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Fact Check: News about Government Compensation in case of Accident Deaths is False
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 1, 2018
A message about government paying compensation in case of accidental deaths is being widely shared on WhatsApp. This claims made in the message are false.
This is the age of fake & false news. Not a day passes without coming across at least one fake/false news story. In the past few days, a message has been going around on WhatsApp that the government is obliged to give compensation worth ten times the average annual income of the last three years to that person’s family who dies in an accident. The message also says this is based on a particular section of the Motor Vehicles Act 1988 (MV Act) and a Supreme Court judgement in a related case. Both the claims are false as we explain below.
What is Section 166 of the MV act?
Section 166 of the MV act deals with how an application for compensation has to be made. It only talks about things like the persons eligible to file an application for compensation, how it should be filed etc. The claim has to be filed with the relevant Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT).
The claim petition should include the following documents
Who pays the compensation?
In case of a permanent disability or death in an accident involving a motor vehicle, the owner of the motor vehicle causing the accident is liable to pay compensation as per section 140 of the MV act. The quantum of the compensation is decided by the MACT based on the multiplier table in the second schedule of the MV act. We have created useful explainer video explaining the law for accident victims.
With the amendment to the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, this is also set to change, but not as described in the message.
What did the Supreme Court say then?
The case in the Supreme Court was in the form of an appeal challenging the quantum of compensation granted by the MACT in Madhya Pradesh. The SC in its judgment decided on the quantum of compensation and the multiplier to be applied as per the second schedule of the MV act. The judgment has no reference to the tax returns as claimed in the forwarded message.
The claims are outright false
As explained above, the government has nothing to do with compensation to be granted in the case of a motor vehicle accident. Also, the quantum of compensation is not 10 times the average income, but based on the multiplier as given in the MV act.
So the claims in the message are anything but true. This is one of those rare false news that actually mentions the source making it easy for anyone to fact check the claims. Do not believe any news story that comes your way irrespective of whether it is positive or negative. You should do some fact checking before hitting the forward button.
Featured Image: Government Compensation for Accident Deaths


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పాకిస్థాన్‌లో ఆడపిల్లల మృతదేహాలపై అత్యాచారాలు జరుగుతున్నాయన్న వార్తలు నిజమే కానీ, సమాధికి తాళం వేసిన ఈ ఫోటోకి పాకిస్థాన్‌తో ఎటువంటి సంబంధం లేదు - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 1, 2023
పాకిస్థాన్‌లో ఆడపిల్లలు చనిపోతే మృతదేహాలపై అత్యాచారాలు జరగకూడదని ఇనుప గేటు వేసి, సమాధికి తాళం వేసిన తల్లిదండ్రుల చిత్రమిది అంటూ ఒక ఫోటోను షేర్ చేసిన పోస్ట్ సోషల్ మీడియాలో విస్తృతంగా షేర్ అవుతోంది. ఈ కథనం ద్వారా ఆ ఫోటోకు సంబంధించి నిజమేంటో చూద్దాం.
క్లెయిమ్: పాకిస్థాన్‌లో ఆడపిల్లలు చనిపోతే మృతదేహాలపై అత్యాచారాలు జరగకూడదని ఇనుప గేటు వేసి, సమాధికి తాళం వేసిన ఫోటో.
ఫాక్ట్(నిజం): సమాధికి తాళం వేసిన ఈ ఫోటో హైదరాబాద్‌లోని మాదన్నపేట్ రెయిన్ బజార్‌లోని స్మశాన వాటిక లోనిది. అక్కడి అధికారులు చెప్తున్నదాని ప్రకారం, చాలా మంది అనుమతి లేకుండా పాత సమాధులపై మృతదేహాలను పూడ్చేస్తుండడంతో ఒక వ్యక్తి ఇలా ఎవరూ తమ సమాధి తవ్వకుండా తాళం వేసుకున్నాడు. పాకిస్థాన్‌లో ఈ మధ్య నెక్రోఫిలియా ఘటనలు పెరుగుతున్నాయన్న వార్త నిజమైనప్పటికీ, ఈ ఫోటోకు పాకిస్థాన్‌తో ఎటువంటి సంబంధంలేదు. కావున పోస్టు ద్వారా చెప్పేది తప్పుదోవ పట్టిస్తుంది.
ఇటీవల పాకిస్థాన్‌లో అమ్మాయిలపై పెరుగుతున్న లైంగిక వేధింపులకు సంబంధించిన వార్తను రిపోర్ట్ చేసిన ఒక కథనంలో  పాకిస్థాన్‌లో ఈ మధ్య పెరిగిపోతున్న నెక్రోఫిలియా (మృతదేహాలతో లైంగిక కార్యకలాపాల్లో పాల్గొనడం) ఘటనల గురించి ప్రస్తావించింది. దీంతో కొన్ని ప్రాంతాల్లో తల్లిదండ్రులు వారి కుమార్తెల సమాధుల చుట్టూ ఇనుప కంచెలు వేస్తున్నారని కూడా ఈ కథనంలో పేర్కొంది.
పాకిస్థాన్‌లో గతంలో నుండే ఇలాంటి సంఘటనలు రిపోర్ట్ అవుతున్నాయి. 2011 నుండే ఇలాంటి ఘటనలు ఎక్కువయ్యాయి. గతంలో ఇలాంటి ఘటనలను రిపోర్ట్ చేసిన కొన్ని పాకిస్థాన్ వార్తా కథనాలు ఇక్కడ, ఇక్కడ మరియు ఇక్కడ చూడొచ్చు.
ఐతే ఇదే వార్తను రిపోర్ట్ చేసే క్రమంలో చాలా వరకు తెలుగు మీడియా సంస్థలు సమాధికి తాళం వేసిన ఉన్న ఫోటోను తమ కథనాలలో ప్రచురించారు. ఈనాడు, TOI Telugu, News 18 Telugu, Etv Bharat, Prime9 News మొదలైన సంస్థలతో పాటు మరికొన్ని ఆన్లైన్ మీడియా బ్లాగ్స్ కూడా ఈ ఫోటోను తమ కథనాలలో ప్రచురించాయి (ఇక్కడ, ఇక్కడ, ఇక్కడ, ఇక్కడ, ఇక్కడ, ఇక్కడ మరియు ఇక్కడ).
ఈ సమాధి హైదరాబాద్‌లో ఉంది:
ఐతే నిజానికి ఈ ఫోటోకు పాకిస్థాన్‌తో ఎటువంటి సంబంధంలేదు. ఈఫోటో హైదరాబాద్‌లోని మాదన్నపేట్ రెయిన్  బజార్‌లోని  స్మశాన వాటికలో ఒక వ్యక్తి ఇలా ఓ సమాధికి గ్రిల్స్ ఏర్పాటు చేసుకున్నాడు.
ఈ ఫోటో సోషల్ మీడియాలో వైరల్ అవడంతో చాలా వరకు హైదరాబాద్ లోకల్ మీడియా సంస్థలు ఈ ఫోటో మాదన్నపేట్ రెయిన్ బజార్‌లోని స్మశాన వాటికలోనిదని రిపోర్ట్ చేసిన కథనాలు మాకు కనిపించాయి. ఈ సంస్థలు తమ వీడియో రిపోర్టులో రెయిన్ బజార్‌లోని స్మశాన వాటికలోని సంబధిత వ్యక్తులతో మాట్లాడి ఈ తాళం వేసిన సమాధికి సంబంధించి స్పష్టతను ఇచ్చారు.
ఈ కథనాల ప్రకారం రెయిన్ బజార్‌లోని స్మశాన వాటికలో చాలా మంది అనుమతి లేకుండా పాత సమాధులపై మృతదేహాలను పూడ్చేస్తుండడంతో కొందరు ఇలా ఎవరూ తమ సమాధి తవ్వకుండా తాళం వేసుకున్నట్టు తెలిపారు. ఈ సమాధి సుమారు 1.5-2 ఏళ్ళ పాతదని, గేటు ఎదురుగా ఉండడంతో కూడా ఎవరు తొక్కకుండా ఇలా గ్రిల్ల్స్ ఏర్పాటు చేసుకున్నారని కూడా తెలిపారు. ఈ వార్తా కథనాలు కొన్ని ఇక్కడ, ఇక్కడ, ఇక్కడ మరియు ఇక్కడ చూడొచ్చు.
చివరగా, పాకిస్థాన్‌లో ఆడపిల్లలు మృతదేహాలపై అత్యాచారాలు జరుగుతున్నయన్న వార్త నిజమే, కానీ సమాధికి తాళం వేసిన ఈ ఫోటో పాకిస్థాన్‌ది కాదు, హైదరాబాద్‌లోనిది.

