text:
What is the status of Crime in 19 of the large Indian cities?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 19, 2019
In two
previous stories about the NCRB report on Crime in India-2017, we looked at the
status of crime across states. In this story, we look at the status of various
crimes across 19 of the large Indian cities. Which one reports what kind of
crime more?
Higherdensity of population, wide ranging commercial and non-commercial activitiesetc. in India’s cities create scope for greater incidence of crime compared toother parts of the country. This is the reason for the NCRB to dedicate asection on crime in metropolitan cities.
The NationalCrime Record Bureau (NCRB)’s Crime
in India (CII) report -2017, has a dedicated section various crime statistics in Metropolitancities. In this story, we explore the crime statistics in 19 metropolitancities, provided in NCRB report.
For its CII
report-2017, NCRB took into consideration 19 cities in India withpopulation of more than 2 million i.e 20 lakhs.
Delhi recorded
the highest number of cognizable crimes with Kochi recording the highest rate
The total number
of cognizable crimes recorded in these 19 cities for 2017 was 7,29,174.This is a decrease from the previous two years of 2015 and 2016, when 7,58,970and 8,08,637 cases of cognizable crimes were recorded respectively.
Delhi recordedhighest number of cognizable crimes with 2,24,346 cases, which makes for around31% of the total number in these 19 cities. Kochi ranks second with 59,612cases followed by Mumbai which has a total of 58,456 recorded cognizable crimesfor 2017.
Among thelarger Metro cities, Hyderabad has the least number of recorded cognizablecrimes with 16,639 cases for 2017.
While itranks the highest in respect to total number of cognizable crimes, Delhi rankssecond when it comes to the rate of crimes with 1,375 cases per 1 lakhpopulation. The population figures considered  for these 19 cities are the actuals of 2011census.
Kochi hasthe highest rate among these 19 cities with 2,814 cognizable crimes per 1 lakhpopulation, in line with the fact that Kerala recorded the highest number ofcognizable crimes in India in 2017. The average rate of crimes for all these 19cities is 639.4 per one lakh population and eight cities have a higher crimerate than the national average.  Kolkata,Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune have the least rates of cognizable crimes recordedin 2017.
Crimes
under SLL contribute towards higher crime rate for Kochi while it is crimes
under IPC for Delhi
The rate
of crimes under SLL (Special & Local Laws) is highest for Kochi with2006 cases per one lakh population. Comparatively, the rate
for IPC (Indian Penal Code) crimes is 809 for Kochi.
On theother hand, Delhi has a lower rate of crimes under SLL with 69 per one lakhpopulation while the rate of crimes under IPC is the highest among the citieswith 1,306 per one lakh population. Patna, Jaipur, Lucknow and Bengaluru arethe other metro cities which have a higher rate of crimes registered under IPC. Kolkata and Hyderabad have the leastrate of crimes both for cases under IPC and SLL.
In the case
of Violent crime, Patna recorded the highest rate while Kolkata and
Coimbatore  the least
Violent crimes include various grave crimes such as Murder, causing grievous hurt, culpable homicide, rape, rioting, robbery, arson etc.  Among these 19 cities, Delhi has the highest number of violent crimes reported with 11,684 cases. This is a significant drop from 2015 when it was 18,441. Mumbai and Bengaluru, the other highly populated cities stood at 2 and 4 positions with 5431 and 3813 cases of violent crime respectively. However, Patna which has the least population among the 19 cities (barring Kozhikode), ranks 3 in terms of the total number of violent crimes recorded in 2017.
This isreflected in its crime rate of 209 per one lakh population in the case of Patna,which is the highest among the cities. The next on the list is Delhi with 71.6,significantly lower than the first placed Patna. Lucknow stands third with 66.9and Nagpur with 60.3 violent crimes per 1 lakh of population. These numbersbecome more prominent when we consider the fact that the average rate ofviolent crimes in these 19 cities is 36.6 per lakh population in 2017.
On theother end of the spectrum, we have cities like Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata andCoimbatore with significantly less violent crime rates with 12.3, 10.1, 8.7 and7.9 per one lakh population respectively.
Patna has
the highest rate of crime for Murder with Delhi, Indore & Patna record the high
rate for Kidnapping & Abduction.
Murder and Kidnapping
& Abduction are two of the more prominent heads under violentcrimes.
A total of 1976murder cases were reported in 2017 in the 19 metropolitan cities. This is incontinuation of the decreasing numbers in the last two years, wherein it was2207 and 2194 in 2015 & 2016 respectively. Delhi recorded the highestnumber with 400 murder cases followed by Bengaluru and Patna with 235 and 183 murdercases respectively.
However,Patna has the highest rate of reported murder cases with 8.9 per one lakhpopulation. The next highest is Nagpur with a rate less than half of Patna with3.4 murder cases per lakh population. The average rate of murder cases amongthe 19 cities was 1.7 per lakh population in 2017.
A total of14,759 cases were recorded under ‘Kidnapping and Abduction’ in NCRB’s CII-2017report, a fall from 15,041 cases in the previous year.
Delhi hasthe highest number with 5,203 cases followed by Mumbai and Bengaluru with 2159and 1050 cases respectively. Delhi also has the highest rate of crimes under ‘Kidnapping& Abduction’ with 31.9 cases per lakh population. Indore is a close secondwith 30.9, followed by Pune with a rate of 26.5 cases per lakh population. Theaverage rate across the 19 cities is 12.9 per lakh population.
Lucknow and
Delhi have the highest rate of crimes against Women
As per theNCRB’s CII-2017 report, a total of 40,839
crimes were reported against women in these 19 cities. Inthe case of absolute numbers, Delhi has the highest number of recorded caseswith 11,542 crimes recorded against women. Mumbai and Bengaluru have the nexthighest number of recorded crimes against women with 5,453 and 3,565 casesrespectively. Numbers have fallen when compared to previous year, across thecities.
Whileleading in number of cases, Delhi has the second highest rate of crimes againstwomen with 152.4 such cases per lakh women. Lucknow has the highest rate ofcrimes against women with 178.5. Indore, Jaipur, Kanpur and Ghaziabad are othercities with a higher incidence of crime rate in this category. MeanwhileChennai with 14.9 and Coimbatore with 7.1 per lakh women have the least rate ofcrimes against women.
Lucknow hasthe highest rate among these cities in most of the categories of crimes againstwomen.
‘Assault onWomen with intent to Outrage her Modesty’ is one category with of the highestincidences of crime among the crime against women with an average of 16.4 perlakh women among the 19 cities. Delhi has the highest rate under this categorywith 33.6, followed by Lucknow.
‘Cruelty byhusband or his relatives’ has the highest rate of crime with 21.1 cases per lakhwomen across the 19 cities. Lucknow nearly recorded 4 times the average with83.5 and Jaipur nearly thrice the average with a rate of 61.9 cases per lakhwomen.
Patna has avery high comparative rate of crimes under ‘Dowry Deaths’ with 6.8, while theaverage among the cities is 0.8 and the next highest being Kanpur with a rateof 2.5 per lakh women.
Indore hasthe highest crime rate under ‘Rape” with 19.8 per lakh women followed by Delhi& Jaipur.
Coimbatoreand Chennai have consistently lower crime rates amongst all these categories.
Trends in
crime rate of the cities reflect the trends observed in the respective states
Factly dida two–story series onthe trends in crimes in the States. The observations made in regard to thecrime reporting across the states are also reflected in the trends beingreflected in the state of crimes in the cities though the crime rates may notbe directly comparable since the base population for state crime rate is 2001census and the cities crime rate is 2011 census.
In so faras absolute numbers as was overall crime rate are concerned, Kerala was at top.However, a more detailed look reveals that most of the cases reported were notviolent crimes and Kerala along with other developed states rank lower inrespect to violent and grave crimes. On the other hand, Bihar and UP are amongthe states with higher rates of violent crimes and crimes against women.Similarly, Kochi has highest rate when the overall crimes are considered butwhen we look at the violent crimes and crimes against women, Patna in Bihar andLucknow in UP (along with Ghaziabad, Kanpur etc.) have higher rates of crime.
This couldbe reflective of the observation made in the earlier stories, where most of thedeveloped states may have created an environment where crimes of varied naturecan be reported and the FIRs duly registered. However, in other states, onlythe crimes which cannot be hidden are being reported. The cities continue toreflect the same trends of the respective states.
Anotherimportant factor to note is that the crime rates in the cities of developedstates are similar to the state crime rates, which could reflect even reportingacross the state. While in the case of lesser developed states, the cities havea higher rate of crime than the respective states, which could be a reflectionof higher rates of hiding or non-reporting in the hinterlands of these states.
Delhi has aunique position being the National Capital Territory and its standing as beinglarger than a city and lesser than a full state. While the absolute number ofcrimes in Delhi is less when compared to other states, it consistently ranks ontop when the comparison is among the cities.
Delhi has a unique position being the National Capital Territory and its standing as being larger than a city and lesser than a full state. While the absolute number of crimes in Delhi is less when compared to other states, it consistently ranks on top when the comparison is among the cities.
Featured Image: Crime in Indian cities

