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Data: No Conviction of Police Personnel For Human Rights Violations Since 2018
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 28, 2023
Data from the NCRB reports indicates that there has been no conviction of Police Personnel for Human Rights Violations since 2018. Data also indicates that while the number of cases registered with NHRC in respect of deaths in police and judicial custody has increased, the number of cases in which monetary relief is recommended by NHRC has decreased.
The recent death of MD Khadeer Khan from Telangana allegedly due to the police torture in custody has again put the spotlight on the custodial torture and police highhandedness. Custodial tortures and deaths destroy the very fabric of democracy and violate the basic rights of the citizens. Despite adequate checks and balances, the cases of custodial tortures and deaths have not been reduced.
Simply put, custodial death refers to any death of a person while they are in the care of the police or the judicial system. This severe type of human rights violation affects people everywhere, regardless of their gender or age. However, there is a strong bias towards poor and marginalized sections that is well reflected in the profile of victims of custodial tortures. In India, this has escalated into a very severe and concerning issue. In today’s story, we look at some data on custodial violence in India.
Custodial deaths remain higher despite serious measures.
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) collates data from the states and Union Territories on deaths in police custody. It includes the death of persons in remand as well as the death of persons who are not on remand. The data from 2012 indicates that though there is a decline in the number of deaths in police custody, this decline is not substantial. The highest number of deaths was recorded in 2013 with 118 deaths followed by 109 in 2012 and 100 in 2017. The year 2021 recorded eighty-eight deaths in police custody.
The data also throws up some interesting trends in custodial deaths. On average, more than 60% of the deaths in police custody are of persons who are not on remand. It indicates the severity of torture unleashed on individuals not on remand. Further, six deaths in 2021 are directly due to the injuries sustained during police custody due to physical assault by police, rising from one death in 2020.
No policemen convicted for custodial deaths from 2018.
Custodial deaths represent a system of oppression and authority. It is the worst form of police excess. It is said that the prudent exercise of power by police is not just knowing the extent of the power but also its limits. However, despite the checks and balances, when the custodian of the law themselves become law-breakers and there is no punishment for their wrong-doings, there is minimal hope for common citizens in the policing system.
The data on the number of cases against police personnel for human rights violations indicates that there is a very poor conviction rate. In fact, in 2017, three police personnel were convicted and from 2018 to 2021, no policeman was convicted for human rights violation. This abysmal conviction rate represents the lack of accountability in the system for such violence.
Role of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)
According to the Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution, “Police” and “Public Order” are State subjects. It is the duty of the concerned State Government to ensure that human rights are protected. Nonetheless, the Central Government periodically issues warnings and has also passed the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHR), 1993, which mandates the establishment of the NHRC and State Human Rights Commissions to investigate claims of violations of human rights by public servants. When the NHRC receives complaints alleging abuses of human rights, the Commission responds in accordance with the guidelines established by the 1993 Protection of Human Rights Act.
Highest number of cases registered at NHRC about death in custody in 2021-22
As indicated earlier, NHRC has the statutory power to initiate proceedings either Suo motu or through the complaints it receives. The details of cases reported in respect of custodial deaths indicate that the highest number of cases regarding death in police custody as well as judicial custody were registered in 2021-22. This is the highest since 2013-14. A total of 1235 cases against deaths in police custody and 15,458 cases against deaths in judicial custody are reported by NHRC from 2013-14 to 2021-22. Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh are among the top states in which a higher number of cases about deaths in custody are registered with NHRC.
Decline in the monetary compensation from 2017-18
In addition to the receiving complaints on custodial crimes, the NHRC also awards monetary compensation as per the section 18 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. Data from 2016-17 to 2021-22 indicates that monetary compensation was recommended in 1184 custodial death cases accounting for Rs. 28.47 crores. The number of custodial death cases in which monetary compensation was recommended was highest during 2017-18, thereafter which it declined consistently till 2021-22. However, the compliance of these orders is exceptionally low.  For example, from 01 April 2019 to 31 March 2020, an amount of Rs.12.32 crores were recommended in 437 cases. However, only in 113 cases, the compliance reports were received.
No recommendations from NHRC on prosecution of erring public officers
In addition to the recommendations of monetary relief for victims, the NHRC also recommends disciplinary action against erring public servants. However, the compliance of action is dependent on the respective authorities and their rules and procedures.
In cases of custodial deaths, the commission recommended initiating disciplinary action in 21 cases from 2016-17 to 2021-22, while no recommendation for prosecution was made by the commission during the same period. Despite receiving such high number of cases on custodial deaths, the reason for such low numbers of disciplinary actions recommended is not known.
Half-hearted measures by Governments to eradicate custodial deaths.
India signed the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (commonly called UN Convention against Torture) on 14 October 1997; however, it has not yet been ratified.  The Law Commission was entrusted to examine the issue of ratification in 2017. Accordingly the 273rd Law Commission Report on ‘Implementation of ‘United Nations Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment’ through Legislation’ was prepared and submitted.
Among other recommendations, the Law commission provided for stringent punishments for use of torture. In addition, it recommended that any injury sustained in police custody shall be presumed to be inflicted by the police and the burden of proof shall lie with the police. Further, the commission rejected the argument of sovereign immunity and held that citizens are entitled to have fundamental rights such as Right to Life and Personal Liberty.
Despite such recommendations, no action has been initiated on this front, and torture in police custody continues as indicated by the numbers. In fact, Prof. Jinee Lokaneeta argues that there is a silent acceptance of torture in the society and torture has become a ‘public secret’.  It is high time that the state becomes proactive in eradicating the menace of custodial torture.

created: February 28, 2023


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Data: No District in Top-2 Grades of Performance Grading Index in 2020-21 & 2021-22
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 20, 2023
The Performance Grading Index (PGI) offers information on the state of school education in States & UTs, including key levels that influence performance and important performance categories. Data for the years from 2018-19 and 2021-22 indicates that no district in the country attained the top grade in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
The Performance Grading Index (PGI) is a tool to provide insights into the Indian school education system. One of the goals of the PGI is to offer information on the state of school education in States & UTs, including key levels that influence performance and important performance categories. It identifies the gaps and aids States/UTs in prioritising the intervention areas to make sure the school education system is strong at every level.
One notable aspect of the PGI is its comprehensive coverage, both horizontally and vertically, encompassing multiple areas of intervention that directly or indirectly influence the education system. Additionally, it facilitates effective assessments of educational attainment at the district level, which are captured in the PGI-Districts (PGI-D) report. So far, four PGI-D reports have been released, covering the periods from 2018-19 to 2021-22.
In today’s story, we look at the data of PGI-D and the performance of districts in India. Factly’s previous coverage on the methodology behind PGI and review of PGI for states and Union Territories can be read here, here.
No districts in top two grades in last two years
The PGI-D ranks the districts based on the scores achieved into ten different grades, with “Daksh” being the top-most grade, followed by “Utkarsh” while “Akanshi-3” is the lowest grade. The grade-wise distribution of the districts from 2018-19 reveals that no district attained the top two grades, with an exception in 2019-20 where three districts attained second-top grade. The number of districts in the third-top grade ‘Ati-Uttam’ decreased by more than half from 124 in 2020-21 to 51 in 2021-22. Interestingly, none of the districts attained the bottom-most grade, i.e., Akanshi-3 during these four years.
There is a marginal improvement in the performance of districts in these four years. It is evident from the decline in the number of districts in low grades over the years. However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020-21 & 2021-22, the performance of a few districts has declined compared to the earlier years.
Only one-fourth of total districts improved their performance in last four years.
The PGI-D for 2021-22 is compiled for 748 districts, up from 727 districts during 2018-19. This is due to the addition of a few new districts, while some additional districts were carved out of the existing districts. The four-year performance of these districts reveals that only 194 districts have improved their grades from 2018-19 to 2021-22. This is only one-fourth of the total districts in 2018-19. Among these 194 improved districts, 7 districts registered a 3-grade jump, 23 districts registered a 2-grade jump and 164 districts registered a single-grade jump.
On the other hand, the performance of 158 districts declined between 2018-19 and 2021-22. And the remaining 375 districts remained in the same grade during the same period. The report also highlights that 79 districts made consistent improvements in PGI scores during each of the last four years, while 25 districts performed poorly during the same corresponding period.
It is important to note that the improvement in grades and improvement in scores are not exactly the same. Improvement in scores does not always result in improvement in grades, while vice versa is true.
Performances of districts in large states drop in 2021-22.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education is clearly evident in the performance of the states in PGI grading. The COVID-19 pandemic, followed by the shutdown of schools and the shift to an online mode of teaching has distorted educational outcomes. For example, Rajasthan had 26 districts in Ati-Uttam grade (3rd best), and 7 districts in Uttam grade (4th best) during 2020-21. The situation in 2021-22 is in complete contrast, with 5 districts in Ati-Uttam grade and 25 districts in Uttam grade. This is also the case with Gujarat, where 22 districts in the Ati-Uttam grade in 2020-21 became 3 in 2021-22, while 11 districts in the Uttam grade in 2020-21 became 27 in 2021-22. Similar is the case for Telangana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala.
However, states like Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh saw a very marginal difference in the districts in each grade between 2020-21 and 2021-22.
Digital Learning still an underperforming domain for majority of districts
Under the domain of ‘Digital Learning’, the percentage of the number of schools with internet facility/computer usage for pedagogical purposes, and student-to-computer ratio is among the indicators that are gauged. As seen above, pandemics have a greater impact on the performance of districts in the educational sphere. Hence, digital learning becomes an important domain that can be used to see the preparedness of the educational system for future unforeseeable conditions.
It is observed that a majority of districts still rank in the bottom-three grades of the index. In this domain, 10 districts have improved their scores by more than 20%, while 74 districts have improved their scores by more than 10% between 2019-20 and 2021-22. At an overall grade-level improvement, a total of 202 districts improved their grading.
Interestingly, the ‘Digital Learning’ domain and the ‘Outcomes’ domain are the only two among the six domains that do not feature a single district in the top-most grade- ‘Daksh’ in all these years. Additionally, no district features in the second-top grade ‘Utkarsh’ in the ‘Digital Learning’ domain in these four years.

