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Government of India hasn’t announced a ‘National Lockdown’ in the country from 20 March - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 20, 2020
An image is being shared on social media with the claim that ‘National lockdown’ will be in place in India from 20 March. The image shows that there will be a ‘Lockdown’ phase from 20 March to 12 April, wherein ‘Section 144’ will be in place across all the affected areas. Then, there will be a ‘Precautionary’ phase with social distancing from 13 April to 17 May. Again, there will be another ‘Lockdown’ phase with ‘Section 144’ in place from 18 May to 31 May. Lastly, there will be an ‘Open up’ phase with all the restrictions lifted off from June. Let’s check the authenticity of the message.
Government of India has announced a ‘National Lockdown’ in the country from 20 March 2020.
Fact: No, the Government of India hasn’t announced a ‘National Lockdown’ in the country from 20 March. PM Modi, in his recent address to the nation about the Coronavirus outbreak, has asked people to practice ‘social distancing’ and to stay home as much as possible for the coming few weeks to combat COVID-19. Also, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) has clarified that the message is ‘fake’. So, the claim isFALSE.
When searched on Google if the Government of India has announced a ‘National Lockdown’ in the country from 20 March, no information corroborating the same was found. On 19 March, PM Narendra Modi, in his address to the nation about Coronavirus outbreak, has asked people to practice ‘social distancing’ and to stay home as much as possible for the coming few weeks to combat COVID-19. Also, he assured that there is no shortage of essential goods and asked people to avoid panic buying. In his speech, Modi also asked the people of India to observe ‘Janata Curfew’ on 22 March by staying in their houses from 7 am to 9 pm. In his speech, PM Modi hasn’t spoken anything about the ‘National lockdown’.
When the same message went viral on 19 March saying that the things in it would feature in PM Modi’s address to the nation about Coronavirus, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) has debunked it and clarified that the messages of ‘National Lockdown’ are baseless.
When researched further, it is found that the image shared in the post is part of a presentation submitted to the government by entrepreneurs across India.
To sum it up, the Government of India hasn’t announced a ‘National Lockdown’ in the country from 20 March. The message is a ‘fake’ one.
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Government of India is not providing Rs 1.5 Lakh per COVID-19 patient to every Municipality - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 26, 2020
A post is being shared on social media with a claim that the Government of India providing 1.5 Lakh rupees per COVID-19 patient to every municipality. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Government of India providing Rupees 1.5 Lakh per COVID-19 patient to every municipality.
Fact: Press Information Bureau (PIB) through a tweet clarified that no such announcement was made by Government of India. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On google search using the keywords ‘Government of India providing 1.5 lakh rupees to every municipality for each COVID-19 patient’, we did not find any information about the existence of such scheme by the central government. But we found a clarification tweet posted by Press Information Bureau (PIB) on the same subject. PIB in their tweet clarified that no such announcement of providing 1.5 lakh rupees per COVID-19 patient to every municipality was made by Government Of India.
Claim: A message circulating on #WhatsApp claims that Central Government is providing Rs 1.5 lakh to every Municipality for each #COVID19 patient. #PIBFactCheck: The claim is #Fake. No such announcement has been made by Government. pic.twitter.com/Ntr137aIUY
To sum it up, there is no announcement of providing 1.5 Lakh rupees per COVID-19 patient to every municipality from Government of India.
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source: news-factly

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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Here is how the Government plans to handle Unruly Passengers on Flights
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 6, 2017
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has revised the existing policy on handling unruly passengers on flights. Among other things, the new rules classify the behavior of such passengers into 3 levels with relevant punishment.
After Shivsena MP Ravindra Gaikwad manhandled the staff of Air India, there has been pressure on the government from both airlines and common public to revise the existing policy on handling such unruly passengers. The government has now revised the existing policy and has sought public feedback on these changes.
Unruly passengers categorized into 3 levels
The Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) on “Handling of unruly/disruptive passengers” in Section 3 – Air Transport, Series M, Part VI have been revised. The proposed changes seek to categorize unruly passengers into three levels.
The airlines have to establish a Standard Operating Procedure(SOP) including the role of ground staff, flight crew, airline airport manager and airline central operational control to deal with such passengers both while at airport or on board aircraft. The SOP also has to be communicated to the three 3 types of employees who are in direct contact with the passengers.
Central Database of Unruly passengers to be maintained
All airlines will have to maintain a database of such unruly passengers. This database will be the basis of the ‘National No-fly List of unruly/disruptive passengers’. Individuals identified by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) as national security threat will also form part of the National No-Fly List.  All such names will be forwarded to the individuals by the airlines indicating the reasons for inclusion of their names in the National No-Fly List.
Ban to extend from 3 months to 2 years
Based on the level of unruly behaviour as mentioned above, the passengers whose names are in the National No-Fly List, will not be allowed to take flights to or from India for a period ranging from a minimum of 3 months to a maximum of 2 years. For every subsequent offence, the person will be banned for twice the period of previous ban.
Two-tier complaint handling mechanism
Tier One: Whenever an airline receives a complaint of unruly behavior by a passenger, the incident has to be referred to an internal committee. The internal committee has to be constituted by the airline and it will consist of the following persons.
The committee has to decide within a period of 10 days as to whether the passenger against who a complaint has been received falls in the category of unruly passengers or not and also decide the level of offence. The committee will also decide on the period for which the passenger has to be barred from flying. The airline can ban such unruly passenger from flying, not exceeding 10 days pending the decision of the committee.
Tier Two: Once a person is included in the No-Fly List by the internal committee, he will be informed in writing about the same by the concerned airline including the reasons for the ban and the duration of the ban. If the person is aggrieved by this decision, he can appeal the ban to an appellate committee constituted by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. This appellate committee will consist of the following persons.
The decision of the appellate committee will be final as far as the government is concerned. If the passenger is not satisfied, then he/she can approach the High Court.
Featured Image: indiatimes.in


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What does the Government propose to change with the new RTI Rules?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 4, 2017
The government has come up with new draft rules of RTI superseding the 2012 rules. While the draft has some positive elements, there are some serious issues with the proposed changes.
There have been news in various quarters that the Government of India has proposed to amend the Right to Information (RTI) rules that were last amended in 2012. Among other things, there was news about the government proposing to increase the application fee etc. While there is no mention of application fee increase in the new draft rules, there are some serious issues with the proposed changes.
2012 Rules Vs Proposed Draft Rules of 2017
As noted by Venkatesh Nayak of the CHRI, the draft rules are also silent on other issues like the procedure for deciding first appeals, rules for deciding appeals in life and liberty cases, time limit for CIC to decide cases, increasing convenience for fee payments, procedure for penalty proceedings, clarity of procedure to be followed in non-compliance cases etc.
Views to be sent by 15th April, 2017
The government has invited suggestions on these draft rules by 15th April 2017. Those desirous of sending their feedback can do so via e-mail to usrti-dopt@nic.in.


