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Not enough scientific evidence yet to prove that either Kalonji seeds or Hydroxychloroquine can prevent COVID-19 - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 10, 2020
A message is being widely shared on social media with a claim that Kalonji seeds have 100 per cent of Hydroxychloroquine, so taking 7 Kalonji seeds with honey mixed with warm water before breakfast can prevent COVID-19. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
As Kalonji seeds have 100 per cent of Hydroxychloroquine, taking them can prevent COVID-19.
Fact: Kalonji seeds do not have 100 per cent of Hydroxychloroquine. Also, there is no scientific evidence yet to prove that either Kalonji seeds or Hydroxychloroquine can prevent COVID-19. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched about the Kalonji seeds (Nigella Seeds/ Nigella sativa), it was found that they have a lot of medicinal properties, but no information was found that they can prevent COVID-19. While one research article calls it a ‘miracle herb’, the other article mentions that ‘the seeds of Nigella sativa and its main active constituent, thymoquinone, are very effective against various illnesses including different chronic illness: neurological and mental illness, cardiovascular disorders, cancer, diabetes, inflammatory conditions, and infertility as well as various infectious diseases due to bacterial, fungal, parasitic, and viral infections’. It was found that one of the most active compounds of Nigella Sativa is Thymoquinone, not Hydroxychloroquine (Hydroxychloroquine is a less-toxic derivative of Chloroquine, another malaria drug). So, it does not contain 100 per cent of Hydroxychloroquine, as mentioned in the post.
An Algerian study found that some compounds from Nigella Sativa may act as potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 but the study itself mentions that more ‘researches are necessary to testify medicinal use of identified and to encourage preventive use of Nigella Sativa against coronavirus infection’. So, as of today, there are not enough studies to prove that Kalonji seeds can prevent or cure COVID-19.
Hydroxychloroquine and COVID-19:
The National Taskforce for COVID-19 (India) recommends the use ofhydroxy-chloroquine for prophylaxis of SARS-CoV-2 infection for only selectedhigh-risk individuals, such as:
The detailed advisory can be read here.
On the CDC website, it can be read that ‘Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are under investigation in clinical trials for pre-exposure or post-exposure prophylaxis of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and treatment of patients with mild, moderate, and severe COVID-19’.  Also, the FDA, which issued an Emergency Use Authorization allowing the use of chloroquine phosphate and hydroxychloroquine sulfate for COVID-19, mentions that ‘more data from clinical trials are necessary to determine whether chloroquine phosphate or hydroxychloroquine sulfate are safe and effective in treating or preventing COVID-19’.
To sum it up, there is not enough scientific evidence yet to prove that either Kalonji seeds or Hydroxychloroquine can prevent COVID-19.
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'Not even an iota of evidence against Rahul Gandhi in the 2006 rape case' - Supreme Court (SC) - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 17, 2019
A post is being shared widely on Facebook with a claim that Rahul Gandhi was involved in the gang-rape of a woman named Sukanya Devi in 2006. Let’s try to analyze the authenticity of the claim made in the post.
In 2006, Rahul Gandhi gang raped a woman named Sukanya Devi.
Fact: In 2012, Supreme Court has dismissed the rape charges filed against Rahul Gandhi. In its verdict, SC said that there is no truth in the allegations made on Rahul  Gandhi. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched on Google about the claims made in the post, an article published by ‘India Today’ in October 2012 was found in the search results. According to the article, it is understood that in 2012, the Supreme court had quashed the charges filed against Rahul Gandhi in the 2006 rape case saying that “not even an iota of evidence” was found to prove that the alleged rape happened on that day. Supreme Court had also fined Samajwadi Party (SP) ex-MLA Kishore Samrite for filing a false case. The Supreme Court’s verdict on this case can be read here.
From an article published in ‘The Times of India’, it can be seen that Rahul Gandhi had filed an affidavit that there is no truth in the accusations made against him in that rape case.
To summarize, the rape allegations against Rahul Gandhi were FALSE as the Supreme Court dismissed the 2006 rape case against Rahul Gandhi in 2012.
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source: news-factly

created: December 17, 2019

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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Not just five, many countries are developing & manufacturing various COVID-19 vaccines - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 7, 2021
A post is being shared on social media with a claim that India is one of the only five countries in the world which made COVID-19 vaccine. Also, it is being claimed that Bharat Biotech’s ‘COVAXIN’ is the most effective vaccine among all these vaccines. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Only five countries in the world have made COVID-19 vaccine. India’s vaccine is the most effective one.
Fact: While it is true that Indian is one of the countries which made the COVID-19 vaccine, many countries (more than five) are part of the development and manufacturing of the various COVID-19 vaccines. As of today, there is no scientific evidence to claim that ‘COVAXIN’, the vaccine developed by India-based Bharat Biotech, is the most effective one. Bharat Biotech chairman Dr Krishna Ella has said that the company expects to release the efficacy data of COVAXIN’s ongoing Phase 3 trials by March 2021. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
As COVID-19 cases have been reported all around the world, many countries have initiated efforts to develop and manufacture the vaccine for COVID-19. In the ‘Draft landscape of COVID-19 candidate vaccines’ published by the WHO, it can be read that 63 vaccines are in the clinical development stage and 172 vaccines are in the pre-clinical development stage (as on 05 January 2021).
Below are some of the developers of the vaccines which are in ‘Stage 3’ or’ ‘Stage 2/3’ phase of the clinical development (Bharat Biotech’s ‘COVAXIN’ is also in ‘Stage 3’).  It can be observed from the WHO list that not just five countries, but MNCs and government establishments in multiple countries [India (Bharat Biotech), US (Moderna), UK (AstraZeneca), Russia (Gamaleya), Japan (AnGes), China (Sinovac), Canada (Medicago), Germany (BioNTech), Kazakhstan (Research Institute for Biological Safety Problems) and many others are involved in the development of the vaccines.
Also, the manufacturing of a vaccine is not just limited to the country where it is developed. For example, the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine is being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India in India and CSL in Australia. On the website of AstraZeneca, it can be read – ‘To accelerate vaccine production and supply involves collaboration with more than 20 supply partners in more than 15 countries, supported by more than 20 analytical testing sites’. ‘Reuters’ reported that Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine is being manufactured in Germany, Belgium and the United States.
Also, as of today, there is no scientific evidence to claim that ‘COVAXIN’, the vaccine developed by India-based Bharat Biotech, is the most effective COVID-19 vaccine in the world. It was reported by multiple news agencies that Bharat Biotech chairman Dr Krishna Ella has said that the company expects to release the efficacy data of COVAXIN’s ongoing Phase 3 trials by March 2021.
Many countries are looking up to COVID-19 vaccines being manufactured in India. It was reported that Brazil’s private clinics have signed a deal with Bharat Biotech. Also, Nepal and Sri Lanka are reportedly looking for vaccines from India. No specific reports regarding “32 small-large countries’ pre-order” were found but, on the GAVI website, it can be read – ‘Collaboration among the Serum Institute of India (SII), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will accelerate manufacturing and delivery of up to an additional 100 million doses of future vaccines, if proven to be safe and effective, for low- and middle-income countries in 2021’.
To sum it up, not just five but many other countries are developing and manufacturing various COVID-19 vaccines. As of today, there is no scientific evidence to claim that ‘COVAXIN’ is the most effective one.

created: January 7, 2021


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Not just men, a significant number of women also die of heart attacks - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 5, 2022
A video is being shared widely on social media in which a voice can be heard saying that very few women die of heart attacks. Also, it is mentioned that only men die of heart attacks. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Only men die of heart attacks. Even if women die of heart attacks, their number is very less.
Fact: It is not true that only men die of heart diseases. A significant number of women also suffer from heart diseases. An official website of the United States government even mentions that women are more likely than men to die after a heart attack. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched on the internet about heart attacks among women, many official websites were found in the search results. According to ‘healthdirect’ (an Australian government-funded service), “Heart disease affects both sexes but often goes undetected in women. Although more men than women are admitted to hospital for heart attack, the number of deaths from heart attack in men and in women is roughly the same.” Also, ‘healthdirect’ has busted the myth – ‘Women don’t have heart attacks’, on their website.
An official website of the United States government even mentions that women are more likely than men to die after a heart attack. The ‘American Heart Association’ writes – “Heart disease is a killer that strikes more women than men, and is more deadly than all forms of cancer combined. While one in 31 American women dies from breast cancer each year, heart disease is the cause of one out of every three deaths. That’s roughly one death each minute.”
On the National Health Portal of India, it can be read that “coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death for both men and women living in urban areas as compared to rural India.” The details regarding the number of men and women who died of ‘Acute myocardial infarction’ (also known as a heart attack) can be found in the ‘Report on Medical Certification of Cause of Death – 2019’. [Note: “The report on MCCD-2019, is based upon 15,71,540 total medically certified deaths (Male: 9,77,199 and Female: 5,94,341) accounting for 20.7 percent of total registered deaths in respect of 35 States/UTs who supplied data for the report”]. It can be seen that a significant number of women also suffer from acute myocardial infarction.
There are also some studies that differentiate the risk of heart attacks among men and women. Some of them can be read here, here, here, and here. Not only gender, but various other factors also influence the risk of heart diseases.
To sum it up, not just men, a significant number of women also die of heart attacks.


