army’s Additional Directorate General of Public Information issued a clarification regarding this viral post circulating on social media. Indian Army through a tweet confirmed these rumours as false and said, “Reports in social media on donations to Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund for purchase of weapons and equipment are not true. It is clarified that the subject fund was opened in response to the desire of spirited citizens to contribute to the welfare of battle casualties/ their Next of Kin and is being utilised solely for that purpose.”
It is clarified that the subject fund was opened in response to desire of spirited citizens to contribute to the welfare of battle casualties/ their Next of Kin and is being utilised solely for that purpose.#NationFirst#SaluteTheBravehearts (2/2)
The Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund was set up under the Ex-Servicemen Welfare (ESW) of the Ministry of Defence after a large number of people came forward to assist the families of war casualties following the February 2016 incident in Siachen.
The fund was created under the Charitable Endowments Act, 1890. A Bank Account bearing No. 90552010165915 was opened in the South Block Branch of Syndicate Bank, New Delhi for the public to deposit money. This fund is in addition to the various existing schemes for the welfare of NoK and children of battle casualties in the form of additional ex gratia.  The Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund was also mentioned when a question was asked in Parliament about any help being provided to the families of the deceased armed forces. But the government has nowhere said that this fund is used for purchasing weapon equipment or for any other purpose.
Similar misleading posts are circulating on social media related to the Army Welfare Fund Battle Casualties (AWFBC). These posts claim that the Indian government has opened this dedicated bank account after a suggestion from Akshay Kumar. Indian Army issued a clarification regarding those misleading posts in September 2016, stating- “The donations received in the fund will be utilized to pay financial assistance/grant to widows of the Battle casualties, their next of kin and dependents.”
Clarification on the Issue of Army Welfare Fund Battle Casualties pic.twitter.com/U3BjOcwK5t
To sum it up, the donations contributed to the Army Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund (AFBCWF) are not utilized for buying weapons for army and paramilitary forces.

created: December 11, 2023


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Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam (15th October 1931 - 27 July 2015)
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 28, 2015
Dr. A P J Abdul Kalaam passed away leaving behind a great legacy. He was always known for his integrity & simple living. Here is looking at the important events in his life.


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Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was the chairman of the drafting committee whereas, B.N. Rau was the constitutional advisor of the constituent assembly - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 8, 2023
A post claiming that Dr. B.R. Ambedkar had no role to play in framing the Indian Constitution is being shared on social media. The post questions that ‘The Indian Constitution was drafted by B.N. Rau, written by Prem Bihari Rizada, and presided over by Dr. Rajendra Prasad. How did Ambedkar become the architect of the Indian constitution?’ Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Dr. B.R Ambedkar has no role to play in drafting the constitution for him to be called the architect of the Indian constitution.
Fact: Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was the chairman of the drafting committee of the constituent assembly.  B.N. Rau was the constitutional advisor of the constituent assembly and Prem Bihari Narain Raizada was the calligrapher of the original constitution of India. Hence, the claim made is Misleading.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was the chairman of the assembly’s most crucial drafting committee of the Constituent Assembly.  He is commonly referred to as the “Architect of the Indian Constitution” due to his significant reasons (here and here). As a member of the advisory committee of fundamental rights and excluded areas, and also the sub-committee on minorities, his strong advocacy for the inclusion of provisions aimed at promoting social justice, ending discrimination, and ensuring the rights of marginalized communities left a long-lasting impact on the Constitution. He also played a crucial role as a member of the sub-committee member of fundamental rights which is called a mini-constitution in itself and ensures basic rights to citizens of the country.
The eminent parliamentarians’ monograph series published by the Parliament of India, mentions that Babasaheb exerted his influence to evolve a parliamentary form of constitution for Republican India and why Ambedkar is called the chief architect of the Indian constitution in T.T. Krishnamachari’s words.
B.N. Rau served as the Constitutional Advisor to the Constituent Assembly and was crucial in providing legal and technical advice during the constitution-making process. While he was not a formal member of the Drafting Committee, his expertise and guidance were instrumental in shaping the Indian Constitution. Granville Austin, an American historian of the Indian constitution, mentioned in his book The Indian Constitution: Cornerstone of a Nation that B.N. Rau, constitutional advisor must be placed among those important in framing the constitution though he was not an assembly member.
Ambedkar, in his speech, appreciated B.N Rau for his contribution to drafting the constitution with detailed knowledge of the constitutions of other countries and his own experience.
The calligraphy work for the original handwritten copies of the Indian Constitution was done by renowned calligrapher Prem Behari Narain Raizada.
To sum up, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was the chairman of the drafting committee and member of other sub-committees of the constituent assembly whereas B.N. Rau was the constitutional advisor of the constituent assembly.

created: September 8, 2023


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Dr. Landon's alleged discovery of a plane's wreckage stuck in an iceberg is a Hoax. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 14, 2023
A photo of a huge plane submerged/stuck in an iceberg is being shared on social media, claiming it to be a recent discovery by a group led by Dr Landon. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: Photo of a plane stuck in an iceberg, which was discovered by a team of expeditioners led by Dr. Landon.
Fact: There are no credible news reports about any such recent plane wreckage discovery. Blog posts containing a story about Dr. Landon and his team discovering a plane stuck in an iceberg contain several unrelated stock images of crashed planes, glaciers, people walking in snowy ice formations, etc., making it evident that the story is concocted and fake. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
To verify the claim, we made a reverse image search online, leading us to a few website articles (here, here, and here) that contained a detailed story about discovering a plane stuck in an iceberg. A team which was led by Dr Landon allegedly made this discovery during their expedition in the Arctic.
These articles contained the same viral image but did not specify the location of the discovery. A keyword search on the internet about such a discovery led us to no credible information.
Generally, if a wreckage of such magnitude is discovered in an iceberg, most media outlets would report it. Last year, a mountain guide named Dominic Nellen discovered a plane wreck in the Swiss Alps, which was widely reported (here and here).
Also, the articles (here, here, and here) about the viral photo contained several images that, upon reverse image search, were found to be unrelated and were just stock images. This made us suspect that the whole story could have just been concocted.
The above image was shared in the article as the interior of the wrecked aircraft, which in reality shows the wreckage of a crashed airplane on a black sand beach in Iceland. The exterior (here and here) of that plane looks nothing close to what is seen in the viral photo.
The remaining photos used in the articles about the viral plane wreck photo are also unrelated to this black sand beach airplane wreckage. You can see some of them here, here, and here. This evidence makes it clear that the viral photo and the story associated with it is just a hoax.
To sum up, Dr. Landon’s alleged discovery of the wreckage of a plane stuck in an iceberg is a hoax.