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Government publishes draft rules to fast track ‘Hit & Run’ Accident investigations and settlement of claims
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 21, 2021
As per the data released by the government, 15.5% of all the road accidents in India were ‘Hit & Run’ cases which resulted in more than 29,000 deaths. To fast-track investigation & settlement of claims in such cases, the government recently published draft rules regarding the ‘Motor Vehicles Accident Fund’ and the compensation scheme. Here is a review.
‘Hit and Run’ accidents are defined as accidents where an individual driving a vehicle incurs any damage to any person’s life, health and/or property and the driver knowingly leaves the scene without providing their information to concerned legal authorities. In other words, hit and run accidents mean hitting a person or property while driving and fleeing.
On 02 August 2021, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways published the Draft Scheme for Compensation to victims of Hit & Run Accidents, 2021 and rules to fast track hit and run accident investigations and settlement of claims.
Creation of dedicated fund, increase in compensation for victims
The Draft Rules and Scheme for Compensation of Hit & Run Accident Victims make way for a number of changes. Notably, the minimum compensation for hit and run cases has been increased significantly. They provide for an eight-fold increase in compensation for any death and a four-fold increase in compensation for any grievous hurt in hit and run accidents.
The major highlights of the scheme are;
The government also published draft rules for setting up ‘The Motor Vehicle Accident Fund’ which would have three different accounts with different sources of funding. The three accounts would be
The proportion of hit & run cases (in total accidents) has increased in the past three years
According to the Road Accidents in India Report 2019, at least 29,354 persons succumbed to death and 67,751 persons were injured in a hit and run cases in the country in the year 2019. The report reveals that ‘Hit and Run’ cases accounted for the largest share of 19.4% of the total persons killed in accidents in 2019, even registering an increase over the previous year of 18.9%. The number of hit and run cases in 2019 accounted for 19.4% of all accident deaths compared to 18.9% in 2018 and 17.5% in 2017.
The share of ‘Hit and Run’ cases in the total number of road accidents has also increased from 14% in 2017 to 15.5% in 2019. A similar increasing trend is observed in the number of injured persons.
MP, Maharashtra, UP, Rajasthan, Bihar and others register the most ‘Hit & Run’ cases
A total of 10 states together account for about 80% of ‘Hit and Run’ cases registered in the country during 2019. Among these, Madhya Pradesh stands out with 13,550 cases (3,495 fatalities), which is higher than all other states by a significant margin. Maharashtra records the second-highest number of hit and run cases with 8,575 followed by Uttar Pradesh (7,778), Rajasthan (7,741) and others.
Care during golden hours and protection of Good Samaritans
In the absence of an efficient Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system in India, the role of bystanders is crucial in saving the lives of victims in road crashes. According to WHO (World Health Organisation), 50% of victims of road accidents die in the first 15 minutes due to serious cardiovascular or neurological injuries and the rest can be saved by providing basic life support during the ‘Golden Hour’. However, due to fear of harassment by police, detention at hospitals and prolonged legal formalities, bystanders are reluctant in coming forward to help a victim on the road.
According to the Road Accidents in India Report 2019, the Central Government is planning to introduce a scheme for the cashless treatment of victims of the accident during the golden hour i.e. the time period of up to one hour following a traumatic injury, during which the likelihood of preventing death through prompt medical care is the highest. The proposal is under consultation with the States, the National Health Authority (NHA) and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). The report also highlights other efforts being undertaken by the government vis-à-vis emergency and trauma care in road accidents.
According to a Save Life Foundation study titled Impediments on Bystander Care in India, in 2013, about 74% of respondents expressed unwillingness to assist victims of road accidents. Among these, as many as 88% of unwilling bystanders cited legal hassles, involving repeated police questioning and multiple court appearances, as the reasons for their hesitation. The report highlights that 80% of victims fail to receive emergency medical care within the critical ‘Golden Hour’ after an accident.
The absence of a protective framework for good Samaritans was in stark contrast to legislations prevalent throughout the world, until May 2015 when the government notified guidelines for the protection of Good Samaritans.
In May 2015, the Ministry had issued guidelines to protect the Good Samaritans who voluntarily, in good faith and without expecting a reward, render emergency medical or non-medical assistance to a victim at the scene of an accident or transports the victim to a hospital. One of the earlier articles highlights the various aspects of Good Samaritan Guidelines and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to be followed while dealing with the Good Samaritans.
The standard procedures call for non-coercive, non-discriminatory, and time-bound inquiry into an accident, and state that the examinee (i.e., the Good Samaritan) cannot be compelled to disclose personal information. The guidelines also state that the Samaritan does not have to pay for treatment unless she is related to the injured person.
Impact of Good Samaritan Guidelines negligible, harassment and difficulties persist
Two years after India’s Good Samaritan law came into existence, the Save Life Foundation conducted a National Study of Impact of Good Samaritan Law. The study has been conducted in 11 cities across the country with a total sample size of 3667 respondents including Good Samaritans (who have helped road crash victims post-2016), Police Officials, Hospital Administration, Medical Practitioners and Trial Court Lawyers.
The study reveals that there is little awareness about the new rights under the Good Samaritan laws. Overall, only 16% of people were aware of the Good Samaritan Law. The cities of Hyderabad, Kolkata and Ludhiana were found to have the lowest level of public awareness on Good Samaritan Law.
Though there is an increase in general willingness to help the injured, from 26% in 2013 to 88% in 2018, yet in terms of concrete actions, the willingness to help victims is still low. Out of those who were willing to help, only 29% said they were willing to escort the victim to the hospital, only 28% were willing to call an ambulance, and only 12% said they would call the Police.
In comparison to their 2013 study, about 62% of respondents were hesitant to help due to legal hassles and police harassment, as compared to 88% in 2013.
None of the hospitals surveyed had a Good Samaritan Charter published and 96% of the surveyed medical professionals admitted to not having a Good Samaritan Law Committee in their hospitals. Moreover, 87% of the surveyed medical professionals and 74% of the surveyed police officials admitted to not having received any training on implementing the Good Samaritan Law.
One of the most discouraging facts revealed by the survey is that about 59% of the surveyed Good Samaritans said that they were detained by police while another 22% said that they were detained at hospitals while trying to help injured road crash victims.
However, on an encouraging note, the survey also finds that about two-thirds of Police Officials surveyed confirmed that the calls from bystanders to facilitate medical assistance for road crash victims have increased after the enactment of the Good Samaritan Law, i.e., after 30 March 2016. The incidence of calls varied across cities. Hyderabad, Bangalore, Indore, Kanpur, and Jaipur saw a high incidence of calls. However, cities like Mumbai, Varanasi and Ludhiana were below average.
Featured Image: Draft rules to fast track ‘Hit &Run’ Accident investigations


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Government refuses to share the details of the deliberations of EAC to the PM
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 12, 2017
The Government has refused to share details of the deliberations of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister citing exemption provisions in the RTI act. Is such refusal justified?
The government has refused to share the details of deliberations of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister  (EAC-PM) under the Right to Information (RTI) act. According to the government, these deliberations may find a place in the Union Budget or may be placed before the Union Cabinet and hence have to be kept confidential. But is it justified on the part of the government to not share the information for something that may or may not happen in the future?
EAC-PM reconstituted in 2017
Narendra Modi disbanded the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister  (EAC-PM) set up by Dr. Manhmohan Singh after coming to power in 2014. Three years into the government, the PM once again constituted the EAC-PM with Dr. Bibek Debroy as the Chairman. The council’s terms of reference were finalised as the following.
2 meetings & 4 resource person meetings held till Mid-November
In response to an application under RTI, the NITI Aayog mentioned that EAC-PM held two meetings. In addition, it held 4 meetings with resource persons till Mid-November.
The government refuses to share minutes of EAC-PM meetings
However, the Public Information Officer (PIO) of NITI Aayog refused to share the meeting minutes of the EAC-PM. The PIO used two specific provisions in Section 8 of the RTI act, 8(1)(c) and 8(1)(i) to refuse access to this information. The PIO mentioned that the deliberations of EAC-PM have to be kept confidential as they may find place in the Union Budget or may be placed before the Union Cabinet.Section 8(1)(c) of the RTI act exempts the disclosure of any information that which would cause a breach of privilege of Parliament or the State Legislature. Similarly, Section 8(1)(i) of the RTI act exempts the disclosure of cabinet papers till a decision is taken.
Is it justified to deny information for something that may or may not happen in the future?
The EAC-PM has issued press releases both after its first meeting and second meeting. In these releases, EAC-PM mentioned the focus areas of the meeting, presentations made before it and other details of the meeting. The press release issued after the second meeting mentions that the EAC-PM is being recognized for the value addition it is making with focused time bound recommendations to move from policy to practice.
Whether the recommendations of the EAC-PM will find a place in the Union Budget or be placed before the Cabinet is anybody’s guess. Refusing access to the deliberations of the EAC-PM using this pretext will be justified only if the recommendations are implemented or dropped in a time-bound manner after which the deliberations are placed in the public domain. Without any such timelines, the PIO’s reply is only an attempt to hide information from the public.
Featured Image: Economic Advisory Council to Prime Minister