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Not just NEET, frisking of candidates is now common for most examinations
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 10, 2017
The Kannur incident has brought focus to the mandatory frisking of candidates in examination centers. But enforcing a dress code & frisking are now common for most examinations as technological advances are being misused for cheating.
CBSE has now issued a clarification following reports from Kannur in Kerala where a student appearing for the NEET examination was allegedly forced to remove her inner wear for the purpose of frisking. CBSE has also asked the principal of the school to tender an unconditional apology to the student. While it regretted the inconvenience caused to the student, CBSE maintained that enforcing dress code and frisking are part of the efforts to ensure fair conduct of the examination.
NEET’s specific instructions to candidates about barred items & dress code
CBSE has issued specific instructions to candidates appearing for NEET detailing the barred items and the dress code for the exam. Apart from prohibiting electronic or communication devices, the CBSE has also prohibited metallic items, eatables etc. It also specified a dress code asking the candidates to wear Light clothes with half sleeves not having big buttons, brooch/badge, flower etc. with Salwar/Trouser and slippers, sandals with low heels and not shoes.
As per the CBSE’s clarification, such instructions were necessitated following the AIPMT leak in 2015 and the subsequent orders of the Supreme Court to re-conduct the exam in a in a fair manner.
Frisking & Dress Code are part of the process for most examinations
The technological advances have made it easier for candidates to cheat in examinations by using micro electronic & communication devices as it happened in AIPMT in 2015. The investigating authorities in that case found that two vests of gents were tagged with micro SIM devices, ear devices, charger and two mobile phones of dual SIMs. All these have forced authorities conducting various examinations to go for frisking and mandate a dress code.
For instance, JEE (Advanced) instructions to candidates also mandate a certain dress code
Same is the case with SBI clerk examinations
While the UPSC does not explicitly mandate a dress code, it does ask the candidates not to bring any valuable or expensive items to the centers. Even some state public service commissions have mandated similar rules for their examinations.
It goes without saying that the staff at the examination centers should be sensitized to handle such situations and not cause inconvenience to students. But frisking and enforcing dress codes seem to be necessary for ensuring fair conduct of examinations.
Featured Image: NEET Exam incident


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Not maintaining ‘Minimum Balance’ in your account? Beware of the penalty
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 30, 2017
Between April & November 2017, Public Sector banks collected Rs 2321 crore as penalty from citizens for not maintaining Minimum Balance in their accounts. Citizens have the right to demand transparency in the levy of penalty as per RBI guidelines.
State Bank of India’s decision to impose penalty for not maintaining a minimum balance in savings bank accounts led to a huge furore this year. While the bank did not take back the decision, it made a downward revision of the monthly average balance amount for accounts in different areas. Now, data shared by the government proves that the furore was not without a reason. Public Sector Banks collected Rs 864 crore in penalty from citizens in the year 2016-17 for not maintaining minimum balance. The penalty amount collected increased to Rs 2321 crore in just the first eight months of 2017-18.
Penalty amount collected by Banks more than doubles
The penalty amount collected by public sector banks for not maintaining minimum balance has more than doubled in 2017-18. The total penalty collected in 2016-17 stood at Rs 864 crore while the amount for the first 8 months of 2017-18 has already reached Rs 2321 crore.In the year 2017-18 (up to November 2017), among the various banks, State Bank of India collected Rs 1772 crore in penalty followed by Punjab National Bank which collected Rs 97 crore. Six (6) banks collected more than Rs 50 crore each as penalty while fourteen (14) banks collected more than Rs 10 crore each. SBI alone accounted for more than 75% of the total penalty collected so far in 2017-18.
These guidelines have to be followed for levying the penalty
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has directed the banks that they should inform the customers at the time of opening the account, regarding the requirement of minimum balance and details of penalty if such minimum balance is not maintained, in a transparent manner.
As per RBI guidelines issued in the year 2014, the levy of penalty/charges for not maintaining minimum balance in savings bank account is subject to the following guidelines. These guidelines came into effect from April 1, 2015.
What about student accounts used for scholarships?
Students who are beneficiaries of various Central/State Government Schemes including scholarship schemes have suffered because of the minimum balance requirements. The RBI has made it clear through a circular issued in 2014 that accounts of all student beneficiaries under the various Central/State Government Scholarship Schemes should be free from restrictions of minimum balance and total credit limit.
Is there a way to open a savings account without the ‘minimum balance’ requirement?
In the year 2012, the RBI issued guidelines regarding the ‘Basic Saving Bank Deposit (BSBD) accounts’, that provide normal basic banking services without requirement of any minimum balance. As per these guidelines, a BSBD account can be opened by any individual without any restrictions or eligibility criteria. No restrictions like age, income etc. are applicable for opening a BSBD account.  All the accounts opened under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana are BSBD accounts.
All other services like debit card etc. are extended to the BSBD accounts free of charge. However, the following restrictions will apply for the accounts opened in this category
For those willing to maintain an account with minimal banking activity, switching to BSBD account may be a better option.

created: December 30, 2017


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The Modi led BJP government has also incorporated public-sector enterprises along with disinvestments of PSUs - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 22, 2024
A social media post asserts that Narendra Modi is the only Prime Minister in India’s history who hasn’t established a single government company yet has sold 23 government companies (here & here). In this article, we fact-check the accuracy of this claim.
Claim: Prime Minister Modi led BJP government hasn’t established a single government company yet sold 23 government companies.
Fact: Since the introduction of the new economic policy in 1991, successive governments have undertaken disinvestment in public sector undertakings. From 1991-92 to 2023-24, disinvestment in public sector enterprises occurred 350 times, raising a total of ₹5,82,326.08 crores. Further, between 2014 and 2019, when Modi was Prime Minister, 63 new public sector organizations were created under various ministries. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Disinvestment:
Disinvestment refers to the act of selling or liquidating assets. Specifically, it involves reducing the government’s ownership stake in a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU). This process is often driven by the goals of enhancing the enterprise’s efficiency and providing fiscal support. Additionally, governments use disinvestment as a strategy to finance fiscal deficits. Typically, governments disinvest in public sector enterprises through three main methods.
Since the introduction of the new economic policy in 1991, successive governments have undertaken disinvestment in public sector undertakings. From 1991-92 to 2023-24, disinvestment in public sector enterprises has occurred 350 times, raising a total of ₹5,82,326.08 crores.
In 1991-92, under the Congress regime, the government sold shares in 31 PSUs, raising ₹3,038 crores. During Manmohan Singh’s tenure as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014, disinvestment occurred 42 times across various PSUs. Similarly, during Narendra Modi’s tenure as Prime Minister from 2014 to 2024, disinvestment was made 179 times in various PSUs.
In response to questions about the disinvestment of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), the government informed Parliament that “since 2016, has given ‘in-principle’ approval for strategic disinvestment of 36 cases of PSEs and/or Subsidiaries/ Units/ Joint Ventures of PSEs/ Bank. Out of the 36 cases, strategic disinvestment transactions have been completed in 10 cases.”
The graph below illustrates the disinvestment targets achieved by the government from 2009 to 2021, indicating that disinvestments have been carried out regardless of the ruling party, not just under the Modi administration.
Incorporation of new enterprises since 2014:
Contrary to the viral claim, the Modi led BJP government also established public sector enterprises. According to official data, between 2014 and 2019, when Modi was Prime Minister, 63 public sector organizations were created under various ministries (here).
In Parliament, the government stated, “According to the Public Enterprises Survey, the number of operational Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) was 236 in 2014-15 and has increased to 248 in 2021-22.”
To sum up, not only disinvestment, the Modi led BJP government has also incorporated public sector enterprises.


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Not only India, even UK & US is providing free vaccine to their citizens - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 6, 2021
A post accompanying an image showing a price list of COVID-19 vaccine in US, UK and India is being widely shared across social media platforms with a claim that in India, the vaccine is free of cost whereas other countries are charging for the vaccine. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: India is providing COVID-19 vaccine free of cost, whereas US & UK are charging Rs. 5000 and Rs. 3000 per dose.
Fact: Even the US and UK are inoculating their citizens with COVID-19 vaccine free of cost. The governments of these nations are paying for the vaccine manufacturing companies, though the respective government programs. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
USA:
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people are going to be vaccinated free of cost. Further, the administration fee charged by the vaccination providers will be reimbursed by the patient’s public or private insurance company, and for uninsured by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Provider Relief Fund. Even the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was passed in March 2020 in this regard says the same.
Even according to the information provided on the health department websites of few states like Washington, California and Alaska it is categorically mentioned that the vaccine will be provided free of cost to people.
The vaccine manufacturing companies would be paid by the government. According to a news article, the vaccine which is being developed by the Oxford-AstraZeneca is charged at $4 per dose whereas the vaccine which is being developed by Moderna is pegged at $ 33 per dose.
UK:
UK government which is the signatory of the COVAX facility would buy the vaccine from the vaccine candidates as per the agreement. According to official government sources, the UK government will inoculate people with COVID-19 vaccine through the National Health Service (NHS) for free.
INDIA:
India’s Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) on 02 January 2021 has announced a formal approval for restricted use in emergency situations of COVID-19 vaccines developed by Oxford-AstraZeneca and Bharat Biotech. Union Health Minister speaking to media made it clear that the inoculation would be free of cost. Also, several states have announced that they would provide free vaccine in their states.
In 1st phase of #COVID19Vaccination free #vaccine shall be provided across the nation to most prioritised beneficiaries that incl 1 crore healthcare & 2 crore frontline workers
Details of how further 27 cr priority beneficiaries are to be vaccinated until July are being finalised pic.twitter.com/K7NrzGrgk3
The government buys vaccine from the manufacturing companies.  According to a news article, the government is yet to sign a pricing deal with AstraZeneca. As reported in the article, the first 100 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by SII is expected to be priced at  Rs. 200 per dose for the government. And according to another news article, Bharat Biotech would price the vaccine at Rs. 350, however Bharat Biotech hasn’t officially announced the price.
As most of the countries are gearing up to vaccinate their citizens with COVID-19 vaccine, posts like these are being shared on social media with misleading claims.
To sum it up, even US and UK is providing free vaccine to their citizens. The governments of these nations are paying for the vaccine manufacturing companies, and are not passing this cost onto their citizens.