source: news-factly

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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Noise level recorded in more than 80% stations in 7 Metros found to be more than the prescribed limit
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 9, 2020
Noise pollution is probably the least discussed compared to air & water pollution. But Noise pollution can result in serious health issues both to humans & animals. Data provided by the government indicates that in both 2018 & 2019, noise level recorded by more than 80% of the stations in seven metros was found to be more than the prescribed limit.
Blaring sound from loudspeakers during weddings, birthdays, festivals, new year celebrations, from religious places & political processions, and the continuous honking in cities makes it difficult for people. Such noise can result in severe health issues among people such as noise induced hearing impairment, high blood pressure, heart disease, stress, and sleep disturbances, to name a few. In addition to this, noise pollution adversely affects the wildlife. Finding desirable habitat and mates, avoiding predators, protection of offspring, and establishment of territories, have been altered because of noise. For instance, elephants make use of seismic and infrasound signals using their feet and trunk for communication. Sound disturbances from humans hinder their communication. Hence noise pollution poses a risk to both humans as well as animals.
Since ‘Noise pollution’ is an important issue, there are regulations aimed at stipulating noise limits and controlling noise above the set standards. The violators will have to pay hefty fines. However, despite the presence of such regulations, noise pollution is often overlooked amidst other issues. It does not get as much attention as say air pollution and water pollution probably because its effects are not often immediately visible, and humans, especially in cities have gotten used to it loud noises. Even in popular discourse, pollution is often associated with air quality, discharge of effluents into rivers, or plastic waste clogging lakes etc.
We take a look at the noise monitoring data across major cities in India in this story.
Noise monitoring stations have been set up across 7 metro cities
In a  Lok Sabha response by the Ministry of Environment in September 2020,  data related to average levels of noise pollution recorded in seven metropolitan cities, namely, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, and Mumbai was presented. The data is provided at zonal level i.e. commercial, industrial, silent, and residential zones across the seven cities. Average noise levels are recorded by the monitoring stations under the National Ambient Noise Monitoring Network, established by the Central Pollution Control Boards and State Pollution Control Boards in 10 locations in each of these cities at day time and night time.
Separate noise limits are set for day time (6 am to 10 pm) and night time (10 pm to 6 am). The standards have been prescribed under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000.
During day time, 80% of the stations reported noise level above the stipulated limit
In 2019, a total of 56 stations out of 70 had recorded an average noise level above the stipulated limit during day time. This includes all the stations in Chennai, 9 in Delhi and 9 stations in Hyderabad, 7 each in Kolkata and Mumbai, and 6 stations in Lucknow. It has to be noted that each city has 10 stations.
In Chennai, Delhi, and Hyderabad, all the stations recorded higher noise level than the stipulated limit
During the night time, all the stations in Chennai, Delhi, and Hyderabad had recorded an average noise level above the prescribed limit in 2019. Likewise, 9 stations in Kolkata, 8 each in Bangalore, and Mumbai, and 7 in Lucknow had also breached the limits. Thus, a total of 62 stations out 70 breached the set limits. In all, 56 stations (80%) had not complied to the set limits during both day & night. In Chennai, all the stations had recorded average noise level above the stipulated limit while in Lucknow only 6 stations had breached the limit both during day & night.
All the stations in silent and commercial zones were above the stipulated limit
If we look at the stations zone wise, 3 out of the total 12 stations in industrial zones, 23 out of 25 in commercial zones, 16 out of 17 stations in silent zones, and 15 out of 16 stations in residential zones did not comply with the limits set for the day time. The numbers were higher for the night time where 5 out of 12 stations in industrial zones and 15 out 16 in residential zones recorded levels above the stipulated limits. All the stations in commercial and silent zones across cities had breached the noise limits set for the night time. In 2019, of the 8 stations which recorded noise level within the limits both during day and night, 7 were in industrial zones and 1 in a silent zone.
If one looks at the number of stations that have not complied with the noise limits either during the day or in the night from 2017 to 2019, except in Lucknow and Mumbai, the number of stations has increased in each of the cities. In Chennai, Delhi, and Hyderabad, as already observed earlier, all the 10 stations were non-compliant with the limits. Hyderabad recorded non-compliance in all ten stations in 2019 for the first time in the 3 years. On the other hand,  all the 10 stations in Chennai and Delhi recorded non-compliance in both 2018 & 2019. Of the seven metros, Lucknow and Mumbai seem to have fared better than  the rest.
Noise pollution in the night time is on the rise
The number of stations across these seven cities recording non-compliance of noise limit in the night has been increasing since 2017. In 2017, 52 stations had recorded non-compliance which increased to 59 in 2018 and crossed 60 in 2019. The number of stations recording non-compliance during day time has reduced to 56 stations in 2019 as compared to 57 in 2018.
If one looks at the stations by zone, all the stations in the silent zone across the seven cities have found to be non-compliant with the limits between 2017 & 2019. The number of stations in commercial zones non-compliant with the limits has gone up from 20 in 2017 to 25 in 2019. In residential areas too, the number of such stations was 16 in 2018 and 15 in 2019. From 2 stations in industrial zones, the number of stations violating the limits has gone up to 5 in 2019.
WHO has issued guidelines for monitoring and regulating noise levels
The WHO has rolled out community noise guidelines in which ambient noise levels and durations have been prescribed. Furthermore, steps for noise management have also been laid out in the same. The Ministry of Environment enacted the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 aimed at managing and controlling the noise pollution in the country. These rules restrict the use of loudspeakers and public address systems. Factly’s detailed story regarding the rules surrounding the use of loudspeakers is available here. A video on the same is available here.
Hefty fines proposed by CPCB
In addition to the stipulation of limits, other steps taken by the government include awareness on health ailments due to noise pollution, advisories for monitoring noise during Diwali & other such occasions and use of firecrackers. Even the police department is involved in curbing noise pollution. The noise level of the vehicles is provided in the initial certificate of compliance with pollution standards under the Motor Vehicle Act, 2019. Modification of the component can result in a penalty with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year or with fine of one lakh rupees.
Earlier in June 2020, the Central Pollution Control Board proposed hefty fines in a report filed with the National Green Tribunal. Under these new rules, violation in norms over loudspeaker usage or public address systems may attract a fine of Rs. 10,000 and confiscation of the equipment used. Flouting the norms while using diesel generators can attract fine between Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 1 Lakh. Despite the existence of all these rules, the on-ground implementation still leaves a lot to be desired.
Featured Image: Noise pollution