created: December 12, 2017


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Government releases a draft policy for ‘Rare Diseases’ and launches a ‘Crowdfunding Platform’ for treatment costs
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 7, 2021
The Union Government recently released the ‘Draft National Policy for Rare Diseases, 2021’. There is very little information & data about the prevalence of rare diseases and even a standard definition is lacking. The government also launched a ‘Crowdfunding’ platform for the treatment of children suffering from rare diseases.
Rare diseases have received worldwide attention in recent days. In India, a 13-month-old Vedika Shinde’s deteriorating health condition from a rare disease had drawn worldwide support. Vedika suffered from Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a rare disease that occurs due to a single missing gene and results in progressive muscle wasting. After raising money from various crowdfunding platforms, she was administered the world’s costliest injection at Rs. 16 crores. However, the child did not survive. News reports of children from different parts of the country suffering from rare diseases like Gaucher’s disease, Muscular Atrophy, etc. have surfaced more frequently in recent times.
In the light of recent cases of rare diseases among children and pursuant to the Delhi high court’s order to notify a dedicated online ‘Crowd Funding’ platform for collecting funds for the treatment of children suffering from rare diseases, the Union Government informed the Delhi High Court on 04 August 2021 that it has set up and made operational an online crowdfunding platform (https://rarediseases.nhp.gov.in/) for collecting funds for treatment of children suffering from rare diseases under the newly released Draft National Policy for Rare Diseases, 2021.
No fixed definition of rare diseases
The draft policy recognises the varying definitions of rare diseases. The WHO defines a rare disease as often debilitating lifelong disease or disorder with a prevalence of 1 or less, per 1000 population. However, different countries have their own definitions to suit their specific requirements and in the context of their own population, the health care system and resources. In the US, rare diseases are defined as a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 patients in the country (6.4 in 10,000 people).
At the same time, it has been contested that disease prevalence alone may also not be an accurate basis for defining rare diseases, as it does not consider changes in population over time. Therefore, a more reliable approach to arriving at a definition could be based on the factors of –
India lacks epidemiological data on the incidence and prevalence of rare diseases
The policy highlights that the data on how many people suffer from different diseases that are considered rare globally is lacking in India. The lack of epidemiological data on the incidence and prevalence of rare diseases impedes understanding of the extent of the burden of rare diseases and the development of a definition. It also hampers efforts to arrive at the correct estimation of the number of persons suffering from these diseases and describe their associated morbidity and mortality. In such a scenario, the economic burden of most rare diseases is unknown and cannot be adequately estimated from the existing datasets.
To overcome this, a hospital-based National Registry for Rare Diseases has been initiated by ICMR by involving centres across the country that are involved in the diagnosis and management of Rare Diseases. This is expected to yield much-needed epidemiological data for rare diseases in the Indian context.
Only a limited number of diseases have been recorded in India from tertiary care hospitals that are globally considered as rare diseases encompassing 7000-8000 disorders. The commonly reported such diseases include Primary immunodeficiency disorders, Lysosomal storage disorders (Gaucher’s disease, Mucopolysaccharidoses, Pompe disease, Fabry disease, etc.). Till the time appropriate data is available and the country arrives at a definition of a rare disease, the term rare diseases, for the purpose of the policy, constitutes the following groups of disorders identified and categorized by experts based on their clinical experience:
Group 1: Disorders amenable to one-time curative treatment.
This group includes disorders amenable to treatment with Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation such as Lysosomal Storage Disorders, Adrenoleukodystrophy, etc., and disorders amenable to organ transplantation such as Tyrosinemia, Fabry disease, etc.
Group 2: Diseases requiring long-term / lifelong treatment having a relatively lower cost of treatment and benefit has been documented in the literature and annual or more frequent surveillance is required.
This group includes Phenylketonuria, Maple Syrup Urine Disorder, Tyrosinemia type 1 and 2¸ Homocystinuria, etc.
Group 3: Diseases for which definitive treatment is available but challenges are to make an optimal patient selection for benefit, high cost, and lifelong therapy.
This group includes Gaucher Disease, Hurler Syndrome, Cystic Fibrosis, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, etc.
Centre notifies 8 Centres of Excellence for screening, diagnosis, and prevention of rare diseases
The policy envisions that Central Government will work with the State governments to build the capacity of health professionals at various levels. The Centres of Excellence (CoEs) would develop Standard Operating Protocols to be used at various levels of care for patients with rare diseases to improve early diagnosis, better care coordination and quality of life. To begin with, the following institutes would be notified as Centres of Excellence for Rare Diseases.
The policy also gives importance to prevention of genetic disorders at multiple levels. Prevention strategy focuses on avoiding the birth of affected fetus (prenatal screening and prenatal diagnosis), early detection of the disorders, appropriate medical intervention to ameliorate or minimize the manifestations (newborn screening). The proposed COEs are to be given one-time financial support up to a ceiling of Rs. 5 crores for procurement of equipment as per individual centres need for strengthening patient care services for screening, diagnosis, and prevention (prenatal diagnosis) of rare diseases.
A dedicated crowdfunding platform to be established, indigenous production of drugs to be encouraged
Keeping in view the resource constraint and competing for health priorities, the policy lays the ground for a digital platform (crowdfunding platform) for bringing together notified hospitals where such patients are receiving treatment or come for treatment, on the one hand, and prospective individual or corporate donors willing to support treatment of such patients, on the other hand. The notified hospitals will share information relating to the patients, diseases from which they are suffering, estimated cost of treatment and details of bank accounts for donation/contribution through an online system. Donors will be able to view the details of patients and donate funds to a particular hospital. According to the policy, the treatment cost of the patient will be the first charge on this fund. Any leftover fund after meeting treatment costs can be utilized for research purposes also. The Union Government has launched the dedicated crowdfunding platform recently. This can be accessed at https://rarediseases.nhp.gov.in/
This will enable donors from various sections of the society to donate funds. Ministry of Corporate Affairs is to be requested to encourage PSUs (Public Sector Units) and corporate houses to contribute as per the Companies Act as well as the provisions of the Companies (Corporate Social Responsibility Policy) Rules, 2014 (CSR Rules).
Apart from the creation of a digital crowdfunding platform, the following initiatives shall be taken for patients of rare diseases:
To increase the affordability of drugs related to rare diseases, the policy also provisions the following:
Numerous challenges and need for further R&D
The policy underscores the need for further research to better understand the extent of the existing diversity of definitions for rare diseases and to examine the scope of arriving at a definition. This is to be done on a priority basis as soon as sufficient data is available. Rare diseases also place a major economic burden on any country and especially in resource-constrained settings. Therefore, there is a need to consider the context of the available scarce resources and the need for their utmost judicious utilization for maximizing the overall health outcomes.
The policy acknowledges that there is a lack of awareness about rare diseases in the general public as well as in the medical fraternity. According to a Report on Rare Disease Impact, it takes patients in the United States (US) an average of 7.6 years and patients in the United Kingdom (UK) an average of 5.6 years to receive an accurate diagnosis, typically involving as many as eight physicians (four primary care and four specialists). In addition, two to three misdiagnoses are typical before arriving at a final diagnosis.  Therefore, there is an immediate need to create awareness amongst the general public, patients & their families and doctors, training doctors for early and accurate diagnosis, standardization of diagnostic modalities and development of newer diagnostic and therapeutic tools.
Apart from the above, the policy highlights the following challenges in the treatment of rare diseases:
Global experience with rare diseases
Globally, the number of countries with a National Rare Disease Plans (NRDP) or Orphan Drug Policy (ODP) has grown rapidly in the last decade. An orphan drug can be defined as any medicinal product intended for a rare disease or a disease with no existing satisfactory method of diagnosis, prevention, or treatment. The US Orphan Drug Act of 1983 served as a key milestone in this journey, providing a roadmap for other countries to introduce and implement similar orphan drug legislation. More recently, the European Union (EU) has gone further to encourage the widespread adoption and implementation of rare disease plans or strategies designed to address the comprehensive needs of patients with rare diseases.
Several studies point to disparities in national policy, incentives that encourage market availability, and incentives that encourage research and development across geographical locations and income levels.
A study of national policies for rare diseases in 11 countries highlighted that despite legislative efforts and the growing contributions of patient advocacy, gaps still exist across the policy landscape for several countries.  In general, countries that had higher healthcare spending and GNI per capita, as well as national healthcare delivery systems (like France and Germany), also had well-developed national plans for the rare disease that encompass early access to treatments, funding for orphan drug access, diagnosis programs, coordinated care, and strong research initiatives. Countries that were lesser developed and/or had low healthcare spending and GNI per capita were more likely to have National Rare Disease Plans (NRDP) that were not endorsed or implemented.
While there are gaps across the policy landscape for several countries, there is a paucity of literature and evidence-based research to demonstrate the effect of specific policies/plans on patient outcomes. Hopefully, the draft policy of the Union Health Ministry may be the first step in this direction in India.
Featured Image: Draft Policy for Rare Diseases

created: August 7, 2021


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Government revises the format for collection of Road Accident Data
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 12, 2016
The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), Government of India releases the ‘Road Accidents in India’ report every calendar year. The report provides data on road accidents in States/UTs on different parameters such as number of fatalities, number of injured, type of vehicles, reasons for accident etc. The MoRTH has now issued a revised format to all the states for collection of the road accident data.
The Transport Research Wing (TRW) of MoRTH is the nodal agency for providing data on various aspects of road transport in the country. The information is collected from the Police Headquarters of each State/UT and in Million plus cities through designated nodal officers. The information used to be collected in a 19 item format devised under Asia Pacific Road Accident Data (APRAD) project of United Nations Economic & Social Commission for the Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) till last year.
The 19 item APRAD format is now slightly modified into a revised 17 table format. Modifications have been made by merging a few tables and deleting some unnecessary items.
Featured Image:By Biswrup Ganguly [CC BY 3.0]

created: September 12, 2016


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Government says it has addressed all commitments made to Andhra Pradesh - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 9, 2016
Amidst demands for a ‘Special Category Status’ to Andhra Pradesh, the Government of India (GoI) has released  a note detailing the various commitments made to Andhra Pradesh and how it has effectively addressed all of them. GoI has in no uncertain terms said that a Special Category Status for Andhra Pradesh is not possible because of the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission. The GoI said that class of special category states ceases to exist.
GoI has categorized the various commitments made to Andhra Pradesh into the following,
The then Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh on 20.2.2014 stated before the Rajya Sabha that Special Category Status would be extended to the State of Andhra Pradesh for a period of five years.  This would be done to put the State’s finances on a firmer footing.  He further stated that the resource gap for the year 2014-15 would be compensated by the Central Government.
Andhra Pradesh was one of the States determined to be a revenue deficit State, and the Commission recommended that the Centre would provide revenue deficit grant for the period of the Fourteenth Finance Commission.  The amount of deficit for each year was mentioned in the report itself and a total of Rs.22,113 crores is to be paid to Andhra Pradesh as revenue deficit grant for the 5 year period.
The Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog Dr. Arvind Panagariya studied various aspects of the support to be given to Andhra Pradesh under the Reorganisation Act and made recommendations regarding effective implementation.
As per the press release of GoI, the following support has already been extended or committed.
The release says that the GoI is honouring and shall honour all commitments made under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act.

created: September 9, 2016


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Government says the EMMC website is down because 'there is no Programmer' - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 9, 2018
The Electronic Media Monitoring Centre (EMMC) under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting is tasked with identifying program code violations of private TV channels. For the last many months, the EMMC website is down. Now the government says that it is down because there is no programmer.
The Electronic Media Monitoring Centre (EMMC) website is down for many months now. In response to a grievance filed on the PG portal,  the government says that the website is down because there is no programmer.
What is EMMC?
The EMMC was established in 2008 as a sub-ordinate office in the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting with the exclusive task of monitoring content of private satellite TV channels and identifying violations of Programme Code and Advertising Code. As per what the government says, EMMC currently records and monitors around 600 TV channels. EMMC monitors and carries out a scrutiny of violations by electronic media in accordance with Codes framed under the Cable Television Networks Regulation Act, 1995. EMMC puts out reports on violations along with the recorded clips to the Scrutiny Committee, which examines and goes into the purported violations and forwards its findings to the Inter-Ministerial Committee and other bodies for further action.
EMMC disclosed violations following a CIC order
Though EMMC identifies thousands of violations, it had been ‘carefully’ hiding from public scrutiny, even basic information regarding these violations by various TV channels. Not many know that such an organization even exists.
‘Media Watch-India’, a nonprofit campaigning for decency and accountability in Media made a request under RTI act in 2012 to disclose and publish the details of violations by various private TV channels on EMMC website in terms of section 4 of RTI act. However, Director, EMMC squarely rejected the plea without citing any reason.
Based on a complaint by ‘Media Watch-India’ (MWI), Central Information Commission (CIC) directed Electronic Media Monitoring Centre (EMMC) in March 2015 to publish the details of violations of Programme and Advertising Codes by private TV channels. Following this order, EMMC published the number of violations by TV channels. The number ran into thousands. Factly had earlier done a detailed report on these violations.
Action in only a handful of cases
Though the EMMC reports identifies thousands of such violations, action is taken by the Ministry in only a handful of cases. Action was initiated in 32 cases in 2013, 22 in 2014, 23 in 2015 and so on. In the year 2017, action was initiated in the case of only four TV channels.
Now the EMMC website is down
For the past many months, the EMMC website is not accessible. Factly had written to the government and also filed a grievance on the PG portal. The response of EMMC, though hilarious, highlights the pathetic state of affairs. In response to the grievance, the Deputy Director of EMMC, Parvathy Rahul mentioned that the EMMC website is down due to non-availability of programmer. The communication went onto say that EMMC will take steps to re-launch the website when a programmer is appointed for the purpose.
It’s very concerning to note that a government that prides on ‘Digital India’ is unable to maintain websites of its own organizations. It is also difficult to understand why the EMMC needs a programmer to maintain the website since the earlier version was developed & hosted by the National Informatics Center (NIC).  This entire thing looks like an effort to hide violations from the public eye.

