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In 2017, the number of Theft cases increased by 15% while the value of Property stolen is down by 50%
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 7, 2019
The NCRB finally released the ‘Crime in India’ report for 2017 after a long delay. As per the data in the report, the number of cases related to stolen property increased by 15% in 2017 while the total value of property stolen decreased by almost 50%.
Annually, property worth lakhs of rupees is stolen in India. Property includes motor vehicles, cattle, purses, gadgets, jewellery and other material belongings of a person. Only a small fraction of the total property lost is recovered. Among the states, Maharashtra accounted for more than 30% of the property stolen in terms of value followed by Delhi in 2017.
In this story, we take a look at what the latest data from ‘Crimes in India’ report has to tell with respect to stolen property and its recovery. On 21 October 2019, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) finally released the much anticipated ‘Crimes in India’ report of 2017 after a delay of almost 1.5 years.
7.39 Lakh cases of stolen property recorded in 2017
A total of 7.39 lakh cases involving stolen property were registered in 2017. This is by far the largest number of cases registered. An increase by 15.2% has been observed in the number of stolen property-related cases as compared to 2016 when 6.41 lakh such cases were reported.
However, surprisingly, the value of property stolen has reduced by 48.6% in 2017 compared to the year 2016. The total value of stolen property in 2017 was Rs. 5002.5 crores compared to Rs. 9733.1 crores in 2016. In other words, the average value of property stolen per reported case decreased drastically from Rs. 1.51 lakh in 2016 to Rs. 67606 in 2017. This could mean that the theft cases reported in 2017 were smaller in nature compared to 2016. Though the highest ever such cases were reported in 2017, the value of property stolen in 2017 is the lowest since 2010.
Over the 17 years since 2001, there has been anincrease in the number of such cases by 87% while the value of the stolen property increased by 229% largely due to a higher valuation of the property.
Indian Penal Code defines theft, robbery, dacoity and burglary differently
Sections 379 to 382 of the Indian Penal Code deals with theft, robbery and dacoity. These are further described and explained in sections 392 to 398.
Other acts involving the stealing of property include cheating, impersonating and more. The punishment for each of these acts is different. Theft results in imprisonment up to three years and/or penalty. The punishment for dacoity and robbery is severe with 0 to 14 years of imprisonment and a hefty fine. In case of burglary, the guilty will be jailed for a term between 3 months to 2 years in addition to a penalty.
Almost 80% of the cases on stolen property are theft related
Of the 7.39 lakh cases registered in 2017, around 5.89 lakh cases were theft-related. In other words, cases of theft accounted for 79.6% of the crimes under this category. Data also suggests that cases of theft increased by 139% since 2001.
With more than 1.1 lakh cases in 2017,  burglary constitutes 14.9% of cases related to stolen property. Compared to 2015, the cases of burglary have dropped by 3%.  In 2017, around 30,742 cases of robbery have also been registered. Number of cases of Dacoity (3575 cases in 2017) has decreased by 6% compared to 2016. Since 2001, dacoity cases have decreased by more than a third or 36.8%.
One-third of stolen property related incidents take place in residential areas
Almost 33% of the reported incidents of property being stolen are in residential areas. Roadways accounted for 21% of such incidents. Of this 21% on roadways, 90% of the incidents took place at ordinary roads while 10% where recorded at highways. Dacoity and robbery were most prominent on roadways while theft was the most prominent in other areas. The other places where such cases were reported include railways, schools or colleges, commercial establishments, religious places etc.
Maharashtra and Delhi continue to account for the largest value of property stolen
The top ten states in terms of the value of property stolen in 2017 together constitute 80.6% of the value of property stolen. Despite the drop in the value of property stolen, Maharashtra retains its position of having the greatest value of stolen property in India, accounting for 30.4% of the total value in 2017. In 2015 and 2016, Maharashtra accounted for 55.2% and 34.6% of the value of property stolen respectively. Next in line is the union territory of Delhi which accounted for 15% of the property stolen in India in 2017. In 2016, Delhi accounted for 33.7% of the value of property stolen in India. Excluding Delhi, the remaining six union territories together account for only 0.3% of the value of property stolen in India in 2017. Among the states, Sikkim had the least property stolen with a value of Rs. 1.5 crore which is less than 0.03% of the total value. North-Eastern states of Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura are at the bottom of the list and together account for only 0.6% of the value of property stolen in India in 2017.
Motor vehicles are the most sought-after property by thieves
Data suggests that Motor Vehicles are the most sought-after by thieves. In 2017 alone, 2.26 lakh cases (30.5% of the total number of cases) registered were to recover their stolen vehicle. Value-wise, this amounts to one-fourth of the total value of property stolen. Within motor vehicles, motorcycles and scooters make up for 85.4% of the cases.
A total of 1.28lakh cases (17.3%) in 2017 were registered for stolen electronic gadgets ofwhich 1.04 lakh cases (81% of electronic gadgets) were for mobile phones. Cashand jewellery were the subject of almost 14.9% of the cases while in terms ofvalue, these account for 22.4% of the total value.
Only 25.9% of the stolen property was recovered in 2017
The recovery rate is calculated on the basis of the value of property stolen. At an All-India level, only 25.9% of the property stolen in India was recovered in 2017. That is, for every 100 rupees lost only 25.9 rupees was recovered.
The highest recovery rate was recorded in Tamil Nadu with 77.8% (three times the national rate). States of Telangana, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan have more than 50% recovery rate in 2017.
Despite accountingfor more than 45% of the total value of property stolen in India, the recoveryrates are poor in Maharashtra (13.7%) and Delhi (10.3%). Mizoram has the lowestrecovery rate of 7.3% in 2017.
In terms of thetype of property stolen, electronic gadgets have a low recovery rate of 21.3%with mobile phones reporting a recovery rate of just 18.7%. The greatestrecovery rate of 73.2% in 2017 was reported in the case of Cultural Property (includingAntiques).
Featured Image:NCRB Theft Data

created: November 7, 2019


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NDMA did not ask the government to reimpose lockdown from 25 Sep 2020. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 16, 2020
A post claiming that the NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) along with Planning Commission has urged Government of India to reimpose a nationwide lockdown for 46 days starting from 25 September 2020, is doing rounds on social media. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
The NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) along with Planning Commission has urged the Government of India to reimpose a nationwide lockdown for 46 days starting from 25 September 2020.
Fact: PIB through a tweet stated that NDMA has not issued any such order urging the government to reimpose a nationwide lockdown and their tweet categorically rated the news as fake. Also, GoI on 01 January 2015 through a cabinet resolution replaced the Planning Commission with NITI Aayog. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
In the post, it is mentioned that’ NDMA along with Planning Commission has suggested the government to reimpose the lockdown’. However, the Government of India on 01 January 2015 through a resolution of Union Cabinet has replaced the Planning Commission of India with  National Institution for Transforming India, also called NITI Aayog. Hence, there is no question of Planning Commission being involved in this exercise. So, this is enough proof that the message is fake.
Further, a google search with relevant keywords led us to a tweet by PIB which debunked the same claim. According to their tweet, NDMA has not issued any such order urging the government to reimpose a nationwide lockdown. Also, their tweet categorically rated the news as fake.
Claim: An order purportedly issued by National Disaster Management Authority claims that it has directed the government to re-impose a nationwide #Lockdown from 25th September. #PIBFactCheck: This order is #Fake. @ndmaindia has not issued any such order to re-impose lockdown. pic.twitter.com/J72eeA62zl
To sum it up, NDMA did not urge the government to reimpose lockdown from 25 September 2020.

source: news-factly

created: September 16, 2020

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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NDTV చీఫ్ ప్రణయ్ రాయ్ అసలు పేరు పర్వేజ్ రాజా అని, జన్మస్థలం కరాచీ అని సీబీఐ దాడులలో పత్రాలు దొరకలేదు - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 21, 2019
NDTV చీఫ్ ప్రణయ్ రాయ్ పై సీబీఐ జరిపిన దాడులలో తన అసలు పేరు పర్వేజ్ రాజా అని, జన్మస్థలం కరాచీ అని పత్రాలు దొరికినట్టు ఉన్న ఒక పోస్ట్ ని ఫేస్బుక్ లో చాలా మంది షేర్ చేస్తున్నారు. ఆ పోస్ట్ లో ఎంతవరకు నిజముందో విశ్లేషిద్ధాం.
సీబీఐ దాడులలో NDTV చీఫ్ ప్రణయ్ రాయ్ అసలు పేరు పర్వేజ్ రాజా అని, జన్మస్థలం కరాచీ అని పత్రాలు దొరికాయి.
ప్రణయ్ రాయ్ అసలు పేరు పర్వేజ్ రాజా అని, జన్మస్థలం కరాచీ అని పత్రాలు దొరికినట్టు సీబీఐ ఎక్కడా కూడా చెప్పినట్టు సమాచారం లేదు. ప్రణయ్ రాయ్ ఇంటి పై చేసిన తనిఖీల మీద సీబీఐ ఇచ్చిన వివరణ లో కూడా పోస్ట్ లో చెప్పిన విషయాలు లేవు. అంతే కాదు, 2017 లో ప్రణయ్ రాయ్ పై సీబీఐ దాడుల తర్వాత ఇలాంటి పోస్టులే వైరల్ అయినప్పుడు, అవి తప్పని కొన్ని వెబ్ సైట్లు ఆర్టికల్స్ కూడా రాసాయి. కావున పోస్ట్ లో చెప్పింది అబద్ధం.
పోస్ట్ లోని విషయం గురించి గూగుల్ లో వెతకగా, సీబీఐ దాడుల్లో అలాంటి పత్రాలు దొరికినట్టు ఎక్కడా కూడా సమాచారం దొరకలేదు. అంతేకాదు, ప్రణయ్ రాయ్ ఇంటి పై చేసిన తనిఖీల మీద సీబీఐ ఇచ్చిన వివరణ లో కూడా పోస్ట్ లో చెప్పిన విషయాలు లేవు.
ప్రణయ్ రాయ్ పై సీబీఐ దాడులు జరిగిన తర్వాత 2017 లో కూడా ఇలాంటి వార్తలే సోషల్ మీడియా లో చాలా వైరల్ అయ్యాయి. ప్రణయ్ రాయ్ పై వస్తున్న ఫేక్ న్యూస్ లపై ‘DailyO’ వెబ్ సైట్ ఒక ఆర్టికల్ కూడా రాసింది. ఆ ఆర్టికల్ లో చెప్పిన ఫేక్ న్యూస్ లల్లో ఒకటి పోస్ట్ లో చెప్పిన విషయం. అంతేకాదు, ఇలాంటి ఫేక్ వార్తలపై 2017 లోనే వివిధ సంస్థలు రాసిన ఫాక్ట్ చెక్ ఆర్టికల్స్ ఇక్కడ, ఇక్కడ మరియు ఇక్కడ చదవచ్చు.
చివరగా, NDTV చీఫ్ ప్రణయ్ రాయ్ అసలు పేరు పర్వేజ్ రాజా అని, జన్మస్థలం కరాచీ అని సీబీఐ దాడులలో పత్రాలు దొరికలేదు.
ఏది ఫేక్, ఏది నిజం సిరీస్ లో మా వీడియోస్ మీరు చూసారా?