created: November 19, 2019


text:
What is the status of Forest fires in India?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 7, 2019
Ever since the images & reports of Amazon forest fires came to light, there has been a renewed discussion on forest fires. But what is the status of forest fires in India? Here is a detailed analysis.
People from different parts of the worldwere taken aback when images and reports of Amazonforest fires came to light in the recent days. Even in the other parts of theworld such as Africa, Europe and Asia, there have been severe forest fires offlate. While global warming induced extremities in weather patterns have beenassociated with fires, there are also many human induced factors which pave theway for forest fires. In this story, we analyse the regional distribution andfrequency of forest fires in India.
Number of Forest Fire incidents in India have increased in the recent
years
Every year, there are numerous cases of forest fire incidents recorded across India. The data in the chart below contains forest fireincidents recorded up to June 2019. Hence the data for 2019 is incomplete.
Though the graph looks highly staggered atthe first glance, since 2015, the numbers show a stark increase in the numberof such incidents. The cases have increased from 15,937 in 2015 to 37,059 in2018 amounting to a shocking 133% increase. The 2019 figure is also expected tosurpass the 2018 figure since we have the data only for 6 months.
Among the other years, the number of incidents in 2010 and 2012 were also remarkably high- 30,892 and 29,362 respectively. The Indian Meteorological Department reported in 2018 that 11 of the 15 warmest years recorded in India since 1901, were between 2004 and 2008. The report further noted that 2018 marked the sixth warmest year with 2016, 2009, 2017, 2010 and 2010 being the top five hottest years in that order. The years 2009, 2012 and 2016 were recorded as drought years in India as per the Forest Survey of India.
In the Forest Fire Alert system website of the Forest Survey of India, in 2019, the largest number offire alerts was sent in the months of March and April. Since, November 2018,Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Maharashtra, Odisha and Assam in the same order arethe top five states with the largest number of fire alerts till date.
Central Indian states and North Eastern states together account for 76%
of the Forest Fire incidents in the last decade
For the purpose of this analysis, statesand union territories have been categorised into six regions. This grouping isbased on the categorization given in the Forest Survey of India report.
As per the data available for the last 10years, the Central Indian states are more prone to forest fires. About 40% ofthe cases of forest fires reported since 2009 have been in Central India. Notfar behind, the North Eastern states where shifting cultivation is stillprevalent account for 36% of the incidents. On the other hand, the Southernstates account for 14% of the incidents, Western states for 1.5%, Northernstates for  3.8% of the incidents andHimalayan states accounted for 4% of the incidents. The Forest Survey of Indiahas reported that the maximum number of incidents has been reported in ‘TropicalMoist Deciduous’ forests. This is followed by ‘Tropical Dry Deciduous’ and ‘TropicalSemi- Evergreen forests’.
Odisha recorded the largest number of Forest Fire incidents between 2009
and 2018
State wise analysis of the total number of forest fire incidents between 2009 & 2018 reveals that the largest number of incidents was reported in Odisha with almost 23,000 incidents. Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram have also each recorded 20,000 incidents of forest fires during this period. Following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the number of incidents which have been recorded under Andhra Pradesh earlier has come down. The combined number of forest fire incidents in these two states during this period is 22,424 which is the second highest. In the following chart, the top ten states in terms of number of forest fire incidents reported since 2009 have been listed.
In the last three financial years, from2016-17 to 2018-19, a total of  ₹ 125 crores has been released for providing financial assistance to the states andunion territories that were affected by forest fires. During the same period, land area of 180,342hectares was affected. A total of 21 people lost their lives in relatedincidents in 2018 and one died in 2019. In addition to this, economic loss of around₹ 10 crores was also estimated.
What is the National Action Plan on Forest fires?
Forest fire prevention and management fall under the state’s purview. Each state governmentand state forest department have their own forest fire management plans. TheMinistry of Environment provides financial assistance to the states for thedifferent measures taken by them which fall under the Centrally SponsoredForest Fire Prevention and Management Scheme such as creation and maintenanceof fire lines, storage of water in forest areas, appointment of firewatchers,purchase of necessary equipment, awareness, involving the communities living inthese areas and conservation of soil.
Forest Survey of India has also developedan SMS warning system which sends fire alerts based on satellite data to thoseregistered. The government has also come up with a National Action Plan on Forest Fire which addresses the actions to be taken pre and post forest fires. The Ministry also released a reportin October 2018, made in collaboration with the World Bank titled ‘Strengthening forest fire management in India’ claiming that it would help India attain its long term climate changegoal. The report discusses the policies on forest fire prevention andmanagement and how to fight forest fires. According to this World Bank report,every year, India faces a loss of ₹ 1,100 crores because of forest fires. Thesocial and ecological losses are also in plenty. The report stresses on theneed for formulating appropriate policies involving proper guidelines andframework to deal with forest fires and forest management.
Sustainable Forest management is the need of the hour
Forest fires can occur unintentionally, due to natural reasons such as reduced moisture and high temperatures or ignorance of the people or deliberately when people set forests ablaze in order to acquire land for cultivation or to encroach. Recurring forest fires in short intervals have significant implications on the biodiversity. Though, it aids in regeneration of ecosystem, increased frequency will dwindle the biodiversity- both flora and fauna. The communities living in fringes of forests or within forests are highly susceptible since their lives as well as their livelihood are at stake when forests burn. Fires can also affect the crops grown on the adjacent plots. Sustainable forest management system needs to be implemented with the involvement of local communities in order to ensure that their needs are addressed simultaneously ensuring conservation of forests and biodiversity.
Featured Image: Forest fires in India

source: news-factly

created: September 7, 2019

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


text:
What is the status of ‘Land Record Digitization’ in India?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 5, 2022
‘Land Records Digitization’ has been a focus area of multiple governments. A dedicated central sector scheme was launched in 2008 to address the issue. While the numbers related to various aspects of land records digitization look impressive, most studies confirm that mere adoption of technology is not a one-stop solution. Other issues related to land governance persist that must be addressed parallelly.
Land is a distinctive asset – it neither shrinks nor expands. Like any other asset, its value is also determined by many factors – land type, location, extent and so on. Land is equivalent to life and livelihood for the people dependent on it. It also provides a sense of dignity and security to millions of people across the world. The significance of access to land in poverty reduction and economic development is well established. Proper land governance could help transformation across multiple sectors by augmenting the avenues for growth. Land governance is simply defined as the management of property rights, and land by various institutions using different policies, and strategies.
However, dealing with land records is a double-edged sword- precise and accurate land records could bring in transformation, while erroneous records could potentially invite conflicts, thereby building up tensions. A study by Land Conflict Watch, a private data research agency, estimated the potential investment affected due to land conflicts in India is around Rs. 26 Lakh Crores. Since the benefits offset the costs, it is imperative for the government to ensure proper land governance. Acknowledging its potential, successive governments have directed their efforts towards cleaning the land records.
Traditionally, the system of land records in India is mired with severe complexities ranging from legacy issues and poor capacity of the administration to the multiplicity of actors involved, and the loopholes in the legal framework. Entrenched in deep corruption, the land sector faces unprecedented challenges, both at the individual level as well as the political level. To eradicate such malaises, the Government of India had approved National Land Records Modernization Programme (NLRMP) in 2008, as a centrally sponsored scheme. This was transformed into Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP), a central sector scheme with effect from 01 April 2016. Additionally, each land parcel will be identified using a 14-digit unique identification number called the Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN). Several states have already launched this initiative.
It must be kept in mind that the subject of ‘Land’ and its management falls under the state list provided under Entry 18 and Entry 45 of List II of Seventh Schedule of Indian Constitution. The Union government only provides financial assistance to states in digitizing the land records.
In this story, we look at the status of the implementation of DILRMP and some issues surrounding it, using data from the DILRMP dashboard, Land Record and Services Index (LRSI) by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) and various parliamentary questions.
Important concepts
Before diving into the analysis of DILRMP, it is essential to understand the basic terminology relating to the land sector.
Financing Land Record digitization in India
Since the inception of this program in 2008, states undertook several initiatives to ensure transparent and tamper-proof land records. As already mentioned, the Union Government provides financial assistance to the states for implementing this program. The actual expenditure has been low compared to the budget estimates since the inception of the scheme. This was even highlighted by the Standing Committee on Rural Development in its Fourteenth Report. The scheme is majorly demand-driven and the Union government allocates funding based on the proposals of the states.
While the scheme was initially up to 2020-21, it was further extended to 2023-24. When asked why it was necessary to extend beyond 2020-21, the Department of Land Resources specified that even though there is significant progress in digitization, some states and Union Territories are yet to ensure 100% completion of all the components under DILRMP. Another reason is the implementation of new initiatives like the integration of consent-based Aadhaar numbers with land records etc.
Implementation of land digitization
All India level
Land digitization consists of several objectives under its ambit. The Survey/Re-survey, the computerization of land records, the automation of sub-registrar offices (SROs), and similar other objectives complement the land digitization process in India. The performance at the all-India level is not the same across these objectives. There is significant progress in several goals, but at the same time, progress in other goals is dismally low. The lowest progress is achieved in the survey/re-survey objective.
State-level performance
As already mentioned in this story, Land and its management fall under the jurisdiction of the states. The responsibility for effective implementation of this program lies with the states. The performance of all the states is not uniform – some states did exceptionally well, while some states have fallen short significantly. The states in the Northeast and erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir region are the low performers. This could be primarily because of the history and culture of those regions, where community rights dominate individual rights. The Majority of the rest of the states have developed their own state portals, where all the key functions like mutations and downloads could be executed. The department shares the best practices and success stories from different states in the formulation and execution of this program on its website.
Is Technology a solution to this age-old problem?
The land sector in India, particularly the land records are in a wrecked state. The reasons behind such a shabby state of land records include the lack of co-ordination among different agencies like the revenue, survey and registration overseeing the land. Another reason could be the administration of land throughout the history and its disparity. Digitization aims to provide transparent and tamper-proof land records. But can technology become a magic pill to all the ills that affect land governance in India?
The concerns relating to technology in land governance are less about its efficiency and more about the architecture behind such technology. Issues like the selection of technology, the usage of such data and its access, concerns on privacy, the methodology behind such data collection and interpretation are primary concerns. Currently, different states have adopted different technologies and there is no proposal to adopt blockchain technology in the department as per a parliament answer from February 2021. However, some state governments have launched initiatives for the use of this technology in land records.
The NCAER’s N-LRSI report made an attempt to compute an index that assigns weights to a set of identified components and the method of evaluation of these parameters. These components include textual records (20), spatial records (20), registration (20) and quality of land records (40). The value in brackets indicates the weightage out of 100. Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Tamil Nadu stood out as the top 5 performing states in 2020, while Kerala, Chandigarh, Sikkim, J&K, and Ladakh stood in the bottom five. The mean score of all the states is 38.7, which further increased to 45.1 in the 2021 edition of the index. Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu stood out as the top 5 performing states in 2021, while Assam, Chandigarh, Sikkim, J&K, and Ladakh stood at the bottom five.
The study also provides an insight into the integrity and reliability of the land record data sources. Primarily, the data in the Department of Land Records dashboard is reported and updated by the States/UTs and there is no third-party authentication for such data. The report highlights the mismatches in terms of data collection and lack of data standardization among different states. The study also faults the prioritization of tasks to ensure clean and transparent records. Digitizing the textual records, which are conflict-ridden are prioritized rather than fresh surveys to ensure correct mapping of spatial and textual records.
The Center for Policy Research’s Land Rights Initiative also highlights concerns with the intersection of Land Rights and the Digital Revolution in India, with a focus on DILRMP and three other programmes (JAGA Mission, SVAMITVA, Agri Stack). It talks about the concerns like the lack of gender inclusivity, persisting land conflicts and non-uniformity across the states among other things.
Further, the Indian Institute of Human Settlement’s policy brief on Land Modernization talks about how the accuracy of land digitization is dependent on the reconciliation of three data sets-  textual records, spatial records and satellite map data and how a mismatch in any of these data sets could potentially invite further legal dispute. The policy brief also dives into the legal challenges that could arise due to land modernization.
Though the objective of the scheme is to provide transparent and tamper-proof land records, thereby reducing land disputes and fraudulent transactions, the statistics relating to the reduction in land frauds due to land digitization are not maintained by the states. In the absence of any such record, the impact of land digitization is hard to measure. The states that have their own land portals also suffer from serious inadequacies like the wrong data entry, mismatch in the extent of land and so on. The Dharani Portal of Telangana, after a year of its launch, had 30 issues, causing hardships to people. Similar is the case with the Bhoomi Portal of Karnataka.
The standing committee of Finance’s 28th report on the Benami Transactions Prohibition (Amendment) Bill, 2015 also highlights the impact of digital land records on the poor and vulnerable and the difficulty of genuine landowners in establishing their titles. It also mentions about the old land titles that are non-traceable, making it difficult to establish ownership. Cadasta.org, a private organization working towards securing land rights estimates that around 1 billion people around the world who depend on undocumented land are vulnerable. Digitalization of such inadequate data could have disastrous consequences, particularly for the poor and vulnerable.
Most studies confirm that mere adoption of technology is not a one-stop solution, and it could be insufficient to address the complex challenges in land governance.
Featured Image: Land Record Digitization