created: August 9, 2018


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These are the Government Scholarships available for Indian Students intending to study Abroad - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 5, 2018
Studying abroad could be an expensive affair for Indian students. To support students who wish to study abroad, Government of India implements multiple schemes. In addition, many State Governments implement similar schemes. Here is a listing of all such schemes by Government of India.
National Overseas Scholarship for Scheduled Tribe Students
The scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and was formulated during the UPA government. Financial assistance is provided to the meritorious Scheduled Tribe students for pursuing Master level courses, Ph.D. and Post-Doctoral Research Programs in foreign universities in the field of Engineering, Technology and Science. A total of twenty (20) scholarships would be provided every year between the period 2017-18 to 2019-20. The family income ceiling for availing this scholarship is Rs 6 lakh per annum. The scholarship consists of various components like annual maintenance allowance, annual contingency & equipment allowance, poll tax, visa fee, incidental journey expenses, fees, medical insurance premium, cost of air travel, cost of local travel, domestic travel assistance for attending interview.
National Overseas Scholarship for Scheduled Caste Students
The scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and was formulated during the UPA government. Financial assistance is provided to the meritorious Scheduled Caste students for pursuing Master level courses and Ph.D. in foreign universities in the field of Pure and Applied Sciences, Social Science, Agricultural Science etc.A total of hundred(100) scholarships would be provided every year. The family income ceiling for availing this scholarship is Rs 6 lakh per annum. The scholarship consists of various components like annual maintenance allowance, annual contingency & equipment allowance, poll tax, visa fee, incidental journey expenses, fees, medical insurance premium, cost of air travel, cost of local travel, domestic travel assistance for attending interview.
Raman-Charpak Fellowship
The Raman-Charpak Fellowship is jointly funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Development, Government of France and was launched in the year 2013. The scheme aims to improve the doctoral skills of Indian and French students under which the fellow is given an opportunity to carry out part of their research work in a University / Research Institute based in France or India respectively.
Science and Engineering Research Board, a statutory body of Department of Science and Technology is implementing the following fellowship programs in addition to the ones listed above.
Overseas Doctoral Fellowship Program
The objective of the scheme is to build national capacity where the talent supply of researchers in areas of interest to the country is sub-critical. Fellowship amount of $2000 per month is provided for a duration of 4 years, for undertaking the Doctoral Research Program in Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine from overseas top ranking universities in USA, UK and Canada.
Overseas Postdoctoral Fellowship
The scheme aims to build national capacity in frontier areas of Science which are of interest to India. The applicant should have acquired PhD degree in Science and Engineering not earlier than the preceding two years from a recognized institution in India.  Under the program, candidates are admitted in chosen areas in the overseas top ranking universities around the globe, other than USA.
SERB Newton – Bhabha International Fellowships
Under the scheme, fellowship is provided to the Indian research community to undertake Postdoctoral level research in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in United Kingdom for a period of two years. The award will provide a stipend, research expenses and one-off relocation expenses and will provide up to £99,000 for two years.
As per latest government data, following is the number of scholarships provided under each of the above schemes in the last two years.
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Internship Programs
Apart from the scholarship & fellowship schemes listed above, Department of Science and Technology is implementing the following internship programs for Indian students in foreign universities.
S.N. Bose Scholars Program
Under the program, opportunity is provided to Indian students and students from United States of America (enrolled in Bachelors and Masters programs in Atmospheric and Earth Sciences; Chemical Sciences; Engineering Sciences; Mathematical and Computational Sciences; and, Physical Sciences) to undertake a research internship at partner Universities in the U.S.A for a period of 10-12 weeks, beginning each summer. The internship program is conducted for 50 Indian students and also supports 30 students of USA to intern at a recognized Indian educational institution for a similar duration. Indian students receive  a stipend of $2000, health insurance and air-fare.
India-Korea Research Internship
The internship program is jointly implemented by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), with the objective to facilitate bilateral cooperation between scientists and researchers from the two countries by way of joint R&D projects, research fellowships and technical missions in the fields of Robotics & Engineering Sciences, Renewable Energy, Chemical & Biochemical Technologies, Health & Medical Science, Material Science & Technology, Water Resources & Environment, Information Technology, Nutrition & Food Safety and  Green Transportation.  The funding for selected proposals includes research expenses, air-fare, living expenses, local travel etc.
Other Education Exchange Programs (EEPs)
Government of India has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs)/ Education Exchange Programs (EEPs)/ Joint Declaration of Intent (JDIs) with 54 countries for cooperation in the field of education. One of the major objectives of such signed agreements is promotion of exchange of students. The list of countries and the relevant agreements made can be accessed form the website of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).
Under exchange program, eight (8) countries namely Italy, Mexico, Israel, China, South Korea, Hungary, Commonwealth Scholarship (New Zealand) and Commonwealth Scholarship (UK) are offering scholarship in their respective countries for Indian students for higher education.  MHRD facilitates the nomination process for these scholarships and interested students can apply online. As per government data, a total of 578 candidates were nominated for these exchange programs in the last two years.

created: January 5, 2018


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Is Government’s Crime Data reliable? The case of ‘Communal Incidents Data’
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 1, 2017
The Crime in India report for the year 2016 is finally released by the NCRB. The report raises questions about the reliability of government data.
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has finally released the ‘Crime in India’ report for the year 2016. The data on communal incidents/riots from this report once again raises questions about the reliability of government’s crime data.
Factly was one of the first ones to report that the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data on communal incidents/riots was not matching with the data provided by the Home Ministry for the year 2014. The trend  continued in the year 2015 as well as 2016. A deeper analysis of state wise data from these two sources raises serious questions about the reliability of government data.
NCRB Data Collection on Riots
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) is an attached office in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). NCRB is tasked with collection and dissemination of a secure national database on crimes, criminals and law enforcement agencies etc. Every year, the NCRB collects data from Police departments at the state level and compiles it into a Crime in India report. The report has detailed information on various types of crimes.
In 2014, the NCRB has made significant changes to the method of its collection and dissemination of crime data. The template has been undergoing changes every year. The present template for collection of crime related data, has a section on riots as defined under Sections 147,148,149,150, 151 and 153A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).There is also separate section to collect data on offences that promote enmity between different groups as defined under Sections 153A & 153B of the IPC.The template makes it clear that cases reported under Section 153A with other sections of riots (Section 147 to 151) should be shown in the category of riots whereas cases reported specifically under Sections 153A & 153B should be shown separately.
Before 2014, all the data related to riots used to be collected under one head called riots. From 2014, the data on riots is categorized into many different sub heads namely communal riots, Industrial riots and riots for political reasons etc. There is also a separate section on ‘Offences Promoting Enmity Between Different Groups’.
One has to remember that NCRB gets all the data from state police departments. And this data is strictly based on the sections mentioned in the First Information Report (FIR) of the cases filed. The NCRB also follows the ‘Principal Offence Rule’ for counting of crime. Hence among many offences registered in a single case, only most heinous crime (maximum punishment) will be considered as counting unit, thereby representing one case. Sometimes it is also possible that multiple cases will be filed for a single incident.
NCRB Vs MHA – The discrepancy in data continues
The data on communal riots in the NCRB report does not match with the data shared by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the Lok Sabha. For the year 2014, NCRB reported almost twice the number of incidents compared to the number released by MHA. The gap closed in 2015 and again widened in 2016. In 2016, the NCRB reported 869 cases relating to communal riots compared to 703 communal incidents reported by the MHA.In addition, NCRB reported 336 cases relating to ‘Offences Promoting Enmity Between Different Groups’ in 2014 out of which 323 are offences for promoting enmity between groups based on religion, race etc. In the year 2015, the corresponding number of cases was 424 and 378. In 2016, a total of 478 cases relating to ‘Offences Promoting Enmity Between Different Groups’ were reported by NCRB out of which 447 were offences for promoting enmity between groups based on religion, race etc.
If the number of cases relating to communal riots and cases relating to promoting enmity between groups  from the NCRB report are added, then the difference between the NCRB data & MHA data widens further.
What is the Government’s explanation?
The government on multiple occasions maintained that (NCRB) collects police registered communal riots cases (FIRs) from States and there could be multiple FIRs in a single incident of communal violence and hence NCRB data may be different compared to MHA data which is communal incidents based but not FIR based.
Why Government’s explanation is not plausible
As per the government’s explanation, the NCRB numbers should be higher for each state since they are based on FIRs in police stations and that there could be multiple FIRs for a single incident. Even if this is believed to be true, the difference or the trend should be uniform across states.
For the year 2014, there was a discrepancy between the numbers reported by NCRB & MHA for as many as 23 States/UTs. Strangely, in states like Haryana, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, the numbers reported by NCRB were way higher than the ones reported by MHA whereas in states like Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat & Uttar Pradesh, the MHA numbers were higher than those reported by NCRB.
In the case of Uttar Pradesh in 2014, the MHA reported 133 incidents while NCRB only reported 51 communal riot cases. The NCRB report also reported 26 cases of promoting enmity between groups in Uttar Pradesh. Together,both the numbers make up for only 77 such cases by the NCRB while the MHA reported 133 such incidents.
This trend repeated in 2015 where the discrepancy was observed in as many as 24 States/UTs. In 2016, the discrepancy observed in 25 States/UTs. In both these years, the difference in the numbers was mixed with some states showing a higher number as per MHA and some other states showing up a higher number as per NCRB.For the state of Rajasthan in 2016, the MHA reported 63 communal incidents. In the same year, the NCRB did not report a single case of communal riot in Rajasthan while it reported only 22 cases of promoting enmity between groups.
The larger question about reliability of Government data
In all probability, the MHA may also be getting data on communal incidents from the state police. In such a case, a lower number in NCRB data for a particular state clearly indicates that cases were not filed in some instances of communal incidents. The discrepancy raises the following larger questions.
As seen for various years from 2014 to 2016, the reasons mentioned by the government for data discrepancy do not add up, thus raising the larger question about the reliability of government data in general and crime data in specific.