source: news-factly

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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News on Nobel laureate Amartya Sen’s death is based on a hoax and is fake. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 11, 2023
A post claiming that Indian economist and Nobel laureate, Amartya Sen died at 89 is being shared on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen passed away at 89.
Fact: The news is based on a hoax. Amartya Sen’s daughter clarified that her father is totally fine through a post on X. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
On a relevant keyword search about the claim, we found that this news was fake and spread through a fake account. We found Amartya Sen’s daughter’s post on X which clarified the claim by mentioning that her father is totally fine and is as busy as ever.
Friends, thanks for your concern but it’s fake news: Baba is totally fine. We just spent a wonderful week together w/ family in Cambridge—his hug as strong as always last night when we said bye! He is teaching 2 courses a week at Harvard, working on his gender book—busy as ever! pic.twitter.com/Fd84KVj1AT
This fake news was originally shared by a fake Twitter account created in the name of Claudia Goldin. Based on a tweet in the same account, we found that this was created by Italian journalist Tommaso De Benedetti. The account is no longer available on social media.
Subsequent research based on this information led to an article published by the Guardian in 2012. The article reported Tommaso De Benedetti saying that “Twitter works well for deaths,” speaking for the first time about his desire to expose how unreliable social media can be as a news source.
To sum up, news of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen’s death is based on a hoax and is fake.

created: October 11, 2023


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News report stating World Bank stripped India of developing country tag is from 2016 - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 19, 2022
A social media post accompanying a news clip of Jansatta stating that the World Bank has stripped India of the developing country tag and now that India will be placed alongside countries like Pakistan, Zambia and Ghana is being widely circulated. Criticizing the Modi government, the clip is being shared as a recent one. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: News clip stating World Bank has removed the developing nation tag of India.
Fact: This is an old news which dates back to 2016, when the World Bank changed the nomenclature of classification of countries. World Bank stopped categorising countries as developed and developing countries. Instead World Bank started grouping countries based on the per capita income into Low Income Economies, Lower Middle Income Economies, Upper Middle Income Economies, and High Income Economies. India with per capita income of $1920 is placed under the Lower Middle Income Economies for the fiscal year 2022. This old report is misconstrued as recent. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
This is an old clip that dates back to 2016. Google search with relevant keywords yielded the same news report published by the Jansatta on 05 June 2016. However, as per the article, the change in category is because of the World Bank’s change in classification of the economies.
Until then India was considered a developing nation, as World Bank used to place low and middle-income countries under the category of developing countries. However, World Bank has started micro categorization, based on the per capita income of the countries, and thus stopped placing low and middle-income countries under the developing countries category.
As per the Economic Times article, dated 31 May 2016, World Bank has stopped distinguishing countries as ‘developing’ and ‘developed’ countries. And ‘with economies becoming less and less homogeneous, the multilateral agency will group countries based on geographical coverage and income levels to capture the changing world’, the article reported.
World Bank, in its World Development Report, 2016, has stopped using the categorisation of  ‘developing’ and ‘developed’ countries and started grouping countries into Low Income Economies, Lower Middle Income Economies, Upper Middle Income Economies, and High Income Economies based on per capita income of the countries.
‘Low-income economies are those with a GNI per capita of $1,045 or less in 2014. Lower middle-income economies are those with a GNI per capita of $1,046–$4,125. Upper middle-income economies are those with a GNI per capita of $4,126–$12,735. High-income economies are those with a GNI per capita of $12,736 or more’.
For the current 2022 fiscal year, there is no change in the benchmark for low-income countries, whereas there is a slight decrease in per capita benchmarks for the remaining classifications. India with a per capita GNI of  $1920 is placed under the Lower Middle Income Economies.
To sum it up, the news report stating World Bank stripped India of the tag of a developing country is from 2016 when it changed the definition governing the classification of economies.


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News that Pakistani cricketer Yasir Shah died in Pakistan airlines crash at Karachi is ‘fake’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 27, 2020
Many social media posts are claiming that Pakistani cricketer Yasir Shah had died in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) passenger jet crash at Karachi. On 22 May 2020, an aeroplane carrying 91 passengers and 8 crew members from Lahore to Karachi crashed in a residential area near Jinnah international airport minutes before landing. Pakistan officials have confirmed that 97 people have lost their lives, while two persons (Muhammad Zubair and Zafar Masud) survived the crash. The list of all passengers on the ill-fated flight can be seen here. In the list, there was no passenger with the name ‘Yasir Shah’. Also, Yasir Shah had tweeted about his safety and prayed for all those who lost their lives in the crash. The archived version of his tweet can be seen here. So, the claim about the death of Yasir Shah in the recent plane crash is FALSE.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact –
1. News article – https://www.dawn.com/news/1558947
2. Yasir Shah Archived Tweet –https://web.archive.org/web/20200522193932/https:/twitter.com/Shah64Y/status/1263915847950745602
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Newspaper clip carrying the statements of political leaders on ‘Ram Mandir’ and ‘killing Muslim farmers’ is a fake one - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 14, 2019
A newspaper article clip carrying the statements of Amit Shah about Ram Mandir and Modi about killing Muslim farmers to gain the confidence of Hindus is being shared by many Facebook users. Let’s try to analyze the authenticity of the newspaper clip and also the claims made in it.
Amit Shah had said that Ram Mandir would never be constructed and Modi had said that to gain the confidence of Hindus, it was necessary for him to kill Muslim farmers.
Fact: No such newspaper articles were found with the above-mentioned statements of Amit Shah and Modi. Hence the claim made is FALSE.
When googled for any news regarding such bizarre statements made by Amit Shah about Ram Mandir construction and Modi about the killing of Muslim farmers to gain the confidence of Hindus, no information is found either in the print or on the broadcast media. On looking for any other information, it was found that a similar newspaper clip is also in circulation with the same claims on Akhilesh Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav. Both the newspaper clips were similar with only a few changes in the placement of words.  When tried to ascertain the claims made on Akhilesh Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav, no information pertaining to their statements was also not found.
To summarize, the newspaper clips carrying the statements of political leaders on ‘Ram Mandir’ and ‘killing Muslim farmers’ are digitally created ones and not true.