created: December 14, 2023


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Drinking warm water does not completely cure these health ailments - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 30, 2021
Social media platforms are abuzz with a post that claims that drinking warm water will resolve several health issues including epilepsy, asthma, joint pains, migraines, among other problems. The treatment is claimed to be validated by Japanese doctors. Let us now verify the veracity of the claims in the post.
Claim 1: Warm water is 100% effective in resolving health issues including epilepsy, asthma, joint pains, migraines, high blood pressure, among other problems.
Fact: While hydration is good for overall health, there is no direct scientific evidence to prove that warm water can cure any health ailments. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Japanese water therapy is the practice of drinking several glasses of water every day on empty stomach first thing in the morning. There are several benefits of drinking warm water including healthier digestion, body detoxification, improved blood circulation, reduced pain, soothe nasal congestion, aids muscle relaxation & reduce stress levels, among other things. However, there is no scientific research to corroborate the direct correlation between drinking warm water and curing any of the mentioned ailments. While health conditions such as migraines, asthma, blood pressure, cough, etc. thrive on dehydration, this does not imply that hydration or drinking warm water will cure these ailments. For instance, warm water does not have any impact on ailments such as cholesterol since cholesterol does not dissolve in water.
On the other hand, applying a hot compress or soaking in warm water is one of the oldest and safest forms of complementary therapies for migraines, joint pains, discomfort, among other physical ailments. While warm water is likely to provide temporary relief to certain ailments, there is no other evidence to support the claim that it can cure any of the ailments listed in the post. Similar fact-checks can be accessed here and here.
Claim 2: Cold water affects internal walls of stomach and large intestines and results in cancer.
Fact: There is no evidence to prove that cold water can cause cancer or affect the stomach linings. Therefore, the claim is FALSE.
The post further claims that cold water is bad for health and affects the internal walls of the stomach and large intestines. This in turn will result in cancer. Most medical sources do not include drinking cold water as a cause of any damage to the stomach lining or intestines and neither is it listed as a risk factor for cancer.
It is believed that cold water solidifies the oily food we consume which will, in turn, react with stomach acids and convert them into fats. These fats are then accumulated on intestinal walls thus, leading to the development of cancer. However, it must be noted that the beverages consumed whether hot or cold, will quickly stabilize the body temperature.  Moreover, fat deposition occurs in the blood vessels than the digestive tract. Therefore, the proposition that fats get accumulated on the stomach and intestine walls is incorrect. Similar fact-check can be accessed here.
In fact, drinking cold water has its own set of benefits including reducing the rise of core temperature especially during physical activity, improved performance, and during hot environments. There is no scientific evidence otherwise to suggest that drinking cold water is bad for people, except that it may aggravate the common cold. orflu.
In summary, cold water can neither cause cancer nor can warm water cure any major health ailments. At best, warm water can be used as a complementary therapy for temporary relief.


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How far Rural Indian travels everyday to fetch drinking water?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 3, 2015
Access to drinking water might be trivial for many of us. We also tend to ignore the travails of many Indians who travel long distances to get drinking water. Government data reveals that only one in every 3 Rural Indians has access to drinking water within the premises while 22% of them have to travel more than half a kilometer to get drinking water.


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‘Drone attack on neighbours for loud music’ is fake news - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 22, 2019
A post is being widely shared on Facebook with a claim that a person attacked his neighbours with fireworks using a drone for playing loud music. Not only Facebook users, even news outlets like India Today (archived version) and Republic World (archived version) have also published the same on their websites. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
A man attacked his neighbours with fireworks via drone for playing loud music.
Fact: The incident in the video is not real. Albert (who shot the video) told BBC that it is a planned stunt video made by him with the help of his friends. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When looked for more information on the incident by searching on Google with the keywords ‘Fireworks Drone Attack’, a BBC article on this issue can be found in the search results. According to the BBC article, the incident in the video is not real. It was a planned stunt video shot by Albert along with his friends. Talking to BBC, Albert said that many people know that he edits all the videos he posts on social media. Also, the behind-the-scenes photo in the BBC article shows Albert with his friends, who were running from the fireworks in the video.
The viral video was first uploaded by Albert on July 14 on his Instagram account. Albert wrote nothing about attacking the neighbours for loud music; he wrote in the description that he attacked his friends for not inviting him to party.
Meus amigos fizeram um churrasco na rua e não me convidaram olha oq eu fiz com eles kkkkkkkkk aquela trolagem do nada ❤ semana que vem tem guerra de bruxos 🧙♂ 🤣🤣🤣🤣
A post shared by  LUCAS ALBERT (@eulucasalbert) on
To sum it up, ‘Fireworks-drone attack on neighbours for loud music’ is fake news. It was a planned stunt video.
Did you watch our new Episode of the DECODE series on Parliament?