created: November 9, 2020


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Not a single sitting with more than 90% attendance in last seven sessions of Rajya Sabha
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 20, 2022
Data from the Rajya Sabha indicates that during the last seven sessions (249th to 255th) i.e., during the term of the 17th Lok Sabha, there was not a single sitting with more than 90% attendance. Data also indicates that among the nominated MPs, M C Mary Kom and Ranjan Gogoi have the lowest attendance.
In the earlier Story, we analysed the attendance of Members of Parliament (MPs) of the Lok Sabha from various Political parties during the sessions of 17th Lok Sabha.
In this story, we look at the attendance of the sitting members of the Rajya Sabha and sessions (249 to 255 sessions) after the commencement of the 17th Lok Sabha & the parties they represent.
Since the Rajya Sabha is a continuous body and not subject to dissolution, the sessions, as also the sittings, are numbered consecutively and continuously since its inception. However, our analysis is limited to the seven sessions held after the commencement of the 17th Lok Sabha, which is the tenure of the current government starting in 2019.
Methodology: Since the Prime Minister, Ministers, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) and Deputy Chairman (HDC) are not required to record their signature, Rajya Sabha does not consider their attendance. MPs who are ministers at least during any one session are also not considered. Those members who resigned or have passed away are also not considered. The attendance of MPs who were elected to the house during any of these seven sessions is calculated accordingly.
As per the rules of the Rajya Sabha, a member is considered present if he signs the attendance register. If a member was present on a particular day but did not sign the attendance register, he is considered absent. Our analysis also uses the same rules and considers those who signed as present.
Only 42 MPs have more than 90% attendance
Rajya Sabha met for seven (7) sessions (249 to 255) after the commencement of the 17th Lok Sabha, for a total of 146 days. Of the 237 sitting members, 23 members held positions where attendance was not required which means only 214 members were required to record their attendance in Rajya Sabha during these sessions. Of these, the latest data indicates that only 42 MPs have more than 90% attendance, 80 members have less than 50% attendance. Only one MP, S.R. Balasubramoniyan of AIADMK attended all the 146 days and has 100% attendance.
Three parties have more than 50% of their members with more than 90% attendance
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) with 3 MPs, Janata Dal (United) -JD(U) with 2 MPs and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) with just one MP are the only parties with more than 50% of its members attending more than 90% of the sittings of the Rajya Sabha so far. No national party has more than 50% of its members with 90% and above attendance. 10 MPs of the BJP and 5 of the INC have more than 90% of attendance and these two are the only recognized national parties who have MPs with more than 90% attendance. No other MP of a national party recorded 90% and above attendance.
No Session saw more than 90% average attendance
A session is defined as the period between the meeting of a Parliament and its prorogation. After the commencement of the 17th Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha met for a total of seven sessions over 146 days to date.
Session 249: The session had 35 sittings in all and the House sat for more than 195 hours and 32 minutes between 20 June 2019, and 07 August 2019. This Session saw an average attendance of 84.2%.  Lone MPs of Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) attended all the sittings of the 249th session of the Rajya Sabha.
Session 250: This Session sat for around 107 hours and lasted for 20 sittings between 18 November 2019, and 13 December 2019. This session witnessed average attendance of 80.1%. Aam Aadmi Party (98.3%), Biju Janata Dal (96%), Communist Party of India (95%), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (95%), Asom Gana Parishad (90%) and Telugu Desam Party (90%) saw an average attendance of more than 90%. No party recorded 100% attendance in this session.
Session 251: With an average attendance of 77.3%, the session had 23 sittings in all, as against the scheduled 31 sittings and sat for 90 hours and 29 Minutes between 31 January 2020 to 11 February 2020, and 02 March 2020, to 03 April 2020. While no party saw 100% attendance, Communist Party of India, and Telugu Desam Party with 95.6%, Aam Aadmi Party (92.7%), Asom Gana Parishad and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) with 91.3% each and Samajwadi Party with 90.4% are the parties which saw an average attendance of 90% and above during the session.
Session 252: The Session had sittings of 10 days without break on Saturdays and Sundays and the House sat for more than 39 hours from 14 September 2020 to 01 October 2020. This Session has the highest number of parties (6) namely TDP, AGP, BJD, BSP, Shiv Sena and MNF recording 100% attendance.
Lone MPs of the TDP and MNF saw 100% attendance in all the last three (253, 254 and 255) sessions. In addition to both these parties, Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD) also recorded 100% attendance in the 254th Session of the Rajya Sabha.
Not a single day witnessed more than 85% of attendance
Of the 146 days that the Rajya Sabha sat during these seven sessions (249 to 255), not even a single day saw an attendance of 85% or more MPs. The top three days with the highest attendance are the following.
05 August 2021: With an attendance of 84.1%, the house witnessed a motion for the appointment of four Members to the Joint Committee on the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 in the vacancies caused by the retirement. This day witnessed the greatest attendance with 84.1%
22 July 2021: With 83.6% of attendance, the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture presented the 292nd report on ‘The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill, 2021. Several reports of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour (2020-21) and Reports of the Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes were laid on the table. In addition, The Marine Aids to Navigation Bill, 2021 was also passed on this day.
29 November 2021:  With over 83.6% attendance, the house passed a bill to repeal the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 and amending the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. These three are popularly known as the Farm Bills.
19 July 2021: On this day, the Prime Minister introduced new ministers to the house. The day saw 83.6% attendance.
20 July 2021: Several MPs had given notice of ‘Short Duration Discussion’ on the management of COVID-19 pandemic, implementation of vaccination policy and challenges of the likely third wave. As per ‘Rules of Procedures and Conduct of Business’, a Short Duration Discussion is “Any member desirous of raising discussion on a matter of urgent public importance may give notice in writing to the Secretary-General specifying clearly and precisely the matter to be raised
11 August 2021: On this day, The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2021, The National Commission for Homoeopathy (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was introduced by respective department ministers for consideration and passing
No Committee in Rajya Sabha to decide on leave applications
Unlike in the Lok Sabha where there is a committee to decide on the leave applications of members, the Rajya Sabha does not have any dedicated committee. The chairman of the RS reads out the leave application in the house to seek the permission of the house.
9 out of 12 Nominated MPs have more than 70% of attendance.
Under Article 80 (1) (a) of the Constitution, the Rajya Sabha is composed of not more than 250 members, of whom 12 are nominated by the President of India from amongst persons who have special knowledge or practical experience in respect of such matters as literature, science, art and social service. The nominated members have a right to vote in the election of the Vice-President of India while they are not entitled to vote in the election of the President of India. Currently, Rajya Sabha has twelve nominated members.
A nominated member can also join a political party within six months of the nomination. Many of the members who were nominated by the current government are members of the BJP now.
Swapan Dasgupta (100%), Rakesh Sinha (98.6%), Mahesh Jethmalani (94.3%) and Dr. Subramanian Swamy (90.4%) are the only nominated MPs who recorded more than 90% of attendance among the members nominated to Rajya Sabha. It’s to be noted that Swapan Dasgupta and Mahesh Jethmalani are nominated only after the 253rd session, and hence their attendance is considered only for sessions 254 and 255.
Sportsperson Mary Kom has an attendance of 26%, the least of all the nominated MPs who were part of the house from at least the 249th session. Mary Kom and Ranjan Gogoi (15.7% from Session-251) did not attend the sessions during   253, 254 and 252 sessions respectively. They were shown as on leave on the Rajya Sabha website.
Featured Image: Rajya Sabha Attendance

created: January 20, 2022


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NOTA polled more votes than margin of victory in 30 constituencies of Bihar
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 19, 2020
The overall NOTA vote share in the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections decreased to 1.68% compared to 2.46% in 2015. This decrease in the NOTA vote share is consistent with the overall trend of declining preference for NOTA. However, NOTA polled more votes than the margin of victory in 30 of the 243 constituencies.
The Bihar Assembly elections held in 2015 were the first elections conducted after Election Commission of India (ECI) introduced a dedicated NOTA symbol. In that election, NOTA received a significant 2.5% of the total votes polled in the election. This has been attributed to the introduction of a dedicated symbol, which makes it easier for the electorate to identify choose the option. Factly had earlier analyzed the NOTA vote share in Bihar Assembly elections -2015 and the various numbers pertaining to NOTA.
Over the ensuing five year period, a general trend observed across the various elections is that the popularity of NOTA is declining and its vote share in general has gone down.
With the recently concluded Assembly elections, Bihar is the now the first state to have had two assembly elections with the dedicated NOTA symbol on the EVM.  Here is a look at the trends for NOTA in these elections.
NOTA vote share  fell in 2020 Bihar Assembly elections
In continuation of the trend observed across the country, there is a decline in the share of votes polled for NOTA even in the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections. As indicated earlier, NOTA received about 2.5% of the total votes in 2015 Bihar Assembly elections. In comparison, NOTA received only 1.68% of the total votes polled in the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections.
The overall fall in the NOTA vote share is also evident from the fall in the NOTA vote share across the constituencies.  Out of the total 243 assembly constituencies in Bihar, NOTA polled more than 5% of the votes in 14 constituencies in the 2015 assembly elections. However, in 2020, the highest vote share for NOTA is 4.38% in Bhorey constituency, with. In other words, compared to 14 constituencies in 2015 that polled more than 5% for NOTA,  there is none in 2020.
A significant drop is also observed in the number of constituencies receiving a higher share of NOTA votes. While 24 constituencies in 2015 had NOTA share between 4-5%, this number is down to just 3 in 2020. Similarly, 17 constituencies in 2020 had a NOTA vote share between 3-4 % while it was 47 in 2015.
The fall in preference to NOTA is evident from the fact that in nearly 1/3 (i.e. 29% or 70) of the constituencies, the NOTA vote share was less than 1% in 2020 with 70 while it was just 33 constituencies in 2015.
In 2020, 30 constituencies in Bihar have polled more votes for NOTA than the victory margin
During Bihar Assembly elections in 2015, there were 21 constituencies where the number of votes for NOTA was more than the victory margin. However, despite the fall in NOTA vote share in the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, the number of constituencies in which NOTA polled more votes than the victory margin has increased to 30. However, this does not necessarily mean a higher propensity towards NOTA in these constituencies.
In 2015, NOTA polled between 4-5% in 5 of these 21 assembly and NOTA polled between 3-4% in another 5 constituencies. In contrast, in only one of these 30 constituencies in the 2020 assembly elections, NOTA polled more than 4%. This is in the SC reserved Bhorey constituency, where the JD(U) candidate won by a mere 462 votes defeating the CPI (ML)-Liberation candidate. NOTA polled 8010 votes i.e. 4.38% of the total vote share.
In 7 of the 38 SC reserved constituencies, NOTA polled more votes than the victory margin in 2020  while it happened in only 2 such constituencies in 2015.
In 15 constituencies, NOTA polled less than 2% of the votes but higher than the victory margin. All these trends point towards a more closely contested elections in 2020 compared to 2015. While the preference for NOTA has come down, it does seem to have played a part in the close contests, although we do not know about the alternate preference of these NOTA voters.
NOTA vote share is once again higher in Reserved seats than General Seats
Out of 243 constituencies in the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, 38 are SC reserved and 2 are ST reserved. The share of NOTA in SC reserved seats in 2020 elections was 2.11%, higher than 1.58% in General Category seats. The NOTA vote share in the two ST reserved seats is 2.62%.
However, when compared to 2015 Assembly elections, there is a fall in the share of NOTA votes both in SC reserved seats as well as General category seats. NOTA vote share in 2015 was 2.92% in SC reserved and 2.38% in General category seats. The two ST reserved seats had a lesser NOTA share in 2015 earlier with 2.11%.
When we compare the NOTA vote share in the 2020 assembly elections with the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the trends in Bihar show a decline across the categories. There is a major decline in SC reserved constituencies where NOTA polled 2.11% in the 2020 Assembly elections compared to 3.37% in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
However, when the 2019 numbers are compared with the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, there is an increase in the NOTA share especially in the SC reserved constituencies. This could be due to the inclusion of dedicated NOTA symbol for 2019 Lok Sabha elections, which wasn’t the case in 2014.
While preference for NOTA is decreasing, it has an influence on closer contests
The decline in the NOTA vote share in the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections conform to the trends observed across elections in different states. This is clearly evident when the data for 2015 & 2020 assembly elections are compared.
These election results also conform to another trend that has been observed since 2013 i.e. the share of NOTA votes in reserved constituencies is higher than that of General Category seats.
The declining share of NOTA across the constituencies with more than a quarter of the seats polling less than 1% votes for NOTA in 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, points to a clear & decreasing preference for NOTA among the voters.
However, as highlighted earlier in this story, NOTA does seem to have played a key role in few of the closely contested constituencies in these Assembly elections.