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NFHS-5 Data: Assam, MP, Rajasthan, and UP Account for Half the Districts with Share of Anaemic Pregnant Women Above National Average - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 14, 2023
Data from the NFHS indicates that while there has been improvement in nutrition related indicators, and reduction in out-of-pocket-expenditure at public health facilities per delivery, the share of anaemic pregnant women increased to 52.2% in NFHS-5 at an all-India level compared to 50.4% during NFHS-4.
In the first part of the series of time-series stories on National Family Health Surveys (NFHS), we looked at various aspects of maternal health care. The primary focus was on the average out-of-pocket expenditure per delivery in a public health facility, and the correlation between this and the institutional births in a public health facility. Other than that, the growth in births by Caesarean section in a public health facility was also looked at. The second part of the series focused on malnutrition among children.
In this story, we look at similar aspects of maternal health, primarily the factors that are crucial before giving birth. The aim is to see the impact of women’s health conditions on maternity.
More than half of pregnant women suffer from anaemia.
Anaemia is a condition characterized by a lower-than-normal concentration of red blood cells or a decrease in the amount of haemoglobin in the blood. Anaemia and maternal health are closely linked, and anaemia can have significant implications for the health of pregnant women and their unborn children. Anaemia is increasingly seen as a factor that can be modified and is linked to the risk of postpartum haemorrhage, a primary contributor to maternal health problems and fatalities. It is estimated that anaemia directly causes 20% of maternal deaths in India and indirectly accounts for another 20% of maternal deaths.
Such maternal health problems during pregnancy are also one of the leading causes behind the rise in out-of-pocket expenditures (OOPE) per delivery. Some studies also point out that anaemic pregnant women are more likely to have Caesarean delivery than non-anaemic pregnant women, which in turn raises the OOPE per delivery.
The data from the NFHS indicate that the percentage of pregnant women aged 15-49 years who are anaemic has declined from 58.7 during NFHS-3 to 50.4 during NFHS-4. It again rose slightly to 52.2 in NFHS-5 at an all-India level. Analysing both rounds, out of the 433 districts for which data for both rounds is available, 264 districts (~61%) have a lower percentage of pregnant women who are anaemic than the national level. States like Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh account for half of the districts where the percentage of anaemic pregnant women is above the national level.
Out of the 501 districts for which the data was available during NFHS-4, a total of 256 districts (51%) were below the national level. In contrast, 285 districts (50%) were below the national level out of the 568 districts during NFHS-5. If we compare the districts of NHFS-5 to the national level of NFHS-4 (to get a better understanding of the performance since there is an increase in the national level in NFHS-5), the percentage of districts that are below the national level comes down to 47%, that is 266 districts.
This indicates poor performance in terms of combating anaemia among pregnant women aged 15-49 years.
Improvement in the iron folic acid consumption during pregnancy.
It’s well-established that over half of pregnant women in India are anaemic. Approximately half of this anaemia burden is attributed to a lack of iron, while the remaining cases are linked to factors such as folate deficiency, vitamin deficiencies, and other causes. Consequently, the distribution of iron and folic acid (IFA) tablets to pregnant women to prevent nutritional anaemia is an integral component of safe motherhood. It is recommended that pregnant women take iron folic acid tablets for 100 days or more throughout their pregnancy.
On a national scale, IFA tablet coverage has seen an improvement, increasing from 30.3 percent during the NFHS-4 to 44.1 percent during the NFHS-5. At a state level, considering larger states only, Tamil Nadu tops with 82% followed by Kerala at 80%. Bihar has the worst performance, with only 18% who took IFA for at least 100 days (approximately 3 months), followed by Uttar Pradesh with 22%, and Jharkhand with 28%. Interestingly, all states in the southern and western regions have a better performance than the national level.
For analysing the performance at the district level, the performance of the district is compared to the national level performance in each round. Out of the 567 districts for which data is available for both rounds, 41 districts have shown a decline in their performance compared to the national level, while 76 districts improved between NFHS-4 and NFHS-5. A total of 227 districts (40%) have their performance above the national level in both surveys and 223 districts (40%) have their performance below the national level in both surveys.
Around 40% pregnant women still do not have four or more ANC visits.
Antenatal care (ANC) encompasses the healthcare provided to pregnant women from conception until childbirth and serves the purpose of identifying any pre-existing issues that might arise and impact the well-being of both the mother and the unborn child. The significance of effective antenatal care during pregnancy cannot be overstated.
The guidelines for pregnancy care of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recommend that every pregnant woman should make at least four visits for ANC. On a national level, more than half (59%) of women had at least four ANC visits during their last pregnancy during NFHS-5 as compared to 51% during NFHS-4. Six percent of women had no ANC visits in NFHS-5, down from seventeen percent in NFHS-4. It is observed that urban women are more likely to have four or more ANC visits than rural women.
The percentage of women who attended a minimum of four antenatal care (ANC) visits during their pregnancy varies significantly across Indian states. The lowest rates are observed in Nagaland (21%) and Bihar (25%), while the highest rates are found in Goa (93%), Lakshadweep (92%), and Tamil Nadu (91%).
At a district level, during NFHS-5, out of the 707 districts in India, 254 of them have reported that over 70% of mothers who gave birth within the five years preceding the survey received at least four ANC visits during NFHS-5. Conversely, there are a few districts, particularly in Bihar and certain states in the Northeastern region, where fewer than 30% of mothers received a minimum of four ANC visits.