created: December 1, 2017


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GOVtweets - the advent of twitter in Governance
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 28, 2016
More than 80% of the Ministries started their journey in twitter and social engagement after the BJP came into power. As the usage of Social Media increases every day, it has become a bare minimum necessity for the government to use the Social Media for better citizen engagement & better communication.
July 2010 was the month when Ministry of External Affairs created a twitter account, followed by Press Information Bureau and Office of the Prime Minister of India (PMO). Before May 2014, when the last Lok Sabha elections were held, there were only 8 Ministries of the Government of India which had accounts on twitter. Twitter data as of 25 November 2016, indicates that 13 ministries have created a twitter account in June 2014 and 6 Ministries in July 2014 after NDA come into power. In effect, the number of ministries having twitter accounts increased substantially in the first few months of new government in 2014.
Who is active on Twitter?
Average number of tweets per day across all the ministries is around 9. It can be clearly seen that not all the ministries are twitter active. Ministries that have a large public interface are tweeting more often than otheras.Ministry of Railways has the highest tweet rate per day among all the ministries with 189 tweets per day, followed by Press Information Bureau and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. In fact, there are other twitter accounts of the Zonal & divisional offices of the Railways that send out many more tweets. There are only 5 ministries which tweet more than 10 times a day. 19 ministries send out 2-10 tweets per day and 15 ministries tweet less than twice a day.
Who are most followed?
Twitter community is growing each day and the following of the ministries official twitter channels is increasing at a decent pace.  Average growth in the number of followers across the ministries is 427 per day since their joining. 19 ministries have a increase of 0-50 followers per day. Ministries like External Affairs, Finance, Health, Information and Broadcasting, Human Resources & Development, Home Affairs, Railways, Office of the President of India, PMO and Press Information Bureau, have seen a growth of 400 to 8206 followers per day.
Although there are Ministries/Departments which are highly followed in twitter, there are also Ministries/Departments which are not so well followed by the user community. Ministries like the Ministry of Steel, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Ministry of Science & Technology have seen a growth of the less than 10 per day in their followers.
Some Ministries/Departments are still taking baby steps on twitter. The Department of Heavy Industry has about 700 followers while the Department of Chemicals has just 1 follower. Ministry of Parliamentary affairs has 57 followers only. Interestingly, some of the ministers in charge of these Ministries are well followed on twitter. A few ministries like the Ministry of Statistics & Program Implementation do not have a twitter presence yet.
Note: The data pertains to Ministries/Departments of Government of India whose accounts are verified on twitter as of November 2016.
Featured Image: Vecteezy.com

created: November 28, 2016


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‘Gram Vikas Rozgar Yojana’ పేరుతో ఎటువంటి ప్రభుత్వ పథకం లేదు - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 24, 2019
ఒక ఉత్తరం ఫోటోని FACTLY కి వాట్స్ఆప్ లో పంపించి, అది ఫేక్ గా కనిపిస్తుందని దానిలో ఎంత నిజముందో కనుక్కోమని కొందరు అడిగారు. ధరఖాస్తు చేసుకుంటే ఊరికి ముగ్గురిని  ‘Village Service Representatives’ గా ‘Gram Vikas Rozgar Yojana’ పథకం కింద నియమిస్తామని ఉత్తరం లో ఉంటుంది. ఆ ఉత్తరంలో ఎంతవరకు నిజముందో విశ్లేషిద్ధాం.
‘Gram Vikas Rozgar Yojana’ పథకం కింద ఊరిలో చదువుకొని ఉన్న అబ్బాయిలకు ‘Village Service Representatives’ గా ఉద్యోగాలు.
‘Gram Vikas Rozgar Yojana’ పేరుతో ఎటువంటి పథకం లేదు. ఒకవేళ ప్రభుత్వం అధికారికంగా ఏదైనా పథకం కింద నియామకాలు చేయాలనుకున్నా  ప్రైవేటు సంస్థల పేర్లపై డీడీ (డిమాండ్ డ్రాఫ్ట్) లను పంపమని అడగదు. అంతే కాదు, మేఘాలయ రాష్ట్రంలో కూడా ఇటువంటి ఉత్తరమే వైరల్ అయినప్పుడు ‘South West Khasi Hills’ జిల్లా అధికారులు ఆ ఉత్తరం ఫేక్ అని ఒక గమనికను రిలీజ్ చేసారు. కావున ‘Gram Vikas Rozgar Yojana’ పేరుతో వస్తున్న ఉత్తరంలో ఎటువంటి నిజం లేదు.
‘Gram Vikas Rozgar Yojana’ అనే పేరుతో ఏమైనా పథకం ఉందా అని గూగుల్ లో వెతకగా, ఆ పేరుతో ఎటువంటి ప్రభుత్వ పథకం లేదని తెలుస్తుంది. ఉత్తరం లో చూస్తే, ఆసక్తి ఉన్నవారు 1200 రుపాయుల డీడీ ని ‘Kanak Enterprises, payable at Delhi’  పేరు మీద పంపమని ఉంటుంది. ప్రభుత్వం ఎప్పుడు కూడా అధికారిక నియామకాలకు ప్రైవేటు సంస్థల పేర్లపై డీడీ లను పంపమని అడగదు. అంతేకాదు, ఉత్తరంలో కుడా చాలా వ్యాకరణ మరియు స్పెల్లింగ్ తప్పులు ఉన్నట్టుగా చూడవచ్చు. ప్రభుత్వం విడుదల చేసే అధికారిక నోటిఫికేషన్లలో అటువంటి తప్పులు ఉండవు. పథకం పేరు కూడా పలు చోట్ల వివిధ రకాలుగా రాసినట్టు ఉత్తరంలో చూడవచ్చు. ఉత్తరంలోని మరికొన్ని తప్పులను కింద ఫోటోలో చూడవచ్చు.
‘Gram Vikas Rozgar Yojana’ పై మరికొంత సమాచారం కోసం Gram Vikas Rozgar Yojana Kanak Enterprises’ అని గూగుల్ లో వెతకగా, మార్చి 2019 లో మేఘాలయ రాష్ట్రంలో ఇలాంటి ఉత్తరమే వైరల్ అయినప్పుడు ‘South West Khasi Hills’ జిల్లా అధికారులు ఉత్తరం ఫేక్ అని చెప్తూ ఒక గమనికను వాళ్ళ అధికారిక వెబ్ సైట్ లో పెట్టినట్టు చూడవచ్చు.
అంతేకాదు, ఇలాంటి ఉత్తరమే పంజాబ్ రాష్ట్రంలో కూడా ప్రచారంలో ఉన్నట్టు దైనిక్ భాస్కర్ ఆర్టికల్ లో చూడవచ్చు. ఆ ఆర్టికల్ ప్రకారం పంజాబ్ లోని ఒక ఊరిలో ఉత్తరాన్ని చూసి ఇరవై మంది యువకులు ఉద్యోగం వస్తుందనే ఆశతో ‘Kanak Enterprises’ కి పన్నెండు వందల రుపాయుల డీడీలు పంపించారు. ఆ సంస్థ నుండి ఎటువంటి స్పందన రాకపోవడంతో వాళ్ళు పంచాయతి డిపార్టుమెంటు ఆఫీసు వారిని ఆ పథకం గురించి అడగగా, వారు అటువంటి పేరుతో ఎటువంటి పథకాన్ని అసలు ప్రభుత్వం మొదలు పెట్టలేదని చెప్పారు.
చివరగా, ‘Gram Vikas Rozgar Yojana’ పేరుతో ఎటువంటి ప్రభుత్వ పథకం లేదు. ‘Kanak Enterprises’ కి డీడీ లు పంపించకండి.
ఏది ఫేక్, ఏది నిజం సిరీస్ లో మా వీడియోస్ మీరు చూసారా?


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‘Grams/Day’ is used as a measuring unit while calculating ‘Per Capita Availability’ of Milk in India - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 14, 2022
A video clip of Union Home Minister Amit Shah saying – “In 2021, Milk production in India has increased from 40 grams to 155 grams”, is being widely shared claiming that he used grams to measure milk, instead of litres/milli-litres. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
The archived post can be seen here
Claim: Amit shah wrongly stated grams as a measuring unit for milk, instead of litres/milli-litres during a speech.
Fact: The full-length video available on Amit shah’s YouTube Channel shows that he is talking about the ‘Per capita availability’ of milk in the country. According to the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, ‘Per capita availability’ of milk in India is measured in ‘Grams/Day’. The same is mentioned on National Dairy Development Board and Economic Survey websites. Also, the Food and Agricultural Organization uses kilogram/year to measure the ‘Per capita availability’ of milk globally. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
A reverse image search using the keyframes extracted from the viral clip led us to a video that was live streamed on 12 September 2022 on Amit Shah’s Official YouTube Channel. In the video, Amit shah spoke about the “Relevance of cooperative institutions for a Dairy sector” at International Dairy Federation’s World Dairy Summit 2022 held in Greater Noida.
Highlighting the impact of the ‘Operation Flood’ program on the country’s Milk production, from the 25:10 time stamp he says, “In 1978, 40 grams of milk is available for every person in the country. Because of co-operative dairy, in 2021, milk production in the country has increased from 40 grams to 155 grams. This is a big achievement.”
As Amit shah mentioned ‘every person’ in the speech, he most was speaking about the per capita availability of milk in the country. So, we looked at the Annual Report for 2021-22 released by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, and found that the ‘Milk Production’ in the country is measured in ‘Million Tonnes’ and ‘Per Capital Availability’ is measured in ‘Grams/Day’.
The National Dairy Development Board also measures ‘Per capita Availability’ of Milk in ‘Grams/Day’
The same unit of measurement was also used in the Economic Survey of India, 2021-22.
Also, in a press release dated 01 June 2021, the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying used ‘Grams/Day’ to indicate the growth of ‘Per Capita Milk Availability’ in the country.
Further, we found that the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations uses ‘Kilogram/year’ while measuring Global Milk consumption.
To sum it up, it is evident that the ‘Per capita availability’ of milk in India is measured in ‘grams/day’, not litres or milli-litres.