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Atal Tinkering Laboratories Atal Incubation Centres
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 27, 2016
NITI Aayog has come up with three new initiatives on the eve of the second anniversary of the NDA government, to encourage and foster innovation. It has launched a new initiative aimed  at establishing 500 Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs) in schools across India and 100 Atal Incubation Centers (AICs) in both academic and non-academic space.
In a bid to encourage innovation through its flagship Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog is now inviting applications from eligible schools, organisations and individuals to apply for the three major schemes under Atal Innovation Mission
Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs)
To foster creativity and scientific temper in students, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) will establish 500 Atal Tinkering Laboratories in schools. It will provide one time establishment aid of Rs. 10 lakh for establishing Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATL) in schools (grade VI – XII) across India. An amount of Rs. 10 lakh would also be provided for each ATL over a period of 5 years for operational expenses. A total amount of Rs. 20 lakh per ATL in each selected school will be spent. Young children will get a chance to work with tools and equipment to understand the concepts of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). Competitions at regional and national scale will also be organised to showcase the innovations developed by the children.
ATL is a work space where young minds can give shape to their ideas through hands on do-it-yourself mode; and learn innovation skills. ATL would contain educational and learning ‘do it yourself’ kits and equipment on – science, electronics, robotics, open source microcontroller boards, sensors and 3D printers and computers.
ATLs can be established in schools (Grade VI – XII) managed by Government, local body or private trusts/society. A minimum 25% of the ATLs would be set up in schools managed by Government (Central  or State).
Schools desirous of applying for ATL can go through the guidelines here and apply online from here. The last date for application is 17 June, 2016.
Atal Incubation Centres (AICs)
AIM will also provide financial support to academic and non-academic institutions (companies/technology parks/group of individuals) to establish new incubation centres across India. These will be called Atal Incubation Centres (AICs). They will be established in subject specific areas such as manufacturing, transport, energy, health, education, agriculture, water and sanitation, etc. These incubation Centres will provide pre-incubation facilities, common infrastructure and services such as technology development assistance, networking and mentoring, funding access, training and development, business support services (entrepreneurship development, marketing, finance and accounting, research, legal, regulatory, etc.) to innovators and startup entrepreneurs for developing solutions. AIM’s objective is to setup 100 AICs during 2016-17.
AIM will provide a grant-in-aid of Rs. 10 crore for establishing a new AIC over a period of 5 years towards capital investment as well as operational and maintenance expenses.
AICs can be established either in public/private/public-private partnership mode. These can be established in
Organizations desirous of applying for AIC can go through the guidelines here and apply online from here. The last date for application is 27 June, 2016.
AIM will also provide scale up support of Rs. 10 crore over a period of two years to established incubation centres for augmenting their capacity. They will be shortlisted on the basis of key performance indicators.


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Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 29, 2016
With the successful launch of the IRNSS-1G, India became only the 5th country to have an operational satellite navigational system. The IRNSS or NAVIC will provide services over the Indian region including SAARC countries with a position accuracy of better than 20 meters.
With the successful launch of IRNSS-1G, India joined the elite list of countries with their own satellite navigation system. IRNSS is an independent regional navigation satellite system designed to provide position information in the Indian region and 1500 km around the Indian mainland. The IRNSS is also known as the NAVIC or NAVigation with Indian Constellation
What is Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)?
The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) is an indigenous regional positioning system  for India.  The main objective is to provide Reliable Position, Navigation and Timing services over India and its neighbourhood. IRNSS provides services over Indian region with an absolute position accuracy of better than 20 meters. The IRNSS will provide basically two types of services
The IRNSS consists of seven satellites in a constellation, three satellites in geostationary orbit (GEO) and four satellites in geosynchronous orbit (GSO). All the satellites will be visible at all times in the Indian region. The seven satellites have now been launched. The first of the seven satellites was launched in 2013.
All the required ground infrastructure and primary facilities to operate IRNSS constellation have been established. Two ranging and integrity monitoring will be in Indonesia and Mauritius.
Various Applications of IRNSS
The following are some of the major applications of IRNSS
The IRNSS Signal-in-Space Interface Control Document (ICD) for Standard Positioning Service (SPS) is released to the public to provide the essential information on the IRNSS to aid the commercial use of the IRNSS signals for navigation-based applications.
The IRNSS constellation encompasses the SAARC countries as well. The SAARC member countries can also adopt the IRNSS system for the navigational services.
The IRNSS is developed with an estimated cost of Rs 1420 crore including satellites and associated ground segment.
India joins the elite list of Countries with their own Navigation System
With IRNSS, India became only the 5 country with an operational satellite navigation system. There are two global satellite navigation systems viz., the NAVSTAR GPS system of the USA and GLONASS of the Soviet Union.
Two more global satellite navigation systems namely, Galileo by the European Union and Compass by China are under development. Apart from these, three other regional satellite navigation systems are currently operational including IRNSS. The Chinese regional system is known as the BeiDou-1 and the satellite covering Japan is known as The Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS).
Image Source: www.isro.in


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Ram Nath Kovind Profile
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 19, 2017
The BJP President today announced in a press conference that Bihar Governor, Shri Ram Nath Kovind will be the NDA’s Presidential candidate. Here is Shri Ram Nath Kovind’s brief profile.
Bihar Governor Shri Ramnath Kovind will be the NDA candidate for the president election : Shri @AmitShah pic.twitter.com/WMk6vJz2Po
— BJP (@BJP4India) June 19, 2017
Basic Details
Name:  Shri Ram Nath Kovind
Father’s Name :  Late Shri Maiku Lal
Mother’s Name:  Late Shrimati Kalawati
Date of Birth :  1 October 1945
Place of Birth :  Village Paraunkh, District Kanpur Dehat (Uttar Pradesh)
Spouse’s Name :  Shrimati Savita Education: B.Com., LL.B.from D.A.V.College, Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh)
Positions Held
1971-1975 : General Secretary, Akhil Bharatiya Koli Samaj
1977-1979 : Central Government Advocate in Delhi High Court
1982-1984: Central Government Junior Counsel in Supreme Court
1986 : General Secretary, Depressed Classes Legal Aid Bureau
1994-2000: Elected to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh
1995-1996: Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Communications
1995-1997: Member, Committee on Home Affairs
1996-1999: Member, Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
1996-1999: Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Railways
1997: Member, B.J.P. National Executive Committee
1998-2000 & 2002-2004: Member, Committee on Petroleum and Chemicals
1998-2000 & 2002-2004: Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Civil Aviation
1999-2002: National President, B.J.P. Scheduled Caste Morcha
2000-2006: Elected to the Rajya Sabha for 2 Term from Uttar Pradesh
2000-2004: Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
2000-2002: Member, Committee on Petitions
2002 -2004: Chairman, House Committee, Rajya Sabha
2002-2004: Member, General Purposes Committee
2002 : Member, Board of Governors, Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata
2003: Member, Board of Management of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow
2015 onwards: Governor of Bihar
Highlights of his Career
Sources
Rajya Sabha Website
Website of the Governor of Bihar


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Reusable Launch Vehicle
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 26, 2016
ISRO successfully flight tested the Reusable Launch Vehicle – Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD).  When this is fully developed, the RLV-TD could significantly reduce the cost of launching satellites into the space.
On May 23, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully tested India’s first winged body aerospace vehicle operating in hypersonic flight regime that is known as the Reusable Launch Vehicle – Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD). It marks a very important milestone in the journey to make a fully reusable launch vehicle in the future.
Why do we need a RLV?
At present, operational satellite launch vehicles in India are not reusable. These are designed to be used only once and their stages are not recovered for reuse. The launch vehicle typically consists of several rocket stages and the stages are jettisoned one by one during various phases of the mission as the launch vehicle gains desired altitude and speed. If a mission fails for any reason or is even successful, the launch vehicle is not reusable and the amount spent on the launch is wasted.
What is the RLV-TD?
The RLV-TD is a winged body vehicle weighing 1.5 Ton and was lofted to a height of 65 km using solid booster, thus attaining 5 times the speed of sound. Thereafter it descends by gliding and splashing down into the sea.
The Development of Reusable Launch Vehicles is a technical challenge and it involves development of many cutting edge technologies. A series of technology demonstration missions would be required before it could be used for launching.
In this experimental mission, the HS9 solid rocket booster carrying RLV-TD lifted off from the First Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.  After a successful flight of 91.1second, HS9 burn out occurred, following which both HS9 and RLV-TD mounted on its top coasted to a height of about 56 km. At that height, RLV-TD separated from HS9 booster and further ascended to a height of about 65km.
From that peak altitude of 65 km, RLV-TD began its descent followed by atmospheric re-entry at around Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound). The vehicle’s Navigation, Guidance and Control system accurately steered the vehicle during this phase for safe descent. After successfully surviving high temperatures of re-entry with the help of its Thermal Protection System (TPS), RLV-TD successfully glided down to the defined landing spot over Bay of Bengal, at a distance of about 450km from Sriharikota, fulfilling the mission objectives. The vehicle was successfully tracked during its flight from ground stations at Sriharikota and a shipborne terminal. Total flight duration from launch to landing of this mission of the delta winged RLV-TD, lasted for about 770seconds.
In the first flight, critical technologies such as autonomous navigation, guidance & control, reusable thermal protection system and re-entry mission management have been successfully validated.
Will it significantly reduce the cost of launching satellites?
The magnitude of cost reduction depends on development and realization of fully reusable launch vehicle and its degree of reusability. As on date, the launching of 2 ton class of communication satellite by Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) costs Rs 173 crore. This cost could be significantly reduced if a completely reusable launch vehicle is built.
ISRO is also taking steps to develop next generation launch vehicle GSLV MkIII, capable of launching 4 ton class communication satellites to Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit, which would bring down the cost of satellite launches.
Image and Video Source: ISRO