created: September 14, 2023


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NFHS-5 data establishes under reporting of Crime against Women
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 17, 2020
The NFHS-5 report provides data on gender-based violence. While the overall proportion of women who experienced different forms of violence has decreased, the data clearly establishes the under-reporting of crime against women in some states like Bihar.
Violence against women and girls is a grave violation of human rights which is prevalent even today across the world. Women and girls are subjected to different forms of abuse, be it emotional, physical, or sexual, because of their gender. This affects their sense of security, health, dignity, and autonomy. Gender-based violence has lifelong repercussions for the victims. According to the UN, about one in three women across the world has experienced sexual or physical violence in their lifetime. Among the many forms of violence that women face, spousal violence is widely prevalent in India.
Spousal violence or domestic violence is when the perpetrator is the spouse or in a domestic setting. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many countries & states to impose lockdowns leading to a global surge in domestic violence directed towards women and girls. Such instances of increase in domestic violence have also increased in India. Multiple factors such as alcohol & drug abuse, sense of entitlement, etc. contribute to domestic violence.
NFHS-5 provides data on Gender based violence
Data about domestic violence is captured in National Family Health Surveys (NFHS) and registered crimes of domestic violence are reported in the annual report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The Health Ministry recently released the key findings of the first phase of NFHS-5 conducted in 2019-20. This is the fifth edition of the survey covering 6.1 Lakh sample households. 17 states and 5 UTs have been covered in the first phase of the survey. The second phase of the survey covering the remaining 12 states and 2 UTs was paused because of COVID-19 and has resumed in November 2020. The second phase report will be released soon.  The sample size for the survey varies from state to state because of the differences in population & age composition.
The latest NFHS survey has a separate section on Gender-Based Violence under which data on women aged between 18 to 49 years and who have experienced spousal violence, and physical violence during pregnancy has been provided. There is also data on young women who experienced sexual violence. Both physical and/or sexual violence have been included in spousal violence.
More than 40% ever married women in Karnataka and Bihar have faced spousal violence
The findings from the survey indicate that there has been a decrease in the proportion of women who reported experience of spousal violence in most parts of the country compared to NFHS-4 carried out in 2015-16. Of the 22 states/UTs covered in the first phase of NFHS-5, it is observed that except in Karnataka, Assam, Maharashtra, Ladakh, Sikkim, and Himachal Pradesh, the proportion of women who ever experienced spousal violence (those of ages 18 to 49) has decreased compared to the previous editions of the NFHS.
About 44.4% of the women in Karnataka, where this percentage has more than doubled in the past decade, were victims of spousal violence. Bihar is the other state with over 40% of women having reported spousal violence. However, unlike in Karnataka, the incidence of spousal violence had dropped in Bihar as compared to the previous NFHS surveys. During NFHS-3, 59% of the ever-married women were victims of spousal violence in Bihar which has now decreased to 40%. More than 30% of women reported that they have experienced spousal violence in each of the states of Manipur, Telangana, Assam, and Andhra Pradesh. In Maharashtra and West Bengal, this number was more than 25% but less than 30%. In each of the states of Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Lakshadweep, less than 10% of women reported an experience of spousal violence.
Greater proportion of Rural women experienced Spousal Violence than their Urban counterparts
Bihar, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Sikkim were the only states where this percentage was more in urban areas than in rural areas. The difference was the highest in Telangana where the cases of spousal violence among rural women were 42.3% whereas that among urban women was 27.3%. In general, it is observed that a greater proportion of rural women experienced spousal violence than their urban counterparts.
Proportion of Women who faced physical violence when pregnant is highest in Karnataka
Physical violence during pregnancy can be harmful both for the mother and the unborn baby. This could even result in perinatal death or preterm delivery. About 5.8% of the women in Karnataka in the defined age group stated that they faced physical violence when pregnant, the highest among states. A total of 4% of women in Telangana, 3.8% in Andhra Pradesh, 3.5% in West Bengal, and 3.3% in Maharashtra reported physical violence when pregnant. Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, and Nagaland reported below 1%.
17 of the 22 states/UTs covered in the phase-1 of NFHS-5 reported a decrease in the proportion of women who experienced violence when pregnant, compared to the previous survey. Telangana & Bihar recorded the highest such decrease followed. Sikkim and Meghalaya were among the states/UTs where this percentage increased compared to the previous survey. As is the case with spousal violence, the proportion of rural women who experienced physical violence when pregnant was higher in rural areas than in urban areas.
More than 10% of the Women in Karnataka faced sexual violence before they turned 18
About 11% of the women aged between 18 to 29 years in Karnataka faced sexual violence before they turned 18. Karnataka is followed by West Bengal where 9.7% of young women reported facing sexual violence. More than 8% of the women in Bihar too faced sexual violence before they turned 18. At the same time, this number was less than 2% in the states of Kerala and Nagaland. As is the case with other issues of gender-based violence, the proportion of young rural women who faced sexual violence before they turned 18 is more than their urban counterparts except in the states of Kerala, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Sikkim, and Andhra Pradesh.
Trends related to spousal violence against women and physical violence against pregnant women have shown an improvement across most states, from NFHS-4 to NFHS-5. However, the trend is mixed in the case of young women who experienced sexual violence before they turned 18. There has been an improvement in the states of Bihar, Tripura, Telangana, Manipur, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala while the proportion of young women who experienced sexual violence before they turned 18 increased in the states of Maharashtra, Assam, Goa, and West Bengal.
Gender based violence data of NFHS-5 data clearly establishes under reporting of Crimes
Under-reporting of crimes against women is an oft-discussed issue. The gender-based violence data of NFHS-5 clearly establishes the under-reporting of crimes against women in certain states. Here is a comparison of Bihar and Kerala that clearly demonstrates this problem of under-reporting.
According to the data released by NCRB, the All-India rate of total crime against women in 2019 was 62.4 per lakh female population. That is about 62 cases of reported crime against women for every one lakh women. This number includes all forms of crimes against women including under IPC and SLL for which FIRs have been registered with the police. The rate of crime against women in Bihar was 32.3 whereas, in Kerala, the same was 62.7 in the year 2019. What this means is that as far as reported crimes against women of all ages are concerned, the crime rate in Kerala is almost twice the rate in Bihar. The difference is even stark among ‘Domestic Violence’ cases (Cruelty by Husband or his relatives – Sec. 498A IPC). Bihar reported a crime rate of 4.2 in this category while Kerala reported a crime rate of 16.2 in 2019, almost four times greater. However, the data provided in the NFHS-5 report presents a completely opposite picture.
According to the NFHS data, 40% of the ever-married women aged between 18 to 49 years in Bihar had faced spousal violence while in Kerala, this is only 9.9%. In other words, the proportion of women who experienced spousal violence in Bihar is almost 4 times more than in Kerala. This is exactly the opposite of what the NCRB data on domestic violence indicates. The numbers for Bihar are much higher than Kerala in all the forms of gender-based violence reported in NFHS-5.
Though the data of NCRB & NFHS-5 are not directly comparable, the numbers clearly establish heavy under-reporting in states like Bihar. This could be the case across certain states as explained in one of our previous stories.