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‘Drone boy’ Prathap has not been appointed as a scientist in DRDO by PM Modi - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 16, 2020
A post is being shared widely on social media with a claim that 22-year-old ‘Drone boy’ Prathap has been appointed as a scientist in DRDO  by PM Modi. A short story regarding his achievements can be also seen in the post. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
PM Modi has appointed ‘Drone boy’ Pratap as a scientist in DRDO.
Fact: In a video message, Pratap has himself clarified that he has not been appointed as a scientist in DRDO by PM Modi. Also, there is no concrete evidence to most of his achievements being shared on social media. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched about his appointment as a scientist in DRDO, a video message by Prathap was found on YouTube. In the video, Prathap has himself clarified he has not been appointed as a scientist in DRDO by PM Modi. The same has also been confirmed by him in conversation with ‘Boom Live’. On the DRDO website, it can be found that, for a post of Scientist ‘B’, the required qualification is ‘At least First Class Master’s degree in Science Subjects, Mathematics or Psychology or First Class Degree in Engineering or Technology or Metallurgy from a recognized University or Equivalent.’
Media and Celebrities:
When searched about other things mentioned in the post regarding Pratap, it was found that there is no concrete evidence to most of his achievements being shared on social media. But he was interviewed previously by various Kannada channels including ‘DD Chandana’ (video is not available now) for his achievements. Also, in one such video by ‘Dighvijay 24X7 News’, it can be seen that B. S. Yediyurappa, H. D. Kumaraswamy (then CM of Karnataka) and other celebrities have wished Pratap on his achievements. He has also received an award from ‘TV9 Kannada’ for his achievement in Multi-Drone Research. Many other photos of Pratap with various political leaders and celebrities can be seen on an Instagram profile with the name ‘droneprathap’ (FACTLY could not confirm the authenticity of the profile and photos).
Photos with Drones:
While it is being claimed that he has built over 600 drones, there is no picture or video on the internet of a drone built by him. There are some photos of him standing next to some drones, but they are built by reputed drone companies, not by him. In the photo given in the post, Pratap can be seen standing next to a drone which belongs to ‘ACSL’ (Autonomous Control Systems Laboratory Ltd) company. A Reddit user has posted an email response from ‘ACSL’ when they were asked about Pratap’s connection with the drone. From the email response, it is clear that Pratap has no connection with the company or drone.
Also, the remote of the drone used by Prathap during the Karnataka floods looks similar to ‘YUNEEC Typhoon H+’ drone remote.
Young Scientist Award – ‘iREX 2017’ – Japan:
In the post, it is mentioned that he won the first prize at an expo in Tokyo. A certificate related to that prize can be found on multiple news blog websites. On the certificate, it is written that the award was won at the ‘iREX 2017’ exhibition. But, ‘iREX 2017’ is a trade expo where various companies exhibit their robots. There is no official record of any such competition and Pratap winning the competition at the expo. The organizers of the expo released a ‘Post Show Report’ after the 2017 event but there is no mention of the competition in the report. Also, there is no mention of the ‘Airbus Defence and Space’ company, whose name can be found on the Pratap’s certificate.
Albert Einstein Innovation Medal – ‘CeBIT 2018’ – Germany
There is no evidence to the claim that he won ‘Albert Einstein Innovation Medal’ at ‘CeBIT Drone Expo 2018’ in Germany. When searched about that award, only articles related to Pratap can be found in the search results. On the certificate, it can be seen that it is written as ‘Albert Einstein Innovation Medal’ on the top whereas it is written as ‘Albert Einstein Innovation Award’ below. Also, on the certificate, the name of ‘Deutsche Messe’ company CEO is given as ‘Wolfram von Fritsch’. But, Wolfram von Fritsch has handed over his leadership role to Dr. Jochen Köckler back in 2017 itself. Still, the certificate awarded to Pratap in 2018 has Wolfram von Fritsch’s name as CEO. Also, responding to ‘The Better India’, the organizers of the events in Germany have said that they did not host any such award.
Japan visit and Bullet Train:
In the post, regarding Pratap’s visit to Tokyo to participate in ‘iREX 2017’, it is mentioned that ‘somehow he reached Tokyo after going in his maiden flight to Japan all alone. He had only Rs 1400 when he landed there. He didn’t take the Bullet train since it was very expensive, so he went by normal train by changing trains at 16 different stations with his luggage to reach his last station. He walked another 8 km to reach the ultimate destination with his luggage.’ But, from Google Maps, it can be found that the exhibition’s location (‘Tokyo Big Sight’) is just 15 km (from Haneda International Airport) and 65 km (from Narita International Airport) from Tokyo’s two international airports. There is no need to board on a bullet train to reach the exhibition and also, the bullet train is an intercity service. Unless Prathap landed at a different city in Japan and wanted to come to Tokyo, there is no actual need to board a bullet train.
The ’OpIndia’ has previously published an article debunking the claims of Prathap. But, talking to Kannada media, Prathap has said that he has enough evidence to prove that his awards are genuine and he will be holding a press meet in coming days to provide the evidence. FACTLY has also tried to contact Prathap for clarification on the issue but there was no response. This article will be updated upon receiving a response from him.
To sum it up, ‘Drone boy’ Prathap has not been appointed as a scientist in DRDO by PM Modi. Also, there is no concrete evidence to most of his achievements being shared on social media.
Update (17 July 2020):
As on 16 June 2020, Prathap has not replied to FACTLY but came appeared on ‘Btv News Kannada’ channel to answer questions raised by one and all over his international achievements. In this program, he just showed his certificates and claimed that they are authentic. He did not provide any additional evidence to prove their authenticity. But, as an answer to a question regarding the absence of his drone photos in the public domain, Prathap showed a drone photo on his mobile, claiming that it was built by him. He said, ‘Today, I am going to show one of my drones’, showing the photo to the audience. He has also said that he has won the award for this same drone.
But the same photo is already in the public domain. The photo can be found in an article published by ‘The Better India’ on Prathap in January 2020.
However, just beside the drone, there is a paper with the name – ‘BillzEye’. So, when we searched for that name, it was found that the ‘BillzEye’ is a German company which specializes in multicopter systems.
The ‘BillzEye’ has posted a video with similar visuals as seen in Prathap’s photo on their Facebook account. In the description of the video, it can be seen that the visuals are related to ‘CeBIT’ event at Hanover (Germany). This is the same event where Prathap has claimed that he has won the ‘Albert Einstein Innovation Medal’ in 2018. So, in the interview, he was referring to ‘Albert Einstein Innovation Medal’ when he said he won the award for the drone shown in the photo. But, ‘BillzEye’ has not mentioned Prathap’s name or regarding the award anywhere. Some users have also posted the image of the same drone showcased at ‘CeBIT2018’. Those posts can be seen here, here and here.
Other pictures of the same red drone and some components placed on the table in Prathap’s photo can be also found on the ‘BillzEye’ website. The name of the drone is mentioned as ‘Thermographic copter BETH-001’ on the website. The headset on the table has ‘FAT SHARK’ name on it. It was found that the ‘FAT SHARK’ company produces ‘FPV’ (First-person view) goggles for drone pilots.
On their website and Facebook page, ‘BillzEye’ has mentioned that they are official members of ‘BVCP’ (Bundesverband Copter Piloten e.V.). The same name and logo can be seen on the wall behind Prathap in the photo.
It is in the ‘BVCP’ stall at ‘CeBIT2018’ where ‘BillzEye’ showcased the drone. On the ‘BVCP’ website, an article with the heading ‘Impressions of CEBIT 2018’ (translated by Google from German) can be found. The name of the ‘BillzEye’ owner, Bill Gutbier, is mentioned along with some other names in the article but Prathap’s name is not mentioned anywhere. Also, nothing was mentioned about the drone in the photo winning an award at the event. Prathap was not found in any of the photos posted in the article.
Assuming Prathap is part of the ‘BillzEye’ team and really won the (not yet authenticated) ‘Albert Einstein Innovation Medal’ for the drone, then Prathap’s designation in ‘BillzEye’ company should have been mentioned on the certificate, not his college name. But it can be seen that his college name is mentioned on Prathap’s certificate and there is no mention of ‘BillzEye’ at all. FACTLY has tried to contact ‘BillzEye’ for clarification and this article will be updated when a response is received.
Update 2 (17 July 2020):
In reply to multiple requests, ‘BillzEye’ has issued a statement on the issue. They have clarified that the drone in the photo, which Pratap claimed to be his drone, is the property of  “BillzEye – Multicoptersysteme” and Prathap has nothing to do with the design, development, manufacture or distribution of the drone. They said, ‘Mr. Prathap had only taken a photo at CEBIT 2018 in Hanover. If He says otherwise, it is a lie!‘ (translated by Google from German). So, it has been confirmed that Prathap has lied on television that the drone next to him in the photo is his drone and he won an award for it.
Did you watch our new video?