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All you need to know about the withdrawal of the old Rs 500 & Rs 1000 notes
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 8, 2016
Worried about the withdrawal of the old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes? Here is all that you need to know.
The Government of India took everybody by surprise by withdrawing the legal tender status of the existing Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes. In simple terms, the old notes will no more be valid and cannot be used in any transactions. Here is a dummy’s guide to all your questions about this development.
What happens to the old notes with citizens?
The government has notified detailed rules for exchange and deposit of the old notes with citizens and organizations. The following are the rules for Exchanges & Deposits.
Exchanges
The specified bank notes held by a person may be exchanged at any Issue Office of the Reserve Bank or any branch of public sector banks, private sector banks, foreign banks, Regional Rural Banks, Urban Cooperative Banks and State Cooperative Banks up to 30th December, 2016 subject to the following conditions
Deposits
The following rules will govern the deposits.
Cash Withdrawal at Bank Branches
ATM Withdrawals
Are there any exceptions?
For the convenience of citizens, the government had notified certain agencies that can still accept the old notes till 11th November, 2016.  The following agencies are authorized to accept the old notes only from 09th November, 2016 to 11th November 2016. They also have to keep a stock of the sales during these dates.
What happens if the notes are not deposited or exchanged by December 30th, 2016?
Any person who is unable to exchange or deposit the specified bank notes in their bank accounts on or before the 30th December, 2016, shall be given an opportunity to do so at specified offices of the Reserve Bank or such other facility until a later date.
Closure of Banks & ATMs
Every banking company and every Government Treasury shall be closed for the transaction of all business on 9th November, 2016
All ATMs, Cash Deposit Machines, Cash Recyclers and any other machine used for receipt and payment of cash shall be shut on 9th and 10th November, 2016.
Introduction of the new Rs 500 & Rs 2000 notes
The RBI has also introduced a new series of Rs 500 and Rs 2000 notes that will be brought into circulation immediately.
Dedicated Helpline of the RBI
One may approach the control room of RBI by email or on Telephone Nos 022-22602201/022-22602944.
RBI has also put up a list of FAQs for everybody to read up.

created: November 8, 2016


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Neena Gupta is not the only Indian Woman to have won the Ramanujan Prize - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 26, 2022
A post is being shared on social media claiming that Prof. Neena Gupta is the only Indian Woman to have won the Ramanujan Award. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Prof. Neena Gupta is the only Indian Woman to have won the Ramanujan Award.
Fact: DST-ICTP-IMU Ramanujan Prize is awarded to Young Mathematicians from developing countries. In 2006, Sujatha Ramdorai became the first Indian and first Indian Woman to win this Prize. Other Indians who won this prize are Amalendu Krishna in 2015, Ritabrata Munshi in 2018 and Neena Gupta in 2021. So, Neena Gupta is the second Indian Woman to win this prize. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
We searched the internet with relevant keywords and found that the Ramanujan Prize (officially called DST-ICTP-IMU Ramanujan Prize) is being awarded annually to Young Mathematicians from developing Countries since 2005. This prize is given by International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India (DST) and International Mathematical Union (IMU). List of previous winners can be seen here.
In 2006, Sujatha Ramdorai became the first Indian and first Indian Woman to win this Prize. Other Indians who won this prize are Amalendu Krishna in 2015, Ritabrata Munshi in 2018 and Neena Gupta in 2021. As of 2021, only three women won this prize, they are Sujatha Ramdorai (2006), Neena Gupta (2021) and Brazil’s Carolina Araujo (2020).
Prof. Neena Gupta is a Mathematician and Professor at Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata. She received the Prize for her outstanding work in affine algebraic geometry and commutative algebra, in particular for her solution of the Zariski cancellation problem for affine spaces.
To sum it up, Neena Gupta not the only Indian Woman to win the Ramanujan Prize.

created: December 26, 2022


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Neeta Ambani is not conferred with the Khel Ratna award - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 3, 2021
A post accompanying an image of Neeta Ambani receiving an award from President Ram Nath Kovind is being circulated on social media with a claim that Neeta Ambani has received the Khel Ratna award. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Image showing Neeta Ambani receiving Khel Ratna award from the President.
Fact: The image actually shows Neeta Ambani receiving the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar on behalf of Reliance Foundation from President Ram Nath Kovind back in 2017. Neeta Ambani has not been conferred with the Khel Ratna award. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Reverse image search of the photo in the post led us to News18 news article dated 29 August 2017 which published the same image. As per the article, ‘The Reliance Foundation was awarded the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Award for its contribution in promotion of sports during the national sports awards ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi. The foundation’s chairperson Nita Ambani accepted the award from President Ramnath Kovind.’
Further search led us to a tweet dated 29 August 2017 by ANI and Outlook India’s photo gallery which shared the same image. Even according to these two sources, the image shows President Ram Nath Kovind presenting the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar 2017 to Nita Ambani who received it on behalf of the Reliance Foundation.
Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind conferred Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar on Nita Ambani for Reliance Foundation Youth Sports pic.twitter.com/iauZnF5910
Taking a cue from the news articles YouTube search with relevant keywords yielded us the video footage of the award ceremony uploaded on ‘DD News’ YouTube channel back in 2017. From all these, we can conclude that Neeta Ambani has received Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar on behalf of Reliance Foundation and not the Khel Ratna award.
Further, the official list of 2017 sports awardees can be accessed through PIB archives. From this list, it is evident that Reliance Foundation was conferred with Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar for 2017.
In view of recognizing the contribution made to sports development by entities other than sportspersons and coaches, Government of India from 2009 has instituted a new award named the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar, which has four categories, namely, community sports development, promotion of sports academies of excellence, support to elite sportspersons and employment to sportspersons.
To sum it up, Neeta Ambani did not receive the Khel Ratna award.

created: February 3, 2021


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Nehru did not say that he is a Muslim by culture and a Hindu only by accident of birth - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 5, 2020
An image of a daily newspaper with a quote (‘By education I am an Englishman, by views an internationalist, by culture a Muslim and a Hindu only by accident of birth’) attributed to Jawaharlal Nehru is being shared on social media. Let’s check the claim made in the post.
Jawaharlal Nehru said that he was an Englishman by education, an Internationalist by views, a Muslim by culture, and a Hindu only by accident of birth.
Fact: The statement was not made by Nehru. N. B. Khare, a Hindu Mahasabha leader, first made these comments claiming that Nehru made these comments in his autobiography. But no such statement was found in Nehru’s autobiography. The ‘Deccan Chronicle’ has also issued a correction that they have wrongly attributed the quote to Nehru. They also mentioned that it was an allegation made by Khare. So, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched with the keywords, it was found that Gaurav Pandhi, a Congress leader, had tweeted regarding the same photo of the ‘Deccan Chronicle’ newspaper on 24 November 2018. In his tweet, he asked the ‘Deccan Chronicle’ to issue an apology for wrongly attributing the quote to Nehru. On 25 November 2018, he tweeted the photos of a ‘Correction’ published by ‘Deccan Chronicle’ with respect to the quote. In the correction,  ‘Deccan Chronicle’ mentioned – ‘The quote was erroneously attributed to Jawaharlal Nehru on the ‘360’ page published on Nov 19. It was an allegation made by Hindu Mahasabha leader N.B. Khare in 1959. We deeply regret the error’
FACTLY has found that these words first made their appearance in an article titled – ‘The Angry Aristocrat’ (which is a part of a compilation called – ‘A Study of Nehru’), written by a Hindu Mahasabha leader N. B. Khare in 1959. In the article, he claimed that Nehru made these comments explaining himself in his autobiography. But, when searched for the quote and other relevant keywords in ‘An Autobiography’ by Nehru, nothing relevant to the mentioned quote was found. So, there is no evidence to show that it is Nehru’s quote.
Also, Shashi Tharoor, a Congress leader, in his book ‘Nehru: The Invention of India’, mentioned the quote and said that the false allegations were made by N. B. Khare on Nehru to insult him, but in fact, it was a tribute.
To sum it up, the quote (‘I am Englishman by education, Muslim by culture and Hindu merely by accident of birth’), which is being falsely attributed to Nehru,  is actually an allegation made by N. B. Khare on Nehru in his article ‘The Angry Aristocrat’ in 1959.
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Nehru's parents are Muslims? No, M.O. Mathai made no such comments in his books - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 9, 2019
A post is being shared widely on social media with a claim that the statements in the post were taken from M.O. Mathai’s (Jawaharlal Nehru’s Special Assistant between 1946 and 1959) autobiography. Let’s try to check whether Mathai made the statements given in the post.
M.O. Mathai made comments in his autobiography that Nehru’s family has Islamic lineage.
Fact: No, M.O. Mathai made no such statements as claimed in the post in his books. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched about the autobiography of Mathai on Google, it was found that he wrote two books: one is ‘Reminiscences of the Nehru Age’ (published in 1978) and the other is ‘My Days with Nehru’ (published in 1979). The archived text versions of the books can be read here and here. Let us check whether the claims made in the post are taken from these books. The claims in the posts can be broadly grouped into three categories:
1. Nehru and Islamic Lineage:
In the post, it was mentioned that Nehru’s actual parents are Mubarak Ali and Thussu Rahman Bai. But when looked for those names in the books written by Mathai, no such names were found. Mathai did not write anything about them in his books. On the Indian National Congress website, it can be found that Jawaharlal Nehru was born to Motilal and Swarup Rani Thussu in 1889. Also, in the autobiography of Nehru (Toward Freedom) (archived text version of the book can be read here), the parents’ names were given as ‘Pandit Motilal Nehru’ and ‘Swarup Rani Nehru’.
Mathai also did not write anything about Nehru’s forefathers being followers of Islam. In the post, it is written that Motilal’s father’s original name was Ghiyasuddin and he later changed his name to Gangadhar Nehru. But, it can be read in Jawaharlal Nehru’s autobiography that it was his ancestor Raj Kaul who got the name ‘Nehru’ (from nahar, a canal) added to his family line, not his grandfather. It should be noted that Raj Kaul was also not Muslim and Jawaharlal Nehru’s grandparents also had ‘Pandit’ and ‘Nehru’ in their names. Jawaharlal Nehru’s grandfather name was ‘Pandit Ganga Dhar Nehru’.
In the post, it is written that Nehru’s family migrated to Kashmir after 1857. Mathai did not write anything on this migration. In Nehru’s autobiography, it can be read that his family migrated to Agra, not Kashmir, after the revolt of 1857.
2. Feroze Gandhi was a Muslim:
In Chapter 17 of ‘Reminiscences of the Nehru Age’ book, Mathai describes Feroze Gandhi as ‘son of a Parsi liquor and provision merchant of Allahabad’. Nowhere else in his books he describes Feroze Gandhi as a Muslim. Mathai, also, did not write anything about the Muslim names of Indira Gandhi’s children.
3. Mohd. Ali Jinnah and Sheikh Abdullah are sons of Motilal Nehru:
In the post, it is claimed that Mohd. Ali Jinnah is born to Motilal’s 4 wife and Sheikh Abdullah is born to Motilal’s 5 wife. None of the claims was mentioned in Mathai’s books. If you look at the date-of-births of Motilal and Jinnah, it can be found that Motilal was just 15 years in 1876 (when Jinnah born) but the post claims that Jinnah was born to Motilal’s 4 wife. This itself sounds absurd. When looked for the details of Jinnah’s father, it can be found on the Pakistan Government’s official website that Jinnah’s father is Jinnahbhai Poonja. So, these claims are also not true.
While it is true that Mathai had made some controversial statements in his books, none of the claims in the post can be found in his books. Also, none of the reviews of the book mention the claims made in the post (reviews on the books can be read here and here).
To sum it up, M. O. Mathai made no such comments on Nehru family in his books.
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created: August 9, 2019


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Nehru's photo with his niece is being circulated with misleading claims - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 22, 2019
Many Facebook users are sharing a post with the picture of Nehru being kissed by a lady and portraying him as a womanizer. Let’s try to analyze the authenticity of the picture and also the claim made by using it in the post.
Nehru was kissed by a lady in the presence of Mohd. Ali Jinnah
Fact: The lady seen kissing Nehru in the picture was Jawaharlal Nehru’s niece Nayantara Sehgal. The picture was taken when Nehru landed at London Airport in 1955. So, the post is MISLEADING.
Several pictures of Nehru have been doing rounds in social media showcasing him as a womanizer for many years
AltNews has already written a detailed article on all these pictures . Coming back to the original image in the post, the lady kissing Nehru was his sister Vijaya Laxmi’s daughter, Nayantara Sehgal. This picture was taken when Nehru arrived at London airport in 1955 and can be seen in the video recording (0:27 sec) of British Pathé, a vintage producer of newsreels and documentaries. In the video, Mr. Nehru was greeted by United Kingdom Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden and there was no Mohd. Ali Jinnah in the video.
Hence, the lady in the picture seen kissing Nehru is his niece Nayantara Sehgal and the posts on social media are being circulated to potray Nehru as a womanizer.