created: January 6, 2021


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Not so Special Economic Zones: How the SEZ land was misused
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 18, 2015
Now that we learnt everything about SEZs in our first article, why they were created, who should benefit from them, employment created etc, let’s turn our attention towards how the land allotted for SEZs was misused in certain cases.
According to Report number 21 of 2014 of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) on Performance of Special Economic Zones (SEZs), below are some instances of how the land allotted for SEZs was misused and diverted. This is especially important in the light of the discussion happening around the Land Acquisition Ordinance of the NDA government.
Diversion of SEZ land for commercial purposes: 14% of land i.e., out of 39245.56 hectares of land notified in the six States10, 5402.22 hectares was diverted for commercial purposes after de-notification. Many tracts of these lands were acquired invoking the ‘public purpose’ clause.  Thus land acquired was not serving the objectives of the SEZ act. This is one of the fears with the new Land Acquisition Ordinance. How does the Government ensure that the land acquired is not misused by private parties?
Restricted land allotted for SEZ activity:  Nine (9) SEZs were allotted land which was restricted under various statutes (Defence, Forest, Irrigated land) in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal involving 2949.61 hectares of restricted land as detailed below.
(1 hectare = 2.47 acres)
Loans raised on SEZ Land used for non SEZ purposes: 11 Developers/Units in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and West Bengal had raised loans of Rs 6,309.53 crore against mortgage of lease hold government land. Further, the CAG also noted that 3 out of the 11 developers/units had raised loans amounting to Rs 2,211.48 crore (35% of 6309.53 crore) against the notified SEZ land which are not put to use. The details of these 3 instances are given below.
Non fulfillment of leasing conditions by developer: A developer in AP was given land Rs 1 Rupee per acre per annum on the condition it can provide employment for about 60,000 people within 5 years of the commitment fulfillment date of Government of AP. As of March, 2013, only 11,737 people were employed (19.6% of the committed number). The Government of AP on its part had not fixed and communicated the commitment fulfillment date for the developer in the absence of which no action could be initiated to surrender the land. According to the CAG, this should have resulted in recovering Rs 281.54 crore rupees or surrendering 80% of the land after June 2011, the end of the five year period.
Approval of SEZ without required land use permission: SEZ was approved without carrying out the due diligence of verifying the title and usage of the land proposed by the developer nor did it point out the lacunae while monitoring the progress of the SEZ.
Diversion of land for private industries: In M/s Sricity SEZ, Andhra Pradesh declared in its application that the land acquired and allotted by the Corporation shall be utilized for developing multi-product SEZ only. The Developer requested (February 2006) for 5442.5 hectares of land for establishment of SEZ out of which 3158.70 hectares was handed (May 2006 to December 2011) to Developer. The land was acquired at Rs 2.5 lakh per acre for dry land and Rs 3.0 lakh per acre for wet land. The Developer notified only 1538.12 hectares of land (September 2007 to April 2010) and further de-notified 449.54 hectares of land (October 2010 and November 2011). Thus land involving 2070.12 hectares of the total allotted land was not used for the intended purpose. In case of Essar Steel Hazira Ltd. and Reliance Industries Ltd, Jamnagar SEZs in Gujarat, the de-notified area stood at 247.522 hectares and 708.13 hectares respectively
Developers approached the government for allotment/purchase of vast areas of land in the name of SEZ. However, only a fraction of the land so acquired was notified for SEZ and later de-notification was also resorted to within a few years to benefit from price appreciation
Get a second approval despite failing to use the first SEZ land: M/s Kakinada SEZ (KSEZ) Andhra Pradesh was granted ‘formal approval’ for setting up of another multi-product SEZ adjacent to the already approved SEZ in Kakinada on 1013.60 hectares of land in February 2012 even though the first SEZ measuring 1035.66 hectares (In principle approval was given in 2002) was not put to use.
Underutilization of land in processing area: For e.g., in case of Adani Ports, out of the notified (May 2009) area of 6472.86 hectares, only 833.77 hectares was utilized leaving 5639.09 hectares (87.11 per cent) un-utilized so far.
SEZ Land lying idle in Various States: According to the CAG, out of the 392 notified zones, only 152 have become operational. In various states, the Developers had not commenced investments and the land had been lying idle in their custody for 2 to 7 years.
Data Source: Report no.- 21 of 2014-Union Government (Department of Revenue-Indirect Taxes, Customs) – Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India on Performance of Special Economic Zones (SEZs)


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Not the first time; Kashmiri Pandits were provided houses under the previous governments too. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 10, 2019
A post is being shared on Facebook by many people claiming that Modi has provided houses for Kashmiri Pandits so that they can return to their homes finally after 30 years. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
PM Modi to inaugurate transit colony in Ganderbal. Kashmir pandits to return home after 30 years.
Fact: This is not the first time that Kashmiri Pandits were provided transit homes in the state. Flats & transit homes were also constructed under the previous governments. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING
When searched for the information on transit homes for Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu and Kashmir, the information provided by Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary, MoS in the Home Ministry, to the Lok Sabha can be found in the search results. He provided that answer on 8 Feb 2015 to an unstarred question on Rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits. According to that answer, houses for migrants were constructed in the state of Jammu and Kashmir under various packages allotted to the state:
Package 1: 2004
“Under Prime Minister’s Package 2004, 5242 two-room
tenements have been constructed in Jammu at four locations (Purkhoo,
Muthi, Nagrota and Jagti) and have been allotted to the migrants. Further, 200
flats have been constructed at Sheikhpora in Budgam district (Kashmir
Valley) and have been allotted to the migrants on sharing basis, who have
joined the State Government service under the employment component of Prime
Minister’s Package 2008. Out of these 200 flats, 31 flats have also been
allotted to the local migrants who migrated from their native places to other
places within the Kashmir Valley.”
Package 2: 2008
“A Comprehensive Package amounting to Rs.1618.40 crore was
announced by the Government in 2008 for return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri
Migrants, which provided for many comprehensive facilities for the migrants
e.g. provision of 3000 state government jobs, financial assistance for
purchase/ construction of houses, construction of transit accommodations,
continuation of cash relief to migrants, scholarship to students, assistance
for self-employment, assistance to the agriculturists and the horticulturist, waiver
of interest on unpaid loan, etc. The Package is being implemented by the State
Government of Jammu and Kashmir. So far state government jobs have been offered
to 1963 migrant youths, out of which 1597 have joined. 469 Transit
accommodations have been constructed in the Kashmir Valley and allotted to
the newly appointed migrant employees under the Package and one family has
availed the benefit of Rs.7.5 Lakh for construction of house in the Kashmir
Valley.”
Package 3: 2015
“Government of India has approved another package, on 18th
November 2015, involving an estimated expenditure of Rs.2000 Crore for
providing additional 3000 state government jobs to the Kashmiri migrants and
construction of transit accommodations in the Kashmir Valley for the Kashmiri
migrants to whom state government jobs have been provided/ will be provided.”
From the above information provided by the minister, it can be concluded that this is not the first time where Kashmiri Pandits are being given homes in the Kashmir valley.
According to the latest information available, the foundation stone was laid for the Ganderbal transit accommodation by PM Modi on 3 Feb, 2019. Also, Ganderbal project was part of the rehabilitation package announced in 2008 by the Congress government
To sum it up,  this is not the first time that Kashmiri Pandits were provided houses in the Kashmir valley. It happened during the previous governments too.