created: November 19, 2020


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Data: NOTA Vote share is 0.7% in the five state Assembly Elections, the lowest in a year since its introduction in 2013
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 14, 2022
NOTA was introduced as an option on the ballot paper in 2013 while a dedicated symbol on the EVM came in 2015. However, NOTA vote share has been on a continuous decline over the years. In the recently concluded assembly elections to five states, NOTA polled 0.7% of the vote, the lowest in a year since its introduction in 2013.
The results for the recently held Assembly General Elections in 5 States – Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa & Manipur were declared on 10 March 2022. The elections were conducted during February & March 2022. The incumbent parties/alliances in four of the states managed to retain power, while in Punjab, the AAP stormed to power winning more than 80% of the seats.
The previous assembly general elections for all these states were conducted in 2017. Hence, this is the second time that assembly elections were held in these states after NOTA (None of the Above) option was introduced in 2013 on the ballot paper and a dedicated symbol on the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) was put in place in 2015.
As noted in many of our earlier stories, NOTA as a preferred choice is finding favour with fewer voters with every passing year. The vote share for NOTA has consistently declined over the years, possibly because of the reason that votes for NOTA would not lead to any change in the results.
NOTA vote share crossed the 2% mark only in the elections held in the year 2015. Since then, there has been a consistent decline in the vote share for NOTA. NOTA polled just about 0.7% of the votes in the recently concluded assembly general elections to the five states in 2022. This is the lowest in any year since the introduction of NOTA in 2013.
In this story, we analyse the trends in NOTA vote share in 2017 & 2022 across these five States.
Details of the performance of NOTA across the elections can be viewed on Factly’s comprehensive Dashboard on NOTA – NOTA and Numbers.
Share of NOTA in 2022 fell in 3 out of 5 States compared to the 2017 assembly elections
Among the five states for which Assembly elections were concluded recently, there is a slight increase in the share of votes polled for NOTA in Punjab & Manipur compared to the 2017 elections in these states.
NOTA share did not cross 3% in any of the seats across five states
In 2017, there was one constituency in UP where NOTA polled more than 3% of the votes.  This was the ST-reserved seat of Duddhi, where NOTA polled 4.3%. In 2022, though the seat still has the highest share of NOTA share in the state, it fell to 2.3%.
Strangely, there was not a single assembly constituency across the five states where NOTA polled more than 3% of the votes.
SC & ST reserved seats continue to poll more votes for NOTA
One of the consistent trends in NOTA vote share across various State Assembly & Lok Sabha general elections since 2013 is that the SC & ST reserved seats have a higher share of NOTA votes compared to the General category seats.
In 22 Seats of UP, NOTA polled more votes than the victory margin
While the overall share of votes polled for NOTA has reduced in 2022 compared to 2017, NOTA was crucial in 34 constituencies across the five states where there was a close context. In these 34 constituencies, NOTA polled more than the victory margin. In 2017, there were only 26 such constituencies.
This is more prominent in the case of Uttar Pradesh. In 22 constituencies, NOTA polled more votes than victory margin in the 2022 elections while there were 14 such constituencies in 2017.  Goa has five such constituencies in 2022 while 3 such constituencies were in Uttarakhand and 2 constituencies each in Punjab & Manipur.
Among these seats, Jirbam in Manipur polled 2.17% for NOTA i.e., 579 votes, while the victory margin was 416 votes. In Uttarakhand’s Dwarahat, where there was a very close contest with a victory margin of 182 votes, NOTA polled 791 votes i.e., 1.6% of the total votes.
The constituencies of Shrawasti & Manikpur in UP polled 1.26% and 1.6% NOTA votes. The votes for NOTA were comparatively higher than the victory margin. In the case of Manikpur, NOTA received 3,325 votes, while the victory margin was 1048 votes. Though the overall interest in NOTA is declining as a preferred choice for voters, these votes are proving to be crucial in certain constituencies.


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Data: NOTA’s vote share falls in 4 of the 5 States that went to polls recently
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 13, 2021
The trend of NOTA polling fewer votes in every subsequent election has been highlighted by us multiple times before. This trend has continued with NOTA’s vote share declining in 4 of the 5 states that went to the polls recently. Here is a deep dive.
The results of the recently held ‘Assembly General Elections’ for 4 States (Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu & West Bengal) & 1 Union Territory (Puducherry) were declared on 02 May 2021. The elections were conducted during the month of March and April 2021. Of these, the incumbent parties/alliances managed to retain power in three states while in Tamil Nadu & Puducherry, there was a shift in power.
The previous assembly elections for all these states were conducted in 2016. Therefore, these are the second set of assembly general elections in these states after NOTA (None Of The Above) was introduced (2013) and a dedicated symbol for NOTA was put in place (2015) on the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
In this story, we analyse the trends of votes polled for NOTA in 2016 & 2021 across these 5 States (including Puducherry).
Share of votes polled for NOTA declines in 2021 with the exception of Assam
A common trend observed in both the assembly general elections in other states and the Lok Sabha general elections is the decline in the share of votes polled for NOTA, compared to earlier.  The same trend continued for most of the five states that went for polls in the current year, Assam being an exception.
Tamil Nadu registered a remarkable fall in the vote share of NOTA. In 2016, 5.65 lakh votes were polled for NOTA i.e., 1.3% of the total votes polled. In 2021, the NOTA vote share fell to 0.75% i.e., only 3.45 lakh votes were polled to NOTA out of 4.62 crore total votes polled.
NOTA vote share did not cross 3% in any of the constituencies in Kerala, Tamil Nadu & West Bengal
During the 2016 Assembly elections, in none of the seats in Kerala, NOTA polled more than 3% votes. The highest vote share for NOTA in a constituency was 1.2% polled in the Kadhuthuruthy constituency. In fact, only in 2 seats, NOTA polled more than 1%, with NOTA polling less than 1% in the rest of the 138 seats. The trend continued even in 2021. NOTA did not poll more than 3% votes in any of the constituencies in Kerala. Only in Thalassery, NOTA polled 1.74%, and in the rest of the 139 seats, NOTA polled less than 1% votes.
In the case of Tamil Nadu, NOTA polled between 1-3% in 157 of the 234 constituencies in 2016. In 2021, the trend is reversed with NOTA polling less than 1% in 200 of the 234 seats. In none of the seats either in 2016 or 2021, NOTA polled more than 3% of the vote share. The highest in 2016 was Krishnarayapuram with a 2.8% vote share for NOTA. In the 2021 assembly elections, NOTA did not poll more than 2% of the votes in any of the seats whereas this number was 32 in 2016. In 2021, the highest vote share for NOTA is in Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni with 1.5%.
In West Bengal, NOTA polled more than 3% votes in 5 constituencies in 2016 whereas this did not happen in any of the constituencies in 2021. The highest NOTA vote share during the 2021 elections was in Nagrakata with 2.85% whereas, in 2016, NOTA polled 4.5% in the Kurseong constituency, the highest in that year. In 2021, the NOTA vote share in Kurseong is 1.38%.
In both Assam & Puducherry, NOTA polled more than 3% of votes in one constituency each.
In Assam, NOTA polled 3.11% in the ST-reserved seat of Udalguri in 2021.
ST Reserved seats have higher share of NOTA votes across the States
Another trend that is observed across the board in elections to the state assemblies & the Lok Sabha is that NOTA polls a higher vote share in SC & ST reserved seats compared to General category seats. The trend prevailed, especially for ST reserved seats in these 5 states for which the elections were held recently.
Despite fall NOTA vote share, these votes were key in multiple closer contests
The overall trend across the states is that the NOTA vote share fell in the 2021 assembly elections compare to that of 2016.  However, data indicates that the votes polled for NOTA were crucial in a few of the closer contests. In the elections for these 5 Assemblies, NOTA polled more votes than the victory margin in 37 constituencies.  Of these 13 are in Tamil Nadu and 14 in West Bengal.
In the Barjora constituency of West Bengal, the victory margin was 3269 votes whereas NOTA polled 4903 votes or 2.23% of the total votes. In another West Bengal constituency – Ranibandh, which is ST reserved, NOTA polled 4226 or 2% of the votes which is more than the victory margin.  In Dinhata of West Bengal, the victory margin was only 57 votes and NOTA polled 1537 votes (0.63%). In Perinthalmanna of Kerala, the winner won by a margin of 38 votes whereas NOTA polled 867 (0.52%) votes.  Hence, irrespective of the vote share for NOTA, it is proving to be costly for the losing candidates in certain close contests.
The debate on the efficacy of NOTA in its present form will only get stronger especially because of its falling vote share with every passing year.
Featured Image: NOTA’s vote share