created: December 17, 2020


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NFHS-5: Gender and Urban-Rural divide in access to School Education
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 22, 2020
The phase-1 results of NFHS-5 were recently released. Among others, the survey report provides data on literacy rates and the proportion of the population with 10 or more years of schooling. For both these indicators, a large gender, as well as the urban-rural divide, is observed. Here is a detailed analysis.
The key findings of Phase-1 of the National Family and Health Survey 2019-20 (NFHS-5) include facts sheets for 17 states and 5 Union territories. The survey provides an estimate for 131 key indicators across various categories. Factly has earlier written about some of the key findings from NFHS-5. These include – lifestyle diseases, a crime against women & Child Nutrition.  In this story, we take a look at a few of the key observations regarding literacy & formal education from the NFHS-5.
Larger gap of literacy levels between Men & Women in Bihar & Telangana
Among the key Indictors in NFHS-5 are the ones pertaining to literacy. This latest survey includes estimates of literates among men & women. According to the survey guidelines, this indicator refers to those ‘who completed standard 9 or higher and who can read a whole sentence or a part of a sentence.
The survey is conducted among the respondents aged between 15-49 years. As per the estimates of the survey, among the 22 States/UTs, Kerala has the highest percentage of the population who are identified as literate with 98.2% & 98.3% of men & women respectively. A good number of the states covered under the Phase-1 of the survey are the North Eastern States.
Apart from the lower levels, the significant aspect is the difference between the literacy levels of men & women in these States especially Bihar & Telangana.
The findings of Household Social Consumption of Education in India as part of NSS (National Statistical Survey)’s 75 round conducted during 2017-18 confirms these trends regarding the large gap between literacy levels of men & women in some states.
As per this survey, 74% of the males of age 15 and above are literates in Bihar, while it is around 52% among females. In Telangana, 60% of females are estimated to be literate compared to around 77% among males.
The lower literacy among Women in some states is starker in case of Rural Women
Apart from the difference in the literacy rates among men & women, there is also a large divide between the Urban & Rural population. The difference is more prominent in the case of women. In most of the states, the Women in Urban areas fare well, at par with the overall literacy rate among males in the respective states. The lower literacy rates among women are mainly because of much lower literacy among rural women.
As was the case with differences in literacy levels among men & women, the ‘Household Social Consumption of Education in India’ NSS report confirms this trend of the urban-rural divide in the case of women’s literacy rate.
Significant improvement in the proportion of Men & Women with 10 or more years of Schooling
Apart from literacy, another related indicator in NFHS-5 is the estimate regarding the proportion of the population who have more than 10 years of schooling. This indicates access to minimal formal education.
With the exception of men in Andhra Pradesh among the larger States, there has been an increase in the proportion of the population with 10 or more years of schooling during NFHS-5 compared to that of NFHS-4 across all the states and among both men & women.
Only around a quarter of Rural Women in Gujarat, Bihar, Assam & West Bengal have 10 or more years of Schooling
As was observed in the case of literacy rate, the proportion of the population with 10 or more years of schooling is lower among women in rural areas. Across the states, the proportion of urban women with 10 or more years of schooling is comparable and, in few cases even higher than that of average among men for the respective states.
Gender and Urban-Rural divide observed in access to Education
With more than 85% of the population estimated to be literate, India does seem to be doing well on this indicator. However, when formal education i.e. those with 10 or more years of schooling is taken into consideration, it is only around about 51% as per phase-1 results of NFHS-5, an improvement of 5% compared to NFHS-4.
However, there is a large divide both in terms of gender and urban-rural in almost all the states. From an Urban-Rural perspective, 62% of the urban population have 10 or more years of schooling in these 22 States/UTs, while it is only about 45% among the rural population. From a gender perspective, it is 57% and 50% among men and women population respectively, with the rate for women being much lower for rural women.
Rural women account for the least proportion of the population to have completed at least 10 years of formal education. The disparity in these two dynamics is starker in a few of the states as highlighted in the story.
While improvement in literacy rate is a good sign, such an improvement also has to be aimed for in those completing a minimum of 10 years of schooling, especially in rural areas and among women.

created: December 22, 2020


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NFHS-5: Share of Institutional Births & C-Sections increase in most States
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 24, 2020
NFHS-5 data on delivery care indicates that the share of institutional births & C-Sections has increased in most states. It is also observed that the share of births in public health facilities has also increased in multiple states.
Recently, the key findings of the first phase of the National Family Health Survey-5  (NFHS-5) covering 17 states and 5 union territories were released. The survey collects extensive information on population, health, nutrition, etc. emphasizing on women and children. Estimates of 131 indicators are provided in the survey’s findings.
A separate section on delivery care is part of these findings where information pertaining to the type of birth like a cesarean section, dependence on public and private health facilities, and presence of skilled health personnel for delivery are provided for each of the 22 states/UTs parts of the first phase of the survey. Births in the five years before the survey are covered. In this story, we look at the data related to these indicators and compare it with NFHS-4.
Appropriate delivery care is essential for maternal health and perinatal health. Delivery care has a considerable influence on various health indicators like maternal mortality and infant mortality under the UN Sustainable Goal 3: ‘Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages.’
Institutional births were comparatively lower in northeastern states
In the states of Kerala and Goa, and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands, the percentage of institutional births is above 99% as per the NFHS-5 findings. That is, of all the births that have been registered in the state/UT for the last five years, more than 99% have taken place in an institution. Less than 1% have taken place outside health institutions in these places. In Bihar, only about 76% of the births were institutional- the least among states excluding the northeastern states. Except for Sikkim, all the remaining northeastern states reported less than 90% institutional deliveries. The percentage of institutional births was only 45% in Nagaland and about 58% in Meghalaya. This could be attributed to the lack of basic health amenities and the socio-cultural practices prevalent in the northeast.
Urban-Rural divide observed in the share of Institutional births across States
From the data provided in NFHS-5, it is observed that the percentage of institutional births in urban parts of Mizoram was 98.8% whereas in the rural areas it was 72.5% which is among the lowest. Meanwhile, in Nagaland, the only state with less than 80% institutional births, the share of such births in urban areas is 65% compared to just 38.8% in rural areas. Kerala, Goa, Lakshadweep, Sikkim, and Dadra & Nager Haveli were the only places where the share of institutional births in rural areas was higher than in urban. The difference in the share of institutional births between urban & rural areas is high in the northeastern states. In Meghalaya, the difference was as high as 28% while in Mizoram and Nagaland it was more than 26%. In most of the other large states, the difference is less than 5%.
There is an overall improvement in percentage of institutional births over the years
There has been an improvement in the share of institutional deliveries over the years. Sikkim has witnessed an increase of more than 90% in the past decade. Assam and Bihar too have recorded an improvement of more than 50% as compared to NFHS-3.
Institutional births at public facilities is below 50% in five states
Despite Kerala reporting more than 99% institutional births, it is observed that the state is at the bottom of the list when the percentage of institutional births at public health facilities is considered. Only about 34% of the institutional births in Kerala were at public health as per NFHS-5. Similarly, the states of Nagaland, Gujarat, Telangana, and Meghalaya too had less than 50% of institutional births in public health facilities. Ladakh had the highest, with more than 90% institutional deliveries in public health facilities.
Share of births at public facilities increased in 18 states/UTs since 2015-16
Compared to NFHS-4, the share of institutional births in public health facilities has dropped in four states/UTs- Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Kerala, Goa, and Sikkim.  Kerala is the only state where there has been a drop in this parameter in the last 10 years. Among the remaining 18 states/UTs where there has been an increase in the share of institutional births, Telangana has recorded the highest increase by more than 19% followed by West Bengal with close to a 16% increase. Assam and Andhra Pradesh have also recorded an improvement by more than 12% each. If one compares with NFHS-3, Assam has witnessed an improvement of more than 61% and Bihar by over 53%.
Average out of pocket expenditure per delivery in public facilities has reduced in some states
The average out of pocket expenditure per delivery in public health facilities has been provided in the report. In West Bengal, the expenditure has come down by Rs. 5236 as compared to NFHS-4 which may have resulted in the increase in institutional births in public facilities in the state. Likewise, in Telangana, Gujarat, Nagaland, and Maharashtra, the share of institutional births in public health facilities has increased and the average out-of-pocket expenditure per birth has decreased. However, this is not the case with all the states. In some states, this expenditure has increased compared to NFHS-4. It has increased by more than Rs. 1000 in Assam & Bihar.
Proportion of births in public facilities is higher in rural areas in most states
In 16 of the states/UTs part of the first phase,  the proportion of institutional births in public health facilities is higher in rural areas than in urban areas. The six states/UTs where the trend is reversed are Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya, and Nagaland. Here, the proportion of institutional births in public health facilities is higher in urban areas than in rural parts. The urban-rural divide was the most prominent in Lakshadweep where this is 92% in rural areas and 56.3% in urban areas.
Births by C sections is on a rise
Not only are institutional births rising, but the percentage of births by Caesarean Section (C- Section) is also increasing. C- sections are typically performed if there are complications from pregnancy which puts the health of the mother or child at risk since it is major surgery. According to WHO, 10% to 15% is the ideal cesarean rate. If the percentage of births by C-Section is below 10%, it is considered to be underused and if the same is above 15%, it means that the procedure is being overused. Only Mizoram’s rate of births by C-Section falls in this ideal category.
C-Sections are being overused in most states
Almost 61% of the deliveries in Telangana were through C-Section. Even according to the previous NFHS survey, the state had topped the list with over 57% births by C-Section. Andhra Pradesh is next in line with more than 42% of births by C-Section. Going by the WHO’s standards, 18 States/UTs are overusing C-Section. In Bihar, Meghalaya, and Nagaland, C-Sections are being underused. In Nagaland, it is seen that the rate has dropped further as compared to NFHS-4. Mizoram and Lakshadweep are two other states/UTs where the rates have dropped.
The share of C-Sections has increased by over 20% in Jammu & Kashmir, Sikkim, and West Bengal as compared to NFHS-3. Delivery by C-Section is more prevalent in rural areas than in urban areas only in Goa and Lakshadweep while it was reverse in the other states. The difference was the least in Kerala and highest in Tripura.
Private facilities across all states are overusing C Sections
The least share of births by C-section in private health facilities was recorded in Nagaland, about 23%, which implies that C-Sections were being overused by private health facilities across all states/UTs.  Births by C-Section were more than 50% in 12 of the 22 states/UTs, three of which had recorded more than 80% births by C-Section. In Tripura and Jammu & Kashmir, C-Section births were more than 90% in private health facilities. Public health facilities recorded a relatively smaller percentage of births by C-Section. The highest share of C-Sections in public health facilities was recorded in Telangana at 44.5% whereas the lowest was 3.9% in Bihar. Public facilities overused C-Sections in 16 states/UTs and were below 10% in four states/UTs including Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Bihar where the share of institutional births was on the lower side. The three northeastern states had also witnessed a drop in C-Section births compared to NFHS-4. Ladakh, Sikkim, and Goa reported an increase of more than 10% in C-Section births at public health facilities compared to NFHS-4.
Multiple reasons can be attributed to increasing C-Sections
One of the major reasons for the increase in C-Sections could be the push by private health facilities since it is costlier than normal delivery. Further, more women may be opting for C-Section as it is considered a safe procedure and can also help avoid the pain that comes with normal delivery. Whatever may be the cause, the increase in C-Sections is something that the government needs to focus on and reduce its share.
Featured Image: Share of Institutional Births.