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‘NOTA’ కి ఎక్కువ ఓట్లు పడినా కూడా పోటీ చేసిన అభ్యర్థుల్లో ఎవరికి ఎక్కువ ఓట్లు వస్తాయో వాళ్లే గెలిచినట్లు - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 11, 2019
‘NOTA’ (None of the above) కి అందరి కంటే ఎక్కువ ఓట్లు పడితే మళ్ళీ ఎన్నికలు వస్తాయంటూ ఒక పోస్ట్ ని కొందరు ఫేస్బుక్ లో షేర్ చేస్తున్నారు. ఆ పోస్ట్ లో ఎంతవరకు నిజముందో విశ్లేషిద్ధాం.
ఆ పోస్ట్ యొక్క ఆర్కైవ్డ్ వెర్షన్ ఇక్కడ చూడవచ్చు.
అభ్యర్థుల కంటే NOTA కి ఎక్కువ ఓట్లు వస్తే ఆ ఎన్నిక రద్దు అవ్వుతుంది. మళ్ళీ ఎన్నికలు వస్తాయి. అప్పుడు మీకు నచ్చిన అభ్యర్థికి ఓటు వెయ్యండి. ప్రజాస్వామ్యాన్ని కాపాడండి.
ఒకవేళ NOTA కి మిగిలిన వాళ్ళ కంటే ఎక్కువ ఓట్లు వచ్చినా కూడా పోటీ చేసిన అభ్యర్థుల్లో ఎక్కువ ఓట్లు ఎవరికీ వచ్చాయో వారిని గెలిచినట్టుగా రిటర్నింగ్ ఆఫీసర్ ప్రకటిస్తారు. అందుకే పోస్ట్ లో చెప్పింది FALSE
ఈ విషయం మీద గూగుల్ లో వెతకగా ఎలక్షన్ కమిషన్ అఫ్ ఇండియా 2013 లో  ‘NOTA’ మీద వివరణ ఇస్తూ రిలీజ్ చేసిన ప్రెస్ రిలీజ్ ఒకటి వారి వెబ్ సైట్ లో లభిస్తుంది. దాంట్లో ‘Clause (a) of Rule 64 of Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, read with Section 65 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951’ ప్రకారం ఏ అభ్యర్థికి ఎక్కువ ఓట్లు పడతాయో తనను గెలిచినట్టుగా రిటర్నింగ్ ఆఫీసర్ ప్రకటిస్తారని పేర్కొనింది. అలానే ఒక వేల ‘NOTA’ కి మిగిలిన వల్ల కంటే ఎక్కువ ఓట్లు పడినా కూడా పోటీ చేసిన అభ్యర్థుల్లో ఎవరికీ ఓట్లు ఎక్కువ వస్తాయో తనని గెలిచినా అభ్యర్థిగా రిటర్నింగ్ ఆఫీసర్ ప్రకటిస్తారు. కావున, పోస్ట్ లో చెప్పినట్టుగా ‘NOTA’ కి ఎక్కువ ఓట్లు వస్తే ఆ ఎన్నికను రద్దు చేయరు.
చివరగా, ‘NOTA’ కి ఎక్కువ ఓట్లు పడినా కూడా పోటీ చేసిన అభ్యర్థుల్లో ఎవరికి ఎక్కువ ఓట్లు వస్తాయో వాళ్లే  గెలిచినట్లు.


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NOTA count more than the Margin of Victory in 21 constituencies of Bihar- Factly
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 11, 2015
In part 2 of the series on statistical highlights of the Bihar 2015 elections, we look at victory margins & NOTA. The Victory Margin of the Grand Alliance was close to an average of 20000 per seat, almost 7500 more than the victory margin of the NDA. This is the first election after the NOTA symbol was introduced on the EVMs. To everyone’s surprise, NOTA polled 2.5% of the total vote and NOTA count was more than the victory margin in 21 of the constituencies.
In part 1, we looked at the vote share, strike rate & the performance of both the major alliances in reserved seats. In this piece, we look at the victory margin, impact of NOTA etc.
The Victory Margin
Though the election was billed as a close contest, the victory margins suggest otherwise. Only 8 seats were won with a margin of less than 1000 votes. Almost 87% of the seats were won with a margin of more than 5000 votes and 70% of the seats were won with a margin of more than 10000 votes. Close to 19% seats were won with a margin of more than 30000 votes and six seats were won with a margin of more than 50000 votes. In fact, all the six seats won with a margin of more than 50000 votes went to the Grand Alliance (GA). NDA won only three seats with a margin of more than 30000 votes while the Grand Alliance won 41 seats with a margin of more than 30000 votes.
The Victory Margin of Alliances
The scale of the Grand Alliance’s victory was evident even in the victory margin. While the victory margin of the GA was an average of 19933 votes per seat, the victory margin of the NDA was only an average of 12360 per seat. The LJP and the HAM have high victory margins because they won in only 2 and 1 seat respectively. On the whole, the average victory margin of the GA more than the average victory margin of the NDA by about 7500 votes.
The NDA came second in 175 seats and its losing margin was close to the victory margin of the GA. The average losing margin of the NDA was 19538 compared to the average losing margin of 12583 for the GA. The GA came second in 59 seats. The GA’s victory margin was more than the average while its losing margin was less than the average.
BJP won half the seats with a margin of less than 10000 votes
BJP won 30 of the 53 seats with less than a margin of the 10000 votes or less than 5% of the votes polled in most constituencies. Unlike the BJP, all the parties of the GA won more than 70% of the seats with a margin of more than 10000 votes.  In fact, JD(U) won 47% of the seats with a margin of more than 20000 votes.
Impact of NOTA
This is the first election after the Election Commission of India (ECI) has introduced the NOTA symbol. The EVMs had a NOTA symbol along with the symbols of all the contesting parties & independents. The NOTA symbol seems to have had an impact in this election with close to 9.5 lakh voters opting for NOTA, which is 2.5% of the total votes polled. This is more than the vote polled by the HAM. In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, only 1% of all the voters chose NOTA when there was no symbol.
The victory margin in 21 seats was less than NOTA count
What is even more interesting is that the number of votes polled for NOTA was more than the victory margin in 21 seats or close to 9% of all the seats.
BJP won from 7 such seats while JD(U)  won from 5 such seats. On the other hand, RJD won 6 such seats. The highest NOTA count was in Warisnagar constituency where NOTA polled 9551 votes (the margin of victory here was more than 50000 votes). NOTA polled an average of 4000 votes in all the constituencies and polled more than 5000 votes in 72 constituencies.
Here is the list of those 21 constituencies where the NOTA count was more than the margin of victory.

created: November 11, 2015


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NOTA impact in 2016 Elections
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 21, 2016
The None of the above (NOTA) option is now on the EVMs with a dedicated symbol. Out of the 822 constituencies that went to polls, NOTA count was more than the victory margin in 62 constituencies. Out of the 62, 24 constituencies each were in West Bengal & Tamil Nadu. NOTA polled close to 17 lakh votes in these 5 states.
Ever since NOTA (None of the Above) was introduced as a symbol on the EVM, there is considerable interest after every election to understand if NOTA really made any impact on the results. Election results from the 5 states that went to polls indicate that, votes polled for NOTA were more than the victory margin in 62 different constituencies out of the 822 constituencies that went to polls.
About 17 lakh vote for NOTA in these 5 states
NOTA polled about 1.25% of the total votes polled in these 5 states. In absolute numbers, this is about 17 lakh votes. Half of these votes have come from West Bengal (8.3 lakh) followed by Tamil Nadu (5.6 lakh). NOTA polled about 1.9 lakh votes in Assam & about 1.07 lakh in Kerala. NOTA polled a little more than 13000 votes in Puducherry. In terms of the vote share, NOTA’s vote share is least in Kerala (0.53%) and highest in Puducherry (1.65%). NOTA vote share is 1.52% in West Bengal and 1.3% in Tamil Nadu. NOTA’s vote share in Assam is 1.12%.
48 of the 62 constituencies are from West Bengal & Tamil Nadu
Out of 822 constituencies that went to polls, 62 constituencies were such where the NOTA count was more than the victory margin. This is about 7.5% of all the constituencies. Out of the 62 constituencies, 24 each are in West Bengal & Tamil Nadu, 9 in Assam, 4 in Kerala and 1 in Puducherry. In Tamil Nadu, there are more than 10% such constituencies while in the rest of the states, this count is below 10%.
AIADMK is the largest beneficiary
Out of the 62 seats where the NOTA count is more than the victory margin, 17 are won by the AIADMK, 10 each by the Trinamool Congress and the Congress. DMK won 7 such seats followed by CPI(M) that won 5 such seats. Both the BJP and RSP won 3 such seats. In fact, all the 3 seats won by RSP in these elections were won by a margin less than the NOTA count in that constituency.
NOTA Vote share in majority of the constituencies was less than 1%
The highest NOTA vote share was 4.53% in the Kurseong constituency of West Bengal. Chhatna in West Bengal also had a NOTA vote share of 4.31%. In seven (7) other constituencies, NOTA vote share was between 3% and 4%. In more than 2/3 of the constituencies, the NOTA vote share was less than 1.5%. In terms of absolute numbers, more than 7000 votes were polled for NOTA in 3 different constituencies. NOTA polled more than 5000 votes in 15 different constituencies. The NOTA count in about 23% constituencies was less than 1000.