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Data: NSS MIS Report Highlights the Stark Urban-Rural, Male-Female Divide in ICT Skills
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 20, 2023
The NSS 78th Round – Multi-indicator Survey looked at nine ICT skills of the young population between 15-29 years, which are also the skills identified by UNO under SDG-4. The survey results indicate a stark Urban-Rural, and Male-Female divide and this gap increases in higher level skills.
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are at the forefront of the technological advancements made by humankind made over the past few decades. It has revolutionised the way people work, interact, learn, and live across various spheres of human life. Skills to use ICT have now become critical in day-to-day functioning to stay connected as well as relevant.
The United Nations Organization has also identified the importance of ICT skills by integrating them into Suitability Development Goals. It is part of SDG-4, which is related to inclusive & equitable quality education and learning opportunities. It has identified 9 activities to measure ICT Skills in persons.
India is one of the leading software & technological service providers globally, but the infrastructure and activity are limited to certain clusters in the country. There is a continuing emphasis on including ICT as part of the educational curriculum. But to what extent of the population is equipped with these skills?
In this context, the recent NSS 78 Round – Multi-Indicator Survey, throws some light. ICT skills of the young population between 15-29 years, were part of the indicators included in the survey. The skills measured were the same 9 activities that were identified by UNO under SDG-4. In this two-part series, we analyse these results of the NSS survey.  In the first part of the story, we look at All-India trends.
Methodology
The respondents of the survey are categorised into two age groups for this indicator i.e., 15-24 years and 15-19 years. Gender-wise information and Urban-Rural categorisation are provided in the NSS report. The results are a share of the population within the specific category for each type of skill.
For the purpose of the story, we have divided the 9 skills/activities into four groups based on the level of skill required and the similarity between the activities.
The survey results are based on the responses of the relevant respondents, and no verification was conducted to test the skills.
Only about 1/3rd of Rural population of 15-29 years knows how to Copy or move files and folders
The first two activities under the ICT Skills involve – (a) Copy or moving a file/folder and (b) Using Copy Paste Tools.
There is a distinct rural-urban divide as well as a gender difference in these skills. Around 43% of those surveyed in the age group of 15-24 years know how to copy or move a file. However, this is only about 35.4% among the rural population and 63.1% among the urban population.
In the case of the Urban population, it is 66.7% among males and 59% among females. The difference is starker among the Rural population, with 41.9% among males and 28.4% among females. There is a prominent difference between urban & rural populations across both genders. The proportion nearly remains the same even among those surveyed among the 15-29 age group.
Another skill identified is using copy & paste tools within a document. The proportion of the population survey who reported that they possess this skill was nearly the same as the first skill. Overall, 40.7% of those surveyed between the 15-24 age group had this skill, with about 39.4% among the 15-29 age group. While 61.1% of the Urban population surveyed can use copy-paste tools, it is only about 32.9% among the Rural population. In the case of males, it is 64.7% and 39% among Urban & Rural respectively. In the case of females, it is 57.1% & 26.2%.
Only about  5-6% of those between 15-24 years can use basic spreadsheet & presentation tools in Rural areas
In our next categorization, we look at three skills that require using software applications. The first one is being able to send emails with attachments. 43% of those who were part of the survey between 15-24 years of age can execute this activity. This is 63.1% among Urban respondents and 35.4 % among those from Rural areas. The gender gap is lower among the urban population with it being 59% among females compared to 66.7% among males. But it is starker among the rural population with 41.9% and 28.4% around rural males & females.
Fewer respondents possess the other two skills. Only about 10% of the respondents in the 15-24 years & 15-29 years age group can use Basic arithmetic formulae in spreadsheets. It is 20% among Urban respondents and only 5.8% among rural respondents among the 15-24 age group. It is only slightly higher in those in the 15-29 age group. Compared to the earlier skills, the gender difference is lesser among both urban & rural respondents.
Comparatively, a lesser proportion of the population can prepare a presentation using a presentation software. Overall, 8.4% of the respondents in the 15-24 age group have this skill. It is 17.2% among urban respondents only about 5% among those surveyed in rural areas.
About 20% respondents can install software, with significant Urban-Rural variance
Another set of ICT skills that were part of the survey is related to the respondents’ ability in handling & maintaining the computer systems. These include – connecting & installing new devices, downloading & installing software, and transferring files between computers and other devices.
About 12.4% of the respondents said they can connect and install new devices. While it is 24.1% among urban respondents, it is only about 7.9% among rural respondents. Within the Rural population, it is 9.7% among males and only 6% among females. In the case of females in the 15-29 years age group, it reduces further to 5.5% among rural women.
Comparatively a greater proportion of respondents said they can download, install, and configure software on a device.  The overall all-India average among the 15-24 age group is 21.2%. Even within this skill, an Urban-rural divide exists with 34.3% and 16.1% among urban & rural respondents respectively. The share is higher among males in both Urban & Rural areas, with the gender difference being nearly the same.
Among the respondents, 20.3% between 15-24 years said that they can transfer files between computers and other devices. However, it is only about 14.2% of the rural population. It is even lower among rural females with 10.9%. This is comparatively higher among the Urban population with 17.2%.
Only about 2% of the respondents can write a computer program
A more advanced skill among the nine ICT skills is the ability to write a program using specialised programming language.  The All-India average is only around 2.2%. Among rural respondents, it is only 1.2%. It is better among Urban respondents with 4.6%. In the case of rural women, only about 0.9% of the respondents stated that they can write a program in both age groups. Among Urban respondents, it is 3.9% in the 15-24 age group.
Rural-Urban divide and gender disparity across ICT skills
As is expected, the All-India numbers from the survey indicate a decreasingly lower proportion of the population possessing a skill based on the level of complexity. While simpler tasks like copying files have a comparatively higher proportion of being able to do them, there is a distinct reduction as far as skills like connecting devices, using software tools, etc, are concerned. It was reduced to 2% in the case of higher-level skills like writing a program.
Another distinct trend is the Urban-Rural divide. There is a large variance, particularly as the complexity increases, with a higher proportion of the urban population possessing the skill compared to rural respondents. There is also a visible gender disparity & divide. Across all the IT skills, the rural woman has the least proportion of such a skill.
In the next part, we look at the trend across the various states of India.
Featured Image: NSS MIS Report


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Data: Migration From Another State High in Union Territories
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 30, 2023
The 78th round of the NSSO measured multiple indicators to estimate India’s progress with respect to the SDGs. One of the important topics covered in this round was migration. The survey findings indicate that 69% of all those surveyed mentioned that they migrated within the state from a rural area.
Recently, the findings of the National Sample Survey Office’s latest survey on multiple indicators (78 round) to estimate India’s progress with respect to Sustainable Development Goals was released. The survey was initially planned to be conducted during the period January and December 2020, but the fieldwork was extended further till August 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are broadly 10 sections in the report, one of which is dedicated to ‘Migration’. Various aspects of migration have been covered in the report such as the type of region, reason behind migrating, change in income, transfer of documents, willingness to move and the reason behind it.
The data on migration for this story from the NSS’s 78th Round Multiple-Indicator Survey has been taken from Factly’s Dataful website.
Migration is an important indicator of socio-economic and political conditions
Migration is an important factor to be captured as it is considered the barometer of changing socio-economic and political conditions at the national and international levels. It gives a fair idea of the existing inequalities and disparities in economic and social conditions across different places. It may be driven by several reasons like career growth, employment, the standard of living, marriage, calamities, conflicts, and human rights violations among others. Data on migration is even more relevant in this survey as it was conducted after the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 & 2021 which resulted in large-scale migration. While this story focuses on reasons for migration, in the subsequent story, data pertaining to the transfer of documents by migrants will be analysed.
Definitions: In this Multiple Indicator Survey, a person was considered to have migrated if his/her present place of enumeration was different from the last usual place of residence. The last usual place of residence was referred to the village/town/country where the household member stayed continuously for 6 months or more before coming to the present village/town or the place of enumeration.
Migration is the highest from rural areas
As per the survey findings, migration was the highest in rural areas. More than 81% of those who were surveyed in rural areas mentioned that they had migrated within the same state from another rural area while more than 45% of those surveyed in urban areas said that they migrated within the state from another rural area.  Overall, nearly 69% of all those surveyed mentioned that they migrated within the same state from another rural area.
On the other hand, 18.4% of all those surveyed said that they migrated within the same state from another urban area. About one-third of those surveyed in urban areas mentioned that they had migrated within the same state from another urban area while 10% of those surveyed in rural areas mentioned that they had migrated within the same state from another urban area.
Interstate rural-to-urban migration was nearly 13% while it was 7.3% from urban to urban.  The inter-state migration from urban to rural was around 4%.  International migration was 0.9% at the national level, with 1.2% in urban areas and 0.7% in rural areas.
Intra-state migration was more than 90% in AP, MP, TN, and Bihar while migration from other country was high in Kerala and Tripura
Among all states, persons whose last place of residence was another country was the highest in Kerala with 9.9% followed by 3.6% in Tripura, and 1.4% each in Mizoram, Punjab, and West Bengal. On the other side, states like Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh reported zero.
The percentage of persons who had moved from a different state was relatively high in Union Territories like Dadra and Nagar Haveli (84%), Chandigarh (68.5%), Delhi (64.7%), and Puducherry (62.1%). This may be because of the movement of people from adjoining states like Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, and Tamil Nadu. Among large states, more than 21% of those surveyed in Punjab said they migrated from another state while this is around 20% in Haryana and Jharkhand respectively.
Less than 9% of those surveyed in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Tamil Nadu said they migrated from another state. However, the intra-state migration was on the higher side for these states. In all four states, more than 90% of those surveyed said they migrated from within the state. While the all-India rate of intra-state migration was 87.2%, states like Kerala, Punjab, and Jharkhand, and Delhi reported less than 80%.
The survey report also mentioned the main reasons behind migration. Reasons such as the search for employment, in search of better employment, business, to take up employment/ better employment, transfer of service/ contract, proximity to the place of work, studies, marriage, social/political problems (riots, terrorism, political refugee, bad law and order, etc.), displacement by a development project, scarcity of water, acquisition of own house/ flat, housing problems/insufficient land holding, health care, retirement, natural disaster, migration of parent/earning member of the family were captured.
7 in 10 people migrated for marriage while 1 in 10 had migrated due to migration of earning member
The reason behind the migration of more than 70% of the people surveyed was marriage. Nearly 10% had migrated due to the migration of the earning member of the family or parent. 4.4% had migrated seeking better employment opportunities while more than 2% each had migrated in search of employment and studies. 1.9% had migrated to take up employment while 1% each had migrated due to transfer of service and acquisition of own flat or house.
Except in the case of ‘Marriage’ for which more people had moved to rural areas, in the case of other reasons like employment, transfer of contract, and studies, more people had moved to urban areas where better opportunities and facilities are available. Across gender, around 87% of the females had moved for marriage as compared to only 5.8% of males. In contrast, the share of women who migrated for other reasons such as education and employment is very low compared to that of men.
Migration in India report presents similar findings
The findings of this survey are in line with the Migration in India (2020-21) report released by the National Statistical Office in 2022 to estimate the migration due to the pandemic. The survey was conducted along with the annual Periodic Labour Force Survey from July 2020 to June 2021, roughly around the time the NSS survey was carried out. According to the report, the migration rate across the country was 28.9% during the period from July 2020 to 2021, when the survey was conducted.
As per the report, Marriage was cited as the reason behind migration for more than 71% of the migrants – 86.8% of females and 6.2% of males. Migration of the earning member of the family or parent was cited to be the reason by 9.2% of the migrants including 17.5% of males and 7.3% of females. A total of 4.8% migrated in search of employment or better employment opportunities while 4.4% migrated to take up employment. Reasons such as natural disasters, political problems, displacement due to development projects, health-related reasons, and retirement accounted for less than 1% each.
Featured Image: Migration in India