created: December 24, 2020


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While Mortality Rates decrease, Child Nutrition does not register progress
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 18, 2020
The data from NFHS-5 indicates that while Mortality Rates have decreased, Child Nutrition did not register progress in most Key States. Here is a review.
Mortality rates and nutritional data were provided in the NFHS-5 (National Family Health Survey) (Phase I) (2019-20) report. We compare it with the previous rounds of NFHS (2015-16; 2005-06) and compare the trends. In the context of an overall decreasing trend of mortality but an overall increasing trend of malnutrition, we will try to understand the challenges that surround the development of children’s nutritional status in developing countries.
(Note: the figures are based on the comparison of 17 states that feature in NFHS-5 (Phase I) factsheet, which does not include all states/UTs).
Mortality Rates register an overall decrease
Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR) refers to the death of a live-born baby within the first 28 days of life. Most states have recorded a decrease in their NMR except for Maharashtra and some northeastern states like Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Tripura, which have shown an increase in the NMR figures.
Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) is the number of deaths per 1,000 live births of children under one year of age. Most states have recorded a decrease in their IMR as compared to the previous rounds of NFHS with the exception of some northeastern states like Manipur, Meghalaya, and Tripura which have shown an increase in the IMR figures. Key states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Bihar, and Telangana although register a decrease in IMR figures, there is no substantial change in the figures from the last NFHS round in 2015-16.
The average rate of decline from NFHS-3 to NFHS-4 figures (27.69%) was much higher as compared to the average rate of decline from NFHS-4 to NFHS-5 figures (17.15%).
(c) Under-five Mortality Rates (U5MR) show an overall decrease but negligible progress in key states
The under-five mortality rate is the probability per 1,000 that a new-born baby will die before reaching age five, if subject to current age-specific mortality rates. Most states have recorded a decrease in their U5MR as compared to the previous rounds of NFHS figures except for some northeastern states like Manipur, Meghalaya, and Tripura which have shown an increase in the IMR figures. Key states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Bihar, and Telangana although register a decrease in IMR figures, there is no substantial change in the figures from the last NFHS round in 2015-16.
The average rate of decline from NFHS-3 to NFHS-4 figures (34.53%) was much higher as compared to the average rate of decline from NFHS-4 to NFHS-5 figures (16.19%).
Children Under 5 who are Stunted, Wasted, Underweight, and Anaemic – register an overall increase
Stunting, based on a child’s height and age, is a measure of chronic nutritional deficiency. Wasting, based on a child’s weight and height, is a measure of acute nutritional deficiency. Underweight, based on weight and age, is a composite measure of both acute and chronic statuses. Anaemia refers to a condition in which there is a deficiency of red cells or of haemoglobin in the blood, resulting in pallor and weariness.
The percentage of children under five who are stunted shows an increase in majority of the states including Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Telangana, among others. Few states like Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka among others register a decrease.
The percentage of children under five who are wasted also registered an increase or remained almost the same in majority of the states including Kerala, Telangana, Nagaland, Assam, Jammu & Kashmir and Maharashtra, among others. Few states like Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Karnataka and Gujarat, among others register a decrease.
The percentage of children under five who are underweight also registered an increase or remained almost the same in majority of the states including Jammu & Kashmir, Nagaland, Kerala, and Telangana, among others. Few states like Sikkim, Manipur, Meghalaya, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka among others register a decrease.
The percentage of children under five who are anaemic registered an overall increase in all states with the only exception of Meghalaya. The average rate of increase in anaemia from NFHS-4 to NFHS-5 is about 30.71%.
What are the challenges around improving child nutrition in developing countries?
A Case Study of six developing countries (2006) from FAO highlights the pattern of “epidemiologic transition” that constitutes a shift from high mortality and fertility patterns to lower mortality followed by lower fertility. Improvements in water and sanitation, and more effective public health services such as immunization result in an associated shift in disease burden from high rates of infectious disease to increasing non-communicable disease (NCD). In tandem with this shift, life expectancy increases, and the demographic profile shifts becoming more predominant as longevity increases. There is increasing documentation of slow progress in reducing undernutrition, particularly in children under five years of age.
However, at the same time, children’s nutritional status is dependent on a host of inter-related factors. The current burden of malnutrition seen in many developing countries is brought about by a coupling of risk factors. The low status of women, poor maternal nutrition, inadequate prenatal care, and the disproportionate burden of physical labour borne by mothers are some of the greatest impediments to improving nutritional status. When discrimination against women is prevalent, so is poor nutrition, regardless of economic growth. Both maternal undernutrition and maternal overweight affect children’s development, including that of their metabolism, ‘fuelling an intergenerational cycle of malnutrition’, according to the UNICEF’s Report titled ‘The State of World’s Children’ 2019.
Featured Image: NFHS 5 on Mortality Rates