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Highest ever NOTA Vote Share recorded in Latur Rural Assembly constituency
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 31, 2019
The assembly general elections to Maharashtra & Haryana threw up
some interesting trends related to NOTA in certain constituencies. In Latur
Rural assembly constituency, NOTA polled 13.8% of the vote, the highest ever
for NOTA since its introduction in 2013. It is also the first time that NOTA
came in second in two different constituencies.
As noted in an earlier story by Factly, the vote share for NOTA is going down continuously since its introduction in 2013. Even the introduction of the dedicated NOTA symbol in 2015 hasn’t made any difference if one goes by the data. In a total of 45 elections (43 Assembly & two Lok Sabha) held since the introduction of NOTA on the EVM, the vote-share of NOTA crossed 2% only twice. The overall NOTA vote share in the recently held Maharashtra & Haryana assembly elections is no different. While NOTA polled only 0.5% votes in Haryana, it polled 1.4% in Maharashtra. But the interesting story of these elections, especially in Maharashtra are the exceptions. In few constituencies of Maharashtra, NOTA polled unusually high number of votes.
NOTA vote share decreases further in
2019
NOTA option was part of the electionfor every State Assembly & the Lok Sabha at least once. From the data, itis abundantly clear that the vote share for NOTA has been continuouslydecreasing. The highest ever vote share for NOTA (more than 2%) was in 2015when a dedicated symbol was introduced for NOTA. That is also the only yearwhen NOTA vote share crossed 2% when all the elections held in that year areconsidered. Ever since, the NOTA vote share has reduced. In the assemblyelections held in 2018, NOTA vote share was around 1.25% and it came down to1.18% in 2019 including the assembly elections to Maharashtra & Haryana.
Even for the Lok Sabha, NOTA polled60.02 lakh votes across the country in 2014 compared to the total valid votesof 54.78 crore, which a vote share of 1.08%. In 2019, NOTA polled 65.13 lakhvotes compared to the total valid votes of 60.65 crores. The vote share of NOTAin 2019 has come down to 1.06% compared to 1.08% in 2014.
NOTA vote share hasn’t crossed 2%
after 2015
Out of the 45 elections (Assembly& Lok Sabha) held since the introduction of NOTA, the vote-share of NOTAdid not cross 1% in 19 of the elections and was between 1% and 2% in 24elections. In other words, the NOTA vote share was less than 2% in 96% of theelections held so far. It was more than 3% in only one election i.e., Assemblyelections in Chhattisgarh (2013) and between 2% & 3% in Assembly electionsof Bihar (2015).
Highest ever NOTA vote share
recorded in Latur Rural constituency
While the overall NOTA vote share in Maharashtra & Haryana assembly elections was less than 2%, few constituencies in Maharashtra recorded unusually high number of votes for NOTA. Latur Rural constituency in Maharashtra polled 27500 for NOTA which is 13.78% of the total votes polled, the highest ever vote share for NOTA since its introduction.
NOTA polled more than 8% of the vote share on only 8 occasions so far and 3 of these are from the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections, that too the ‘General’ constituencies. The remaining five constituencies where this happened are all ‘ST’ reserved. All these 8 instances are from assembly general elections.
The highest ever vote share for NOTA in a Lok Sabha constituency was recorded in Gopalganj constituency of Bihar where NOTA polled 5.04% in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
This is also the first time thatNOTA was second only to the winner. In both Latur Rural & Palus assemblyconstituencies of Maharashtra, NOTA stood in 2 place after thewinner.
As far as Maharashtra & Haryanaare concerned, NOTA polled more than 5% of the vote in 5 of the 288constituencies of Maharashtra while the highest NOTA vote share in Haryana isjust 1.7% in Badkhal constituency.
NOTA exceeded the margin of victory
in 11 constituencies of Maharashtra
Votes polled for NOTA were more thanthe margin of victory in 11 of the 288 constituencies of Maharashtra and onlyone in Haryana. In the Thanesar constituency of Haryana, the margin of victorywas 842 while NOTA polled 951 votes.
In Maharashtra, votes for NOTAexceeded the margin of victory by more than 2000 votes in the constituencies ofUlhasnagar, Chandivali and Akkalkuwa.

created: October 31, 2019


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The NOTA Story of Gujarat 2017 - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 19, 2017
The finer details of the Gujarat results reveal some fascinating trends. NOTA polled 1.8% votes in Gujarat, more than any other party in fray barring the BJP & Congress. In 30 constituencies of Gujarat, NOTA received more votes than the victory margin. After the dedicated NOTA symbol was introduced in 2015, the 1.8% votes to NOTA in Gujarat is the highest percentage of votes to NOTA after Bihar (2015) where NOTA polled 2.48%.
While the Gujarat Assembly elections of 2017 proved to be a close affair with BJP emerging victorious for the 6th consecutive time, the finer details reveal some fascinating trends. NOTA received a significant chunk of votes in Gujarat (1.8%), more than any other party in the fray barring the BJP & Congress. It resulted in the number of votes for NOTA being more than the victory margin in 30 seats.
Out of these 30 seats, 15 went to the BJP, 13 to the Congress and remaining 2 to the independents. BJP was in the 2nd place in both the places where independents had won. So in effect, both the BJP & Congress lost 15 seats each where NOTA polled more than the victory margin.
BJP won 15 of these seats
Out of the 15 seats won by the BJP where NOTA polled more than the victory margin, the difference in the NOTA votes and margin was more than 1000 in seven constituencies and less than 500 in the remaining eight. This difference was greatest in Godhra where the victory margin was a mere 158 votes while NOTA polled 3050 votes. In Dholka as well, the victory margin was only 327 while NOTA polled 2347.
Congress won 13 of these seats & Independents won 2
Out of the 13 seats won by the Congress where NOTA polled more than the victory margin, the difference in the NOTA votes and margin was more than 1000 in nine constituencies and less than 100 in the remaining four. The difference was less than 1000 in both the seats won by independents. This difference was greatest in Chhota Udaipur where the victory margin was a mere 1093 votes while NOTA polled 5870 votes. In Kaprada, the victory margin was only 170 while NOTA polled 3868. In Jetpur, the victory margin was 3052 while NOTA polled 6155.
Gujarat 2nd only to Bihar in percentage of votes for NOTA
Elections took place in thirteen(13) States/UTs after the dedicated NOTA symbol was introduced in 2015. The symbol for NOTA was first introduced in the Bihar assembly elections in 2015 and NOTA received 2.48% of the votes in that election. After Bihar, it is the Gujarat assembly elections in 2017 where NOTA received 1.8% of the vote. In Gujarat, NOTA received more than 5000 votes in as many as 10 constituencies, more than 4000 votes in 28 constituencies and more than 3000 votes in almost half (87) of the constituencies. NOTA stood 3rd in terms of votes polled in more than 100 constituencies of Gujarat. On the other hand, NOTA polled only 0.9% votes in Himachal.

created: December 19, 2017


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\NOTA vote share goes down further in 2019
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 28, 2019
Though there was a buzz & calls to choose NOTA before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the vote share for NOTA hasn’t increased and in fact,  the vote share for NOTA in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections is less than what NOTA polled in 2014.
As noted in an earlier storyby Factly, the vote share for NOTA is going down continuously since its introduction in 2013. Even the introduction of the dedicated NOTA symbol in 2015 hasn’t made any difference if one goes by the data. In a total of 43 elections (41 Assembly & two Lok Sabha) held since the introduction of NOTA on the EVM, the vote-share of NOTA crossed 2% only twice.
NOTA vote share decreases further in 2019
NOTA option was part of the election for every State Assembly & the Lok Sabha at least once.  The highest ever vote share for NOTA (more than 2%) was in the elections held in the year 2015 when a dedicated symbol was introduced for NOTA. Ever since, the vote share has reduced. In the assembly elections held in 2018, NOTA vote share was around 1.25% and it came down to 1.18% in 2019 when four states went to the assembly polls together with the Lok Sabha polls.
Even for the Lok Sabha, NOTA polled 60.02 lakh votes across the country in 2014 compared to the total valid votes of 54.78 crore, which is a vote share of 1.1%. In 2019, NOTA polled 65.14 lakh votes compared to the total valid votes of 60.96 crores. The vote share of NOTA in 2019 has come down to 1.07% compared to 1.1% in 2014.
NOTA vote share hasn’t crossed 2% after 2015
Out of the 43 elections (Assembly & Lok Sabha) held since the introduction of NOTA, the vote-share of NOTA did not cross 1% in 18 of the elections and was between 1% and 2% in 23 elections. In other words, the NOTA vote share was less than 2% in 95% of the elections. It was more than 3% in only one election, in Chhattisgarh (2013) and between 2% & 3% only once in Bihar (2015).
NOTA polled more than 5% only in Gopalganj
The highest vote share for NOTA in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections was recorded in the Gopalganj constituency of Bihar where NOTA polled 5.04%. Next was Bastar in Chhattisgarh where NOTA polled 4.6% of the vote. NOTA polled more than 4% in only 3 more constituencies (Paschim Champaran & Jamui in Bihar and Araku in Andhra Pradesh). The lowest vote share for NOTA was recorded in Bidar (Karnataka) where NOTA polled 0.174%. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, NOTA vote share was around 5% in two constituencies (Bastar in Chhattisgarh & Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu). Being a ‘maoist’ affected territory, Bastar often records a large number of votes for NOTA.
NOTA exceeded the margin of victory in 26 constituencies
The only area where NOTA did better than 2014 Lok Sabha elections is the number of constituencies where NOTA exceeded the margin of victory. Compared to 23 such constituencies in 2014, there are 26 such constituencies in 2019. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, NOTA votes exceeded the margin of victory in 4 constituencies each in West Bengal & Andhra Pradesh, 3 each in Uttar Pradesh, Odisha & Telangana, 2 each in Jharkhand & Chhattisgarh and one each in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Bihar & the lone seat in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. All in all, there is at least one such constituency in 12 of the 36 States/UTs.