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Neither did India get its name from the British, nor is it an acronym - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 1, 2021
A post is being widely shared on social media claiming that India got its name from the British after Independence and that the full form of India is ‘Independent Nation Declared In August’. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: India got its name from the British, after Independence and its full form is ‘Independent Nation Declared In August’.
Fact: The word India comes from the Indus, called Sindhu in Sanskrit; the Iranians and the Greeks who came through the northwest about 2500 years ago and were familiar with the Indus, called it the Hindos or the Indos, and the land to the east of the river was called India. The term ‘India’ was used by the British since the 18th century and not after Independence. In fact, various legislations made by the British Parliament in the 19th and 20th centuries, prior to Independence, have used the term ‘India’. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The word India comes from the Indus, called Sindhu in Sanskrit; the Iranians and the Greeks who came through the northwest about 2500 years ago and were familiar with the Indus, called it the Hindos or the Indos, and the land to the east of the river was called India. Therefore, the name India does not come as a short form of ‘Independent Nation Declared In August’.
The Greeks who had acquired the knowledge of ‘Hind’ from the Persians about 2500 years ago, transliterated it as ‘Indus’, and by the time the Macedonian ruler Alexander invaded India in the third century BCE, ‘India’ had come to be identified with the region beyond the Indus. Therefore, the name ‘India’ was not given by the British after Independence.
Historian Ian J. Barrow in his article, ‘From Hindustan to India: Naming change in changing names’, writes that, from the late 18 century onwards, British maps increasingly began using the term ‘India’, and ‘Hindustan’ which was mainly used from 16 century started to lose its association with all of South Asia. “Part of the appeal of the term India may have been its Graeco-Roman associations, its long history of use in Europe, and its adoption by scientific and bureaucratic organisations such as the Survey of India,” according to Barrow. So, the term ‘India’ was used by the British since the 18th century and not after Independence. In fact, various legislations made by the British Parliament in the 19th and 20th centuries, prior to Independence, have used the term ‘India’, one such example can be seen here.
According to the Indian Express article titled, “From Meluha to Hindustan, the many names of India and Bharat”, several nomenclatures have been applied across different points in time, and from multiple socio-political points of view, to describe the geographical entity or parts of it that we now know as India.
When the Constitution of the country was being prepared, a heated argument had ensued with regard to the naming of the country in a way that would be most suitable to the sentiments of its multicultural, vivacious population; Hari Vishnu Kamath, Seth Govind Das, Hargovind Pant made their arguments in the Constituent Assembly when the section, ‘name and territory of the union’ was taken up for discussion on 17 September 1949, but none of the suggestions were accepted by the committee, according to this article. Therefore, the first article of the Indian Constitution reads, ‘India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.’
Recently, the Supreme Court refused to entertain a petition that sought changing the name of India to Bharat and asked the Centre to treat the writ petition as a representation and decide on it. The apex court bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde observed that Article 1 of the Constitution already refers to India as Bharat. News articles about this can be read here and here.
To sum it up, neither did India get its name from the British, nor is it an acronym.


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Neither Ishan Kishan made comments against Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma nor BCCI imposed a fine on him - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 15, 2022
A post is being shared on social media claiming that BCCI has imposed 7 crore rupees fine on cricket player Ishan Kishan for speaking against captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid. This post claims that Ishan Kishan, during the post-match press conference after India’s victory against Bangladesh on 10 December 2022, accused Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid of not giving opportunities to young talents like him. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: BCCI imposed a fine of 7 crore rupees on Ishan Kishan for making comments against Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid.
Fact: Cricketer Ishan Kishan did not make any such allegations about Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid for not providing enough opportunities to him. BCCI did not penalise Ishan Kishan with 7 crore rupees fine for making statements against Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether Indian cricket player Ishan Kishan was penalised 7 crore rupees for making any statement against Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid, we could not find any news reports confirming this information. If BCCI imposed any such fine on Ishan Kishan for speaking against Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma, it would have been widely reported.
On searching for further details, we found the post-match press conference video of Ishan Kishan after the 3 ODI with Bangladesh on 10 December 2022. Responding to a journalist’s question asking how he keeps himself motivated when the chances are not coming his way, Ishan Kishan said, “Their fitness, their approach. The way Virat [Kohli] bhai prepares, the way Rohit bhai approaches, I spend a lot of time with Hardik [Pandya] bhai. One thing I have learned is that performance matters but what matters more is preparation and giving 100% for your country even when you are not performing. One thing I have learned from watching them is whatever opportunity I get, I don’t want any regrets once it is done. I want to be prepared and ready to perform.”
When asked about Rahul Dravid’s reaction after he completed the double-century, Ishan said, “Rahul bhai was very happy. He knows he is not able to give chances to everybody because our team is so good so it weighs on him. So he was very happy that I did well in this opportunity”. Ishan Kishan never spoke anything against Rohit Sharma or Rahul Dravid during the post-match press conference after the 3 ODI match against Bangladesh. During  multiple old press meets, Ishan Kishan emphasized Rahul Dravid’s and Rohit Sharma’s belief in him.
To sum it up, BCCI did not penalise Ishan Kishan with 7 crore rupees fine for making any statements against Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid.

created: December 15, 2022


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ప్రభుత్వ ఉద్యోగులు లంచం డిమాండ్ చేస్తే నేరం కాదని కేరళ లేదా కర్ణాటక హైకోర్టులు వ్యాఖ్యలు చేయలేదు - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 8, 2022
ప్రభుత్వ ఉద్యోగులు లంచం డిమాండ్ చేయడం నేరమేమి కాదని కేరళ హైకోర్టు ఇటీవల సంచలన వ్యాఖ్యలు చేసింది, అంటూ ఒక వార్తా పత్రిక కథనం యొక్క స్క్రీన్ షాట్‌ని సోషల్ మీడియాలో షేర్ చేస్తున్నారు. కొన్ని వార్తా సంస్థలు ఇదే విషయాన్ని రిపోర్ట్ చేస్తూ ఆర్టికల్స్ కూడా ప్రచురించాయి. లంచం డిమాండ్ చేయవచ్చు కానీ, లంచం తీసుకోవడం మాత్రం నేరమని కేరళ హైకోర్టు వ్యాఖ్యలు చేసినట్టు ఈ పోస్టులలో తెలుపుతున్నారు. ఆ పోస్టులలో ఎంతవరకు నిజముందో చూద్దాం.
క్లెయిమ్:  ప్రభుత్వ ఉద్యోగులు లంచం డిమాండ్ చేయడం నేరం కాదని కేరళ హైకోర్టు ఇటీవల సంచలన వ్యాఖ్యలు చేసింది.
ఫాక్ట్: కర్ణాటకలో ఒక రెవెన్యూ అధికారిపై ACB చేసిన అవినీతి ఆరోపణలను కొట్టిపారేస్తూ కర్ణాటక హైకోర్టు ఇటీవల ఇచ్చిన తీర్పుని కొన్ని వార్తా సంస్థలు తప్పుగా అర్ధం చేసుకొని ఈ ఆర్టికల్స్ ప్రచురించాయి. ప్రభుత్వ ఉద్యోగులు లంచం డిమాండ్ చేయడం నేరం కాదని కర్ణాటక లేదా కేరళ హైకోర్టులు ఎన్నడూ వ్యాఖ్యలు చేయలేదు. కావున, పోస్టులో చేస్తున్న క్లెయిమ్ తప్పుదోవ పట్టించే విధంగా ఉంది.
పోస్టులో చేస్తున్న క్లెయిమ్‌కు సంబంధించిన వివరాల కోసం కొన్ని పదాలని ఉపయోగించి ఇంటర్నెట్లో వెతికితే, ప్రభుత్వ ఉద్యోగులు లంచం డిమాండ్ చేస్తే నేరం కాదని తెలుపుతూ కేరళ హైకోర్టు ఇటీవల ఎటువంటి వ్యాఖ్యలు చేయలేదని తెలిసింది.
పోస్టులో షేర్ చేసిన వార్తా కథనంలో చిత్రదుర్గ జిల్లాకు చెందిన వ్యక్తి ఒక ప్రభుత్వ ఉద్యోగిపై చేసిన ఆరోపణలను కొట్టిపారేస్తూ హైకోర్టు ఈ తీర్పు వెల్లడించిందని రిపోర్ట్ చేశారు. చిత్రదుర్గ కర్ణాటక రాష్ట్రానికి చెందిన జిల్లా. ప్రభుత్వ ఉద్యోగులు లంచం తీసుకోవడం తప్పు కాదని కర్ణాటక హైకోర్టు ఇటీవల ఏమైనా తీర్పు వెల్లడించిందా అని వెతికితే, చిత్రదుర్గ జిల్లా హోసదుర్గలో పనిచేస్తున్న ఒక రెవెన్యూ అధికారిపై అవినీతి నిరోధక శాఖ (ACB) అధికారులు చేసిన అవినీతి ఆరోపణలను కొట్టిపారేస్తూ కర్ణాటక హైకోర్టు ఇటీవల ఒక తీర్పు వెల్లడించిందని తెలిసింది.
చిత్రదుర్గ జిల్లాలో సబ్-రిజిస్ట్రార్‌గా భాధ్యతలను నిర్వర్తిస్తున్న మంజునాథ్, 24 ఫిబ్రవరి 2022 నాడు DH దుర్గా ప్రసాద్ అనే వ్యక్తి  ఇచ్చిన ఇంటి రిజిస్ట్రేషన్ ధరఖాస్తుని ఆమోదించి అదే రోజు రిజిస్ట్రేషన్ డాక్యుమెంట్‌ని అతనికి అందజేసినట్టు తెలిసింది. అయితే, రిజిస్ట్రేషన్ పని పూర్తయిన వారం రోజులకు, 02 మార్చి 2022 నాడు, మంజునాథ్ తన ఇంటి రిజిస్ట్రేషన్ కోసం 5000 రూపాయిలు లంచంగా అడుగుతున్నాడని దుర్గా ప్రసాద్ అప్పటి ACB, ప్రస్తుత లోకయుక్త సంస్థ, అధికారులకి కంప్లయింట్ ఇచ్చినట్టు ‘టైమ్స్ ఆఫ్ ఇండియా’ రిపోర్ట్ చేసింది. కంప్లయింట్ తీసుకున్న రెండు నెలల తరువాత ACB, దుర్గా ప్రసాద్ చేత మంజునాథ్‌కు 4000 రూపాయిల లంచం అందచేసి, ఆ లంచం డబ్బులు అతని టేబుల్ పై ఉన్నప్పుడు పకడ్బంధీగా  పట్టుకొని సెక్షన్ 7(A) – ప్రివెన్షన్ అఫ్ కరప్షన్ యాక్ట్ నేరం కింద అరెస్ట్ చేసింది. మంజునాథ్ లంచం డబ్బులని చేతిలో పట్టుకున్నప్పుడు ACB అధికారులు అతన్ని పట్టుకోలేదు.
ACB తనపై చేసిన అవినీతి ఆరోపణలని ప్రశ్నిస్తూ మంజునాథ్ కర్ణాటక హైకోర్టులో పిటిషన్ ఫైల్ చేశారు. కర్ణాటక హైకోర్టు ఈ కేసుకి సంబంధించి 16 నవంబర్ 2022 నాడు ఇచ్చిన తీర్పులో, అవినీతి నిరోధక చట్టం సెక్షన్ 07లో పోస్ట్-పెయిడ్ కాన్సెప్టుని ఎక్కడా ప్రస్తావించలేదని, ఏదైన పని జరగకముందే ఆ పని జరగడం లేదా ఆమోదించడం కోసం డబ్బులని ఆశించడాన్ని సెక్షన్ 07 కింద నేరంగా పరిగణిస్తారని కర్ణాటక హైకోర్టు తెలిపింది. కోర్టుకి సమర్పించిన ఆధారాల ప్రకారం దుర్గా ప్రసాద్ 24 ఫిబ్రవరి 2022 నాడు ఇచ్చిన తన ఇంటి రిజిస్ట్రేషన్ దరఖాస్తుని మంజునాథ్ అదే రోజు ఆమోదించి రిజిస్ట్రేషన్ డాక్యుమెంట్‌ని కూడా అందజేసినట్టు స్పష్టంగా రుజువయ్యిందని కోర్టు తెలిపింది. మంజునాథ్‌పై ACB చేసిన అవినీతి ఆరోపణలను కర్ణాటక హైకోర్టు కొట్టిపారేస్తూ, “చట్టంలో సెక్షన్ 7  ఒక పని చేయడం లేదా అంగీకారం కోసం ముందస్తు డబ్బు చెల్లింపు డిమాండ్‌ను స్పష్టంగా సూచిస్తుంది. సెక్షన్ 7 కింద పోస్ట్-పెయిడ్ కాన్సెప్ట్ ఏదీ లేదు,” అని తెలిపింది. 24 ఫిబ్రవరి 2022 నాడు రిజిస్ట్రేషన్ డాక్యుమెంట్ విడుదల చేయడానికి పిటిషనర్ లంచం తీసుకున్నట్లు ఒకవేళ దుర్గా ప్రసాద్ ఫిర్యాదు చేసివుంటే కేసు తీర్పు మరోలా ఉండేదని కోర్టు తెలిపింది. ప్రభుత్వ ఉద్యోగులు లంచం తీసుకుంటే నేరం కాదని కర్ణాటక హైకోర్టు ఈ తీర్పులో ఎక్కడ తెలుపలేదు. ప్రభుత్వ కార్యాలయాలలో జరుగుతున్న అవినీతిని కర్ణాటక మరియు కేరళ హైకోర్టులు పలు సార్లు ఖండిస్తూ వ్యాఖ్యలు చేసాయి.
చివరగా, ప్రభుత్వ ఉద్యోగులు లంచం డిమాండ్ చేస్తే నేరం కాదని కేరళ లేదా కర్ణాటక హైకోర్టులు వ్యాఖ్యలు చేయలేదు.