created: December 18, 2020


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NHAI takes new standardization measures to improve the functioning of the Toll Plazas - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 23, 2016
Following a series of complaints about lack of uniformity in operations and misbehaviour by the staff of toll plazas, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has issued a ‘Code of Conduct’ for the Toll Plaza operators. The new guidelines prescribe a standardized uniform for toll plaza staff besides standardizing the toll fee receipt.
Following a series of complaints about lack of uniformity in operations and misbehaviour by the staff of toll plazas, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has issued a ‘Code of Conduct’ for the Toll Plaza operators. All NHAI toll plaza operators must mandatorily comply with these new policy guidelines and standards. Among the new measures are a uniform dress code for toll plaza staff, standardized format for display of toll rates and standardized format for toll plaza receipt.
A Standard Uniform & Mandatory Training for Toll Plaza Staff
As per the new guidelines, every member of the toll plaza staff must wear a navy blue uniform with adequate features for safety and easy identification. The toll plaza operators must also ensure that the staff is given a minimum training of seven days to acquaint them with the dos and don’ts as prescribed by NHAI.  The staff should carry the training certificate and produce it for verification during surprise checks by NHAI. The toll plaza operators must also maintain a register of the plaza staff including details of their pre-job training.
Detailed list of Do’s & Don’ts for Toll Plaza Staff
The guidelines also contain a detailed list of Do’s and Don’ts for the entire user fee collection staff. Some of the following are the important Do’s
Standardized receipt to be issued by all Toll Plazas
The NHAI has prescribed a standardized format for issuing the toll receipts. The receipt must be of the size 8cm X 12cm and should contain the names of NHAI & toll plaza operator. The receipt must be printed in bi-lingual or tri-lingual as appropriate and each line in the receipt must have the same font size. The receipt must contain the toll plaza location, helpline No., ambulance contact No., crane contact No. etc.
Standardized display board with the rates
The guidelines also mandate the toll plaza operators to display a board of size 1.1m X 1.1m above every toll window. The display board should have a green background with white text in bi-lingual or tri-lingual with all the information about the rates. It should have details of the single journey, return journey, monthly pass and local rates for various types of vehicles.

created: February 23, 2016


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NHM ఉద్యోగుల పాత నిరసన వీడియోని మోడీ ప్రభుత్వానికి వ్యతిరేక నిరసనగా షేర్ చేస్తున్నారు - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 18, 2019
‘Saringar. #do or #die కాశ్మీర్ లో మోడీ ప్రభుత్వానికి వ్యతిరేకంగా కాశ్మీర్ ప్రజలు నిరసన కార్యక్రమాలు మొదలుపెట్టారు‘ అంటూ ఆర్టికల్ 370 రద్దు తరువాత సోషల్ మీడియా లో కొంత మంది పోస్ట్ లు షేర్ చేస్తున్నారు. అసలు ఆ నిరసన నిజంగా ఆర్టికల్ 370 రద్దు తరువాత జరిగిందో లేదో విశ్లేషిద్ధాం.
క్లెయిమ్: కాశ్మీర్ లో మోడీ ప్రభుత్వానికి వ్యతిరేకంగా నిరసన కార్యక్రమాలుమొదలుపెట్టిన
కాశ్మీర్ ప్రజలు.
ఫాక్ట్ (నిజం): ఫిబ్రవరి నెలలో ఉద్యోగాలను క్రమబద్దీకరణ చేయాలంటూ నిరసన చేసిన వీడియో ను మోడీ ప్రభుత్వానికి వ్యతిరేక నిరసనగా ఆర్టికల్ 370 రద్దు తరువాత షేర్ చేసి ప్రజలను తప్పుదోవ పట్టిస్తున్నారు.
వీడియోని జాగ్రత్తగా గమనిస్తే, 0:27 సమయం దగ్గర నిరసన చేసే వ్యక్తులు పట్టుకున్న బ్యానర్ పైన ‘EMPLOYEES’ అని రాసినట్టు చూడవచ్చు.అలానే 1:10 సమయం దగ్గర ‘SRINAGAR POLICE’ అని బారికేడ్ పైన ఉంటుంది.
గూగుల్ లో ‘Employees rally in Srinagar’ అని వెతికితే పోస్ట్ లో పెట్టిన వీడియో ఫిబ్రవరి నెలలో అప్లోడ్  సెర్చ్ రిజల్ట్స్ లో వస్తుంది. ఆ వీడియో క్రింద రాసిన వివరణ చూస్తే అది నేషనల్ హెల్త్ మిషన్ (NHM) ఉద్యోగులు ర్యాలీ చేపడితే జమ్మూ అండ్ కాశ్మీర్ పోలీసులు అడ్డుకుంటున్న వీడియో అని ఉంటుంది. ఇదే వివరణ తో యూట్యూబ్ లో వెతికితే ఈ ఘటనకు సంబంధించి ఫిబ్రవరి నెలలోపెట్టిన వీడియో దొరుకుతుంది.
ఈ నిరసనకు సంబంధించిన ఆర్టికల్ కూడా ‘గ్రేటర్ కాశ్మీర్’ వెబ్సైటు లో ఫిబ్రవరి లో పెట్టినట్టు చూడవొచ్చు.
కావున ఫిబ్రవరి నెలలో ఎన్ హెచ్ ఎమ్ ఉద్యోగుల చేపట్టిన నిరసన వీడియోని ఇప్పుడు మోడీ ప్రభుత్వానికి వ్యతిరేక నిరసనగా చేస్తునట్టు ఆర్టికల్ 370 రద్దు తరువాత షేర్ చేస్తున్నారు.
ఏది ఫేక్, ఏది నిజం సిరీస్ లో మా వీడియోస్ మీరు చూసారా?