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A Dummy’s Guide to the Vice-President’s Election
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 1, 2017
Like the President of India, the Vice-President is also not directly elected by people. He is elected directly by the representatives of people, i.e., Members of Parliament (MPs) from both the Lok Sabha & the Rajya Sabha.  Even nominated MPs from both the houses are eligible to vote in this election.
The following are the mandatory requirements for anyone to contest the election for the Vice-President of India.
Apart from the above conditions, the nomination paper of a candidate has to be signed by at least twenty (20) eligible voters as proposers and at least twenty (20) eligible voters as seconders. Here the voters are the MPs of the both the houses and not citizens. A voter cannot propose or second more than one candidate.
Unlike in the President of India’s election, the value of the vote of each MP in the Vice-President’s election is ONE. It has to be noted that nominated members of both the Lok Sabha & the Rajya Sabha are also eligible to vote in the Vice-President’s election. The total number of voters in the Vice-Presidential election is 790. The number of voters from the Lok Sabha is 545 (543 elected & 2 nominated) while the number of voters from the Rajya Sabha is 245 (233 elected & 12 nominated).
There are some major differences between the election of the President & the Vice-President as noted in the table below.
The election happens through a ballot paper, that contains names of the contesting candidate. The ballot paper does not contain any election symbol. There will be two columns in the ballot paper, Column 1 of the ballot paper contains the heading “Name of Candidate”, and Column 2 contains the heading “Mark order of preference”.
Each voter can mark as many preferences, as the number of candidates contesting the election. These preferences for the candidates are to be marked by the voter, by marking the figures 1,2,3, 4, 5 and so on, against the names of the candidates, in the order of preference.
The winning candidate has to secure the required quota of votes to be declared elected, i.e., 50% of valid votes polled +1. For e.g., if the total number of valid votes polled is 790, then the quota required for getting elected is
After the valid ballot papers are segregated from the invalid ones, the valid ballot papers are distributed among the contesting candidates on the basis of first preference marked on each of them for those candidates. The value of votes which each contesting candidate gets in the first round is the number of first preferential votes received by him.
For ascertaining whether there is a winner after the first round of counting, the value of votes received by each contesting candidate in the first round of counting is added up to determine the total value of valid votes polled at the election. This total value is divided by two and one is added to the quotient to determine the required quota for victory. If any of the candidates receives this number of votes in the first round, he is declared a winner.
If, however, after the first round of counting, no candidate secures the required quota of votes, then the counting proceeds on the basis of a process of elimination and exclusion, whereby the candidate credited with the lowest number of votes in the first round is excluded and all his ballot papers are distributed among the remaining candidates on the basis of the second preferences marked on these ballots. The value of such transferred ballot papers will be the same as the value at which the excluded candidate received them. The ballot papers on which second preference is not marked is treated as exhausted ballot papers and shall not be further counted, even if the third or subsequent preferences are marked. This process is continued until there is a clear winner with 50% +1.
The provisions of the anti-defection law are not applicable to the Vice-Presidential election since the voting is through a secret ballot. The voters can vote according to their conscience and are not bound by any party whips.
The Vice-President is also the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and he chairs the proceedings of the upper house of parliament.
Featured Image: Vice-President’s Election