created: September 14, 2022


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Granular data on all Central transfers to States is not readily available
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 8, 2021
Every year after budget, complaints of favouritism to certain states either poll-bound or otherwise are common. However, there is no way to ascertain the truthfulness of these complaints since granular data on all Central transfers to States is not readily available in the public domain
In its monthly bulletin for January 2021, the RBI estimates that India’s GDP for 2020-21 would contract by 7.7%. This is based on the NSO’s early estimates of the Indian economy. Earlier, in the “Nowcast” Report in November 2020, the RBI stated that India might have entered into a technical recession on the back of contraction in the economy in two successive quarters. These estimates offer a reflection on the current state of the Indian economy and the influence of the COVID-19 situation.
A contracting economy means a strain on the government resources due to the fall tax collections & revenue through other sources. This is true both in the case of centre as well as respective state governments who also face the prospect of a fall in tax revenues.
The shortfall in centre’s revenues can be further ascertained in its inability to pay GST compensation due to the states. Earlier, the centre has proposed that the states borrow from RBI to compensate for the loss in GST revenue. However, after opposition from a few of the States, the central government has changed its stand and has now proposed to borrow from RBI on behalf of the states.
In the recently presented budget for 2021-22, the revised estimates for revenue receipts for 2020-21 was reduced to Rs. 15.55 lakh crores compared to the budget estimates of Rs. 20.2 lakh crores. Even the budget estimated for revenue receipts for 2021-22 is a more pragmatic Rs. 17.88 lakh crores, indicating that the government does not expect normal growth even in 2021-22. The budget estimates of revenue receipts in 2021-22 are just 6% more than the actual receipts in 2019-20, 3% less than the revised estimates of 2019-20, and about 10% less than the budget estimates of 2020-21
The actual revenue receipts for 2019-20 were Rs.16.84 lakh crores, about 9% less than the revised estimates of Rs.18.5 lakh crores, indicating a shortfall in revenues even before the COVID-19 pandemic took a toll.
Revised Estimates indicate an increase in Central Expenditure
In the January 2021 monthly bulletin, the RBI also noted that after four months of contraction, there has been a surge in the Central Government’s spending in November 2020. It further highlights close to half of the capital expenditure is due to the announcements made under Aatma Nirbhar 2.0.
In the latest 2021-22 budget, the revised estimates for central expenditure for 2020-21 is pegged at Rs. 34.5 lakh crores, higher than the earlier budget estimates of Rs. 30.42 lakh crores. The budget estimates for 2021-22 at Rs. 34.83 lakh crores. is slightly higher than the revised estimates for 2020-21.
The major reason for the increase in revised estimates of 2020-21 compared to budget estimates is the substantial increase in the expenditure for Central Sector Schemes/Projects. The budget estimates for central sector schemes expenditure in 2021-22 is pegged at Rs.10.5 lakh crores, lower than the revised estimates for 2020-21. However, there could be an increase in this if things do not improve as anticipated, considering the fact that the Central government has announced another COVID-19 stimulus package in November 2020 i.e. Aatma Nirbhar Bharat 3.0 which included the launch of new schemes, extended support to existing ones, etc.
The actual extent of relief & fiscal burden on the centre yet to be ascertained.  On the other hand, there have been apprehensions on equitable distribution of centre’s relief to states in the past where states had issues with the central government regarding the allocation and receipt of funds. Recent recommendations of the 15 Finance Commission, wherein there is a fall in the share in central taxes for four of the five Southern states add credence to such apprehensions since states are increasingly reliant on tax devolution & other central funding after the advent of GST.
States receives funds from Centre through multiple means
Apart from State’s Own Tax Revenue (SOTR) and the various borrowings, a major portion of states’ revenue is received from the centre. The funds received from the centre is through various means.
The 15 Finance Commission has recommended devolution of 41% from the divisible pool to states. The Central government makes provisions in the budget for the amount to be transferred to the states as part of devolution, but the actual transfer is based on the extent of tax collected. A shortfall in the tax collection would result in a fall in the actual amount received by the states through devolution as witnessed in 2020-21.
Based on Finance Commission recommendations, the Centre also transfers to the States various grants such as the Revenue deficit Grants, Sectoral grants, incentives, etc. These grants form part of the Union Budget.
Apart from these, there is another key component of the Centre’s transfer to States i.e., transfers for the Centrally Sponsored Schemes. These schemes are part of the support extended by the Central Government for the implementation of the central schemes at the state level. As per 2021-22 budget estimates, the expenditure on Central Sponsored Schemes is around 9% of the total central expenditure.
The assistance extended by the Centre could be in the form of – different grants through various schemes to departments at the state level, benefits to beneficiaries under various centrally sponsored schemes & benefits to beneficiaries under various central schemes.
The transfer to the beneficiaries can be through (i) direct transfer by the Centre (ii) transfer to the state treasury who then spends it on the scheme. For instance, in a scheme like PM-KISAN, the assistance is directly transferred to the beneficiary whereas, in few other schemes, the amount is transferred to the state for implementation of the scheme. In a few other cases, the states add their share to the central transfer before spending.
Non-Availability of granular Data in the Public Domain
One of the major apprehensions raised by various quarters regarding the Centre’s transfer of funds is that are disparities in central transfers to states barring the tax devolution. There have been complaints both in the past & present about preferential treatment to states where the same party is in power as in the centre. There have also been complaints about greater allocation to poll-bound states. Few reports also indicate the recent budget of 2021-22 is focused on poll-bound states, conforming to such apprehensions about central fund allocation. However, the true picture cannot be ascertained unless the data regarding all types of central transfers to states is analysed.
The major challenge for any such analysis is the lack of availability of this data in the public domain. The PFMS (Public Finance Management System), through which all central transfers, other than tax devolution takes place does not provide any such data state-wise and scheme-wise. The PFMS is an online system that was developed with the objective of tracking funds released by the Government of India for all the Schemes and real-time reporting of expenditure at all levels of programme implementation. All the direct payments to the beneficiaries under all the schemes are recorded in this database. However, in spite of such a mechanism being in place, the data & information is not made public except the total figure of transfers & transactions. Such lack of data limits the ability to carry out any meaningful analysis of central transfers to states.
We reached out to the Ministry of Finance to understand the rationale for not making this information public. However, we have not received any response as yet.
Using the Right to Information (RTI), Factly was able to obtain information regarding the transfer of funds by the centre to the states through various schemes over the last few years. We are launching a weekly series in the coming days that contains the analysis of this data ministry wise.

created: February 8, 2021


text:
Higher Education GER improves, but challenges remain
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 22, 2019
The Gross
Enrolment Ratio (GER) of Higher Education has seen a steady increase over the
years. In 2018-19, the female GER in higher education was more than the male
GER for the first time. However, we are still behind many of the developing
& developed nations. Decreasing GER in some of the states is also a cause
for concern.
Education is akey factor influencing the growth story & development of a nation. Indiamoved from a nation with 12% literacy rate in 1947 to 74% literacy rate as per2011 census.
The ASER (Annual
Status of Education Report) -2018 states that the enrolment rate in schools between the age 6-14 years isabove 96% every year since 2010. Right to Education (RTE) act, 2009 makes accessto free and compulsory education a fundamental right for every child between the age of 6-14 years. Whilethere are apprehensions in respect to the quality of school education, theprogress made over the years in terms of the reach cannot be discounted.
However, school education is only one part of the education story. Higher education forms the crucial bridge which helps to build on the early education foundation and enable the young population to be productive citizens who can not only earn livelihood but also contribute towards the nation’s growth story. In this story, we look into the enrolment for Higher education in India as per data in the AISHE for 2018-19 (All India Survey on Higher Education).
Increasing
trend of Higher Education GER continues
Gross Enrolment
Ratio (GER) measures enrolment as percentage of a specific age-group of thepopulation. The Higher Education GER (18-23 age group) in India for the year2018-19 is 26.3. This is an increase over the previous year and is in line withthe increasing trend over the years. In 2014-15, it was 24.3.
While higher education GER in India is on an increasing trend, it stills lags when compared with other countries. The age group for higher (tertiary) education is 18-22 years internationally. When calculated as per the international standard, the higher education GER for India would be 30.6%. While it is higher than Pakistan (9) and Bangladesh (21), it is comparatively less than other countries in Asia – China (51), South Korea (94), Malaysia (45), Indonesia (36), Iran (70) etc. Globally, USA’s higher education GER is 88, UK’s  is 60, Germany is at 70 and Canada’s is 69 etc.
Increase in GER
among marginalized communities
Apart from an overall increase in Higher Education GER at the all-India level, an upward trend is observed among the marginalized communities in India.  The GER among SC community for 2018-19 is 23, while it was only 19.1 in 2014-15. Similarly, among the ST community, the higher education GER increased from 13.7 in 2014-15 to 17.2 in 2018-19.
Bihar, Chhattisgarh,
Assam, Jharkhand, West Bengal among states with lowest Higher Education GER
Among thestates, Sikkim has shown the highest change with an increase in GER by 16.5within a year. In 2017-18, it was 37.4 while it increased to 53.9 in 2018-19. Sikkimis also the state with the highest GER in 2018-19.
Among the largestates, Tamil Nadu ranks first with a GER of 49 followed by Delhi (46.3),Himachal Pradesh (39.6), Uttarakhand (39.1), Kerala (37) and Telangana (36.2). Otherlarge states with GER higher than the national average include – AndhraPradesh, Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana and Karnataka.
Among the largestates, Bihar has the lowest GER with 13.6, followed by Chhattisgarh and Assamwith 18.6 and 18.7 GER respectively. Jharkhand, West Bengal, Gujarat, MadhyaPradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh are among the states with GER lessthan all-India average of 26.3 in 2018-19.
Most of the
Indian states have shown a positive trend in respect to GER.
Barring a fewexceptions, most of the states have shown a positive change in respect toHigher Education GER over the last few years. Punjab, UP and Tripura stand out by being the only 3 states with anegative change in GER in 2018-19 compared to 2017-18.
Punjab’s GERfell by 0.8 (29.5 in 2018-19 from 30.3 in 2017-18). UP’s GER fell by 0.1 (25.8 in2018-19 compared to 25.9 in 2017-18), while Tripura had a significant fall by 2(19.2 in 2018-19 from 21.2 in 2018-19).
The UT ofChandigarh recorded the most significant negative change with a fall by 5.8. Highereducation GER here was 56.4 in 2017-18 and fell to 50.6 in 2018-19. This fallin GER resulted in Chandigarh being pushed to the second place among IndianStates and UTs from its earlier first position in 2017-18.
Sikkim, asnoted earlier has the highest positive change with 16.5. Other states with ahigher positive change in Higher education GER include – Jammu & Kashmir (3.2),Uttarakhand (2.8), Mizoram (2.8), Goa (2.1), Manipur (1.9) and Himachal Pradesh(1.7).
AlthoughJharkhand and Rajasthan are among the states with lower GER, they have made asignificant improvement over the last over year (in 2018-19 compared to2017-18) with a positive increase by 1.1 and 1.3 respectively.
Higher
Education GER among females overtakes male GER
The All Indiaaverage for Higher Education GER among males is 26.3 while for females it is26.4. This is the first time that the GER among females is higher than that ofmales.  There is no change in the GER formales compared to last year. Higher education GER among males was also 26.3 in2017-18 whereas it was 26 in 2016-17.
On the otherhand, GER among females has shown a continuous positive trend. Five years agoi.e., in 2014-15, it was 23.2.  However, overthe five-year period, female GER is up by 3.2. During the same period, the maleGER increased only by 1.
Anothersignificant observation is in respect to the negative growth for male GER in 12of the 36 states/UTs for the year 2018-19 i.e. 1/3 of thestate/UTs have recorded a negative growth in terms of male GER.
Reflective ofits overall growth, Sikkim has the highest growth in GER for both males andfemales with increase 20.1 and 12.8 respectively.
Among otherstates, Uttarakhand recorded significant growth of 2.9 and 2.8 GER among maleand female population respectively. Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Goa, AndhraPradesh and Mizoram are among the states which have a positive growth in bothmale and female GER.
States/UTs likeKerala, Telangana, Delhi, Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands etc.  have recorded negative growth of male GER in2018-19 which is compensated by higher GER among females resulting in overall positiveGER compared to 2017-18.
Punjab’s highernegative growth of male GER has offset the positive growth among for femaleGER.
Need for GER to
increase at more rapid rate to gain advantage of the Demographic Dividend
Indiapopulation is among the youngest in the world i.e. a larger portion of thepopulation is in the productive age.  Theskillset of this section of population will have a great influence in thedevelopment of the country, hence it is imperative that this section of thepopulation needs to have the right skills.
As seen in anearlier metrics, India’s higher education GER lags far behind many of thedeveloped countries. Few of the developing economies in
the world also have higher GERs when compared to India.
While thepositive trend in the female GER is encouraging, the decreasing trends in maleGER in multiple states/UTs is a cause for concern. Fewer Institutions of Highereducation within the reach, lack of variety of courses which offer higheremployability and better career prospects, fewer resources for research, lackof international recognition for Indian courses etc. are few of the reasonswhich influence the lower GER in India. Creating opportunities & world classinstitutions for Higher education has been one of the priorities during theearly years of Indian independence, as is evident from the establishment ofvarious IITs, IIMs and other centers of higher learning. However, over theyears, both the quality as well as the reach has not kept up with the growingneeds.
The Draft National
Education Policy (NEP) released earlier this year, takes cognizance of these issues thatimpact GER. Factly has earlier published an article about thevarious aspects related to higher education in the draft NEP. Practicalimplementation of the policies remains the key bottleneck and in view of thecurrent advantage in respect to demographic dividend, the reforms need to gobeyond paper.
Featured Image: Higher Education GER