text:
What to expect from the disclosure of pending criminal cases against contestants in Media & Social Media?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 13, 2020
The Supreme Court in February 2020 directed that all political parties disclose the details of pending criminal cases against contesting candidates along with reasons for their selection. The ECI issued detailed guidelines following these directions. As we come closer to Bihar assembly elections, here is what to expect about these disclosures.
Earlier this year, the Supreme Court directed political parties to disclose the reasons behind selecting candidates with pending criminal charges instead of those with cleaner records. The verdict was aimed at decriminalizing politics and also increasing transparency. This to be done by ensuring that the citizens get adequate information about the candidates and that they make an informed choice during the elections. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has consolidated these directions ahead of the Bihar legislative assembly elections by setting up fixed timelines for publishing the details of pending criminal cases of the candidates. Factly had already discussed the various judgements and legal provisions that resulted in the disclosure of criminal antecedents by candidates and political parties over the years, in earlier stories. This story explains what the latest developments with respect to the disclosure are.
SC directed political parties to publish reasons for choosing candidates with pending criminal cases over those with clean records
In February 2020, the Supreme Court, having noted the increasing proportion of MPs with pending criminal cases against them, directed that the political parties must publish detailed information about the pending criminal cases against the party candidates such as the nature of offences, whether charges have been framed, concerned Court, and case number, along with reasons of selection, and why other candidates without criminal antecedents were not selected. The reasons should be based on qualifications, merit, and achievements of the candidates. All these details are supposed to be uploaded on the websites of the political parties.
Additionally, the aforesaid information must also be published in a local vernacular newspaper and a national newspaper, and on the official social media platforms of the party including Facebook and Twitter. The expenses for publishing these details will be counted as election expenditure since these are connected to the elections. The details are to be published within 48 hours of selection of candidate or not less than 2 weeks before the first date for filing nomination, whichever is earlier. Also, the political party, within 72 hours of selection of candidate, must submit a compliance report with the ECI in the specified formats.
Three time-blocks have been specified by the ECI for publishing the details
As per the latest notification of the Election Commission of India (ECI), even the uncontested returned candidates must make their criminal antecedents public, just like those contesting elections. The details pertaining to criminal cases must be published on three occasions during the campaign period which have been specified in the latest notification, so as to ensure that voters get adequate time to know about the background of such candidates-
For instance, if the last date for withdrawal of nomination in an election is 10 January and the poll is on 24 January, then the first publication of the necessary information should be done between 11 and 14 January. The second publication would be between January 15 and 18 January, and the third would be between 19 and 22 of January.
Political parties are also bound to disclose details of the candidates they have chosen, as per the February 2020 judgement of the apex court even if the candidature is rejected or withdrawn before the elections. Furthermore, in order to streamline the existing Formats as prescribed by the ECI and in compliance of the Supreme Court’s order, the ECI has modified by making suitable changes to Formats C1, C2, and C3. Format C1 contains the details for the candidate to publish in website, newspapers, and on television, while Format C2 contains the same information for the political parties. Format C3 is a reminder to the candidate to publish the information revealed in Form C1 in the media. Additionally, a Form C4 is to be submitted as a declaration of publishing the necessary details along with copies of the newspapers in which the information was published and the account of election expenses within 30 days of declaration of result of election.
Bihar elections will be the first after the SC’s order
The upcoming Bihar assembly elections scheduled to take place towards the end of October & beginning of November, would be the first major election to be held after the apex court’s directions in February 2020.
Here is a look at some of the earlier disclosures made by political parties and their candidates, one each from the party’s website, newspaper, and social media, where the contesting candidates  and their parties have disclosed the details of pending criminal cases.
Party Website
For the Lok Sabha elections that took place in April- May 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party in Bengal published the criminal antecedents of the candidate, Jyotirmay Singh Mahato in Forms C1 and C2 on their website.
Publication in a Newspaper
Sangbad Pratidin is a daily Bengali newspaper in West Bengal. It can be seen that along with Jyotirmay Singh Mahato, another BJP candidate from West Bengal Subhas Kumar Sarkar, had published their criminal records in the Bengali daily ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Even BJP’s declaration can be seen in the newspaper.
Reasons for the choice of Candidate
The declarations of the candidates of the Indian National Congress in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections in March this year were published by the official state Congress Committee handles in Twitter. Digvijay Singh was the candidate from Madhya Pradesh and K C Venugopal from Rajasthan, whose Forms C7 for contesting the Rajya Sabha elections were made public in social media.
Format C7 Rajyasabha Candidate Madhya Pradesh pic.twitter.com/yp13XfnS03
राजस्थान से कांग्रेस के राज्यसभा उम्मीदवार श्री के सी वेणुगोपाल जी का फ़ॉर्म C-7 संगलन में
C-7 form details of Rajyasabha candidate Shri KC Venugopal ji pic.twitter.com/rQ5rxy3gLc
Thousands of criminal cases against elected MPs and MLAs are pending in courts
The Supreme Court has recently heard the petition relating to fast tracking the pending criminal cases against sitting MPs & MLAs. According to the report filed by the amicus curiae Vijay Hansaria in the Supreme Court,  the number of criminal cases pending against the sitting MPs and MLAs was 4,122 in December 2018 which increased to 4,442 in March 2020 and further rose to 4,859 in October 2020.
The Supreme Court, in September 2020, asked the High Courts to formulate an action plan in order to rationalize the disposal of these pending criminal cases against sitting MPs and MLAs. It was pointed out by the amicus curiae that proceedings in many of these cases were stayed by various High Courts. Further, lack of infrastructure like unavailability of Special Courts, was another reason behind the increasing backlog. Based on the action plans submitted by the various High Courts, Hansaria’s report stated that many states favoured the constitution of special courts in each district at both magistrate and sessions levels for the speedy disposal of pending cases against lawmakers. Many other High Courts preferred trial by respective jurisdictional courts prioritizing these cases. It remains to be seen if these steps result in speedy disposal of the thousands of cases against sitting lawmakers.