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Duplicate Faculty in Engineering Colleges – The Story of Brazen Violation of Norms & a Silent AICTE
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 11, 2015
Large number of Technical Institutes (Engineering & other) are flouting norms in a brazen manner. This analysis is from the data available on the AICTE website about Faculty in such institutes. In the eight 8 states analysed, large number of duplicate records were found and thousands of names repeated across intistutes.
At Factly, our endeavour is not just to make public data meaningful to the common man, but also use public data to  expose/highlight irregularities and in turn help better governance. As a part of our daily routine of scouting government websites for relevant data, we stumbled upon the faculty data on the AICTE website. AICTE stands for All India Council for Technical Education and is the apex regulatory body for technical education in the country. As per norms, a faculty can also work in one college and cannot simultaneously work in more than one college.
The data was organized state wise and was in PDF files. It had details of the Faculty (First & Last Name), Name of the College & Branch. The data ran into tens of PDF files for some of the states. The data for AP & Telangana for instance was in 74 such files.
It is an open secret that the same faculty name is used in multiple colleges during uploading details and also during the inspections. One would expect that those violating norms would be careful enough to not leave evidence. But the analysis of this data came as a big surprise for us.
The Process
We chose 8 different states from different parts of the country namely Andhra Pradesh & Telangana (the data for these two states is presented together), Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamil Nadu & Uttar Pradesh. Then we extracted all the faculty data available on the AICTE website (pertaining to these 8 states) and extracted relevant numbers. Data was organized in the following format.
The following aspects were looked at for the analysis for each of the states mentioned above
The Name Confusion
There were two issues with names. Some records in the list did not have a last name. Even if they had, it was just a single alphabet. Hence we took two different parameters. One with matching first & last names, another with a matching first & valid last name. (A valid last name is one that has at least 2 characters). It could also be argued that two different people can share the same name. While that possibility is there, it is near impossible for thousands of faculty to share the same first & last names.
Faculty with Same matching First & Last Names
Except for AP & Telangana, we did not find a major difference in the number of records with a valid last name and those with a single alphabet last name.
The percentage of faculty whose names repeated varied from 18% to 58%. The lowest was in Karnataka with 18% and the highest in Uttar Pradesh with 58%. Following UP was Orissa with 41% and Gujarat with 32%. Even accounting the possibility of different people sharing the same name, it is highly impossible for such a large number of people to share names.
These states also had very high number of duplicate faculty. In other words, 7948 people from AP & Telangana had their names repeating in two or more colleges. For Tamil Nadu, this number stood at 8842. UP was third with 8099. Gujarat had the lowest with 2374, probably because of the lower number of total faculty.
Number of Colleges with Duplicate Faculty
All those colleges with at least one duplicate name were counted and their percentage against the total number of colleges in the state was calculated. Orissa topped with every college in the state falling into this category except one. All the states analysed had 90% or more colleges falling into this category. In other words, 9 out of every 10 colleges fell into this category in each of these 8 states.
The Learning
As for this issue, we hope that AICTE finally wakes up from its deep slumber and takes some action. When common citizens can find such anomalies, it should be much easier for AICTE to find such patterns from its own data base.
We also want this case to highlight the power of opening up data. Most government departments (Central & State) still do not put all their data in the public domain. Even when they do, they do so in closed formats like PDFs. The government should immediately focus on strengthening the data portal of India. It will help the government immensely in decision making, course correction among other things.
Source:
Featured Image Source: By Trmwikifa [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons


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During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, only about 150 cases of Fake News reported to Social Media Platforms by ECI
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 3, 2019
The Government
data suggests that a total of 154 instances of Fake News/Misinformation were
reported by the ECI to social media platforms during the Lok Sabha elections.
We take a look at these numbers and if these represent the entire gamut of
misinformation.
In response to a question in Lok Sabha, on 24 July 2019, about the list of complaints against fake/false news on social media during the 17 Lok Sabha General Elections, the Minister of Law and Justice responded by providing a list of complaints that were received by the Election Commission of India (ECI). He also went on to list the action taken in terms of reporting them to and directing the respective Social Media platforms to remove the content spreading this fake/misinformation.
The answerfurther stated that a majority of the complaints received were from socialmedia Nodal officers appointed at Media Certification and Monitoring Committee(MCMC) at Office of the Chief Electoral Officer at the state level.  The details of the cases were enlisted in Annexure I along withanswer. As per the data presented, a total of 46 cases were reported toFacebook, 97 cases to Twitter and 11 cases were reported to YouTube. But thesenumbers are much lower than the quantum of fake news (misinformation) relatedto the electoral process, witnessed during the Lok Sabha elections.
Voluntary Code
of Ethics signed by the Social Media platforms
In the run upto the Lok Sabha general elections, the social media platforms agreed to a ‘Voluntary Code
of Ethics’ with a commitment to deploy appropriate policies and processes toensure the integrity & transparency of electoral process. Among otherthings, the platforms agreed to setting up of high priority dedicated reportingmechanism for the ECI and acting upon all valid legal requests for removal ofcontent etc. expeditiously.
Misinformation/fake
news about the EVMs one of the main reasons for complaints
A major portionof the complaints that ECI has reported to the social media platforms are inrelation to EVMs.  There were 84 casesreported to Twitter in regard to the list of tweets compiled by the SocialMedia team of ECI, stating that the tweets spread misinformation about EVMs (thespecific information was not divulged in the Annexure). There were 22complaints reported to Facebook, in regard to posts stating that 20 Lakh EVMswent missing. YouTube also received 9 complaints with the same reason ofmissing EVMs.  There were 9 complaints totwitter and 11 to Facebook in regarding to posts/tweets which state that theEVMs are being transported without security.  Apart from the cases related EVMs, anothercomplaint highlighted by ECI was regarding the misinformation being reportedabout inedible ink.
Misinformation
about Electoral processes not included in the complaints reported by ECI
Factly has fact-checked and
debunked multiple false claims about the electoral process, rules and otherrelated guidelines during the elections. However, the complaints reported byECI to the various social media platforms do not include the complete gamut offake stories and misinformation spread during the general elections. Few ofthese fake stories were about rules and guidelines regarding the electoralprocess, which ECI should have ideally taken cognizance of.
Here is a lookat some such stories and misinformation which was shared widely on the socialmedia platforms in relation to the elections. None of these claims werereported to the social media platforms by the ECI.
Challenge vote
and Tender vote
One claim whichwent viral was regarding Challenge Vote
and Tender Vote. The post claimed that, in case a voter does not find his name in theelectoral roll after reaching the election booth, he/she can ask for aChallenge Vote. Further, in case the vote is being already cast by someoneelse, then the voter can ask for a “Tender” vote. There is also a mention ofsection 49A, in regard to this rule.
However, thisinformation was identified to be false. Theaforementioned section relates to the design of EVM and not regarding the castingof vote in case of the name not being in the voter list. Challenged Vote on theother hand is exercised by the polling agents to challenge the identity of anelector, of which the presiding officer can take cognizance and conduct andenquiry. There is a provision for Tender vote, where the candidate can cast avote if the vote has already been casted. However, the information in the postabout repolling in case of 14 % tender vote is False.
This claim wentviral on WhatsApp and other social media platforms and was shared by lakhs ofpeople. In fact, several people were reported to have picked up a fight with electionofficials about the non-existent challenge vote.
Online voting
option for NRIs
Another pieceof  misinformation which was widelycirculated was regarding a purported
circular from ECI, which states that NRIs who hold an Indian Passport can voteonline. However ECI has not passed any such circular, and has confirmed thesame as a disclaimer on their website as well as through the tweets on theirofficial spokesperson.
Filling of Form
7 in case of name not being in Voter list
There was aviral post which statedthat a voter can fill Form 7 and vote, in case the name is not found in thevoter list. However, Form 7 deals with the deletion of voters and notinclusion. Further, the
name being on the voter list is mandatory for voting.
Multiple
stories about discrepancy in election results
Apart from theconcerns raised about the EVMs and the misinformation regarding EVM hacking,security and transportation of EVMs during the elections and prior to counting,there were also claims which emerged highlighting discrepancies in the countingof votes and results that were declared.
Number of
votes reported for BJP candidate as well as Congress candidates was
repetitively  same across multiple
constituencies.
Another
post did rounds after the election results stating that candidates of BJPand Congress received 2,11,820 and 1,40,295 votes respectively across variousconstituencies. However, this story is
false, with the official figures not matching the numbers of the narrative.
Votes
polled for Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad constituency were deleted.
One of the more popular news which was sharedon social media was that 6 lakh votes which were polled for Rahul Gandhi went missingin  Wayanad constituency. The postclaimed that the 6 lakh votes were deleted.
However, the missing number of votes whenadded up to the final votes tally of Rahul Gandhi , would be higher than thetotal votes polled on election day . Hence the 6 lakh votes were not deleted.But the post does seem to arise from some technical error resulting in wrong
display on ECI site.
Misinformation about
election manifestos, claims by political leaders etc. form a major part of fake
news during the elections.
Thevolume of fake news did see a huge surge during the election period and gotwidely shared on social media. These news include fake stores, misinformation,misrepresentation of facts etc. A portion of the stories which circulated weredirected towards political leaders , while few stories contained misinformationabout the electoral promises and the manifestos of the political parties.
Wrongvisuals shown as demolition of Vidyasagar’s
statue in Bengal, waiving of medical bills of those who die in hospital as per
congress manifesto, Rahul and Mamatha dining with
Pakistan’s PM ( there was a similar false story, but involving Narendra Modi),endorsement of Modi by
Australia’s PM etc. are few of the many fake news that were shared during the recent loksabha and state elections.
ECI reporting
to Social media a good step but more instances to be covered
In a press conference held on 19 May 2019, the ECI reported some additional numbers. The ECI official provided the following statistics regarding take down of content by social media platforms under various categories.
Bulk of theseposts were taken down for political messages during the silence period, MCCviolations and exit polls. About 145 of them were related to votermisinformation.
The initiativetaken by ECI to report fake news being shared across various social media andreport the same to the respective social media platforms is a step in the rightdirection. However, the instances reported are not complete, with many of thefake news either being not considered by ECI or reported to the respectiveSocial Media platforms. The engagement will only be fruitful when all kinds ofmessages are considered and reported.
We have reached out to the ECI to find out more about the rationale and criteria behind recognizing and reporting instances of fake news. The story will be updated when we receive a response.