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government monthly progress reports
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 28, 2016
The Cabinet Secretariat issued an Office Memorandum recently directing all the Ministries/Departments of the Government of India to upload the major achievements, significant developments and important events every month on their respective websites, in a bid to ensure greater transparency.
The Cabinet Secretariat recently issued an Office Memorandum (OM) to all the Ministries & Departments of Government of India, asking them to upload the major achievements, significant developments and important events for the month on their official websites every month. This OM comes after a recommendation from the Central Information Commission (CIC).
The Background
Mr. Venkatesh Nayak of New Delhi filed an application under the RTI with the Cabinet Secretariat in January 2015,  regarding status of compliance of all Ministries and Departments, Government of India, with Rule 10 of the Rules of Procedure in regard to Proceedings of the Cabinet. Rule 10 of the Rules of Procedure refer to the monthly summaries to be prepared by each Ministry or Department regarding the activities, important decisions taken in each department during that month. The summary should not exceed four pages and is to be provided for the information of the Council of Ministers.
According the rules, the information of both classified and unclassified nature is to be included in the summary in two separate parts. The classified part has to be marked as ‘Confidential’, ‘Secret’, ‘ Top Secret’ as the case may be.
The Public Information Officer of the Cabinet Secretariat cited Sec 8(1)(i) of the RTI act and held that the first part of the information sought is exempt from disclosure. Sec 8(1)(i) of the RTI act reads that the ‘Cabinet papers including records of deliberations of the Council of Ministers, Secretaries and other officers’ will be exempt from disclosure. But the provision also says that the decisions of Council of Ministers, the reasons and the material on the basis of which the decisions were taken shall be made public after the decision has been taken.
The PIO also mentioned that the relevant Ministries or Departments are best placed to decide whether they can provide the desired information related to Cabinet Papers after ensuring that the matter is complete or over.
Aggrieved by the decision of the PIO and the appellate authority, Mr. Venkatesh Nayak filed a second appeal with the CIC.  He contended that this information has been made available to him in the past and he was also permitted to inspect records on several occasions, particularly, during the years 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2014.
The appellant, also stressed on the need for proactive disclosure under the RTI Act, and that information related to the topics placed on the agenda of the Union Cabinet may be disclosed once the decision is taken and such a disclosure is not violative of the RTI act.
The CIC’s recommendation
Mr. Venkatesh Nayak also suggested that monthly uploading of the information about the status of compliance with Rule 10 for every Ministry/ Department on the official website could be an option.  He further stated that these monthly reports are unclassified and hence not exempt from disclosure under Section 8 of the RTI act.
The CIC in its order recommended that the cabinet secretariat consider proactive disclosure of monthly developments on the website of the relevant department in the interest of transparency and with a view to informing the public of the achievements of the Government.
Following the recommendation of the CIC in April 2016, the Cabinet Secretariat has now issued an OM directing all the Ministries/Departments of the Government of India to upload, on a monthly basis, the major achievements, significant developments and important events for the month in on their official websites. The OM also noted that this is to ensure greater transparency and availability of information in public domain about the activities of the Ministries/Departments.


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Now look out for grading of Community Health Centers (CHCs)
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 25, 2016
Government of India has now initiated grading of Community Health Centers (CHCs) across the country. The earlier system of Star Rating to CHCs has now been renamed as grading. The grading is done based on data on six different categories, two of which are mandatory.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has initiated Star Rating of Community Health Centers (CHCs) in April, 2015. It has now been renamed as ‘Grading of CHCs’ in June 2016. Grading of CHCs is based on monthly performance data and annual infrastructure data as uploaded on Health Management Information system (HMIS) portal and is generated on quarterly basis on HMIS portal.
Criteria used for Grading
The grading of CHCs is done based on the data in the following categories
Mandatory Criteria
Both Human Resources & Infrastructure are mandatory criteria.
If CHC satisfies all the criteria in the above two categories, it would be eligible for Grading & will get 1 grade.
Drugs & Supplies
If the CHC facility satisfies all the three criteria with “Yes”, facility gets one Grade
Service Availability
If the CHC facility satisfies all the three criteria with “Yes”, facility gets one Grade
Client Orientation
If the CHC facility satisfies all the three criteria with “Yes”, facility gets one Grade
Service Utilization
For CHCs falling under ‘Hilly districts & districts of North Eastern States’ a relaxation of 30% is provided on the basic criteria. Based on which the ‘Minimum value/ month’ is considered as:
If the CHC facility satisfies any 4 or all 5 Service Utilization criteria, it would get one Grade.
Grading Process
The following process is followed in grading.
How will it help?
As per the information shared in Lok Sabha, the grading of CHCs will help the Programme Managers to identify the gaps in the available infrastructure and service availability. It also helps taking necessary corrective steps to strengthen/ upgrade health facilities. Government of India has put in place a system of incentives/ disincentives in the review of Programme Implementation Plans of States & UTs based on the above mentioned grades of CHCs. The grading reports of every state can be downloaded here.
Featured Image: Community Health Center


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Now Playing: ‘Government Vs Election Commission’ on RTI Online
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 6, 2017
The ECI does not respond to RTI applications filed through the RTI Online portal. The DoPT said that the ECI is not willing to entertain any application through the RTI Online portal despite reminders sent by them. DoPT advised citizens that a complaint be filed with the CIC against the ECI.
The RTI Online portal of the Government of India was launched in August 2013 by the then UPA government to facilitate filing of Right to Information applications online.  The Election Commission of India (ECI) though included as a public authority in the portal, does not respond to any such RTI applications filed through the portal  for some strange reason. When Factly enquired, it is learnt that the ECI is not willing to entertain any application filed through the RTI Online portal.
The RTI Online Portal
The RTI Online portal is a good initiative aimed at reducing the physical need to file paper based RTI applications. From just 96 public authorities of the Central Government in 2013-14, the portal has now been extended to 1840 public authorities (including independent organizations) of the central government as of March 2017. The number of online RTI applications filed has increased from 87831 in 2013-14 to 231688 in 2015-16. In 2015-16, the proportion of RTI applications filed through the online portal reached 24% of all the applications filed with public authorities of the central government.
The ECI is also listed as one of the 1840 public authorities on the portal to whom RTI applications can be filed through the portal.
Though the ECI is listed as one of the public authorities on the portal, it does not respond to any of applications filed through the portal. It hasn’t responded to even a single application filed by this author since January 2017.
DoPT says ECI is not willing to entertain online applications
Factly filed a grievance about this issue on the PGPORTAL to the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), the nodal agency for implementation of the RTI act. RTI Online is also an initiative of the DoPT. It was asked why the ECI was listed on the portal when it does not accept online applications. In response, the DoPT said, ‘EC is online to the portal. However, they are not responding to online RTI. DoPT has written a letter to EC but it seems they are not willing to entertain any RTI online application. It is advised to file a complaint with CIC.
The DoPT maintains that though the EC is online to the portal, they are not willing to entertain any RTI applications. In fact, the DoPT went a step further and advised us to file a complaint with the Central Information Commission (CIC).
ECI’s response not convincing
Factly reached out to the ECI to understand if what the DoPT mentioned was true. Mr. K N Bhar, Principal Secretary in the ECI confirmed that they are not accepting RTI applications online and that they have communicated the same to DoPT. He also said that they requested DoPT to remove ECI from the list of public authorities on the RTI Online portal.
But the reasons given by the ECI official were not convincing. He said that most of the RTI applications received were related to the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of states and that they are not on RTI online making it difficult to transfer the applications to them. While it is true that the RTI Online portal currently lists only the ECI and not the state CEOs, they can easily be added as public authorities on the portal. Many central government ministries/departments have state level offices and in such cases the state level offices are also listed as public authorities on the portal (the example of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs is given below). The same can be followed for the ECI. This reason stated by the ECI is not convincing enough. In fact, it looks silly at one level.
ECI to have its own online portal for RTI application filing
The official also said that the ECI is developing its own application for online filing of RTI applications with the ECI. While the timelines for the release of such an application are not known, this is simply reinventing the wheel and wasting public money when there is no need. At least now, the ECI should accept applications through the RTI Online portal instead of developing another application.

created: November 6, 2017


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Now Six (6) berths in Garib Rath 3AC reserved exclusively for Women
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 9, 2018
Here is a roundup of some of the important changes made by Indian Railways in the past few months. Women have now been earmarked six(6) berths in Garib Rath 3AC. Railways has also decided to discontinue pasting paper reservation charts on train coaches at certain stations. The Railways has also replaced the word Blind, Deaf & Dumb in its proforma for concession certificates.
Indian Railways frequently issues commercial circulars to notify important changes to the reservation system, facilities provided to passengers etc. Here is a round up of the important changes notified in the last few months.
Berths reserved for Female passengers in Garib Rath 3AC
At present, the following reserved accommodation is earmarked for female passengers.
Now, the Railways has earmarked 6 berths in 3AC class of all Garib Rath trains exclusively for female passengers irrespective of age while travelling alone or in a group.
The Railways has also modified the logic for the utilization of this quota. Only female passengers will be booked against this quota till the preparation of the first reservation charts. Further, at the time of the preparation of the first reservation charts, any unutilised quota will be released to waitlisted female passengers either travelling alone or in a group of female passengers followed by senior citizens. The Railways has also put out a list of facilities it is providing to female passengers.
No more pasting of Reservation Charts on train coaches in A1, A & B category stations
The Railways has also announced that pasting of reservation charts on train coaches will be discontinued in all A1, A & B category stations as a pilot for a six month period that started from 01st March. Physical/digital charts will continue to be displayed at the platforms. The Railways has also asked those stations with electronic display to discontinue pasting these charts on platforms as well. Based on the feedback & comments during the pilot period, the scheme will be extended to all stations.
Replacement of words Blind, Deaf & Dumb in concession forms & proforma
In line with the practices elsewhere, the Railways has decided to replace the words blind, deaf & dumb with the new words that describe the nature of disability. These changes will be seen on the concession forms and the proforma for the disability certificate.