created: October 13, 2020


text:
What Vajpayee said in response to Annadurai’s demand for a separate Dravida Nad in the Rajya Sabha? - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 26, 2016
Nationalism and its meaning are being debated extensively in the country today. While the current debate has turned acrimonious, things were not always like this. In 1962, during the motion of thanks to the President’s Address, C N Annadurai of the DMK made a demand for a separate Dravida Nad. In response, A B Vajpayee called for unity among political parties while making a case for a strong law of treason.
There is a raging debate on nationalism today in the country, after a few students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) were arrested for allegedly making anti-national slogans. While the current debate is acrimonious, things were not always like this. We revisit a debate in the Rajya Sabha, 54 years ago. In 1962, during the motion of thanks on the President’s address, C N Annadurai of the DMK made a demand for a separate Dravida Nad comprising the southern states. In response, A B Vajpayee called for unity among all parties to reduce differences and for a stricter treason law.
‘Accord Self Determination to Dravida Nad’
In his maiden speech in the Rajya Sabha on 1 May 1962, C N Annadurai spoke about Democracy, Socialism & Nationalism. He said that the President did not talk about the shortcomings of the Indian Democracy and called for proportional representation system along with a provision for referendum. He asked the house to consider these suggestions.
He went onto say that the current model of socialism was not actually socialism. He said Socialism is not mere welfare, but goes beyond welfare and works out to create equality. He also raised the issues of the Scheduled Castes & Backward Classes.
Speaking about Nationalism, he said National Integration as a term is a contradiction and called for a re-interpretation of the word ‘Nation’.  He went onto say that he came from a part in India, he thought was a different stock. He also said that he belonged to the Dravidian stock and is proud to call himself a Dravidian. He also made it clear that he is not against Bengali or a Maharashtrian or a Gujarati. He said that Dravidians have got something concrete, something distinct, and something different; to offer to the nation at large and hence they wanted self determination.
He also said that the separation he was talking about is entirely different from partition and there won’t be any refugee problem. He highlighted that not many avenues in Delhi were named after people from the south while one can find many public places named after Jawaharlal Nehru & Kamala Nehru in the south. He concluded by requesting the house that self determination accorded to Dravida Nad.
‘Lets work together to reduce the Differences’
In response to C N Annadurai, Atal Bihari Vajpayee who was just elected to the Rajya Sabha made a passionate speech.
He said imbalance in development was being cited as a reason for separation. He said there should be proper economic planning to ensure that differences between people, Cities & Villages, regions are reduced. He cited Annadurai’s call for separation as a warning bell. He said, 15 years after independence, there is a call for separation and that this call is a recipe for disaster. He said complaints about one region getting developed at the cost of others can be heard even within a state and quoted the example of Eastern & Western Uttar Pradesh. Vajpayee said there could be some truth in these grievances, but that cannot be the reason to break the first promise of independence of keeping the country united. He said these voices are calling for Balkanization of India in the guise of self determination.
Vajpayee also said that they opposed the two state theory of the Muslim League before independence and that the partition happened because there was a third force that propped up the Muslim League. Vajpayee said that the pains of partition have not gone away, but taken a different shape. He said that steps were not taken to promote the idea of Nationalism in the field of Education, Politics and culture and lamented that the ill effects were visible.
He went onto say that he also feels the need for a strong ‘Law of Treason’ and that people and groups demanding separation had to be dealt with legally. He also said that that they fought for freedom of the country, not freedom of one region. He also criticized the Congress party, saying that the party was not giving the leadership India needs.  He said that India’s progress after 15 years of independence was appreciable, but not enough. He concluded by saying that these five years are the most important for the country and all the political parties should work together to reduce the differences.

created: February 26, 2016


text:
What were Dr. Abdul Kalam views on Death Penalty? - Factly
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 28, 2015
The hanging of the 1993 Mumbai blasts accused Yakub Memon & the untimely death of the Former President Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, both happened around the same time. Dr. Kalam’s views on death penalty, as expressed in his letter to the Law Commission, in response to the Commission’s consultation paper on Capital Punishment were widely discussed during this time.
The hanging of the 1993 Mumbai blasts accused Yakub Memon & the untimely death of the Former President Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, both happened around the same time. These incidents led to a discussion around not only death penalty but also on how different Presidents dealt with mercy petitions during their term in office.  Of more interest were Dr. Kalam’s views on the death penalty, since he disposed only two mercy petitions during his term in office. Factly obtained a copy of the letter written by Dr. Kalam to the Law Commission of India, in response to the Commission’s consultation paper on Capital Punishment.
Law Commission’s Consultation Paper
The Law Commission of India, in May 2014 has put out a consultation paper on Capital Punishment and asked for suggestions from people. In the consultation paper, the commission asked various questions including the following,
Dr. Kalam’s submission to the Law Commission
In response to the public notice, Dr. Kalam forwarded his views on death penalty to the Law Commission. He sent excerpts from his book ‘Turning Points: A Journey Through Challenges’ to be considered his views on the subject.
He went on to quote from his book and said that confirming the capital punishment awarded by the courts was one of the more difficult tasks as a President. He also said that a substantial number of mercy petitions were pending for many years and it is one task no President would be happy about. The letter quotes from the book as Dr. Kalam saying, “I thought I should get all these cases examined from a normal citizen’s point of view in terms of the crime, intensity of the crime, and the social and financial status of the individuals who were convicted and awarded capital punishment.” He said that almost all the pending cases had a social and economic bias.
He went on to say that the study of all pending petitions gave him an impression that we were punishing the person who was least involved in the enmity and who did not have direct motive for committing the crime. He also said that there was one case in which he confirmed the death sentence because he found the lift operator had in fact committed the crime of raping and killing a girl without doubt.
He also said that courts, while hearing the capital punishment cases should alert the law enforcing authorities to intelligently find out the source of sustenance of the individual who is being punished and that of his family. He said that this kind of analysis might lead to finding out the real person and motive that led to the crime.
As concluding remarks, he said that we are all creations of God and that he was not sure a human system or a human being is competent to take away a life based on artificial and created evidence.


text:
What’s wrong with ‘Electoral Bonds’?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 22, 2019
Following the Supreme Court’s
interim directions on ‘Electoral Bonds’, there has been an intense debate about
the issues with electoral bonds. Here is a primer.
The Supreme Court (SC) had recently passed interim directions on the issue of ‘Electoral Bonds’ that mandates political parties to disclose in a sealed cover to the Election Commission of India (ECI), the names of donors of these bonds by 30 May, 2019. But what’s wrong with electoral bonds? Here is a look at all the issues. (Watch this video to learn more about the Political Funding in India)
What are the issues Electoral Bonds?
Electoral Bonds are bearer banking instruments that can be used to donate to political parties. One can read this Factly article to understand in detail about the electoral bond system. The biggest issue with electoral bonds is the anonymity. Except the banking system or the SBI (hence the government), the donor & the political party, nobody else would know the identity of the donor. This anonymity is a perfect recipe for quid pro quo with governments. The finance minister has argued in support of these bonds saying that the bonds will eliminate black money in elections and ensure only clean money is used. He also went onto say that anonymity is important to donors since they fear consequences. Let’s examine each of these issues.
Are Cash donations not allowed after the advent of Electoral Bonds?
Through the Finance Bill of 2017, the limit for cash donations was reduced to Rs. 2,000 from the existing Rs. 20,000. This limit is only for the purpose of political parties seeking exemption from Income Tax. In other words, if parties receive any amount more than Rs. 2,000 from a single donation in cash, that excess amount will not be eligible for any tax exemption. Any amount above Rs. 2,000 has to be received through the formal banking system or through the electoral bonds. While this is a welcome move, parties can overcome this rule by simply dividing cash donations into multiple chunks of Rs. 2,000. And secondly, section 29C of the Representation of People Act, 1951 has not been amended accordingly. In other words, the names of donors (other than those in the form of electoral bonds) have to be disclosed by political parties only if the donation exceeds Rs. 20,000.
What is the impact of Electoral
Bonds on Black Money?
The finance minister’s argument hasbeen that since the bonds have to be purchased through the formal bankingsystem, black money cannot be used to purchase these bonds. It is pertinent tonote that the finance minister had on multiple occasions said that ‘Black money does not
change its colour merely because it is deposited in bank’, in the contextof money returning to banks after demonetization.  The same logic applies for electoral bondsas well, especially with the amendments made to the Companies act through theFinance Bill of 2017.
Through these amendments, thegovernment has removed the existing cap of 7.5% of the average net profits ofthe preceding three financial years for donations to political parties. Eventhe ECI, in its affidavit in the Supreme Court opined that this opens up thepossibility of shell companies being setup only with the purpose of donationsto political parties. The ECI also felt that this would also lead to increaseduse of black money for political funding through shell companies.
The Anonymity argument
The finance minister also argued that donors are discouraged to donate to political parties because of the fear of consequences and that electoral bonds provided the much needed anonymity. In fact, it is the opposite. The anonymity provided by electoral bonds is a perfect recipe for ‘quid pro quo’. Parties that come to power can extend benefits to their donors without anyone having a whiff of wrongdoing.  In fact, consequences if any or vendetta of any government is better countered through greater transparency and not anonymity.
In fact, as per the International Institute for
Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) report, political parties and candidates must reveal theidentity of donors in more than 80% countries across the Americas, Europe &Asia. Such disclosure is a norm in most of the matured democracies.
Parties in power always Benefit
As per data submitted by political parties to the ECI and analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR),  it is clear that the party in power always mops up more donations than others. The Congress declared a greater income than the BJP, every year from 2004-05 to 2012-13. In 2005-06, the Congress declared an income three times that of the BJP. The tide started turning in 2013-14, when the BJP declared a greater income than the Congress for the first time in 10 years. Since then, there has been no looking back for the BJP. In 2017-18, the BJP declared an income of Rs. 1024 crores compared to Rs. 199 crores declared by the Congress. In other words, the BJP’s declared income was 5 times that of the Congress.
Electoral Bonds would only exacerbate this problem as ruling party at the centre can access all the information about donors of these bonds. Such disparity in the income of political parties is bound to increase with the anonymity provided by electoral bonds and would vitiate the atmosphere severely jeopardizing the conduct of free and fair elections. Any political party’s ability to influence voters increases with greater access to resources.  With the ever increasing role of money power in elections, these disparities might affect the level playing field as well.
Bonds designed only for Corporates
It is evident from the electoral bond sale data so far that these are designed for corporates and not individual citizens. In terms of value, more than 99.5% of the bonds purchased till January 2019 are in the denomination of 10 lakh & 1 crore.  One might argue that citizens also can purchase these bonds. But the restriction on branches (one per state) and the restriction on the number of days of sale has not made it any easy for citizens to purchase these bonds.
Electoral Bonds can exist, but only with full transparency
In the quest for clean money to be used in elections, the reforms cannot be half-baked measures. If Electoral bonds have to exist, it should happen only with complete transparency where people know the identity of the donor and the party to which he is donating.