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Data: Number of Accounts With ‘Unclaimed Deposits’ in ‘Public Sector Banks’ Crosses 10 Crore
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 20, 2023
The RBI recently announced ‘100 Days 100 Pays’ campaign with the goal of tracing and settling out the top 100 unclaimed deposits from every bank in every district within a hundred days. This is a much needed step as data indicates a continuous growth in accounts with unclaimed deposits. The number in PSBs alone crossed 10 crores as of February 2023.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently announced ‘100 Days 100 Pays’ campaign with the goal of tracing and settling out the top 100 unclaimed deposits from every bank in every district within a hundred days. The campaign is expected to augment the central bank’s continued efforts in returning the existing unclaimed deposits to their rightful owners/claimants. The banks were expected to commence the campaign on 01 June 2023.
As of now, each bank displays the list of unclaimed deposits on its website. To improve the tracing and settling of unclaimed deposits, RBI has decided to develop a centralized web portal that facilitates search across multiple banks. Further, the search results are said to be enhanced by using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools.
In this story, we look at the data and associated trends relating to unclaimed deposits in India. Read our earlier story on unclaimed deposits here and here.
Approximately 10 crore bank accounts have unclaimed deposits.
By the end of 2011, the total number of accounts having unclaimed deposits stood at 1.1 crores, with the total unclaimed amount being Rs. 2,442 crores. By the end of December 2021, a total of 9.87 crore accounts had unclaimed deposits accounting for Rs. 31,078 Crores. There is an 11-fold increase in the total amount of unclaimed deposits and an 8-fold increase in the number of accounts during this period.
Since 2018, there has been consistent growth in the unclaimed deposits and the associated accounts. Average yearly growth of 29% and 22% can be seen in the number of unclaimed deposits, and in the number of accounts between 2018 and 2021 respectively.
Public Sector banks account for more than 80% of the unclaimed deposits.
In a written response to the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for Finance stated that as of the end of February 2023, Public Sector Banks had transferred a total of Rs. 35,012 crores worth of unclaimed deposits in respect of deposits that have not been operated for 10 years or more.
Of the Rs. 31,078 crores as of the end of December 2021, the public sector banks accounted for more than 80% (Rs. 25,798 Crores). While most of the unclaimed deposits are held by the Public Sector Banks, their share has come down marginally in recent years. In 2018, about 88% of such accounts were in PSBs. The share reduced to 84% in December 2020, and 82% in December 2021.
Between December 2021 and February 2023, the unclaimed deposits with the public sector banks rose by 35% (approximately Rs. 9,213 crores), and the accounts grew by 25% (2 crore accounts). Though the latest data for all scheduled commercial banks is not available, this growth trend might be true even in the case of private banks.
SBI tops the PSBs in unclaimed deposits, followed by Punjab National Bank
As of 2023, there are twelve public sector banks in India. Among them, SBI has more than Rs. 8,000 Crore of unclaimed deposits in over 2 crore accounts, followed by Punjab National Bank with Rs. 5,340 crores in 1.5 crore accounts. Canara Bank has more unclaimed accounts than Punjab National Bank, however, the amount of unclaimed deposits is more for Punjab National Bank.
By the end of December 2020, SBI had Rs. 3,578 crores of unclaimed deposits in over 1.32 crore accounts. The unclaimed deposits grew by 2.26 times to Rs. 8,086 crores and the number of accounts rose grew by 1.6 times to 2.17 crore accounts as of February 2023. SBI alone accounted for 30% of the total growth in unclaimed deposits between 2020 and 2023.
Of all the public sector banks, only Indian Bank registered a decline in the number of accounts (by more than 7 lakh accounts) that had unclaimed deposits between December 2020 and February 2023.
70% of the unclaimed deposits are from ‘Savings Accounts’
If we consider the data of the unclaimed deposits by type of account, approximately 70% of the total unclaimed deposits belong to the ‘savings account’ category as of December 2021. This is followed by the ‘other deposits’ category, and the ‘current account’.
There has been a consistent growth in the unclaimed deposits over the years irrespective of the type of account. However, the growth rates are not uniform. The data from 2018 to 2021 suggest that the share of ‘savings accounts’ in total unclaimed deposits grew from 66% to 70%, whereas the share of ‘current accounts’ fell from 7.5% to 7% during the same period.  A greater decline can be seen in the share of ‘fixed deposits’, which fell from 9.5% to 7% during the corresponding period.
The ‘100 days 100 pays’ campaign- Settling the ‘unsettled’, a much needed step
An inoperative account can be exposed to fraud and is an easy target for phishing attacks.  Such accounts are prone to be utilised for shady activities like money laundering, which might get a legitimate consumer into a lot of difficulties. Additionally, because the bank must keep up with the database of inactive accounts, retaining such accounts raises the bank’s overall costs.
Hence, the RBI’s ‘100 days 100 pays’ campaign is a much-needed step in the right direction. With proper implementation and supervision, this campaign has the potential to ensure that the money reaches the owners and that the consistent growth in unclaimed deposits & accounts is reversed.