created: December 8, 2022


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Neither NDTV nor India Today released a constituency-wise survey report on the upcoming Telangana assembly elections - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 1, 2023
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it is the latest constituency-wise survey report released by NDTV and India Today about the upcoming 2023 Telangana assembly elections. The post highlights the BRS Party’s victory in the Andole and Kodangal constituencies mentioned in the screenshotted text. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Latest constituency-wise survey report released by the NDTV and India Today on the upcoming 2023 Telangana assembly Elections.
Fact: Neither NDTV nor India Today had released such a constituency-wise survey report for the upcoming Telangana assembly elections. The latest India Today- CVoter opinion poll projected Congress securing 54 seats and BRS securing 49 seats in the upcoming Telangana elections. NDTV did not publish any opinion poll on Telangana Elections as on date. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
When we searched to check whether NDTV or India Today published any such constituency-wise survey poll on the upcoming Telangana assembly elections, we could not find any such constituency-wise survey on the official website and YouTube channels of NDTV and India Today.
India Today in their C-Voter opinion poll projected Congress securing 39 % and BRS securing 38% vote share in the upcoming Telangana assembly elections. India Today-CVoter opinion poll predicted that Congress might win 54 seats and BRS might win 49 seats in the Telangana elections. However, India Today did not publish any constituency-wise opinion poll on the upcoming Telangana elections.
NDTV as of date has not published or telecast any opinion poll results related to the upcoming Telangana assembly elections. We could not find any latest opinion polls related to the Telangana elections on the official website of NDTV.
A few social media users shared a clear and full version of the same photo shared in the post. At the bottom right corner of the photo, one can see a watermark with the logo “Arun Concepts”. Arun Concepts is a social media campaign group working for different political leaders and parties in Narayanpet, Kodangal, Parigi, and other constituencies. Though we could not ascertain whether the image was created by them, from all the above, it can be concluded that the image shared in the post does not show an opinion poll survey released by NDTV or India Today.
To sum it up, neither NDTV nor India Today has released a constituency-wise survey report on upcoming Telangana assembly elections.

created: November 1, 2023


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Neither Pakistan PMO tweeted Happy Father’s Day to India, nor PM Modi responded to the tweet - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 21, 2021
A post is being widely shared on social media claiming that Pakistan PMO had tweeted wishing India on Father’s Day and PM Narendra Modi replied saying ‘Thank you Beta’. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Pakistan PMO tweeted ‘Happy Father’s Day India’ and PM Modi replied ‘Thank you Beta’.
Fact: No such tweets were made by Pakistan PMO and PM Narendra Modi through their official Twitter accounts on the occasion of Father’s Day. The image in the post was made by an Instagram meme page named ‘comedyculture.in’. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we looked for news articles and tweets made through official twitter accounts of Pakistan PMO and PM Narendra Modi on the occasion of Father’s Day, we could not find any. When the image in the post is closely observed, one can find a watermark of ‘comedyculture.in’. When we searched for comedyculture.in on Instagram, it was written on the home page as, ‘Building The Indian Meme Sub-Culture’. The same image in the post can be found in one of its Instagram status.
When the image in the post is seen clearly, one can see that the account @PakistanPMO is not the official account of PMO of Pakistan. In fact, when one tries to open that handle, it is shown to be suspended by Twitter. The ‘4d’ that is written beside the supposed reply of PM Narendra Modi is logically incorrect. ‘4d’ means that the person/account replied 4 days prior to taking the screenshot. But the image shows that the alleged post was published on Twitter on 20 June 2021 and this article is being published on 21 June 2021, hence 4 days ago is illogical.
To sum it up, neither Pakistan PMO tweeted Happy Father’s Day to India, nor PM Modi replied to it.


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Neither Rahul Gandhi nor the Congress Party announced a free mobile recharge offer to citizens for the 2024 General Elections - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 14, 2023
A post is being shared on social media claiming that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has announced a ‘3-month free mobile recharge’ offer to all Indian citizens as part of promoting Congress for the 2024 General Elections. The post shared a URL link and asked users to click on the website to avail of the free recharge offer announced by Rahul Gandhi. A few social media posts allege that the Indian National Congress has announced ‘Free Recharge Yojana’ to attract voters for Congress in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Rahul Gandhi announced a 3-month free mobile recharge offer to all Indian citizens ahead of the 2024 General Elections.
Fact: Rahul Gandhi did not announce any such free recharge offer to citizens ahead of the 2024 General Elections. The web link shared in the post is fake and not associated with the Indian National Congress. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
When we searched to check whether Rahul Gandhi had made any such announcement of free mobile recharge for citizens, we could not find any such announcement on the official social media handles and the official website of Rahul Gandhi. The Indian National Congress (INC) too did not make any announcements offering free mobile recharges to citizens. If Rahul Gandhi or the Congress Party had made any such announcement of free recharge to citizens, several news organisations would have published articles reporting that information but there were none.
The web link provided in the post is not affiliated with the Indian National Congress. The domain “limitedoffer.xyz” was registered in November 2023.
Earlier, when similar malicious Links were circulated in the guise of offering free mobile recharge for Indian citizens, Factly published a fact-check article debunking those fake social media posts.
To sum it up, Rahul Gandhi did not announce any free mobile recharge offer to citizens ahead of the 2024 General Elections.

created: November 14, 2023


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Neither the Tata group nor Taj Hotels launched any Valentine’s day gift card offer - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 4, 2021
A post claiming that the Tata group is organizing Valentine’s day quiz, winners of which will receive an iPhone as a gift is being shared across social media platforms. The post also shares a purported link of a Tata portal. Another similar post claiming that Taj Hotel is sending gift cards for a seven-day stay on the occasion of Valentine’s Day is also being circulated. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Tata group is organizing a Valentine’s day quiz, winners of which will receive an iPhone; Taj Hotel is sending gift cards for a seven day stay on the occasion of Valentine’s Day.
Fact: Tata group through a tweet stated that the viral message about Valentine’s day gift was not issued by them. Taj Hotels also through a tweet said that they did not offer any gift card on the occasion of Valentine’s day. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Tata Group gift card:
Google search with relevant keywords led us to a tweet by Tata Group dated 02 February 2021 saying that the purported link hasn’t been issued by them and asks people to be cautious about such messages. Also, the tweet rates the message as Fake.
These claims and links haven't been issued by us. Be careful and always check the sources. pic.twitter.com/LzCQSOFF4M
Further, clicking the link led us to a loop of surveys but did not yield us any such gifts as claimed in the post.
Taj Hotel Gift card:
Google search with relevant keywords led us to a news article by Business Today which reports that Taj hotel did not offer any such gift cards for a seven-day stay on the occasion of Valentine’s day. The article also reports a tweet by Taj Hotels official handle which says that Taj Hotel has not launched any such promotion.
Further, in response to a tweet that shares the purported link, Taj Hotels has once again stated that Taj Hotels did not issue such an offer and the tweet asks people to be cautious.
Hi Vijay, a website has been promoting a Valentine’s Day initiative, offering a Taj Experiences Gift Card via WhatsApp. We'd like to inform you that Taj Hotels/IHCL has not offered any such promotion. Request to take note of this and exercise due caution.
To sum it up, neither Tata group not Taj Hotel issued any Valentine’s day gift card offer.