text:
WhatsApp does not support any third-party mobile application to track profile visitors - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 17, 2022
A video is being shared on social media claiming that using a mobile application named ‘Whats Tracker’, one could track the profile visitors of their WhatsApp accounts. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Mobile application to track the profile visitors to WhatsApp accounts.
Fact: WhatsApp does not provide any default option to check profile visitors, and in a statement, WhatsApp informed that they do not support or recommend any third-party unofficial applications violating their Terms of Service. ‘Whats Tracker’, ‘WhatsApp who Viewed Me’ and other third-party applications do not provide credible data on WhatsApp profile visitors and most of the customers who used these applications informed them as fake. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When we searched to find the veracity of the claim made in the post, we found that WhatsApp has not provided any default option to check profile visitors on its application. In an updated security feature, WhatsApp provided users an additional privacy control setting to control who can see their WhatsApp profile picture. But as of now, WhatsApp has not provided a feature to track profile visitors on WhatsApp.
WhatsApp in a statement informed that they do not support any unofficial applications of WhatsApp that violate their Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Warning about these third-party applications, WhatsApp said, “These apps put your privacy, security, and safety at risk. If you’re using them, there’s no guarantee your messages or your data, like your location or the files you share, will be private and secure. Your account might also be temporarily or permanently banned.”
‘Whats Tracker’, ‘Who Viewed My Profile’ and other third-party applications related to WhatsApp do not provide any credible data on WhatsApp profile visitors. All these applications show random contacts as the latest profile visitors of respective WhatsApp accounts. Most of the users in the review section stated these applications as fraudulent alleging these applications display random contacts as their latest profile visitors. A few tech news websites have also reported that these third-party applications are fake.
To sum it up, WhatsApp has no default option to track profile visitors, and it does not support any third-party mobile application violating its terms of service.

created: November 17, 2022


text:
WhatsApp is not going to charge users for sending messages - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 18, 2021
A message is being widely circulating on social media claiming that WhatsApp will start charging users for sharing messages. The post claims this as the alert message from the Director and the CEO of WhatsApp. The post also asks people to forward this message to 20 contacts and get the new WhatsApp logo with the new icon Facebook “f” on it. It warns people that their WhatsApp account will shut down by tomorrow 6 pm if they do not forward this message. Amid the ongoing confusion over WhatsApp’s new privacy policy, these posts going viral on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: WhatsApp will charge their users for sending messages.
Fact: WhatsApp did not announce any new policy to charge users for sending messages. The WhatsApp website mentions it as a free message sharing platform for users with internet services. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On searching the WhatsApp website, it is found that WhatsApp did not announce any such new policy that charges users for sending messages. We also did not find any such new policy announced on the official Twitter handle of WhatsApp. On the website, WhatsApp mentioned that their firm is a free message sharing platform. They mentioned the same in the FAQ section on their website. WhatsApp published an article on their blog about similar hoax messages being shared on social media.
In our research, we found old social media posts sharing similar messages. They can be seen here and here.  If WhatsApp had announced any such new policy, several media websites would have reported it immediately. Many other Fact-Checking websites also published articles debunking these hoax messages circulating on social media. They can be read here, here, and here.
In 2019, the same message in the post was shared with a claim that Reliance group chairman Mukesh Ambani acquired WhatsApp for 19 billion dollars and will start charging WhatsApp users for sharing messages. These posts can be seen here, here, and here. News articles debunking these fake messages can be read here and here.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg bought WhatsApp for 19 billion US dollars in 2014. But, there is no official information about the new Whatsapp logo referring Facebook “f” symbol on it.
To sum it up, WhatsApp did not announce any new policy that charges its users for sending messages.

created: January 18, 2021


text:
WhatsApp premium is an optional subscription plan for only 'WhatsApp Business' users - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 13, 2022
A post is being widely shared on social media platforms claiming that WhatsApp is soon going to charge users to use its premium features. Let’s verify the claim made in the post. Similar post can be seen here
Claim: WhatsApp is going to charge users to use its premium features.
Fact: WhatsApp Premium is an optional subscription plan available only for a few selected beta version users of ‘WhatsApp Business’ app. This feature is not released to users that use normal ‘WhatsApp’ app. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
We searched the internet with relevant keywords about this news and found a report published 06 October 2022 by wabetainfo.com, an independent website that announces news about WhatsApp, their updates and new features.
According to this report, WhatsApp is releasing subscription plan called WhatsApp Premium for certain businesses that install latest beta version of an Android and iOS app. WhatsApp Premium is an optional premium plan available for certain business accounts that they can join by opening WhatsApp settings: if there is a new section called “WhatsApp Premium” here, it means the business account is eligible to join the plan. The subscription fee may vary by country. This premium feature enables the business users to create personalized WhatsApp business link and multi-device (upto 10) connectivity through a single account simultaneously.
This report also mentions that since this is an exclusive business feature, this won’t be released to users that use the customer app (normal WhatsApp).
Citing the same report, Economic Times, Business Standard, NDTV reported this news.
Earlier in 2021, Factly had debunked a message that claimed WhatsApp will charge its users for sending messages. Also, there are no reports about WhatsApp planning to charge its customers for using the regular services like texting, calling, etc.
To sum it up, WhatsApp premium is an optional subscription plan which is available for WhatsApp Business users.

created: October 13, 2022


text:
When is a drought declared
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 28, 2016
Various parts of the country are reeling under a severe drought. But how is drought measured and when is it declared? What are the different ministries involved in drought relief?
Various parts of the country are reeling under a severe drought. Various ministries of the Government of India have initiated relief measures in drought prone areas. But when is a drought declared in any part of the country? What are the different parameters that are taken into account?
What is Drought?
There is no universally accepted standard definition of drought because of its varying characteristics and impacts across different regions. According to the ‘Drought Management Manual’ released by the Ministry of Agriculture, drought is a recurrent feature of climate and occurs in all climatic regimes. Conditions of drought appear when the rainfall is deficient in comparison to the statistical multi-year average for a region, over an extended period of a season or year, or even more.
Unlike other natural disasters, drought is different in the sense that
Impacts of Drought
There are many adverse direct and indirect impacts of drought. The impacts could be broadly categorized into Economic, Environmental & Social.
Economic: Economic impacts of drought include production losses in agriculture and other related sectors. It causes loss of income resulting in reduction of purchasing power especially among those dependent on agriculture and living in the rural areas. It also has a multiplier effect on other sectors dependent on agriculture for raw material.
Environmental: Decreased water levels in reservoirs, canals, ponds are the primary environmental impacts. This will lead to decreased availability of drinking water and water for other needs. It will also cause loss of forest cover etc.
Social: Migration of population is the top most social impact resulting out of lack of income. Decrease of income also leads to people withdrawing children from schools, postponement of marriages, sale of assets etc. It will also lead to inadequate food leading to malnutrition and other health hazards.
When is a drought declared?
The four indicators viz., rainfall deficiency, the extent of area sown, normalized difference vegetation index and moisture adequacy index are usually applied in combination for drought declaration. The information on these indicators  is available at the level of Taluka / Tehsil / Block. Drought may be declared by the State Government at these levels.
Rainfall Deficiency: Rainfall is the most important indicator of drought. A departure in rainfall from its long-term averages is taken as the basis for drought declaration. The departure could be either measured for specific months or an entire season. Rainfall data are easily available and simple to apply. The rainfall data can be applied in two ways
Area under Sowing: Sowing is another important indicator of the spread and severity of drought. Drought conditions could be said to exist if along with the other indicators, the total area sown by the end of July/August is less than 50% of the total cultivable area. In case of Rabi crops, the declaration of drought could be linked to the area of sowing being less than 50% of the total cultivable area by the end of November/December along with the other indicators.
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI): The National Agricultural Drought Assessment and Monitoring System (NADAMS), instituted by the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), issues a bi-weekly drought bulletin and monthly reports on detailed crop and seasonal condition during the kharif season. These present the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Wetness Index (NDWI). These reports provide quantitative information on sowings, surface water spread and District / Tehsil / Taluk /Block level crop condition assessment along with spatial variation in terms of maps. At present, 12 agriculturally important and drought-vulnerable States of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh are covered through these reports.
Moisture Adequacy Index (MAI): Moisture Adequacy Index (MAI) is based on a calculation of weekly water balance, is equal to the ratio (expressed as a percentage) of Actual Evapo Transpiration (AET) to the Potential Evapo Transpiration (PET) following a soil–water balancing approach during a cropping season.
Certain other factors are also taken into consideration before declaration of drought.
15 drought years in India since Independence
Since independence, there have been 15 drought years, from 1951 to 2002, in 1951, 1952, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1979, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987 and 2002. The frequency of droughts has varied with 2 drought years in the 1950s and four in the 1960s. The 1970s and 1980s also had four drought years each. The 1990s did not see a single drought year. The next drought again was in 2002.
The 1987 drought was the worst drought after independence affecting 59–60% of the crop area and a population of 285 million. In 2002 too, over 300 million people spread over 18 States were affected by drought in varying degrees. Around 150 million cattle were affected due to lack of fodder and water. Food grains production registered the steepest fall of 29 million tonnes. No other drought in the past had caused reduction in food grain production to this extent.
What are the Relief Measures taken?
Various ministries of the Government of India viz., Agriculture, Rural Development, Drinking Water, Animal Husbandry, Food & Public Distribution, Water Resources, Home Affairs, Finance and Railways are involved in planning and implementing the relief measures.The state governments submit reports on drought condition with all the relevant information and the government of India extends support based on these reports. The various relief measures include financial assistance to states, contingency crop planning, relief employment, food security and initiatives to mitigate the impacts.
Featured image: By Pushkarv [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons