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Data: Number of Adoptions Down Even in 2021-22 While Estimates Indicate an Increase in Orphaned Children
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 9, 2023
Multiple estimates from different agencies indicate a very high number of orphaned children in the country following deaths due to COVID-19. However, the number of new registrations on the CARINGS portal has decreased continuously in the last three years and the number of adoptions has also come down.
A study led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the national public health agency of the USA, estimates that as of 01 May 2022, around 10.5 million children globally have experienced the loss of a parent or caregiver due to COVID-19-related deaths.  An increase in the likelihood of poverty, abuse, delayed development, mental health challenges, reduced access to education, etc. is a few of the potential risks that such children are exposed to.
This model estimates that around 2 million children in India have experienced orphanhood (death or one or both of the parents) due to COVID-19.
Government of India estimates that 4,345 children have lost both the parents during pandemic
As per the update provided in Lok Sabha on 09 December 2022, a total of 4,345 children have lost both the parents due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This information is based on applications approved under PM CARES for Children scheme.
Maharashtra has the highest number of orphaned children (those who lost both the parents) due to COVID-19 with 790, as identified by the government. It ought to be noted that the State recorded the highest number of COVID-19 cases as well as the highest number of deaths.  Uttar Pradesh & Madhya Pradesh have recorded 441 and 428 children.
In an earlier update in Lok Sabha on 04 February 2022, the government stated that 26,176 children have lost a single parent either due to the COVID-19 pandemic or other reasons during the period April 2020 to June 2021. During that period, the number of children who lost both the parents is 3,661. Considering that the number of children orphaned has increased as per the more recent updates, there are chances that the number of children who have lost a single parent due to COVID-19 has also increased over this period. As per the response in Lok Sabha, Maharashtra has the highest number of such children with more than 6.8 thousand. Uttar Pradesh has 2.7 thousand and Haryana, 2.3 thousand.
More than 9 thousand applications received under PM CARES scheme
The Government of India launched the PM Cares for Children Scheme to support children who lost both their parents or legal guardian or adoptive parents or surviving parents due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The scheme was launched on 29 May 2021. The Scheme aims to provide comprehensive care and protection of children in a sustained manner and make them achieve self-sufficient existence by the time they reach the age of 23 years.  Factly’s detailed explainer of the scheme can be read here.
As per the latest information available on the portal, a total of 9,170 applications were received across the States & UTs. The highest number of applications were received from Rajasthan with 1553, followed by Maharashtra with 1505. Rajasthan is among the states with the lowest approval rate with only 207 approved out of the 1.5 thousand applications.
Overall, just about half the applications received are approved. Even considering the number of applications received, there is a large variance compared to the earlier mentioned international estimate of a number of children who might have been orphaned in India due to COVID-19.
Very few of the Orphaned children registered under CARINGS
The Child Adoption Resource Information & Guidance System (CARINGS) is an online platform, which purpose is to bring transparency to the adoption system and curtail the delays in the process. This is part of the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), which is a statutory body that functions as the nodal agency for the adoption of Indian children. Criteria & guidelines related to Adoption in India can be read here.
As per the response provided in Lok Sabha, 336 orphaned children were registered on the CARINGS portal during 2019-20. This fell further to 273 and 272 during 2020-21 and 2021-22 respectively. Compared to the number of children who are recognised by the government as having lost both the parents, the number of children registered for adoption is low.
If the trends among the states are considered, Uttar Pradesh is among the states with the highest number of newly registered orphans across the three years.  In the case of Maharashtra, there was an increase in 2020-21 with 78 orphans registering for adoption, compared to 16 in the previous year. However, this fell to 11 in 2021-22. Andhra Pradesh which had 35 registrations prior to the pandemic in 2019-20, has only 9 in the next two years.
Fall in the number of adoptions in 2021-22
According to the data available on CARA, there were 2,991 in-country adoptions in 2021-22. Comparatively, in the previous year, the total number of in-country adoptions was 3,142. Since 2019-20, there has been a year-on-year decline in the number of in-country adoptions.
The number of inter-country adoptions also fell to 414 in 2021-22 compared to 417 in the previous year. Compared to the earlier years, there is a comparative decline in the number of inter-country adoptions as well.
As was the case in the earlier years, a higher number of girls were adopted in 2021-22 with 1,957, compared to boys with 1,448. This is true in the case of both in-country adoptions as well as inter-country adoptions. A response in Lok Sabha from July 2022, provides details of ‘Children with Special Needs’ (CWSN) who were adopted. There is a year-on-year increase in the number of such children adopted.
The Lok Sabha answer refers to CARINGS as the source of information.
Highest number of Adoptions recorded in Maharashtra during 2021-22
As was the case in the earlier year, the highest number of in-country adoptions during 2021-22 was in Maharashtra. Out of the 2,991 in-country adoptions, Maharashtra accounted for 499.  Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, West Bengal, and Telangana have registered the next highest number of adoptions during 2021-22. Together, these 5 states accounted for nearly half of the total in-country adoptions during the year. No varying trend can be seen with respect to gender, with these states reporting a higher number of adoptions in terms of both boys and girls. Maharashtra also has the highest number of inter-country adoptions with 65 of the 414 such adoptions in Maharashtra. Our analysis of the State-wise trends for the earlier years can be read here.
Institutional & Process delays might have contributed to lower number of registrations and adoptions
As indicated in the aforementioned global estimates, the number of orphaned children (single and both parents) in India is estimated to be around 2 million. However, the number of applications that were received and approved as beneficiaries under ‘PM CARES for Children’ is comparatively very low. The data provided in the parliament by the government is based on these applications and there is no other open data available for the estimate of orphaned children. This raises questions on either the estimates or on the efficacy of the scheme. In the latter case, the challenges could be around the availability of information, and the simplicity of application process, among other things. The lower rate of approval (around 50%) also raises questions about the process.
Another aspect regarding orphaned children is related to the adoption process. As highlighted in the story, fewer children are registered for adoption on the CARINGS portal even after the pandemic. One would have expected an increase in the number of registrations.
Furthermore, there is also a drop in the number of adoptions during 2021-22. This is not the case of the lack of Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPS). As per the data available from 2019, there are around 25 thousand PAPS within the country.  In an earlier story, we highlighted the delays in the adoption process and also the amendments made to the policy to improve the process.
However, the trends in 2021-22 do not indicate any visible improvement in the process as the numbers have not improved. In view of the pandemic-induced situation, it is of utmost importance that the adoption process is improved, and future of more orphans is secured.

created: February 9, 2023


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Number of Beneficiaries of Anganwadi Services fell by 14% in last 4 years
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 2, 2021
Anganwadi Services under the umbrella ‘Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)’ are aimed at holistic development of children below 6 years of age. They are critical for improvement in many women & child-related indicators. Data shows that the number of beneficiaries of Anganwadi services decreased by more than 14% between 2016 & 2019 despite an increase in the allocation of funds.
On 13January 2021, in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), the Supreme Court directed the re-opening of Anganwadi Centres that are outside the containment zones which were earlier closed due to the pandemic. We covered this judgement along with the backdrop in detail in an earlier review of Court judgments.
The COVID-19 pandemic had an adverse effect on various population groups, especially among the marginalised communities due to the loss of employment opportunities, which in turn has restricted their access to basic resources for survival. As per UNICEF, it is estimated that the impact of COVID-19 could result in an additional 2 million deaths of under-five children globally.
UNICEF had earlier estimated that around 370 million children may miss out on nutritious school meals due to COVID-19 pandemic-induced disruptions.  This highlights the importance of schemes that provide nutritious food for children.
Anganwadi Services aim at holistic development of Child
Anganwadi Services under the umbrella ‘Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)’ is one such scheme that is aimed at the holistic development of children below 6 years of age. Apart from providing the much-required nutrition to the child, the scheme also focuses on the education component of the children along with the nutrition of pregnant women & lactating mothers which have an impact on the child.  The Anganwadi Services under the ICDS scheme is a Centrally sponsored scheme and provides six services.
As part of our series of stories on ‘Transfer of Central funds to the States’, we take a look at allocation funds allocated to the states under Anganwadi Services (ICDS).
Increase in overall fund allocation to States despite a fall in the number of beneficiaries
As per the information that was availed through RTI, a total of Rs. 15.06 thousand crores were transferred to the states during the year 2017-18 under this scheme. In the following two years, the amount transferred to the states has slightly increased. At the same time, as per the information provided by the Ministry of Women & Child Development (MWCD), there is a year-on-year fall in the number of beneficiaries under the scheme. The increase in funds transferred to the states could be due to the revised cost norms approved in 2017.
The number of beneficiaries of ‘Supplementary Nutrition’ in the year 2017 was 9.82 crores, which fell to 8.91 crores in 2018 and to 8.74 crores in 2019. In 2020, the total number of beneficiaries receiving supplementary nutrition is 8.63 crores as of August 2020. Between 2016 & 2019, the number of beneficiaries fell by more than 14%. The number of total beneficiaries is excluding the ‘Union Territories (UTs)’ with the exception of Delhi & Puducherry.  It has to be noted that the data from the Finance ministry is for the financial year, whereas the beneficiaries’ information provided by MWCD is for a calendar year.
The beneficiaries of supplementary nutrition include – Children under 6 years, lactating mothers & pregnant women.
Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, AP & Assam among the states that have seen increased fund transfer
In terms of volume, the highest allocation of funds under the Anganwadi Scheme is received by Uttar Pradesh (UP), on account of the greatest number of beneficiaries in the state. During the three financial years that are being analysed i.e., 2017-2020, the amount transferred to U.P has increased from Rs. 2.15 thousand crores in 2017-18 to Rs. 2.36 thousand crores in 2019-20.
The higher volume can be attributed to the higher number of beneficiaries in line with its standing as the largest populated state in the country. The number of beneficiaries in UP as of 2019 was 1.59 crores. In fact, UP retains its position as the state with the greatest number of beneficiaries despite a fall in the number of beneficiaries. During 2017, there were a total of 2.02 crores beneficiaries in UP.
There are other states where this trend is exactly the opposite i.e., a fall in the allocation of funds to the states, while there is an increase in the number of beneficiaries.
There are huge variances between the states both in terms of the volume of the funds received as well as the number of beneficiaries. Hence, the average amount received per beneficiary in the state is a better metric to compare the states over the years.
Many states still behind the curve despite increased fund allocation
In an earlier story based on NFHS-5 (National Family Health Survey), it is observed that Bihar, Assam, and Gujarat are among the states which do not perform well on various indices like – Neo-natal mortality rate, child mortality rate, stunted growth, underweight, etc. All these have a direct correlation to the various services extended by Anganwadis under the ICDS scheme.
Meanwhile, states like Kerala, Telangana, North-easters states performed comparatively better.
The average per beneficiary funds received by these states shows that states with a higher average tend to perform better compared to those with a lower average per beneficiary funds.
In this context, the increase in the funds for states like Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, etc. is a step in the right direction. However, the fall in the beneficiary numbers is also a concern along with the fall in the quantum of funds received by a few of the states despite no-change or increase in the beneficiaries. These have to be analysed in detail to understand the correlation between the fund allocation & progress on the ground.
Featured Image: Beneficiaries of Anganwadi Services