created: August 3, 2019


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Ease of Doing Business in India – What does the Economic Survey say?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 7, 2020
The Economic Survey of 2019-20 dedicated a chapter to Ease of Doing Business in India. How has India improved on the doing business rankings of the World Bank? What does the Economic Survey say about the issues in the country?
In the past fewyears, India made substantial progress in the World Bank’s annual Doing Business rankings. The Doing Business Rankings (DBR) rate countries on the basis of easeof doing business. It takes into consideration the business environment andregulations, and policies that shape it in the country. As per DBR
2020, India has improved its ranking by14 places to be ranked 63 out of 190 countries. However, detailed analysis ofIndia’s performance in each of the parameters studied reveals that India stillhas a long way to go to do away with red-tapism.
This year’s Economic
Survey has a separate chapter dedicated to the analysis of parameters which India needs to improve on. Theanalysis made an attempt to identify the bottlenecks in India’s businessenvironment.
What is the Doing Business Report?
Doing
Business report is an annual flagshippublication of the World Bank Group which studies the regulations on businessactivities by presenting quantitative measures of regulation and protection ofproperty rights across countries. In simpler terms, the study comparesdifferent economies on the basis of how simple it is to operate a privatebusiness in the country.
For this, thereport captures 12 areas of business regulation of which 10 areas are takeninto consideration for scoring and ranking the countries. These 10 areasinclude starting a business, dealing with construction permits, gettingelectricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting minorityinvestors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, andresolving insolvency. The remaining two areas which are not used for rankingare regulation on employing workers and contracting with the government.
How is DBR calculated?
Questionnaires designed to make them comparable across differenteconomies and periods of time are administered to more than 15,000 localexperts across the world such as lawyers, accountants, business consultants andmany others who deal with these regulations in their work. The data thuscollected is subject to scrutiny and verification multiple times.
The data collected for 41 indicators (e.g. number of procedures, timetaken, and cost) under the 10 areas covered for scoring and ranking arenormalised and rescaled for comparison. Based on the best and worst performingeconomies for each indicator, scores are calculated for each indicator for eacheconomy. The scores obtained are given equal weightage and the simple averageis taken for each topic. Average across the ten topics gives the economy’sDoing Business Score on a scale of 1 – 100 where 0 is for the worst regulatoryperformance and 100 for the best.
The score indicates how far the economy is from the best performance anddifference in score shows the extent of change in the business environment inthe country. DBR is obtained by sorting the score and indicates the country’sperformance relative to other countries. The Economic Survey has stressed onDBR.
What is India’s current position?
India has been ranked 63 out of 190 countries in terms of ease in doing business.India is one among the top ten countries that have shown most notableimprovement in 2019 according to the report. Moreover, India has also beenrecognised as one among top ten countries that has taken maximum reforms in thelast three years. Since 2011, India’s improvement in ranking is the highest byany large country.
In the South Asianregion comprising of eight countries- Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, Afghanistan,Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka- India has been ranked first. New Zealandretained its first position in the world for ease of doing business.
India’s overallposition stood at 133 (out of 183 countries) in 2009 and had further declined to 142 (out of 189 countries) in 2014.Since then, India has improved over 78 positions to secure 63rank(out of 190 countries).
What are the areas in which India has improved?
India’s ranking insix areas- dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, gettingcredit, protecting minority investors, trading across borders, and resolvinginsolvency- are ranked below 70. However, in terms of ease of startingbusiness, property registration, paying tax and enforcing contracts, India’sperformance is still lagging and needs attention.  The Economic
Survey has acknowledged this.
India’s rankingwith respect to registering property has been declining over the years.However, with respect to the remaining nine parameters, India’s performance hasimproved in the past decade. The following five parameters have shown a marked improvementin their rankings in just two years.
What caused this sudden change?
According to theresponse by the Ministry
of Commerce and Industry in the Lok Sabha, the following were mentioned as reasonsfor the improvement.
An online singlewindow system was introduced in Delhi and Mumbai (by Municipal Corporations),which has helped in saving time considerably for getting construction permits.Furthermore, approval and inspection have also been made faster in Delhi. Also,in Delhi, service line charges were capped to Rs. 25,000 in electrified areasfor low tensions up to 150 KW in addition to making the work faster.
Similarly, in the case of cross-border trade, the government has introduced online initiatives which allow online submission of documents. Other initiatives to save time and cost in this area include electronic sealing of containers, 24/7 clearance and improved port infrastructure. Only 5% of the goods will be inspected.
Paying tax has been simplified with GST for the entire country. Slashing corporate income tax rate for companies with a turnover more than Rs. 250 crores and reduction in administrative charges of EPFS are other reasons cited.
India’sperformance in resolving insolvency has been attributed to the Insolvency andBankruptcy Code (IBC) which promoted reorganization proceedings in practice.The Lok Sabha answer further adds that time taken to resolve insolvency inIndia is now comparable to OECD countries.
What is the difference between India and New Zealand, which
is ranked ONE ?
The table belowcompares India and New Zealand on the four parameters in which India lags, asper Economic Survey.
What are the problems in India?
The main problemsin India have been explained in the Economic Survey with useful case studies.
For instance,despite bars and restaurants being crucial sources of employment, to
open a restaurant, according to theNational Restaurants Association of India, a total of 36 approvals are requiredin Bengaluru, 26 in Delhi and 22 in Mumbai. In Delhi and Kolkata, a ‘PoliceEating House License’ is also required for which around 45 documents need to befurnished. This is in contrast to the number of documents required forprocuring arms and fireworks which require only 19 and 12 documentsrespectively.
Similarly, it canalso be seen that it takes only over two months to obtain a construction permitin Hong Kong whereas in Delhi it takes about four months. It takes 35 days toget water and sewage connection in Delhi.
On an average, India takes around 64 hours on the border for documentary compliance for exports with a cost of $270. In the case of imports, the time taken for the same is 86 hours and the cost is around $366. This is in contrast to Italy where the time taken is only one hour for each. A lot of time is wasted in India for border handling processes.
For the manufacturingindustry, there are 6,796 compliance requirements that need to be complied with,based on the manufacturer. This has been highlighted in the survey to show thecomplexity and range of rules in the sector.
What needs to improve?
India has to mainly focus on improving the four parameters- Starting Business, Registering Property, Paying Taxes, and Enforcing Contracts. There are many complex rules and laws that have to be complied with in these areas. There are many regulatory hurdles and cumbersome procedures that need to be simplified in order to encourage more people to start a business here.
How reliable is DBR?
While the government has highlighted India’s improvement in the ranking, the reliability of the data needs to be discussed. The DBR mentions ﬁve broad limitations as described below.
Any reading of the DBR rankings & related analysis is to be done with the above limitations in mind.
Featured Image: Ease of Doing Business in India