created: February 4, 2021


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Neither the Haldiram's company mixed meat in its ‘Falahari Mixture’ nor was caught red-handed - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 11, 2022
A video is being shared widely on social media with a claim that Haldiram’s company has been caught red-handed while mixing meat in its products. The posted video was telecast by ‘Sudarshan News’. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video shows Haldiram’s company being caught red-handed while mixing meat in its products.
Fact: In the posted video, the main concern raised by the anchor was regarding the ‘Urdu’ label on Haldiram’s Falahari Mixture packet. They do not mention anywhere in the video that they found Haldiram’s company mixing meat in its products. The controversial content on the packet is actually in ‘Arabic’ and is just an ‘Arabic’ translation of the English content written just above it on the packet. The ‘Arabic’ text does not mention that the product contains meat (as speculated by the anchors). Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
An extended version of the posted video can be found on the ‘Sudarshan News’ YouTube channel. In the video, it is seen that the main concern raised by the anchor was regarding the ‘Urdu’ label on Haldiram’s Falahari Mixture packet. They do not mention anywhere in the video that they found Haldiram’s company mixing meat in its products. They just speculate that since there is an ‘Urdu’ label on the packet, the Haldiram’s company might be mixing something, which is anti-Hindu, in the Falahari Mixture packet.
If one translates the controversial content on the packet, it can be seen that the language is ‘Arabic’ and is just an ‘Arabic’ translation of the English content written just above it on the packet. The ‘Arabic’ text does not mention that the product contains meat (as speculated by the anchors).
The Haldiram’s Falahari Mixture packet also contains the ‘Vegetarian Food’ symbol on it (as prescribed by FSSAI for vegetarian foods).
Talking to ETimes, Gaurav Mahajan [Head of Marketing at Haldiram’s] said – “I really don’t understand why the use of Arabic language is being given so much of importance right now. What is written at the back of the packet is nothing but the ingredients and nutritional content, which the customer is entitled to know. It is a general declaration of ingredients that are used in the making of the product. So that the consumer who is eating does not have any doubts about it. These details include the facts and figures as well”. Also, Sharad Aggarwal [Director (Calcutta region), Haldiram’s] said – “First of all, it is not even Urdu. We have written it in Arabic language as our products are exported in several countries like Dubai, Italy, Spain, and France. Also, it is a mandate from every country to use their local language in the product description and this is the reason why we use various languages in our products.”
In several documents related to food labelling in UAE, it can be read that the Arabic label or sticker is mandatory. Some of those documents can be read here, here, here, and here. Not only the Haldiram’s Falahari Mixture packet, but many other products of Haldiram’s being sold in Dubai has Arabic labels. Some of them can be seen here, here, here, and here.
To sum it up, neither the Haldiram’s company mixed meat in its ‘Falahari Mixture’ nor was caught red-handed.


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Neither the owner nor the tenant involved in the Bulandshahr Blast is Muslim - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 3, 2023
In light of the recent explosion at a building in UP’s Bulandshahr area, a post is being circulated on social media claiming that the blast occurred at one Mohammad Shafiq’s property. Let’s investigate the accuracy of this claim.
Claim: The recent blast in UP’s Bulandshahr occurred at a Muslim man’s house named Mohammad Shafiq.
Fact: The blast occurred at a property owned by Satish Kumar, which was rented by Raj Kumar under the pretense of manufacturing surf. The explosion was the result of illegal firecracker production. Neither the owner nor the tenant belongs to the Muslim community. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
According to a Times of India report, the police investigation revealed that the residential building where the explosion occurred was given on rent to a chemical trader named Raj Kumar. He was illegally manufacturing firecrackers there and is currently on the run. The police raided two locations in the city, including Raj Kumar’s house, where they found a large consignment of chemicals used in the manufacturing of firecrackers and seized them.
SSP Shlok Kumar stated that an FIR had been filed against Kumar and his two brothers, Vinod, who died in the blast, and Pramod, who has been taken into police custody.  The FIR also includes the name of one Akram who is listed as an accused. The FIR includes relevant sections of the Explosives Act, IPC sections 304 (culpable homicide), 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter), 265 (fraudulent use of false weight or measure), and 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life).
थाना कोतवाली नगर क्षेत्रान्तर्गत खेतों के बीच बने एक मकान में विस्फोट होने के सम्बन्ध में वरिष्ठ पुलिस अधीक्षक की #अपडेट बाइट।@Uppolice @dgpup @adgzonemeerut @igrangemeerut pic.twitter.com/Bl0IhMxCOD
Furthermore, according to a report by Dainik Bhaskar, the owner of the property is Satish Kumar. The tenants had rented the house under the pretence of manufacturing surf. Among the six fatalities in the accident were three Hindu men: Abhishek (20), Chanderpal, and Vinod. Additionally, a 40-year-old Muslim man named Raees was killed, along with his 5-year-old child, Ahad. A woman’s head was also recovered at the scene, and authorities are searching for her torso. Moreover, when the Sudarshan News Twitter handle claimed that the property belonged to a Muslim man named Mohammad Shafiq, the Bulandshahr police urged them not to disseminate misleading information without verifying the facts.
कृपया तथ्यो की जानकारी किये बिना भ्रामक खबर न फैलाये।
To sum it up, the claim that the recent blast in UP’s Bulandshahr occurred at Mohammad Shafiq’s house is false. The actual owner of the property is Satish Kumar, and the tenants rented the house under the pretence of manufacturing surf. The blast was the result of illegal firecracker production by the tenant, Raj Kumar.


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Neither the Turkish government nor Bollywood actors Salman and Aamir Khan announced cash rewards to Muskan Khan - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 11, 2022
A post is being shared on social media claiming that the Turkey Government had announced a reward of 5 crore rupees to Muskan Khan for chanting ‘Allahu Akbar’ slogans while bravely facing a Hindu group in a Karnataka college. On 08 February 2022, Muskan Khan, a second-year Commerce student, was confronted by a group of Hindu students wearing saffron attire chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’. Also, a few posts claim that Bollywood actors Salman and Aamir Khan have announced 3 crore rupees each as a reward for Muskan Khan. They can be seen here and here. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: The Turkey Government, Bollywood actors Salman and Aamir Khan have announced crores of rupees as reward to Muskan Khan.
Fact: On 08 February 2022, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, one of the prominent Islamic organizations in the country, announced a reward of rupees 5 Lakh to Muskan Khan for bravely facing a group of Hindu boys in her college and for chanting ‘Allahu Akbar’ slogans in response to ‘Jai Sri Ram’ chants. However, the Turkey Government did not announce any reward to Muskan Khan. As of now, Bollywood actors Salman Khan and Amir Khan have not responded on the Hijab row and about Muskan Khan who was confronted by a Hindu group in Karnataka. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether the Turkish Government had announced any such cash reward to Muskan Khan, we could not find any such press release on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website of the Republic of Turkey. Also, we could not find any such announcement on the ‘Turkish Embassy in New Delhi’ website. If the Turkish government had announced any such cash reward to Muskan Khan, several news websites would have published articles reporting this information. But we could not find a single article reporting this information.
On searching for the claims on Bollywood actors Salman and Aamir Khan announcing 3 crore rupees cash reward to Muskan Khan, we could not find any news report about these actors’ cash rewards to the Mandya college student Muskan Khan. If Salman or Aamir Khan had announced any such cash reward to Muskan Khan, several mainstream news and entertainment websites would have published articles reporting that information. Until now, Salman and Amir Khan have not responded on the ongoing Hijab row in Karnataka. There is no tweet about Muskan Khan on the official Twitter handle of Salman Khan.
On 08 February 2022, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, one of the prominent Islamic organizations in the country, announced a reward of 5 Lakh rupees to Muskan Khan for bravely resisting the group of Hindu students in her college and for chanting ‘Allahu Akbar’ slogans in response to ‘Jai Sri Ram’ chants from the mob. Reporting this information, several news websites have published articles. They can be seen here and here.
To sum it up, neither the Turkish government nor Bollywood actors Salman and Aamir Khan have announced cash rewards to Muskan Khan.

created: February 11, 2022


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Union Government holds 41 files on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose & Only 2 of them are declassified
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 21, 2015
The disclosure of the files relating to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose by the West Bengal Government has put the central government under tremendous pressure to declassify the files in its possession. Available data indicates that there are a total of 41 files on Netaji with the central government, out of which two are declassified and the rest 39 are not.
After the West Bengal Government declassified the files/information in its possession, on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, there is considerable pressure on the NDA government at the centre to declassify the files in its possession. As per the available information, the Union Government, in its possession has 41 files on Bose out of which only two are declassified and are sent to the National Archives. The rest 39 files are yet to be declassified and successive governments have been refusing to declassify them.
The File Classification
There are four types of security classifications as given below. Files/papers contained sensitive information are classified into the following based on the content and procedure as decided by the government.
There could also be some files that are yet to be classified and they are indicated as Unclassified Files (U). These classified files are periodically declassified and put in the public domain.
The Government’s response
Successive governments (UPA & NDA) have been refusing to declassify the files they possess on Netaji. The Prime Minister’s office in November 2014, in response to a RTI application filed by Mr. Subhas Chandra Agarwal , said that it does have some files related to Netaji, but refused to disclose their contents.
In its reply, the PMO disclosed the list of files, but said the disclosure of the documents in the files would prejudicially affect relations with foreign countries. The reply also said that these files are exempt from disclosure under Section 8(1)(a) read with 8(2), of the Right to Information Act, 2005. Sec 8(1)(a) of the RTI act is reproduced below.
The 41 Files
The RTI response by the PMO listed the 41 files held by the government on Netaji. Out of these 41, only two are declassified and are sent to the National Archives.
Out of the remaining the 39 files, four (4) are designated as Top Secret, twenty (20) are designated as Secret, five (5) are designated as Confidential and the remaining Ten(10) are Unclassified (yet to be classified).
The ‘Top Secret’ Files
Two of the four files designated as ‘Top Secret’ relate to the death/disappearance of Netaji (Justice Mukherjee Commission of Inquiry). Another of this file relates to correspondence with the widow and daughter of Netaji and the last one refers to the transfer of Netaji’s ashes to India.
The Secret Files
Most of the secret files refer to the disappearance of Netaji and the appointment of an inquiry committee. One of these files refers to Bharat Ratna award and mentions three names other than Netaji.
The confidential files contain some letters and also have information about the funeral of Netaji’s widow. The Unclassified files seem to be very general in nature.
What is the NDA Government saying now?
The BJP while in the opposition had demanded the disclosure of these files. Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh as BJP President in January 2014 had demanded that “The mystery behind his death should be unveiled by the Union government to let the people know the truth.”
The BJP, now in power is citing the same reasons as the previous UPA government. It says that India’s relations with some foreign countries would be affected if these files are declassified. Only time will tell if they stick to their earlier demand of full disclosure.
List of Files on Netaji With Central Government