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NPR document is not mandatory for KYC in banks - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 17, 2020
A post is being widely shared on social media with a claim that the Central Bank of India has included NPR (National Population Register) document in the KYC list and the people would be able to withdraw money from the accounts only if the NPR document is submitted. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
NPR document needs to be submitted to withdraw money from the bank accounts.
Fact: Central Bank of India has issued a clarification that any one document from the mentioned list (in the advertisement) can be submitted for the KYC verification. NPR document is not mandatory. Hence the claim that the NPR document is mandatory for the KYC verification in banks is MISLEADING.
Central Bank of India advertisement, mentioned in the post, can be found in the Eenadu newspaper published on 11 January 2019, published in Telangana. In the advertisement, it can be seen that the ‘letter issued by the NPR authorities’ has been included in the list of documents valid for the KYC verification. But, in the advertisement, it is not mentioned that all the documents in the list need to be submitted for the KYC verification.
RBI (Reserve Bank of India) is the regulating-institution of banks in India. On its official website, it can be seen that it ‘prescribes broad parameters of banking operations within which the country’s banking and financial system functions’. So, it is unlikely for the individual banks to come up with their own new rules.
On the official website of RBI, in the ‘Master Direction – Know Your Customer (KYC) Direction, 2016’, it can be seen that ‘letter issued by the National Population Register containing details of name and address’ is included in the ‘Officially Valid Document’ (OVD) list. The ‘Master Direction – Know Your Customer (KYC) Direction, 2016’ is regularly updated and recently, it has been updated on 9 January 2020. Even in the updated direction, there is no mention of mandatory submission of the NPR document for the KYC verification.
On the Government’s website, Vikaspedia, more information regarding the KYC can be read. KYC is defined as the ‘process by which banks obtain information about the identity and address of the customers. This process helps to ensure that banks’ services are not misused. The KYC procedure is to be completed by the banks while opening accounts and also periodically update the same.’ Even, on this website, the ‘letter issued by the National Population Register containing details of name and address’ is mentioned as OVD for the KYC verification, but not mentioned as mandatory.
As the advertisement by the Central Bank of India (on 11 January 2019) did not mention that only one among the list of OVD documents is needed for the KYC verification, there was a lot of confusion among the people regarding the NPR document. The Central Bank of India has published another advertisement with the clarification. In the clarification, published in Eenadu on 17 January 2020, it can be read that ‘any 1 document’ from the list of Officially Valid Documents need to be submitted for the KYC verification. Also, the same has been clarified by the Central Bank of India on Twitter. So, the NPR document is not mandatory if you can submit any other OVD for the KYC verification.
To sum it up, the NPR document is not mandatory for KYC in banks.
Did you watch our new video in the DECODE series?

created: January 17, 2020


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NRI Vote: Can it make an impact?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 7, 2016
Extending voting rights to NRIs has been a long pending demand. With the government now in favour of implementing the same, it will be interesting to see if NRI voting can make an impact on elections.
In January 2015, it was a historical milestone, when Government of India accepted the proposals made by Election Commission in response to the PIL by the members of Pravasi Bharat, a campaign group on NRI Voting rights.
The Journey
The journey wasn’t smooth though. The campaign that started in mid 2012 has gone through various phases like marching, demonstrations, petitions & hunger strike. The concrete result of extending voting rights to NRIs was the outcome of a Public Interest Litigation (WP(Civil) 80/2013) filed in the Supreme Court of India. A twelve(12)  member committee was setup by the ECI based on the directions of the Supreme Court to study the feasibility of different options for voting by NRI voters. This 12-member committee was headed by the then Deputy Chief Election Commissioner Shri Vinod Zutshi. The committee studied various options of remote voting systems adopted worldwide and also sought inputs from all six national parties of India. The committee then submitted a 50 –page report to the Supreme Court, proposing e-postal & proxy voting as the recommended options.
The impact of this process of extending voting rights to NRIs is already visible. Political parties and governments seem to have started reaching out to the NRI community. Some states like Andhra Pradesh & Telangana have now set up special departments to look after NRI affairs. Few more states are expected to do the same. States like Uttar Pradesh organized their own Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. The ECI has also initiated online voter registrations for eligible NRIs.
NRIs are expected to play a bigger role in policy inputs and engagement with the state once they are extended voting rights. It will become a constituency that every political party would want to reach out to.
Will NRI Voting really make an impact?
There are approximately 10 million Indian citizens currently residing outside India as per the data compiled by the Ministry of External Affairs. Other estimates, such as from the British Tabloid Daily Mail puts this figure at about 25 million. Whatever be the actual number, NRIs do make up for one of, if not the largest diasporas in the world according to the UN Migration report in 2015.
These numbers have the potential to affect the election results if NRIs do vote in large numbers. With 10 million Indian citizens staying abroad, and with 543 Lok Sabha constituencies, it comes to an average of 18000 such voters per constituency. These additional votes, if polled, will have a significant impact on the result.
Annual Remittance by NRIs, highest in the world
Over the years, NRIs have excelled in various fields and brought laurels to India. NRIs also contribute to investment in the country by the way of remittances, accounting to over 3.4% of our country’s GDP. The remittances for 2015 reached  $68.91 billion, which is the highest remittance contribution of any diaspora in the world as per the World Bank’s Migration & Remittances Data for 2015.
Authors:
Nagender Chindam: An alumnus of NIT Warangal and is working as an IT Consultant in the United Kingdom. He is the chairman of Pravasi Bharat – The Campaign group working for NRI Voting rights since 2012.
Rohit Sharma:A Technologist working on visualising large data-sets. He is an IIT Guwahati alumnus and is  based in Copenhagen. http://rohit.sh/
Featured Image: Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

created: October 7, 2016


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NRI voters cannot vote online in the 2019 General Elections - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 26, 2019
A circular as said to be issued by the Election Commission of India is being circulated on several social media platforms since the past few days mentioning that NRIs can vote online for 2019 elections. Let’s try to analyse the authenticity of it.
The archived version of the post can be found here.
All the NRIs who hold Indian passport can vote online for the 2019 elections
The Election Commission of India’s website carried a disclaimer to be aware of the fake news in social media informing that the NRIs who hold Indian passport, can vote online for 2019 elections. Hence the claims made in the post is FALSE
When searched for any notice from  Election Commission of India regarding the provision of allowing NRIs who hold Indian passport to vote for the 2019 elections, a disclaimer was found in its website warning people to be aware of the fake news in social media informing that those who hold Indian passport, can vote online for 2019 elections. It clarified that “There is no online voting facility for any category of voter. Overseas Indians may submit application for their enrolment in form 6A online at nvsp.in or by using Voter helpline mobile app.To cast the vote on the date of poll an overseas elector may come to his/her designated Polling station with his/her Passport as document for identification.”  ECI spokesperson Sheyphali Sharan also confirmed the same through the following tweets.
Finally, the NRIs who hold Indian passport are not entitled to vote online in the 2019 elections.


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Number of ATMs in Rural areas less than what it was in September 2016
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 17, 2017
ATMs have come under immense scrutiny in the period following demonetization last year. Data with the RBI reveals that the number of ATMs in rural centres as of June 2017 is less than what it was in September 2016.
ATMs have come under immense scrutiny post demonetization in November 2016. Data from the RBI indicates that the number of ATMs in rural areas has decreased starting September 2016 for two continuous quarters, the first such occasion since June 2014. The total number of ATMs in the country has increased by more than 33% between June 2014 and June 2017.
RBI classification into four different regions
The RBI classifies regions in the country into four categories based on the population. The various places in which bank branches & ATMs are located are classified into the following
The above classification is followed both for the categorization of location of the bank branch as well as ATM.
Number of ATMs down in both Urban & Rural Centres
The total number of ATMs by the end of quarter in June 2017 was 2.23 lakh. Out of the 2.23 lakh, close to 62000 were in metropolitan areas, around 61000 in semi-urban areas, around 58500 in urban areas and the remaining 41000 in rural areas. The total number of ATMs by June 2017 has increased by more than 1/3rd compared to the 1.67 lakh ATMs by the end of June 2014. The number of ATMs in metro centres has increased with each quarter from June 2014 and increased by more than 5000 between September 2016 & June 2017. Same is the case with the ATMs in semi-urban centres except for a slight blip in December 2016. The number of ATMs in urban areas increased continuously starting June 2014 and reached 60459 in September 2016 (except for a drop in March 2015). Thereafter, the number has come down to 58593 by June 2017. In the rural centres, the number of ATMs increased continuously up to September 2016 to reach 41633. It then decreased for two quarters continuously only to again increase during the quarter ending June 2017. Even as of June 2017, the number of ATMs in rural areas is less than what it was in September 2016. It has to be noted that the total number of ATMs in the country increased by over 2% between September 2016 & June 2017.
Number of ATMs of some of the Public & Private Sector Banks comes down
In the rural centres, number of ATMs of the following banks has come down in June 2017 compared to September 2016. It is observed that the number of ATMs of major public sector banks (SBI etc.) and the white lable ATMs has increased while the number of ATMs of most other banks in rural centres has come down.
Banks whose ATM count in rural areas has decreased from September 2016 to June 2017
Banks whose ATM count in rural areas has increased from September 2016 to June 2017