created: February 7, 2020


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Eating eggs in combination with these food items will not lead to death - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 12, 2022
A post is being shared on social media which says eating an egg with a combination of three food items mentioned in the video can cause death. Let’s fact-check the claim through this article.
Claim: Eating eggs with a combination of bacon or tea or milk-related food items will cause death.
Fact: In the video, the narrator explains that eating an egg with bacon makes one lethargic, consuming an egg with a combination of tea leads to constipation, and milk-related food items consumed with egg should be avoided. Although some of the reasoning behind it is factual, there is no proof that eating eggs with the aforementioned combination would lead to death. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
We searched the internet with relevant keywords and found a longer version of this video on YouTube. According to the video, food items that can cause death when consumed with eggs are- Bacon, Tea, Milk products and Muskmelon
Combination of bacon and eggs:
The video’s narrator states that eating eggs with bacon can make people lethargic. According to inuth.com, ‘Eggs are a good source of protein, and bacon has fat that gives an instant energy boost. So, when we eat these two together or back-to-back, it becomes difficult to digest, plus the heavy meal is likely to make you lethargic.’
An article by the Guardian states, ‘A diet rich in meat, eggs, milk and cheese could be as harmful to health as smoking, according to a controversial study into the impact of protein consumption on longevity.’ They have attributed this to a study. But there is no scientific evidence to prove that the combination of bacon and egg is deadly.
Combination of tea and eggs:
The second food item, tea, as per the video, causes constipation when consumed with an egg. According to medicalnewstoday, there is no scientific evidence to prove egg causes constipation, but since eggs are low in fibre, excess consumption can lead to constipation. According to a study cited by the ‘British Medical Journal,’ ‘the theophylline compound found in tea may cause extracellular dehydration during digestion, leading to constipation.’
However, The Irish News reported that ‘A study in the Journal of Nutrition found that doing so can reduce the amount of protein that we absorb by 17 per cent. It is thought that compounds called polyphenols in tea can bind to protein in the egg, stopping us absorbing it.’ There is no scientific evidence to prove the combined consumption of eggs and tea would lead to death or constipation.
Combination of milk and eggs:
The third combination mentioned in the video is eating eggs with milk products and watermelon. The narrator says this combination of food items should never be consumed. While some websites have listed this as a harmful combination, dairy products can cause constipation in some people; however, there is no evidence to prove the veracity of the claim that consuming milk and eggs together is dangerous or cause death, similarly with watermelon.
In the video, the narrator says that the aforementioned food combinations should be avoided for various reasons, with a clickbait title misleading the audience that such combination of food items causes death. Hence, it can be concluded that the viral post is misleading.
To sum up, this video is shared with a misleading title stating that eating eggs in combination with the food items mentioned would cause death.

created: October 12, 2022


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ECI dismissed claims about discrepancies between the votes polled and counted for the Varanasi constituency in the 2019 elections - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 22, 2024
Amidst the ongoing 2024 general elections, a video has been circulating widely in which a woman alleges irregularities in the 2019 Lok Sabha election for the Varanasi constituency (here, here & here). In the footage, she claims that although 11 lakh votes were said to have been cast in the Varanasi elections, the EVMs recorded a total of 12,87,000 votes. This article aims to fact-check the assertions made in the video.
Claim: The number of votes counted in EVMs exceeded the number of votes cast in the Varanasi Lok Sabha elections in 2019.
Fact: The ECI has dismissed claims about discrepanices between the votes polled and counted for the Varanasi constituency in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. As per the ECI, the total electorate in the 2019 Varanasi elections was 18,56,791. Out of these, 10,58,744 voted using EVMs. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The first phase of the 2024 General Elections has concluded across 10 States/UTs. Amid the ongoing polling, a viral video has surfaced alleging irregularities in the Varanasi constituency during the 2019 general elections. Nonetheless, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has debunked these claims as unfounded. As per the ECI, the total votes polled through EVMs were 10,58,744 and not 11 lakhs, as claimed.
A Google search using keywords related to the viral claim led us to a tweet by the ECI responding to the same allegation. Previously, when another video making the same claim went viral earlier this month, the ECI clarified (archive) that the total electorate in the 2019 Varanasi elections was 18,56,791. Out of these, 10,58,744 voted using EVMs, and an additional 2,085 voters used postal ballots.
False Claim 1: false claim is made in a video regarding mismatch of electors & votes polled in #EVM in VaranasiPC during #GE2019
Reality: claim is misleading& fake. Total Electors in VaranasiPC were 18,56,791. Total votes polled & counted in EVM-10,58,744 & postal votes-2085
1/3 https://t.co/RIonUYT4Ef
Previously, the same claim was shared citing an ECI letter stating that discrepancies between the total number of electors and votes polled in EVMs in 373 Parliamentary Constituencies. However, the Election Commission has clarified (archive) that it never issued such a statement.
Additionally, the ECI has released detailed data on the number of electors and votes polled for each Parliamentary constituency. This information confirms that the viral claim is incorrect.
To sum up, the ECI has dismissed claims of discrepancies between the votes polled and counted for the Varanasi constituency in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.