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Number of cases booked under NDPS act increased by more than 25% in 2017 & 2018
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 16, 2020
As per the data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in its annual ‘Crime in India’ report, the number of cases booked under the NDPS act for possession of drugs for personal use & trafficking increased by over 25% in 2017 & 2018 compared to the earlier three years (2014 to 2016). Maharashtra & Punjab reported more than 10000 cases each in 2018.
In relation to the ongoing investigation into the alleged suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has arrested few persons associated with the deceased actor, on the allegations of purchase and being in possession of prohibited drugs. The arrests were made under NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act, which makes trading, possession and consumption of narcotic drugs in India illegal and prescribes the necessary legal action in case of any offence.
In one of our earlier stories, we looked at suicides due to drug abuse/alcohol addiction in India. In this story, we take a look at NDPS Act, its provisions and the incidence of offences under this act.
‘NDPS Act 1985’ prohibits possession, distribution & consumption of Narcotic drugs
Prior to NDPS Act, the control and legality of narcotic drugs was exercised under the provision of The Opium Act, 1852, The Opium Act, 1878 and The Dangerous Drugs Act, 1930.  However, in 1985, the government of the day felt that the prevailing legislation was inadequate to deal with the illicit drug trade and drug abuse at both national and international level. Therefore, a comprehensive new legislation was formulated and brought forth in the form of Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act, 1985 (NDPS Act, 1985).
There have been multiple amendments to the original act  in 1988, 2001 and 2014.
The Act lists all the narcotics and other psychotropic substances which are considered as illegal. These includes various extracts from Cannabis plant (charas- resin, Ganja – fruiting/flowering tops), Coco extracts (cocaine), opium, poppy stalk and other manufactured drugs which are psychotropic in nature.
The act also prohibits the cultivation of coca, opium poppy or any cannabis plant. It further prohibits the production, manufacturing, possession, selling, purchase, transport, storage or consumption of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance. The act restricts the interstate import & export along with import & export of these substances into and outside of the country.
The Act further lays down the punishment for contravention of any of the provisions in the act. The severity in the punishment is based on the quantity of the drug involved.
35% increase in the number of cases registered annually under NDPS Act
The National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) annual Crime in India report provides information of the various crimes registered under IPC (Indian Penal Code) and SLL ( Special and Local Laws). Offences which are booked under NDPS Act fall under SLL, and the information related to these offences is provided in the annual Crime in India report.  The latest report is for 2018, as per which 63,137 cases were booked under NDPS Act in 2018. This is slightly less compared to that of previous year, when  63,800 cases were booked under this act.
However, there is a sharp increase in the number of cases booked during 2017 & 2018 compared to that of the earlier three years i.e. 2014 to 2016.
In terms of crime rate, it went up to 4.8 cases per million population in 2018, compared to that of 3.8 per million population in 2014.
The report also states that in 2018, Ganja, Acetic Anhydride, Opium, Hashish, Heroin, etc. are the type of drugs whose highest volumes were seized.
Greater number of cases booked for Possession of Drugs for personal consumption
In the last two reports i.e. for 2017 and 2018, NCRB has categorized the total offences booked under NDPS Act into:
As per the information provided in the NCRB reports, in both the years, the number of cases booked due to possession of the drugs for personal consumption was higher than that of the possession of these drugs with the intent of trafficking or commercial purpose.  However, while the number of cases booked for possession for purpose of personal consumption has reduced in 2018, it has increased in the case of possessing the drugs for trafficking.
Maharashtra & Punjab report the greatest cases, but increasing trend observed in many other states
In 2018, the greatest number of cases under NDPS Act was booked Maharashtra with more than 12 thousand cases. However, this is a sharp fall compared to the earlier years. In fact in 2015, there were nearly 19 thousand cases booked in Maharashtra i.e. more than 1/3 of the total number of cases booked in the country during that year.
Punjab has the second greatest number of cases booked under this act with 11,654 cases in 2018. However, this is substantially more, in fact twice the number of cases booked in 2016 when only 5906 such cases were booked in the state.
As noted earlier in this article, the number of cases booked under NDPS act is relatively higher in 2017 & 2018 compared to earlier years, despite the fall in such cases from Maharashtra.  This increase in the number of cases is fuelled by significant increase in other states, mostly U.P, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka etc. Kerala, which witnessed a continuous increase in the number of cases over the years, has seen a slight dip in 2018.
The incidence rate is higher in Punjab across the years, followed by Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and Goa. In Punjab, around 39 cases are registered per million population in 2018, while in Kerala the rate is 24.9 per million. The U.T of Chandigarh, which is also the capital of Punjab has a higher incidence rate with 15.2 cases registered for million population.
In Maharashtra most cases booked because of personal consumption while in West Bengal it is for trafficking.
The categorization of the cases booked under NDPS by purpose of possession offers further insights into the nature of narcotic drug trade in the country.
As per this data, it can be inferred that while Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Bihar, Haryana etc. are higher on the demand side, the supply can be pinned to Chhattisgarh, West Bengal etc. among others.
In the next story, we take a look at the disposal of the cases under NDPS by the police as well as the courts , which is critical to ensure the effectiveness of the law in place.
Featured Image:  Cases booked under NDPS act

created: September 16, 2020


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Number of cases of ‘Vector Borne Diseases’ increase in 2021 after fall in 2020
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 17, 2021
Vector-borne diseases are a common form of infectious disease in India & across the world accounting for a significant number of deaths. Data indicates that the incidence of vector-borne diseases in India reduced in 2020 across most of the diseases only to increase in 2021. COVID-19 could have played a major role in the reduced numbers in 2020.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Vector-borne diseases as “human illnesses caused by parasites, viruses and bacteria that are transmitted by vectors.” Globally, these diseases account for more than 17% of all infectious diseases and cause more than 7 lakh deaths annually.
The WHO lists various diseases as Vector-borne diseases. In India – Malaria, Dengue, Chikungunya, Japanese Encephalitis (JE), Kala-azar & Lymphatic Filariasis are considered as Vector-borne diseases (VBDs).
Responding to a question in Rajya Sabha in November 2021, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare furnished the details of the prevalence and the deaths attributed to various VBDs over the past 3 years along with the provisional figures for the current year.  In this story, we look at this data and analyse the trends for each of these diseases.
Malaria
The number of cases of Malaria fell by around 45% in 2020 compared to 2019. In 2020, around 1.86 lakh cases of Malaria were reported, whereas in 2019 the number was around 3.38 lakhs.
In fact, there is a declining trend of Malaria cases in the country as the number has been reducing since 2018 when 4.29 lakh cases were reported.
As per the provisional data until September 2021, around 1.07 lakh cases of Malaria were reported in 2021. While the number of cases of Malaria reduced significantly in 2020, the number of deaths increased to 93 compared to 77 in 2019.
Here is a snapshot of Cases & Deaths relating to Malaria across the States & UTs:
Dengue
Like in the case of Malaria, the number of cases of Dengue in 2020 was considerably lower than the previous years. In 2019, around 2.05 lakh dengue cases were reported in the country, which reduced to 44.5 thousand cases in 2020. As per the provisional data available until November 2021, the number of cases of Dengue in 2021 has again increased to 1.64 lakhs. Compared to Malaria, Dengue resulted in a higher fatality. However, the trends indicate a fall in fatality rates compared to 2018.
Here is a snapshot of cases & deaths relating to Dengue across the States & UTs:
Chikungunya
Even in the case of Chikungunya, the number of cases recorded has reduced in the year 2020.
In 2018, 57.8 thousand cases of Chikungunya were reported across the country which increased to 81.9 thousand in 2019. In 2020, the number of Chikungunya cases fell to 43.4 thousand. However, as per the provisional information available as of 21 November 2021, the number of Chikungunya cases increased to around 93.3 thousand cases in 2021.
Japanese Encephalitis
In 2020, 729 cases of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) were reported in the country compared to 2545 cases in 2019. The fatality rate due to JE is higher compared to the other VBDs.
Kala Azar
As per the data provided in Rajya Sabha, Kala Azar was reported in 6 states of the country – Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim & Kerala. There is an overall declining trend in the number of cases. In 2018, there were around 4.5 thousand cases, which reduced to 3.2 thousand cases in 2019. It reduced further to 2.05 thousand in 2020. As of October 2021, a total of 1152 cases of Kala Azar were reported across the country.
Of these, Bihar accounts for the most cases. During 2018 & 2019, the state accounted for about 78% of all the cases.  In the ensuing two years, this number is about 72%.
Lymphatic Filariasis
In 2018, 12.97 lakh cases of Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) were reported in India. Of these, around 9.03 lakhs were categorized as “Lymphoedema” and the rest as “Hydrocele”. The total number of cases has decreased in 2019 & 2020. In 2019, 6.54 lakh cases were reported, while as per the provisional numbers, there were 6.43 lakh cases in 2020. Bihar, UP, Odisha, West Bengal account for the most cases of Lymphatic Filariasis.
Fall in the incidence of Vector-Borne diseases in 2020 could be due to COVID-19
The common trend across most of the Vector-Borne diseases (VBD) is a fall in the numbers during 2020. The COVID-19 related movement restrictions in 2020 could have played a major role as the number of cases has again increased for multiple diseases in 2021.
As the healthcare system was overwhelmed with COVID-19 in the year 2020, issues with reporting, recording & treatment of VBDs could also have played a role in the lower numbers.
Featured Image: Vector-Borne Diseases

created: December 17, 2021