created: October 22, 2019


text:
Growth of Railway revenues falls in the last few years
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 5, 2019
While the
overall revenues of Railways have increased in the last 10 years barring
2016-17, the growth rate of revenues has fallen in the last few years. Here is
a look at the numbers for the last 10 years.
Railwaysare the lifeline of India’s public transport and also contribute significantlyto the economy. A major share of the passenger traffic as well astransportation of goods & freight across the country is of the Railways.
Therevenue earned by Indian railways is a key component of non-tax
revenue of India and is used to meet the revenue expenditure of therailways along with funding infrastructure development and other capitalinvestments of the Railways.
Therefore,a continuous increase in revenue of railways is important to ensure that the growingexpenditure & investment needs are met. That will also ensure that theseinvestment needs do not become a burden on India’s budget.  In this story we explore the trends in railwayrevenue over the past decade.
The
growth rate of overall Railway Revenue has slowed down
Factlyhad filed an RTI application and received information in regard to the varioussources of railway revenue for the last 10 years.  As per this information, the provisionalrevenue for 2018-19 is ₹190.57 thousand crores (1.9 lakh crores). This is an increase over the previousyear where the actual total revenue as per the RTI information was ₹178.9 thousand crores.
Atthe beginning of the decade i.e. 2009-10, the revenue of the railways was ₹ 89.36 thousand crores. The overall annual revenue hasincreased every year barring 2016-17, when it was less than the revenue of2015-16 by about ₹2400 crores.
Rate
of growth of Railway revenues has slowed down over recent years
While,the annual revenues have increased during 9 of the last 10 years, the rate ofgrowth has reduced over the past few years. For the year 2010-11, the annualrevenue of railways has increased by 8.17% over the previous year. In thesubsequent years the rate of growth was more than the earlier years with2012-13 recording an annual growth rate of 18.87%.
Thenext two years, all though the annual growth rate was less, it was still indouble digit figures.  In the last fouryears, however, the annual growth rate of railway revenues has only been insingle digit. As highlighted earlier, there was a negative growth in 2016-17when the revenues shrunk by 1.46%.
Theprovisional annual growth rate for 2018-19 is estimated at 6.52% which is lessthan the previous year (2017-18)’s growth rate of 8.17%.
Revenues
from Goods forms the largest share of Railway revenues
Therevenue from transportation of goods average out to around 65% of the total railwayrevenue, for the last decade.  With sucha sizeable chunk of the total revenue, any variance in the revenue earned fromgoods had a direct impact on the trends of overall revenue.
Forthe year 2018-19, the provisional revenue for Goods was ₹127.43 thousand crores, which makes up to 66.87% ofthe total revenue. At the beginning of the decade in 2009-10, the revenue fromgoods was ₹58.5 thousand crores.
Apartfrom the blip in 2016-17, where the revenue earned was ₹ 4.87 thousand crores less than the previous year, theannual revenue from goods did increase every year over the last decade.
Incomefrom passengers forms the second highest source of revenue for the railways.  In 2009-10, the revenue earned from passengerstraveling by Indian Railways was ₹ 23.48 thousand crores. The annual revenues from thissegment witnesses an incremental increase every year and by 2018-19, theprovisional revenue earned through passenger traffic is ₹ 51.06 thousand crores.
Therevenues earned through other sources like sundry services, miscellaneous receiptsand other coaching services are marginal compared to the earlier two sources. Thetotal revenue earned from these three services in 2018-19 is ₹ 12.07 thousand crores.  There is a whole
list of heads that are classified as sundry services.These include rents, lease amounts of railway property, parking charges in railwaystations, sale proceeds of unclaimed or damaged goods etc.
Whilethe revenue earned from other coaching services and sundry services has beenlargely incremental every year, the revenue from Misc. receipts have taperedoff over recent years.
Theyear 2016-17, marks a standout year fir sundry services, wherein Indianrailways earned ₹10.37 thousand crores.
Growth
rate of revenue from goods largely influences the overall revenue growth
Ashighlighted earlier, revenue from goods forms a major portion of the overall revenueearned by Indian Railways. The inconsistency in the growth rates observed overthe decade in the overall revenues is largely contributed by theinconsistencies in the growth rates of revenue earned from goods.
Thefour-year period during 2011-15 has recorded growth rates in revenue through goodsservices in double digits with 10.67%, 22.60%, 10.14% and 12.66% for 2011-12, 2012-13,2013-14 and 2014-15 respectively.
Thisperiod was followed by low growth rate of 3.23% and negative growth of -4.46%in subsequent years. The growth rate in revenues through Goods services hasfared better over the last two years with 12.9% and 8.87% in 2017-18 and2018-19 respectively.
Lower
growth rates in revenue through Passenger services over past 4 years
Unlikerevenue earned through Goods services, the annual revenue earned throughPassenger services increased every year.  However, the rate of growth has slowed down inthe last four years.
Duringthe initial years of this decade the growth rate was 9.81% and 9.51% for2010-11 and 2011-12 respectively. During the next three years, the revenuesearned through passenger services have recorded a double-digit growth year onyear with 10.89%, 16.63% and 15.49% respectively. However, after these highgrowth years for revenues earned through passenger services, the growth rateshave fallen to single digit numbers over the last few years.  The growth rates for the last four years i.e.during the period 2015-19 were 4.96%, 4.51%, 5.11% and 4.98% respectively asnoted in the chart below.
Meeting
increased expenditure year on year is a challenge
Alook at railway
budget over the years reveals that a major portion of therevenue earned by the railways goes into meeting the working expenses.
TheRailway budget for 2019-20 estimates the total revenues at ₹ 216.93 thousand crores. Of this, the amount to bespent on working expenses is estimated at ₹ 205.5 thousand crores. A further 2.4 thousand crores areestimated for miscellaneous expenditure.
Furthermore,in her budget
speech for 2019-20, the Minister of Finance, Mrs. NirmalaSeetharaman has estimated that around ₹ 50 Lakh crores would need to be invested in Railwayinfrastructure between 2018-2030.  It isfurther estimated that the capital expenditure every year is going to be around₹ 1.5 to ₹ 1.6 lakh crores
Although a Public-Private partnership is proposed, currently a major burden of this capital outlay falls on the government. In this context, the lower growth rate in railway revenues is a cause of concern as it may lead to additional burden with government having to cough up money for railway infrastructure development.  With a high operational ratio of around 95%, Indian railways is treading a very fine line in managing its operational expenses with the revenues earned, let alone funding capital investments with its revenues. Hence, the need to increase the revenues and reduce the operational ratio are imperative.
Featured Image: Growth of Railway revenues in India