created: September 21, 2015


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New offences of Atrocities & Speedy Justice - The amended SC & ST Prevention of Atrocities Act comes into force - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 18, 2016
The amended Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Rules were recently notified. The major amendments to the principle act include addition of new offences of atrocities, rationalization of payment of relief amount, establishment of exclusive special courts etc.
The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and the Scheduled Tribes (STs) Prevention of Atrocities (PoA) Act, 1989 was amended recently to include new offences and to ensure speedy justice to victims. The amendments to the act were originally issued as an ordinance by the previous UPA government in March 2014. The NDA government has now got the amendments passed in both the houses of parliament. Subsequent to the amendments, certain changes became necessary to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Rules, 1995. The said rules are now modified and were notified on 14 April, 2016.
Major amendments to the rules
Crimes against the SCs and STs have been on the rise. A total of 39408 crimes against SCs were reported in the year 2013 while the number of crimes against SCs has gone up to 47064 in 2014. There has been a demand to amend the existing PoA act to include more offences and to ensure relief & speedy justice to the victims.
The following major changes have been made now via the amendment
New Offences of Atrocities
The following new offences have been added to the list of atrocities
Exclusive Special Courts for Speedy Justice
The amendments to the act also mandate establishment of exclusive Special Courts and appointment of Exclusive Special Public Prosecutors to try the offences under this act. This is made to enable speedy justice and expeditious disposal of cases.
The Special Courts have been authorized to take direct cognizance of offence and as far as possible, completion of trial of the case within two months, from the date of filing of the charge sheet.
The State Governments have been asked to prepare a panel of senior advocates who have been in practice for not less than seven years for each District, for conducting the cases filed under this act. The State Governments have also been asked to review the performance of these advocates at least twice in a calendar year. They are also asked to review various reports received, investigation made and preventive steps taken by the District Magistrate, Sub-Divisional Magistrate and Superintendent of Police, relief and rehabilitation facilities provided to the victims etc.
Enhancement in Relief Amount
The norms for relief amount have also been rationalized including enhancement of the relief amount for certain offences.  Relief amount in case of certain offences are
A new chapter on the ‘Rights of Victims and Witnesses’ has also been added to the act. The term ‘willful negligence’ of public servants at all levels, starting from the registration of complaint, and covering aspects of dereliction of duty under this Act has been clearly defined.
Presumption to the offences has been added to the act, i.e., If the accused was acquainted with the victim or his family, the court will presume that the accused was aware of the caste or tribal identity of the victim unless proved otherwise.


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New Parliament Inauguration Visuals Falsely Presented as that of First Session with Opposition Parties’ Participation - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 20, 2023
A video of Indian PM Narendra Modi walking towards the podium of the newly constructed Indian Parliament and exchanging greetings with other leaders is being shared as visuals of the first session at the new Indian Parliament building. The viral post further alleges that all the members of 19 opposition parties who boycotted the inaugural ceremony have attended this session. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Visuals of the first parliamentary session at the newly inaugurated Indian Parliament, showing the participation of all members from 19 opposition parties that boycotted the inaugural ceremony.
Fact: The visuals depict the inaugural ceremony of the newly built Indian parliament, held on 28 May 2023, and not a parliament session. Around 20 opposition parties boycotted this event. Moreover, the first session to be held in the new parliament building will be the Monsoon Session, scheduled to start in July 2023. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
An internet search using relevant keywords led us to a similar video that was live-streamed by Doordarshan National on its YouTube channel on 28 May 2023. However, the visuals in the video depict the Inauguration ceremony of the New Parliament building but not a parliament session.
By convention, Parliament holds three sessions each year. The longest session, known as the Budget Session, typically begins in late January and concludes by the end of April or the first week of May. The second session is the three-week Monsoon Session, which usually starts in July and ends in August. The parliamentary year concludes with the Winter Session, a three-week session held from November to December.
According to an official press release, the Budget Session for the year 2023, which commenced on 31 January 2023, took place in the old parliament building and adjourned sine die on 06 April 2023. The Monsoon Session, scheduled to start in July, will be held in the newly inaugurated parliament building.
Reports indicate that approximately 20 parties boycotted the inauguration ceremony of the new Indian parliament in protest of the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, inaugurating the new structure instead of President Droupadi Murmu.
To sum it up, visuals from the inauguration ceremony of the newly constructed Indian parliament are being shared, falsely claiming them to be from the first session and showing the participation of all members from opposition parties that boycotted the inaugural ceremony.


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Print Media Advertisement Policy’
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 16, 2016
The government recently released the new ‘Print Media Advertisement Policy’. The policy seeks to bring in more transparency and accountability in the release of government advertisements and introduces a marking system for empanelled publications.
The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting recently released the new ‘Print Media Advertisement policy’ of the Government of India. While releasing the new policy, the government stated that the policy focuses on streamlining release of Government advertisements and to also promote equity and fairness among various categories of newspapers/periodicals. This assumes significance at a time when close to 1000 crore rupees is being spent every year on government advertisements, as reported by Factly earlier.
New marking system to incentivize newspapers/periodicals
For the first time, the policy introduces a new marking system for newspapers to incentivize those who have better professional standing and get their circulation verified by ABC or RNI. The government believes that this will ensure transparency and accountability in the release of advertisements. The marking system is based on six objective criteria with different marks allotted to each criterion.
These criteria become important because currently, most of the publications empanelled by the DAVP have their circulation audited by a CA and not by ABC or RNI. It is common knowledge that many of them fudge circulation figures to get government advertisements.
The policy also makes it clear that newspapers in the medium category shall get advertisements from DAVP only when they get more than 45 marks in the above marking system.
The policy also includes circulation verification for empanelment of Newspapers/Journals with DAVP. The procedure involves certification by RNI/ABC if circulation exceeds 45,000 copies per publishing day and for circulation of up to 45,000 copies per publishing day, certificate from Cost/Chartered Accountant/ Statutory Auditor Certificate/ ABC is mandated.
As per government data, a total of 8031 publications are empanelled with DAVP as of February, 2015. More than 25% of them are empanelled in Uttar Pradesh (2140) followed by Delhi (1046). More than 100 publications are empanelled in 17 states each. Close to 90% of the empanelled publications are small & medium publications.
Policy talks about incentivizing all categories of Newspapers
The policy has classified Newspaper/Journals into three categories namely Small, Medium and Big.  The policy also specifies that approximately 30% of the advertisements should be in English language, 35% in Hindi and 35% in regional and other languages like Bodo, Dogri, Garhwali, Kashmiri, Khasi, Konkani, Maithili, Manipuri, Mizo, Nepali, Rajasthani, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Urdu and Tribal languages.
Special emphasis for certain categories
The policy mentions relaxation in empanelment procedure to provide special encouragement for Regional language/Dialects small and medium newspapers, mass circulated newspapers (circulation >1 lakh), newspapers in North Eastern states, Jammu & Kashmir and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The policy emphasizes that DAVP shall make efforts to release more social messages and related advertisements which are not date specific to periodicals. The policy also mentions that efforts will be made to release more advertisements to newspapers with special emphasis on North East, J&K and other remote areas. The policy emphasizes that the budget for all India release of advertisements shall be divided among states based on total circulation of newspapers in each State /Language.
Close to 850 crore rupees spent on all types of advertisements in 2015-16
As per data available with the government, Rs 842.89 crore is spent on various advertisements in 2015-16 (till February 2016). Out of this, 402.8 crore was spent on Print Media, 353.3 on electronic media (including FM, Internet, SMS etc), 66.83 crore on outdoor publicity, 12.13 crore on printed publicity and 7.83 crore on exhibitions.
Featured Image:  Print Ads


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A Guide to the New Cancellation & Booking Rules of Indian Railways - Factly
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 12, 2015
The Indian Railways is the backbone of long distance public transport in the country. It carries more than 2 crore passengers each day. In the latest bid to discourage misuse of reserved tickets and optimization of available accommodation in trains, the railways has come up with a new set of cancellation/refund and booking rules.
Indian Railways is the backbone of the long distance public transport system in the country. In 2013-14, a total of 840 crore passengers travelled via the Indian Railways. While crores of people depend on the railways for their movement, many complaints have been received in the past about how the tatkal ticket booking system has been misused. Even the Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) has also highlighted many irregularities in the passenger reservation system. In a latest move to curb such misuse, the Indian Railways has come up with a set of new Cancellation/Refund rules along with introducing a new process for charting.
The New Cancellation & Refund Rules
The Ministry of Railways said that the new rules are to help genuine passengers and to plug the scope of misuse of ticketing activity by unscrupulous elements. The new rules have been notified and will come into effect from 12 November, 2015
According to the official statement, the objective of the changes is
The first major change is to enable the UTS (Unreserved Ticketing System) counters in some places to process cancellation requests and issue refunds beyond the working hours of the Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters. The UTS counters will double up as the PRS counters and process refunds in case of cancellations. Automatic refund (for tickets booked online) in case of cancellation of trains is also enabled from July this year. Before this, a ticket deposit receipt (TDR) had to be filed for the refund.
Some of the important changes are mentioned in the table below
In case of cancellation of unused tatkal tickets, no refund will be granted except in certain cases like when there is a partial confirmation (some passengers have confirmed reservation and some don’t on the same ticket), late running of trains etc.
These rules might help the railways optimally use the seats in various classes since passengers might cancel tickets 4 hours prior to the departure to get the refund. The modified refund time limit of up to half an hour before the scheduled departure of the train for RAC and partially confirmed tickets will also help the passengers a great deal.
The higher cancellation charges might discourage agents/touts who reserve tickets using fictitious names and later sell them at higher prices.
The rules might also help the railways increase the revenue earned through cancellation charges. Cancellation charges are accounted under the head ‘Miscellaneous Coaching Receipts’. The Miscellaneous coaching receipts have been growing continuously. They have grown from 564.72 crore in 2011-12 to 932.99 crore in 2013-14.
New Rules for Booking
Along with the new cancellation & refund rules, a new set of booking rules will also come into effect from the 12 November, 2015. These rules follow the changes made in refund rules that allow cancellation (for refund) of confirmed tickets only up to 4 hours prior to the departure of the train. Some of the important features of the new booking system are
First Reservation Chart to be made 4 hours before Departure:  From now on, reservation charts will be made at least 4 hours before the scheduled departure of the train. In case the same are not made by the charting section, the system will automatically finalize them 4 hours before the scheduled departure of train(to be effective from 18 November 2015).   This will facilitate passengers to know the status of the ticket to plan their journey well in time.
Booking Counters will again open after the first reservation chart: Immediately after preparation of first reservation charts, the reservation will again become open at the PRS counters as well as on internet (e-ticket) and the passengers can
A second (and final) chart of reservations will be made available before departure of train and handed over to onboard ticket checking staff. This exercise is expected to ensure optimum utilization of train accommodation as well as enhanced earnings.
Featured Image: By Bibek2011 [GFDL or CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

created: November 12, 2015


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‘New York Times’ and BBC never made these adulatory remarks on PM Modi - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 10, 2022
A post containing adulatory statements allegedly made by ‘The New York Times’ and BBC on PM Modi’s leadership capabilities is being widely shared on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
We searched the text from the viral post and found that the same post is being circulated at least since 2019.
We checked all the reports by ‘The New York Times’ on India and PM Modi since 2014 but couldn’t find any such statement as claimed in the viral post. Even in 2021, We debunked a fake Facebook post praising PM Modi shared in the name of New York Times. When we contacted them for clarification, ‘The New York Times’ spokesperson Ari Isaacman Bevacqua clarified that viral post was not from ‘The New York Times’.
We then searched in the BBC news website and it’s Twitter account, but couldn’t find anything article that says ‘India is moving on the path of Israel under Modi’
To sum it up, ‘New York Times’ and BBC never made these adulatory remarks on PM Modi.