created: October 17, 2017


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adoption statistics india
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 11, 2016
The data available with CARA indicates that the number of children available for adoption is less than 1/4th the demand. In-country adoptions are also down 47% from 2011 to 2015-16. More female children are adopted than male and more than 70% of the adopted children are in the 0-2 age group.
To simplify the process of adoption of orphaned children and bring in greater transparency in the process, the Government of India has issued revised guidelines for adoption of children in August 2015. While one of the stated goals for the new guidelines is to expand the adoption base, the same is yet to be realized. As of March 2016, only 1600 odd children are available for adoption while more than 7700 prospective parents have applied for adoption through Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA).
Well defined eligibility criteria for Prospective Adoptive Parents
CARA is the designated nodal agency to co-ordinate the entire adoption process. CARA is also the designated Central Authority to deal with inter-country adoptions in accordance with the provisions of the Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption, 1993, ratified by Government of India in 2003.
The new guidelines lay down the clear eligibility criteria for Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAP).  The eligibility criteria include
Simplified Process for Adoption
The new guidelines simplify the entire process of adoption and bring in greater transparency and clarity in the process. The following is broadly the process followed
The status of the request can be tracked on the CARINGS website.  A separate process has to be followed to Inter-Country adoptions.
In country adoptions down 47% in 6 years
As per data available with CARA, the In-country adoption number has come down from 5693 in 2010 to 3011 in 2015-16. The Inter-country adoption has not changed much between 2010 and 2015-16. The worrying aspect is that the number of In-country adoptions has come down continuously.
More female children are adopted than male and maximum in the 0-2 age group
As per government data, more female children have been adopted compared to the male children in the last 3 years. While 4475 male children have been adopted between 2013-14 and 2015-16, 6448 female children have been adopted in the same period. Number of adopted children with special needs stood at 334 in 2015-16.
The age-wise adoption data is being maintained by CARA only from August 2015. Between August 2015 and March 2016, a total of 2160 children were adopted out of which 1561 were in the 0-2 age group. This is 72% of all the adopted children. 94% of the adopted children were below the age of 6 years and only 6% of the adopted children were above the age of 6 years. In all the different age groups, more female children are adopted than male children.
Number of available children for adoption is less than 1/4th the demand
As of March 2016, more than 7700 PAPs were registered with CARA. More than 2700 opted for only a girl child while more than 2800 opted only for a male child. More than 2100 opted for either a girl or a male child. However, the number of children available for adoption is only a little over 1600. Out of the 1600 children available for adoption, 770 are normal children while the rest are those with special needs. Though 1400 Children Homes (Government & NGO) and Specialized Adoption Agencies (SAAs) are functioning in the country as per government records, the number of available children is less than 1/4 the demand.
Most children are available for adoption in Maharashtra (350) followed by 132 in Telangana. More than 100 children are available for adoption in only two other states of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Most PAPs are registered in Maharashtra (1088) followed by 769 in West Bengal. More than 500 PAPs are registered in only three other states of Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Whether the simplified and a transparent adoption process expands the adoption base in the coming years remains to be seen.


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Number of injury accidents
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 13, 2016
In 2013, about 11 persons were killed per lakh population in road accidents in India. This is one of the highest in the world among the major nations only after Russia (19). But, India had one of the lowest injury accidents per lakh population at 40 in 2013.
The Road Accidents in India 2015 was released recently by the Minister of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), Shri Nitin Gadkari. The number of people killed per 100000 (lakh) population in road accidents in India was 11 in 2013. While this is on the higher side, the number of injury accidents per 100000 population was one of the least in the world.
Number of injury accidents per lakh population in India was 40 in 2013
An injury accident refers to road accident resulting in at least one injury or death. Injury accidents per lakh of population in India was substantially lower at around (40) during 2013 when compared with other developed countries. USA reported the highest figure in injury accidents per lakh population at (513) followed by Japan (494), Germany (361) and Canada (348).  While injury accidents per lakh population is on the lower side, India figures on the top when it comes to number of persons killed per lakh population in road accidents. India’s figure in 2013 was 11 which is next only to Russia (19) in the select list of countries.
43% of the accidents in 2015 on single lane roads
Out of the 5 lakh odd road accidents in 2015, more than 80% took place on single lane and two lane roads. Single lane roads accounted for 43% of all the accidents. More than 50% of the single lane road accidents took place in the five states of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. More than 50% of the two lane road accidents took place in the four states of Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
19% of all the accidents took place at T-Junction
In 2015, about 49 % (2.45 lakh) of all the accidents took place on the junctions compared to 57% in 2014. The highest number of accidents occurred at T-Junctions in 2015 causing 94,487 accidents with a share of 38.5 percent of the total road accidents on Junctions and with an 18.8% share in overall accidents. About 20% of all the accidents on Junctions occurred at a Y-Junction. Close to 20% of all the T-Junction accidents took place in Madhya Pradesh.
70% of the accidents on good surface roads
Of all the accidents, 70% took place on good surface roads as per the government data. Close to 6% of the accidents occurred on loose surface roads. About 2.2% accidents occurred on roads with pot holes and an equal percentage on roads under repair. 20% of all the accidents on loose surface roads took place in Madhya Pradesh. More than 30% of all the accidents at pot holes also occurred in Madhya Pradesh. Only the four states of Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Sikkim accounted for all the accidents on snowy surfaces. More than 50% of the accidents on oily surface occurred in Maharashtra alone. More than 50% of the accidents on speed breakers occurred in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
10% of those killed in road accidents are pedestrians
Two-wheelers (31.5%) are the most vulnerable and unprotected road users killed in road accidents in 2015. Other road users killed in road accidents are cars, taxies, vans etc (17.2%). Pedestrians accounted for 9.5% of those killed in road accidents. More than 60% of the pedestrians killed in road accidents come from the five states of Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
Featured Image :  Road Accidents


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Number of Medical Colleges in India - State Wise
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 21, 2018
State Wise Number of Medical Colleges in India

created: February 21, 2018


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Number of OCI Cards issued from 2005 - 2015: Top 10 Embassies - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 14, 2016


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Number of ATMs has remained stagnant in the last 18 months & Share of Public sector bank ATMs on the decline
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 20, 2019
There were multiple news reports recently
about the marginal increase in the number of ATMs in the quarter ending March
2019. But the data of the last 18 months tells a different story. Here are all
the details.
The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) annual report for 2017-18,  released in August 2018, points out to the marginal decrease in the number of ATMs across the country. This observation was made by RBI in view of the decreasing trend in the number of ATMs, which further continued until the end of 2018.
However, the previous quarter (Q3 – January toMarch of Fiscal Year 2018-19) has seen a reversal in this trend where the totalnumber of ATMs in the country have increased from 2,20,051 at the end of Dec’18to 2,21,703 by the end of March’19, anincrease of 1,652 ATMs. These numbers as per the Data Releases by RBI , reflect this trend.
After a steady reduction of number ATMs from 2,22,066 at the end ofMarch’18 to 2,20,051 by the end of Dec’18,  the total number ATMs have increased in previousquarter.
Continued fall in the Number of Public Sector Bank ATMs
While the total number of ATMs have marginally increased in the last quarter, the Public Sector Bank ATMs tell a different story. The number of ATMs of public sector banks across the country have witnessed a continuous decrease over the last 6 quarters.
The number of ATMs of Public Sector banks has reduced from 1,46,301 by the end of Dec’17 to 1,36,098 by the end of March’18. This is a decrease of 10,203 public sector bank ATMs or about 7%. In the previous quarter itself ( Jan’19 to Mar’19) , the number of public sector banks ATMs has come down by 4,145.
Public Sector Bank ATMs – Decrease uniform across regions
The dwindling number in public sector bank ATMs is a trend observedacross the regions – Metro, Rural, Urban and Semi-Urban Centres, as iscategorized in the data provided by RBI.
Public Sector Bank ATMs – What about states?
The decrease in the number of public sectorbanks is observed nearly all the states in the country. Most number of publicsector ATMs were closed down in Maharashtra (1476), followed by Uttar Pradesh (1009), Gujarat (862), Madhya Pradesh (799 ) and Telangana (641) between Dec’17 toMar’19.  The only three places where thenumber of Public sector bank ATMs increased during this period are Chandigarh(where the number of ATMs increased by 42), Mizoram & Lakshadweep.
Which Public sector bank closed down most
ATMs?
While State Bank of India, which is India’s largestpublic sector bank has seen only a marginal decrease in the number of ATMs overthe last 6 quarters, 404 to be precise, the other major public sector bankslike Bank of India, Union Bank of India, Central Bank of India, Canara Banketc. have closed down a large number of their ATMs.
Bank of India have closed down 1563 ATMs overthe previous 6 quarters with 1250 ATMs being shut down just during the 6-monthperiod of July-18-Dec’18.
Among the Public sector Banks, Syndicate Bankand Indian Bank are found to be the only exceptions. They have increased the numberof ATMs operated by them during this period.
High maintenance costs are cited as one of the main reasons for public sector banks opting to closing down their ATMs. This is also part of the larger consolidation which the banks are going through, in terms of optimizing their presence and to cut down on overhead costs.
The RBI
guidelines with regards to theupgrade of the ATMs, cash loading and Safety may also have contributed towardsthe increased maintenance costs.
This decline in the number of public sector ATMs has coincided with the rise in the number of Debit cards to 885 million, of which a major share is of Public sector banks. The bank accounts opened through Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) have also contributed to the increase in the debit cards issued. Data as per RBI reports also shows an increase in the number of transactions through ATMs and POS.
This is a 2-part series on the number of ATMs in the country. The second part  looks at Private bank & White label ATMs.


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Number of Farmer Suicides in India (1995-2013) - Infographic
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 30, 2015
The entire world is mourning the 3 plane crashes in 2014. Imagine what would happen if 30 such plane crashes happen every year. Unfortunately, that is the sad reality of Indian Farmers. In the last 19 years (1995-2014), a total of 3,02,116 farmers have committed suicide, which is like 600 plane crashes. What should the government do to help the farmer and thereby the country? How do we prevent Farmer Suicides in India ? Share your views.

created: January 30, 2015