text:
Where all you can use the old 500 & 1000 notes till 14th November?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 13, 2016
A short guide on where all you could use your old 500 and 1000 rupee notes till the 15th of December

created: November 13, 2016


text:
Where do various countries stand in COVID-19 Vaccine Procurement
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 15, 2020
As we get closer to the end of 2020, a COVID-19 vaccine for public use may finally see the light of the day. However, concerns about equitable distribution of the vaccine are being raised as richer countries signed contracts for early access. Where do various countries stand in COVID-19 Vaccine Procurement & Distribution strategy? Here is a status check.
The highly contagious COVID-19 pandemic has taken the world by storm. Countries & companies around the world in racing against time to develop a vaccine. According to the WHO’s latest draft landscape of vaccine candidates released on 02 October 2020, there are a total of 193 vaccine candidates of which 42 are in clinical evaluation stage. About 10 of these are in Phase-3 of clinical evaluation, meaning, they are being tested on a large sample of tens of thousands of participants. Some of these 10 candidates can be expected to get approvals for public use.
10 vaccines are in phase-3 of clinical trials
Vaccines being developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer and BioNtech, Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson and Johnson, and Gamaleya Research Institute, are a few in this list. (Detailed stage-wise information is available in WHO’s website). Meanwhile, Russia announced in August this year that the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine, named Sputnik V, was approved by the country’s healthcare ministry though WHO said otherwise.
Procurement and distribution will be a challenge once approvals are granted
Numerous ethical challenges and financial risks are at stake for the development of a vaccine. Huge investments and global collaboration across countries gives hope that a vaccine might soon be available. To speed up the vaccine development process, countries are bypassing the usual regulation cycle & giving express approvals because of the emergency. However, development of vaccine & its approval are only the first steps in the fight against the pandemic. Once a vaccine is approved by the specific country regulators,  large scale production and distribution follow.
Countries need to devise strategies to ensure equitable distribution of vaccine, since production for the entire world’s population will take a substantial amount of time. For instance, certain sections of the population such as the frontline healthcare workers and those at severe risk with COVID-19 have to be given priority. It is only natural that countries try to procure and purchase vaccines from manufacturers as soon as possible in order to safeguard the health of its citizens. However, there are concerns about rich countries cornering the entire initial production of vaccines leaving poor countries at a great risk.
Since the vaccine trials are still ongoing, relying fully on only one pharmaceutical company for vaccine supply is risky. The clinical trials of the experimental vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZenca, being carried out in the UK & other places were suspended for a week in September 2020 following a patient’s illness. Reportedly, Johnson and Johnson has also halted the vaccine trials recently since a participant developed undisclosed illness. Because of such uncertainties in the entire process, countries are sourcing vaccines from multiple sources.
Countries started signing contracts with vaccine manufacturers from as early as May 2020
Many governments across the world have already begun signing contracts with various manufacturers to ensure adequate supplies.
USA
In May 2020, when the COVID-19 cases in the US were mounting, the US government had secured about 300 million doses of the first one billion doses of British company, AstraZeneca’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine.  The Department of Health and Human Services has provided $1.2 billion for this purpose. The Trump administration had also announced an agreement with Moderna Inc in August 2020 to manufacture and deliver over 100 million doses of their vaccine candidate. The manufacturing of the vaccine would take parallelly while clinical trials are underway. The US also signed an agreement for delivering 100 million doses of the vaccine with Pfizer. The US government can also acquire an additional 500 million doses as per the agreement.
European Commission
The European Commission signed its first contract, also with AstraZeneca, on behalf of the European Union’s Member States. As per the contract, all Member States will be able to purchase 300 million doses of the vaccine with an option to purchase further 100 million doses. These are to be distributed on a population-based pro-rata basis. Another contract was signed by the EU with Sanofi-GSK for purchase up to 300 million doses of their vaccine. Recently on 08 October 2020, the European Commission also signed a contract, its third with Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson and Johnson allowing member states to purchase vaccines for 200 million people. Talks with CureVac, BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna have also concluded.
Other Countries
The Australian government has also signed an agreement worth $1.7 billion with pharmaceutical companies to make vaccines available free for all progressively through 2021. University of Oxford and AstraZeneca and the University of Queensland and CSL will provide more than 84.8 million vaccine doses for the Australian population, almost entirely manufactured in Melbourne, as per the agreement. The agreement also includes early access to 3.8 million doses of the University of Oxford vaccine in January and February 2021.
Even New Zealand has signed an agreement to buy 1.5 million doses enough for 7.5 lakh persons from Pfizer and BioNTech provided the vaccine completes all clinical trials and adheres to regulations in New Zealand.
US has released a vaccine distribution strategy
The USA which is one of the worst hit by the virus, has even released an outline of the country’s vaccine distribution strategy. The document released by the Health & Human Services Department touches upon engagement with local partners and other stakeholders. Further, a phased allocation methodology will be followed to deliver vaccines free of cost to all Americans. The vaccine will be delivered under ‘Operation Warp Speed’, a White House initiative to have millions of doses ready to be shipped on receiving necessary approval, as per the strategy document.
WHO has come up with a COVID-19 vaccine allocation plan, known as Covax, in order to ensure equitable access to vaccines, irrespective of a country’s income level. Fair allocations in two phases, first for covering 20% of population, and second for expanding coverage, is how the allocation is set to take place.
India has not yet signed contracts or made budgetary allocations for vaccine
Meanwhile, India’s health minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan announced on 04 October 2020 that the government has plans to receive and utilize 400-500 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine when ready, by July 2021. This would cover 200-250 million persons. However, the government is still working on formulating a policy for distribution, he said. However, there has been no formal announcement from the government’s side on what the source of the vaccine will be.
This announcement from the Health Minister comes at a time when countries around the world are racing to procure vaccines and have devised strategies for distribution, as noted in this article. The government has also not made any budgetary allocations for the same. Further, official information about the total expense to be incurred is also not yet available.
#SundaySamvaad
States given time upto end-Oct to submit lists of priority population groups for receiving #COVID19 vaccine, where priority shall be given to health workers.
We expect to receive & utilise 400-500 million doses & cover approx 20-25 crore people by July 2021. pic.twitter.com/po5Q4YyyDR
The only other information available in the public domain is the agreement between the Serum Institute of India (SII), Gavi, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The partnership announced in August 2020 aims to accelerate the manufacture and delivery of up to 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for India and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). What proportion of this will be allocated to India is still not known.
Procurement & Distribution Strategy is the need of the hour
India is now the second worst hit by the pandemic in terms of number of cases, and one among the five countries in the world which has recorded over one lakh deaths due to the virus. As per the WHO’s report,  COVISHIELD, based on Oxford/AstraZeneca, is the only vaccine that is currently in phase-3 of clinical trials, being tested in India.
Like the USA, India quickly needs to develop a procurement & distribution for the vaccine once it becomes available for public use. Equitable distribution across states & various sections of society is something that the distribution strategy should take care of.
Featured Image: COVID-19 Vaccine Procurement