created: October 10, 2022


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‘New18 Urdu’ falsely reports that a Muslim man was lynched by Hindus at a mall in Karnataka - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 1, 2019
A video of ‘News18 Urdu’ reports that a Muslim man ‘Shakir’ was beaten up by some Sangh Pariwar men by saying that India is a Hindu Rashtra and Muslims have to leave the country. Let’s try to analyze the authenticity of it.
Muslim man ‘Shakir’ being beaten by some Sangh Pariwar men by saying that India is a Hindu Rashtra and Muslims have to leave the country.
Fact: The man in the video is ‘Manjunath’, a Hindu, who was beaten up by a few men for his assertion about India being a ‘Hindu Rashtra’. Till now, the Police have arrested 7 suspects in this case and they are Moideen Safwan, Abdul Rahim Saad, Mohammed Marzook, Faran Farooq, Shareek Faran, Sahal Sabil and a minor. Hence, the claim is FALSE.
In the news video, the anchor says that a Muslim man was beaten by a mob by sloganeering that India is a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ and Muslims should leave this country. Later on, a reporter on the phone call with the anchor says that the name of the Muslim is ‘Shakir’ and he was beaten up by some Sangh Pariwar members. The description and title of the video (which could have been updated later) however present a different version of what is said in the video.
When googled about the incident with keywords about the incident, an article of ‘The Hindu’ that was published about the incident was found. From the article, it was found that  “a man named ‘Manjunath’, an insurance agent was beaten up by a few youths when the former asserted India is a Hindu Rashtra. The incident took place at Forum Fizza Mall at Mangalore”. The same can also be read in the ‘The News Minute’ article ‘ that reported about the incident. From these news reports, it was found that till now the Police have arrested 7 persons who were involved in this incident and they are Moideen Safwan, Abdul Rahim Saad, Mohammed Marzook, Faran Farooq, Shareek Faran, Sahal Sabil and a minor.
From the FIR copy, it is clear that the name of the victim (the man who was beaten up) is ‘Manjunath Shenoy’ (a ‘Hindu’), who is not Muslim as alleged in the news video.
The video clip of the man being attacked by the mob is also being shared on Facebook with another version that the man was beaten up when he tried to interrupt them from eve-teasing girls at a mall. But in the FIR copy, there is no mention of any occurrence of ‘eve-teasing’ incident at the mall, so this version is also not true.
As there are several versions doing the rounds about the video, the Mangalore City Police Commissioner in a tweet clarified and said  ‘A video of an incident of an altercation between two youths was found to be made viral on some SM platforms. Police has taken cognizance, a case is registered and investigation is in progress. Appeal everyone not to misinterpret facts or sensationalize the matter’.
A video of an incident of an altercation between two youths was found to be made viral on some SM platforms. Police has taken cognizance, a case is registered and investigation is in progress. Appeal everyone not to misinterpret facts or sensationalize the matter..
To conclude, in the video,  the man being beaten up by the youth is Manjunath Shenoy, a ‘Hindu’.
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created: October 1, 2019


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News about benefit of 1,20,000 rupees for the workers who worked between 1990 and 2020 is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 14, 2020
A message with a website link is being shared widely on social media with a claim that workers who worked between 1990 and 2020 have a right to receive a benefit of 1,20,000 rupees from the Ministry of Labour and Employment. But, FACTLY has found that the message is fake. There is no such benefit available and the website link given in the post is a dubious one. Also, ‘.za’ is the domain used in South Africa, not India. The Press Information Bureau (PIB) has also clarified that no such announcement has been made by the Government of India. It termed the message as ‘fake news’.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
1. PIB Tweet –
Claim- A whatsapp message circulating, claims that workers who worked during 1990-2020 are entitled to receive Rs 120000 from Labour Ministry.#PIBFactCheck: Its #FakeNews! There is no such announcement by Govt. of India. Beware of such fraudulent websites. pic.twitter.com/qyS0mDmQW4
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News about Russian President Vladamir Putin attending the ‘Jallikattu’ event in 2020 is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 4, 2019
A post claiming that Russian President Vladamir Putin will be witnessing the ‘Jallikattu’ event along with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tamil Nadu in 2020 is being shared widely on Facebook. Let’s analyze the authenticity of that claim.
Russian President Vladamir Putin would attend the ‘Jallikattu’ event in Tamil Nadu in 2020.
Fact: The Press Information Bureau(PIB) – Ahmedabad office has clarified that the news about Russian President Vladimir Putin attending the Jallikattu event (in 2020) along with PM Modi in Tamilnadu is fake and wrong. So, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A piece of news that Russian President Vladamir Putin will be witnessing the ‘Jallikattu’ event along with PM Modi at Madurai in Tamilnadu in 2020 is doing the rounds for the past week. When searched on Google with keywords ‘Vladamir Putin and PM Modi to attend jallikattu in Tamilnadu’, many search results were obtained. From the search result of ‘ANI’, it was found that a few sections of the media had misreported that Putin would attend Jallikattu at Tamilnadu. But, no such program was scheduled.
Media reports of Russian President Vladimir Putin visiting Tamil Nadu and watching Jallikattu along with PM Modi are incorrect, no such program has been scheduled. pic.twitter.com/lkeU1G5IXg
The Press Information Bureau(PIB) Ahmedabad office has also clarified through a tweet that the news about Russian President Vladimir Putin attending the Jallikattu event (in 2020) along with PM Modi in Tamilnadu is fake and wrong.
The tweets that PM @narendramodi and President Putin would attend Jallikattu at Madurai are fake and wrong. please don't share fake news@PIB_India @PIBHindi #FakeNews
To conclude, the news that Russian President Vladamir Putin would attend the ‘Jallikattu’ event in 2020 is fake.
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created: November 4, 2019


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Former Zimbabwe Cricketer Heath Streak passed away on 03 September 2023 - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 3, 2023
Update (03 September 2023): Former Zimbabwe cricket team captain Heath Streak has succumbed to his prolonged struggle with cancer on 03 September 2023. This announcement has been officially confirmed by his spouse Nadine Streak. Media reports can be seen here and here.
Social media is abuzz with news of former Zimbabwe cricketer Heath Streak’s demise. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: Former Zimbabwe cricketer Heath Streak passed away.
Fact: The claim is a hoax. Heath Streak is alive and has refuted the rumours about his death. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
A thorough search online using relevant keywords revealed this claim to be a hoax. News reports (here, here, and here) confirm Streak is alive and has denied the death rumours.
Initially, news reports circulated announcing the passing of Heath Streak. Subsequently, Zimbabwe’s former fast bowler, Henry Olonga, took to Twitter to set the record straight, after which media outlets retracted their earlier news reports.
Reuters, for instance, withdrew their article titled “Cricket-Former Zimbabwe captain Streak dies aged 49,” stating that the source of the story had retracted their statement.
Henry Olonga’s clarification on Twitter emphasised that Heath Streak is very much alive, and the news of his death is a hoax.
It was actually Henry Olonga himself who initially shared news about Streak’s supposed demise on Twitter.
Furthermore, Mid-Day reported that Heath Streak, who is battling cancer, personally communicated that he is alive and well. Addressing the situation, Streak reportedly told his writer, “It is a total rumour and a lie. I’m alive and well. I am very upset to learn that something as big as someone apparently passing can be spread unverified, especially in our day and age of social media.”
To sum up, the message circulating on social media regarding the passing of former Zimbabwe cricketer Heath Streak is false.

created: September 3, 2023


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News clip about Madhya Pradesh government's plan to set up separate liquor stores for women is old. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 16, 2022
A social post accompanying an image of a newspaper clip that reports the Madhya Pradesh government’s decision to set up separate liquor stores for women is being widely circulated. As the news clip does not carry the publication date, the clip is being shared attributing it to the current government claiming that it is a recent decision. Through this article let’s fact-check the veracity of the clip shared in the post.
Claim: Madhya Pradesh government decided to introduce separate liquor stores for women.
Fact: This is old news that dates back to February 2020. The decision to set up separate liquor stores for women was taken by the Kamal Nath government. The then opposition leader Shivraj Singh Chauhan criticized this decision of the government. Lately, there are no news reports of the current government contemplating such an initiative. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
The viral news clip shared through the Facebook post is old and has nothing to do with the present government. Internet search with relevant keywords yielded the original news clip that reported the news.
The news clip dates back to 28 February 2020, and the decision to set up separate liquor stores for women was taken by the then ruling Congress party government headed by Kamal Nath.
Few other news reports which carried the news back then can be read here and here. As per these reports, this decision to set up separate stores for women is made so that women can buy alcohol without any inhibitions. And the government plans to open such women-friendly stores one each in Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, and Gwalior.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the then opposition leader criticized this decision of the government. He took to Twitter criticizing the decision to open separate liquor stores for women. Thus this information establishes the fact that viral news is not taken by the present ruling government.
मेरे दिल की बात कवि कुमार विश्वास ने कह दी-
''हनक सत्ता की सच सुनने की आदत बेच देती है ,
हया को,शर्म को आख़िर सियासत बेच देती है ,
निकम्मेपन की बेशर्मी अगर आँखों पे चढ़ जाए ,
तो फिर औलाद, “पुरखों की विरासत” बेच देती है''https://t.co/1dXdoX8hVg
To sum it up, an old news clip of the previous government’s decision to set up separate liquor stores for women in Madhya Pradesh is passed off as recent.