created: November 5, 2019


text:
GSI denies that it estimated gold reserves of around 222.88 million tonnes in Jamui District, Bihar - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 31, 2022
A post is being shared widely on social media with a claim that the “Geological Survey of India has stated that gold reserve of around 222.88 million tonnes including 27.6 tonnes of mineral-rich ore are present in Jamui district of Bihar”. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has stated that gold reserves of around 222.88 million tonnes including 27.6 tonnes of mineral-rich ore are present in the Jamui district of Bihar.
Fact: The GSI has refuted the claim. In a clarification, it has mentioned – “GSI completely disowns such media reports published recently. GSI has not estimated any resource of gold deposit in Jamui District, Bihar”.  However, regarding the gold ore reserves, Pralhad Joshi (the Minister of Mines) said in Lok Sabha, in December 2021, that “Bihar is endowed with 222.885 million tonnes (44%) of ore containing 37.6 tonnes of metal”. Similar information is available at least since 2010. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When we looked for the recent statements made by the GSI on Bihar gold reserves, a tweet was found on the official Twitter handle of GSI. It has posted a clarification saying. – “GSI completely disowns such media reports published recently. GSI has not estimated any resource of gold deposit in Jamui District, Bihar. However, GSI has been executing exploration works in the Jamui district of Bihar since 2016 for Iron and has conducted one gold exploration project in 2012-13. It is to inform that there is no mention of 222.8 million tonnes of gold reserve including 27.6 tons of mineral rich ore in any of its reports. GSI strongly condemns such misleading and unsubstantiated news reports attributed to GSI by certain section of media houses.”
प्रेस विज्ञप्ति / PRESS RELEASE
बिहार, ओडिशा और आंध्र प्रदेश में स्वर्ण भंडार संबंधी मीडिया रिपोर्टों पर जीएसआई का मंतव्य/GSI’S STAND ON THE MEDIA REPORTS OF GOLD RESERVES IN BIHAR, ODISHA AND ANDHRA PRADESH pic.twitter.com/QPW2S1AlJi
However, regarding the gold ore reserves, Pralhad Joshi (the Minister of Mines) said in Lok Sabha, in December 2021, that “as per National Mineral Inventory, the total resources of primary gold ore in the country as on 01 April 2015 are estimated at 501.83 million tonnes with 654.74 tonnes of gold metal and out of this, Bihar is endowed with 222.885 million tonnes (44%) of ore containing 37.6 tonnes of metal. These resources of gold in Bihar are categorized under United Nations Framework Classification[UNFC] code-333 (128.885 million tonnes containing 21.6 tonnes metal) and UNFC code-334 (94 million tonnes containing 16 tonnes metal). The entire resource of gold ore in Bihar is located in Sono area of Jamui district.”
The information regarding Bihar having 222.885 million tonnes (44%) of gold ore containing 37.6 tonnes of metal is not new. Similar information is available at least since 2010.
To sum it up, GSI denies that it estimated gold reserves of around 222.88 million tonnes in Jamui District, Bihar.


text:
GST Collections improved during July-December’2020, but still lower than estimates
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 15, 2021
The Centre’s GST collections increased during July-December’2020 coinciding with unlock phases across the country. The collections during these six months were slightly more than the collections during the same period in 2019-20. However, the overall collections are still lower than the original estimates.
A January 2021 press release of the Ministry of Finance stated that the Gross GST collections for December’2020 were around Rs. 1.15 lakh crores.  This was not only 12% higher than the GST collection for the same month last year i.e., December’2019 but also the highest collection since the implementation of GST, overtaking the earlier highest in April’2019.
The increase in GST collection is a positive indicator and provides the government with much-needed revenue in the wake of an economy affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an earlier story, we reported that the Gross GST collections during the first quarter of 2020-21 i.e. April-June’2020 fell by around 58% compared to the collections during the same period in 2019-20. This was understandable since there was a nation-wide lockdown during most of that quarter and multiple sectors were affected by the lockdown.
Over the ensuing months, things started to open up during the various unlock phases. We take a look at the GST collections in the ensuing two quarters i.e., the six-month period of July-December’2020, and analyse the trends both at the national level & in individual states.
Gross GST collections during July-December’2020 on par with 2019-20 collections
Gross GST collection includes CGST, SGST, IGST (Inclusive of GST on Import of Goods) & Cess (including on import of Goods). The overall GST collection during July-December’2020 was Rs. 5,94,643 crores, a slight increase of Rs. 388 crores compared to the same six-month period of 2019-20.
The individual monthly trends over these two quarters indicate that, after a shortfall during July & August ‘2020 compared to the same months in 2019-20, the gross GST collections were higher month-month in each of the next four months, from September to December compared to 2019-20.
Although the collection of November’2020 showed a slight decline, the GST collection bounced back to the highest ever in a month during December’2020, as already highlighted earlier.
Early signs of increase in GST collection with varying trends across the States
As the data indicates, compared to the first quarter of 2020-21 which was directly impacted by the COVID-19 induced lockdown, the ensuing two quarters have shown a comparable improving trend in GST collections.
Few of the states that have managed to earn higher GST collection during July-Decmber’2020 compared to the same period of 2019-20, have shown early signs of recovery i.e., during the second quarter (July-Septmber’20), and continue to report higher month-on-month GST revenues compared to 2019-20. Other states that have reported a decrease in GST collections during this six-month period also reported an increase in GST collection albeit at a later period i.e., during the third quarter of 2020-21 (Oct-December’20).
An increase in GST collection during December’2020 has been a consistent trend observed across most of the States/UTs. However, in its press release, the Ministry of Finance highlights that the increase in GST revenue in December could be due to a combined effect of – rapid growth, nation-wide drive against GST evaders & fake bills, along with systemic changes that have contributed towards improved compliance.  Hence, the highest GST collection in December’2020 may not be necessarily just due to an upturn in the economy.
12 States reported decreased GST collection in July to December of 2020-21 compared to 2019-20
In an earlier analysis for the period March-June’2020, it was observed that the GST collection of 27 States/UTs fell by more than a quarter compared to that of the same period in 2019-20. Only 4 States/UTs have managed to increase their collection during that compared to 2019-20.
The situation has improved across many states during the ensuing 6 months i.e., July-December of 2020. Among the States, 18 states have reported higher GST collections during July-December’2020 compared to the same period in 2019-20. On the other hand, 12 states have reported decreased collections compared to 2019-20. Even in these 12 states, the situation has improved with the least comparative collection being reported from Goa, where the collection during these 6 months of 2020-21 was only 81% of the collection compared to the same period in 2019-20. For the sake of uniformity in comparison, Jammu & Kashmir is being considered as a State for the analysis, and the collection made in Ladakh during 2020 is included in J&K.
However, the trend is different in the case of the Union Territories. Only Dadra & Nagar Haveli has reported an increase compared to 2019-20, while the GST collection for the rest of UTs has decreased compared to 2019-20. Daman & Diu reported only 30% of GST collection in 2020-21 compared to 2019-20. It may be noted that an increase in Dadra & Nagar Haveli and the decrease for Daman & Diu could be due to the merger of these two UTs since the combined GST collection of both the UTs does show an increase.
Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi & Telangana among the major GST earning states that have reported a fall in 2020-21
From the above analysis, it can be observed that while the overall GST collection across the country has improved during July-December’2020 managing to match the 2019-20 levels, the trend is not uniform across the states.
The impact is more visible in few of the larger states that traditionally reported higher GST collection.
A common trend observed in all these states is the fall in GST collection in November 2020, sandwiched between the increased collection during October 2020 & December 2020.
In most of the States with increased GST collection, the increasing trend was observed as early as August’2020
The major states that have reported an increase in their overall GST revenue during July-December’2020 compared to the same period in 2019-20 include – Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, U.P, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Odisha, M.P, A.P, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Punjab, etc.
The GST collections still way below the estimates
The increasing trend in most states could be due to the initiatives to cut down on fraud and improve compliance. This is also a positive sign which paves way for more stable growth in GST collections in the future.
However, the budget estimates for 2021-22 indicate that the government is being pragmatic and does not anticipate collections to increase to the level of what was estimated in the 2020-21 budget. The revised estimates of the Centre’s GST collection for 2020-21 was reduced to Rs. 5.15 lakh crores compared to the budget estimates of Rs. 6.9 lakh crores. The revised estimates are almost 25% less than the budget estimates.
The budget estimates for 2021-22 pegs the centre’s GST at Rs. 6.3 lakh crores, almost 10% less than budget estimates for 2020-21 of Rs. 6.9 lakh crores. The lower estimates hint that the centre is expecting lower GST revenues even compared to its expectations at the beginning of 2020-21 despite the recent increase in collections.

created: February 15, 2021


text:
GST rate varies based on the products purchased, not on the total billed amount - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 25, 2021
A post is being widely shared on social media claiming that the GST slabs are going to vary according to the bill amount and it recommends shoppers get separate bills of Rs. 1000 for purchases above this amount to presumably attract no GST. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: GST rates vary based on the total billed amount on the purchases made.
Fact: GST rates are not based on the total billed amount on the purchases made. GST rates vary based on the type of product purchased and the rates for each product category are decided by the GST Council headed by the Union Finance Minister. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched for news articles about shopping malls incurring GST based on bill values, we found none. However, when similar posts were made viral in 2017 too, D-Mart had published a denial on its Facebook page. This Facebook post says, GST rates are applied on each product and rates for each product are based on definition as per rules defined by the tax authorities of the government of India, and GST rates are not based on bill value.
Ever since the onset of Goods and Services Tax (GST) on 01 July 2017, several such posts were going viral on social media. It must be noted that GST is not applied on the total bill amount, but on each product. GST is an indirect tax that customers must bear when they buy any goods or services, such as food, clothes, electronics, items of daily needs, transportation, travel, etc and there are few products that are not under the purview of GST like alcohol for human consumption and petroleum products.
To sum it up, GST is levied on the products purchased, not on total bill value.