created: October 15, 2020


text:
Where does the Vice President travel in India?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 25, 2018
The current Vice President of India, Shri Venkaiah Naidu made 77 official trips in the 10 months since he took charge which is more than what the former Vice President Shri. Hamid Ansari made in 5 years during his 2nd tenure (between 2012 & 2017).
Like the President of India, the Vice-President is not directly elected by people. He is elected by the Members of Parliament (both Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha). He also plays the role of ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
When the parliament is not in session, the Vice President is usually invited as a chief guest to various events across the country like Inaugurations, Science Conference, Convocation and various other government or private events. We analysed the data available on the website of the Vice President of India to understand where all did he travel within India and why. If the Vice President visits two states in a single visit, it is counted as two trips, one each to the respective state.
Website has the complete information
The website of the vice-president of India has complete information about the official trips along with the nature of the visit, period of visit and the number of accompanying entourage under the RTI section. Data is available only from March 2012. Hence, we could analyse data only for Shri. Hamid Ansari’s 2 term (from August 2012 to August 2017) and the first 10 months of Shri Venkaiah Naidu (from August 2017 to May 2018). We found this practice of proactive disclosure worth emulating by all other constitutional functionaries like the Chief Ministers, Governors etc.
Why analyse trips?
There is no doubt that the presence of a high constitutional functionary like the Vice President in an event like a convocation inspires students and on other occasions brings much needed visibility for the event. But the frequent trips have their own set of issues like traffic jams and diversion of routes in the visiting city, cost of delegation, security arrangements etc.  Though the government has decided to do away with beacons on vehicles that were seen as a symbol of VIP culture, the VIP culture is still prevalent in other forms like traffic stoppages, other protocol related issues. The Police manual has detailed information on procedure to be followed during a VIP movement including stoppage of traffic etc.
Venkaiah Naidu made more trips than Hamid Ansari in just 10 months
Shri Hamid Ansari, served his 2 term as the Vice President from August 2012 to August 2017 (i.e. 60 months). During this period, he made 74 domestic trips, whereas the current vice-president Shri Venkaiah Naidu has already made 77 domestic trips in just 10 months after taking charge (from August 2017 to May 2018).  The average number of trips made per month by Shri Venkaiah Naidu is 4 times more than the average number of trips made per month by Shri Hamid Ansari.
Frequent Visits to a few States
Data clearly shows that both of them have visited a few states more than the others and few states were not even visited. Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh have been the most visited states for Shri Hamid Ansari whereas Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have been most visited states for Shri Venkaiah Naidu (36% of the trips to AP & Telangana).
Shri Hamid Ansari has visited 21 States/UTs during his 2 term of 5 years in office. In comparision, Shri Venkaiah Naidu has already visited 24 States/UTs in just 10 months.
Number of Officials in the Delegation
In each of these trips, the Vice President is accompanied by an official delegation consisting members from the Vice President’s secretariat, from the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, medical officers, officials of the Press Information Bureau, Security officials and officials from the respective region. Average size of the delegation for  Shri Hamid Ansari is 24 per trip while it is 21 in the case of Shri Venkaiah Naidu.
What is the nature of these visits?
Nature of Visits are classified as Awards Functions, Chief Guest, Conference, Convocation, Festival, Functions, Inauguration Function, Interactive Session and Multiple events (when he attended multiple events in a single trip).
In almost 1/4 of his trips, Shri Venkaiah Naidu attended multiple events. In the case of Shri Hamid Ansari, this happened in 1/6 of his trips. Majority of the trips in the case of both were inauguration functions. Convocations were also a reason for substantial number of trips in case of both.


text:
Where in India are Passports issued the quickest?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 27, 2017
If you are in the South of India, chances are that you will be issued a passport within 15 days while in the North, it could take more than 15 days. In Jammu & Kashmir, more than 90% of the passports issued took more than 30 days for dispatch, the highest in the country by quite a distance.
In 2016, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) came up with the ‘Citizen’s Charter of Central Passport Organisation for Issuance and Delivery of Passport Services 2016’. The charter lists down service delivery standards and timelines for issuing various types of passports including re-issue etc.  The standards indicate a maximum of 30 working days for issue of a fresh passport (excluding the police verification period) in normal cases. But data shared by the government in the Rajya Sabha show wide variations in timelines across states & regions in the country.
Most passports issued in RPO Lucknow
There are 37 RPOs (Regional Passport Offices) and one Consular, Passport & Visa Division  (CPV) in Delhi that issue passports in the country. As per data shared by the MEA, 1.01 crore passports were issued in 2015 across the country while in 2016, 97.06 lakh passports were issued. As expected, the RPO in Lucknow issued the highest number of passports in the country followed by RPO Hyderabad and RPO Bangalore. The least number of passports were issued by RPO Jammu (38334)  in 2015 and RPO Raipur (41932) in 2016.
More than 50% of the passports issued within 15 days in South India
In 2015, more than 50% of the passports were issued within 15 days by the RPOs in South. RPOs in the North could issue only 1/4th of the passports within 15 days while the RPOs in the East  issued only 20% passports within 15 days. On the other hand, RPOs in the East issued 62.5% of the passports in more than 30 days, the highest for any region. One of the possible reasons for such disparity in the time taken could be the process and time taken for police verification. There is definitely something to learn from the South when it comes to issuing passports in time.
Substantial improvement seen in 2016
In 2016, there has been a substantial improvement in all the regions. Both in the South & West, more than 50% passports were issued within 15 days. For the North, this percentage went up to 35.9% from 24.6%.
More than 90% of the passports take 30 days or more in Jammu & Kashmir
The variation in time taken for passport issuance by various RPOs could not have been starker. While 73.7% of the passports were issued within 15 days by RPO Goa, only 1.5% passports were issued within 15 days by RPO Jammu. In fact, more than 90% of the passports issued by both RPO Jammu & RPO Srinagar took more than 30 days for the dispatch. This is the highest in the country by quite a distance. Other than the security situation in Jammu & Kashmir, what explains such a delay?
Out of the 10 RPOs that issued more than 50% of the passports within 15 days in 2015, 6 of them are in the South. Except RPO Kolkata, all the RPOs that issued less than 20% of the passports within 15 days in 2015 are in the North.
No improvement in Jammu & Kashmir in 2016
While there has been a substantial improvement in the time taken for passport issuance by various RPOs in 2016, the situation in Jammu & Kashmir remained the same. More than 90% of the passports issued by RPOs in Jammu & Srinagar took more than 30 days for dispatch even in 2016. In 2016, nine (9) RPOs issued more than 50% passports within 15 days and six of these RPOs are in the South. RPO Goa surprisingly issued only 58% passports within 15 days in 2016 compared to 74% in 2015.
On its part, the MEA cited non-receipt of police verification report within the stipulated time of 21 days, receipt of incomplete police verification report, inability of the applicant in providing required documents, increase in demand for passports, shortage of manpower in the Central Passport Organization etc as some of the reasons for the delay.


text:
Where in India are the Tamil, Kannada & Malayalam speakers? - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 5, 2018
Census India recently released the 2011 census data for Mother tongue & language. As per the data, here is where the Tamil, Kannada & Malayalam (people whose mother tongue is Tamil, Kannada or Malayalam) speaking people  live.
TAMIL
KANNADA
MALAYALAM


text:
Which Bird species in India are of high conservation concern?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 14, 2020
In addition to the Tiger & Elephant, India is home to hundreds of Bird species. In a first of its kind, ten different organizations have come together to launch the ‘State of India’s Birds – 2020 Report’. But what does the report say about India’s bird species? Here is a detailed analysis of the report.
Data is animportant tool for any conservation initiative. Data helps ascertain thecurrent situation, past trends and enables to chalk out a better conservationstrategy.
The Quadra annual Status of Tiger report is an essential part of the efforts towards Tiger Conservation in India. Similarly, ‘Synchronized Elephant Population Estimation India 2017’ report throws light on the status of Indian Elephant which is considered as endangered. The Ministry of Environment and Forests oversees the conservation efforts of the Tiger and Indian Elephant through Project Tiger and Project Elephant programmes.
Apart from Tigers and Elephants, India is home to a wide variety of Flora and Fauna. As per Biodiversity in India Report, published by Indian Statistical Institute, India is home to around 7% of the total species of Mammals in the world and 12% of the total world bird species.
State of India’s Birds report is a first attempt towards understanding Birds’ conservation in India.
There areestimated to be around 1200 different species of birds in India. As on date,there is no formal effort from the government of India to ascertain the numbersrelating to the avian species in India.
Over the past two to three decades, there are apprehensions about the fall in bird numbers due to anthropogenic and other factors. However, apart from isolated observations, there has been no cohesive effort in this direction.  In this context, State of India’s Birds Report -2020 comes as a welcome step towards monitoring and conservation of bird species in India. This report is the result of a combined effort and partnership of 10 different organizations.
It was released on 17 February 2020 at the 13 Conference of Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species. This was held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
The observations of more than 15,500 bird watchers is used as the primary data
More than 10 million observations were uploaded by 15,500 + bird watchers on eBird Platform. eBird is a collaborative platform run by Bird Count India, wherein birders can upload their bird sightings.
The State of India’s Birds Report-2020 used this information to understand the distribution, abundance and population trends of Indian birds. The observations were made with respect to 867 Indian birds.
Based on this information, analysis was made on the trends in abundance of the bird species in both the long term (i.e 25 + years) and the current i.e past 5 years.  These two trends form two of the three indices used for assessment, with the third index being ‘Measure of Distribution range size’.  This analysis was corroborated with IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species for categorization of Conservation concern.
The report came up with its own categorization with all the bird species categorized into three: Low, Moderate & High
The detailed methodology followed in the collation of the data, trend analysis, criteria for categorization etc. can be read in ‘Background and Methodology’ part of this report.
The idea of this report was conceived in 2018
The ideafor such a report was conceived in the year 2018. Here are some majormilestones in the preparation of this report.
101 species have been identified as of ‘High Conservation Concern’
Theanalysis of the trends relating to the distribution of birds was done for 867species (five bird species have been included under one larger species; therefore,the categorization is done for 862 birds).
Out ofthese, 101 species have been categorized as ‘High Conservation Concern’. 319species of birds are categorized as Medium Conservation Concern and the rest442 as Low Conservation Concern.
Need for creating awareness of Bird Conservation
Birds play an important role in maintaining ecological balance. Their role as pollinators and dispersers of seeds is critical in the propagation of plant population. The places occupied by various species of birds in the food chain as prey for other species as well as predators & scavengers strikes a key ecological balance.
However, as the report shows, there has been a decline in population and distribution of bird species over a period of time. More worrisome is the decline of the endemic species in the Western Ghats. The population of raptors which are the apex predators in the respective food chain can lead to unchecked growth of the prey.
Trapping ofbirds for trade as exotic pets, destruction of habitats including lakes andforests, usage of chemicals (one of the main reasons for fall in Vulturepopulations in India) etc. are some of the reasons for the decline.
Creation of awareness among the public to create empathy and interest in birds coupled with government measures in bringing strict laws to curb illegal trade and destruction of habitats would act as initial steps towards conservation. In addition, special focus on critically endangered species is also the need of the hour. Organizations working on Bird conservation should be actively involved by the government in all these efforts.
Featured Image: Nest India Birding


text:
Class of passengers earn the most revenue for Railways
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 27, 2015
The much awaited Railway Budget-2015 was presented by the Railway Minister Mr. Suresh Prabhu in the Lok Sabha yesterday. While you will find information on the allocations almost everywhere, we decided to do the number crunching on the passenger earnings of the Indian Railways. So which class of Passengers earn the most revenue for Railways? Let’s look at the numbers first.
Financial Year 2013-14 (Actual)
Similar numbers for the revised estimates for the financial year 2014-15 and the estimates for the year 2015-16 are below.
Revised Estimates for 2014-15
Budget Estimates for 2015-16
Data Source: Explanatory Memorandum, Railway Budget 2015-16

created: February 27, 2015


text:
Which State Tableau was selected for the Republic Day Parade every year since 2005? - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 10, 2018
The Republic Day (RD) Parade in Delhi is a spectacle that one cannot miss. Tableaux selected for the RD parade offer a unique opportunity to witness the culture,heritage & other unique aspects of various states. As per data shared by the Ministry of Defence, Jammu & Kashmir is the only state whose tableau was selected for every RD parade since 2005. Culture & Heritage was the theme for majority of the tableaux in the last 14 years.
Selection of a state Tableau for the RD parade is considered prestigious. In the last 14 years (2005 to 2018), an average of 15 tableaux were selected per year out of close to 30 proposals received every year. Factly obtained data from the Ministry of Defence about the tableaux selected each year since 2005 and here is what the data has to say.
Who selects the Tableaux for the RD parade?
As per the response received from the Ministry of Defence (MoD), ‘Tableau proposals received from various states/UTs are evaluated in a series of meetings of an expert committee consisting of eminent persons in the field of art, culture, painting, sculpture, music, architecture, choreography etc. The expert committee examines the proposals on the basis of theme, concept, design and visual impact before making its recommendations’.
Jammu & Kashmir is the only state whose Tableau was part of every RD parade since 2005
The data obtained from the MoD shows that a total of 207 tableaux were selected for the RD parade from 2005 to 2018. Jammu & Kashmir is the only state whose tableau was selected for the parade every year (14 times). Next in line is Karnataka whose tableau was selected 12 times during the 14 year period. The tableaux of Assam & Chhattisgarh were selected 11 times each.
Most Tableaux were selected in 2007
The data also shows that the most number of tableaux for the parade were selected in 2007, when 18 tableaux were selected. In the year 2009, only 12 tableaux were selected, the lowest for any year. On average, 15 tableaux were selected each year. In terms of the acceptance rate, 17 of the 30 proposals were accepted in 2017 while only 14 out of the 32 proposals were accepted in 2018.
Most Tableaux had Culture & Heritage as the theme
In terms of themes, 91 tableaux had a theme depicting culture & heritage while 37 of them depicted various festivals, 24 of them depicted the artwork and art forms of respective states while 18 of them depicted the flora & fauna of the states. Eleven (11) tableaux depicted personalities while 14 of them showcased development work in their states.
Infographic Design by Uday Erothu


text:
While reports about increase of necrophilia cases in Pakistan are true, the image shared in the post is not from Pakistan - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 1, 2023
A photo of a grave locked with an iron grill is being widely shared on social media claiming that parents in Pakistan are putting up padlocks on the graves of their daughters to prevent them from getting raped. The post claims that there is a rampant increase in necrophilia cases in Pakistan and that people are putting padlocks on their daughter’s graves to prevent such cases. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo showing a female grave locked with an iron grill to avoid rape in Pakistan.
Fact: The locked grave shown in the photo is from a graveyard in the Madannapet area of Hyderabad in Telangana. According to locals, a man locked his family member’s grave with an iron grill so that no one could bury other’s body in this grave. While the reports on rampant increase in necrophilia cases in Pakistan are true, the image shared in the post is from India and has nothing to do with Pakistan. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
When we searched for further sources using relevant keywords on the internet, we found an article published recently by the Pakistan-based ‘Daily Times’ news site on the rampant increase in necrophilia (sexual intercourse with corpses) cases in Pakistan. The article reports that in some areas of Pakistan, parents were putting up iron fences around the graves of their daughters to prevent them from getting raped.
Several old reports informing necrophilia cases in Pakistan can be seen here, here and here. Such incidents have been reported in Pakistan since 2011.
While reporting the latest news published by the ‘Daily Times’, several Indian news websites including ANI, NDTV, ABP, Amar Ujala, Hindustan Times, Free Press Journal, India TV and others published the same photo of a grave locked with an iron grill.
The locked grave in the photo is located in Hyderabad
When we searched for further sources, we found that the locked tomb seen in the photo is at the graveyard in Rein Bazaar of the Madannapet area in Hyderabad, Telangana.
As the photo went viral on social media, several local media outlets in Hyderabad published videos reporting that the locked grave is located at the graveyard in the Madannapet Rein Bazar area in Hyderabad. Those news reports can be seen here, here, here and here. As part of the investigation, these organisations spoke to the concerned persons at the graveyard in Rein Bazar and provided clarity regarding the locked tomb.
According to these reports, many people were burying the bodies by digging the old graves, without taking permission, at the graveyard in Rein Bazar. To prevent people from burying someone else’s body on his family member’s grave, a man reportedly locked his family member’s grave with an iron grill. As per the reports, the grave was about 1.5-2 years old and since it was in front of the gate, grills were erected so that no one could walk on it. The Google Street View of the Area also shows this grill.
NDTV, WION and many other news sites published articles clarifying that the image is from the graveyard in the Madannapet area of Hyderabad.
To sum it up, while the reports on increase in necrophilia cases in Pakistan are true, the image shared in the post is not from Pakistan.


text:
While Some of These Rock Carvings Visually Resemble Modern Technologies, Others Are Just Recent Creations - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 10, 2023
A video is being shared on social media that claims to show a series of rock carvings that depict modern-day inventions such as bicycles, computers, astronaut suits, etc. The carvings show detailed depictions of these technologies, including images of people riding bicycles, sitting at computers, and even wearing astronaut helmets. The video suggests that these carvings are evidence that our ancestors were more technologically advanced than we previously thought and may have even had access to advanced knowledge or extra-terrestrial help. Let’s fact-check the claims made in the post.
Claim: The ancient rock carvings show modern-day technologies like computers, Astronaut suits and bicycles, etc. which suggests that our ancestors are more technologically advanced than us.
Fact: The carvings of the bicycle and astronaut are done recently after their inventions are made. The man sitting at a computer is not a carving, but an artwork made in 2006. Similarly, symbols in some other carvings have not yet been deciphered, and some of the associations with modern symbols like Wi-Fi, rockets and transformers, etc, could be due to visual similarities rather than actual representation as there is not enough evidence to support them. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Ancient carving of a Person sitting at the computer:
In a previous viral circulation, the same image was claimed to be a 1,400-year-old stonework at an Indian temple. However, we previously debunked this claim and provided evidence that it was an artwork created by an artist named Raul Cruz in 2006. To read our complete fact-check article, click here.
Stone carving of a bicycle with a rider:
We previously debunked these images when they went viral claiming to be from an Indian temple. However, it was discovered that they were actually classical Balinese stone temple architecture, featuring a peculiar wall relief depicting a highly stylized man riding a bicycle with floral wheels. This figure is widely believed to be the work of Dutch artist, lithographer, and ethnologist, Wijnand Otto Jan Nieuwenkamp, who was considered the first European artist to visit the island in 1906. It should be noted that the invention of bicycles predates the time period when the carving was made, which refutes the claim that the carvings depict ancient knowledge of modern technologies.
Petroglyph of an Astronaut:
The claim that the Cathedral of Salamanca in Spain has an astronaut carving dating back to the 12th century has also been debunked earlier. The Cathedral is actually two churches joined together, with one dating back to the 12th-13th century and the other dating back to the 16th century. The astronaut carving and other modern-day figures were added only recently during renovations in 1992. One of the artists working on the cathedral decided to sign his work with the figure of a 20th-century astronaut, along with other figures such as a dragon eating ice cream, a lynx, a bull, a stork, a rabbit, and a crayfish. Therefore, the claim that the Cathedral of Salamanca has an astronaut carving from the 12th century is false, and it is simply a modern-day hoax.
The video makes other claims of ancient carvings depicting modern-day inventions such as rockets, Wi-Fi, transformers etc. However, these claims do not hold up to scrutiny as there is not enough evidence to support them. The symbols in the carvings have not yet been deciphered, and some of the associations with modern symbols could be due to visual similarities rather than actual representations.
To sum it up, there is currently no credible evidence to support the claim that our ancestors have already carved depictions of modern-day technological inventions. The images and symbols in the viral post have either been debunked or lack sufficient evidence to support their interpretations.