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NHM employees protest in February is being shown as a recent protest in J&K on Eid al-Adha. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 12, 2019
A protest video is being shared on Facebook with a claim that it is taken today (on Eid al-Adha) in Jammu and Kashmir. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post
The video shows a protest rally in Jammu and Kashmir today on Eid al-Adha.
Fact: It’s an old video. The protestors in the video are National Health Mission (NHM) Employees who were demanding regularization of their jobs. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING
In the video, at 27 seconds, it can be seen that protestors were carrying a Flexi which has a word ‘employees’ written on it and at 1 min 07 seconds, it can be found that the police were ‘Srinagar Police’
So, when searched with keywords ‘Employees rally in Srinagar’ on Google, the same video can be found in the search results. But the video was uploaded by ‘Fast Kashmir’ in February 2019 and the description below the video reads, “The Jammu and Kashmir police on Tuesday foiled the protest rally of National Health Mission Employees who tried to march towards Polo View in Srinagar”
When searched for the news on this rally, an article published by ‘Greater Kashmir’ on this issue in February 2019 is found.
To sum it up, NHM employees protest in February is being shown as a recent protest in J&K on Eid al-Adha.
Did you watch our new Episode of the DECODE series on Parliament?


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NIC’s Memorandum banning Chinese Apps from Google and Apple stores is fake. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 19, 2020
A photo of an ‘Office Memorandum’ is being shared on social media with a claim that, as per the instructions of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the National Informatics Centre (NIC) has ordered the prohibition of Chinese applications from Google Play Store and Apple App Store. But, FACTLY has found that no such order banning the Chinese Apps from the Google and Apple stores was issued by either Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology or National Informatics Centre. Also, one can see that there are some errors in the order (‘MeitY’ written as ‘Moity’). The Press Information Bureau (PIB) has tweeted that the order is fake. The PIB’s tweet has been retweeted by both MeitY and NIC.
Sources:
Claim –
1. Facebook post (archived)
Fact –
1. ‘MeiTy’ website – https://meity.gov.in/notifications/office-memorandum
2. ‘NIC’ website – https://www.nic.in/#
3. ‘PIB’ tweet – https://twitter.com/PIBFactCheck/status/1273923942349041664
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నైజీరియా పేదరికంలో భారతదేశం కంటే వెనకబడి ఉంది - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 9, 2023
పేదరికంలో భారత్ నైజీరియా దేశాన్ని అధిగమించింది అంటూ ఒక పోస్టు సోషల్ మీడియాలో షేర్ చేస్తున్నారు. ఇందులో ఎంత వాస్తవముందో ఈ కధనం ద్వారా చూద్దాం.
క్లెయిమ్: పేదరికంలో భారత్ నైజీరియా దేశాన్ని అధిగమించింది
ఫాక్ట్(నిజం): జనాభా పరంగా నైజీరియాలో భారతదేశంకన్నా తక్కువ మంది పేదరికంలో ఉన్నప్పటికీ,  శాతాల పరంగా నైజీరియా అధిక పేదరికం నిష్పత్తిని కలిగి ఉంది. కావున, ఈ పోస్టులో చేసిన క్లెయిమ్ తప్పుదోవ పట్టించే విదంగా ఉంది.
ఈ క్లెయిమ్ గురించి తెలుసుకోవటానికి తగిన కీ వర్డ్ సెర్చ్ ద్వారా ఇంటర్నెట్లో వెతకగా, వరల్డ్ పావర్టీ క్లాక్ మరియు వరల్డ్ బ్యాంకు రిపోర్ట్స్ ద్వారా భారతదేశం మరియు నైజీరియాలో ఉన్న పేద ప్రజల యొక్క డేటా సేకరించాం.
‘ వరల్డ్ పావర్టీ క్లాక్’అనేది ప్రపంచవ్యాప్తంగా, ప్రాంతీయంగా పేదరికాన్ని పర్యవేక్షించే ఆన్‌లైన్ సాధనం. వివిధ దేశాలలో నిజ-సమయ పేదరిక డేటాను అందిస్తుంది. జనాభా పరంగా నైజీరియాలో భారతదేశంకన్నా తక్కువ మంది పేదరికంలో ఉన్నప్పటికీ,  నైజీరియా పేదరికంలో భారతదేశం కంటే శాతాల పరంగా అధిక నిష్పత్తిని కలిగి ఉంది.
2011 మరియు 2019 మధ్య, భారతదేశంలో అత్యంత పేదరికంలో నివసిస్తున్న జనాభాలో సగానికి సగం తగ్గిపోయిందని అంచనా వేయబడింది.అయితే, ఇటీవలి సంవత్సరాలలో, ముఖ్యంగా COVID-19 సమయంలో పేదరికం తగ్గింపు వేగం మందగించింది అని, అయితే 2021-22లో అది నియంత్రించబడింది అని వరల్డ్ బ్యాంకు రిపోర్ట్ ఇటీవల తెలిపింది.
వరల్డ్ బ్యాంకు ప్రతీ ఏడాది రిలీజ్ చేసే ‘ముల్టీడైమెన్షనల్ పావర్టీ ఇండెక్స్’ రిపోర్ట్, 2017–2022 సర్వేల ఆధారంగా అంచనాలు చూడగా, భారతదేశంలో బహుమితీయ పేదరికంలో 16.4% జనాభా ఉండగా, నైజీరియాలో 33% ఉన్నట్టు తెలిసింది.
చివరిగా, నైజీరియా పేదరికంలో భారతదేశం కంటే అధిక నిష్పత్తిని కలిగి ఉంది.

created: October 9, 2023


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Nilkamal furniture company had not affixed these ‘Pakistan Murdabad’ stickers on their dustbins - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 1, 2021
An image of a Nilkamal plastic dustbin with a ‘Pakistan Murdabad’ sticker is being shared on social media claiming that the Nilkamal furniture company had exhibited their patriotism by affixing anti-Pakistan stickers on their dustbins. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: The Nilkamal furniture company exhibited patriotism by affixing the ‘Pakistan Murdabad’ sticker on their dustbins.
Fact: This photo was shot at Udaipur railway station in 2019. Following the Pulwama attack, a few unidentified Udaipur city locals affixed these ‘Pakistan Murdabad’ stickers on the Nilkamal plastic dustbins placed in the Udaipur railway station. These stickers were not affixed by the Nilkamal furniture company. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a similar photo was found in an article published by the ‘Patrika’ news website on 22 February 2019.  This article reported it as the visuals of a plastic dustbin placed in the Udaipur city railway station. A few unidentified Udaipur city locals have reportedly affixed these ‘Pakistan Murdabad’ stickers on the Nilkamal plastic dustbins placed in the city railway station. Following the Pulwama attack, Udaipur locals have reportedly expressed their anger by affixing these stickers on the railway station dustbins.
On being informed by the local journalists, the Udaipur Railway station officials removed these ‘Pakistan Murdabad’ stickers placed on 10 to 12 dustbins in the railway station. The Udaipur Railway station officials did not identify the locals who affixed these stickers on the dustbins. Reporting the same, the ‘Udaipur Times’ news website published an article on 22 February 2019.
The original Nilkamal plastic dustbin can be seen here and here. It can be observed that the Nilkamal furniture company had not affixed any such anti-Pakistan stickers on their dustbins.
To sum it up, this ‘Pakistan Murdabad’ sticker on the Udaipur railway station dustbin was not affixed by the ‘Nilkamal’ furniture company.

created: September 1, 2021


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Nirav Modi hasn't stated to the London Court that he had bribed BJP/Congress leaders to abscond from India - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 2, 2019
On Facebook, several users are  posting the purported statements said to be made by the fugitive businessman Nirav Modi before the London Court. And here in India, as elections are approaching, the supporters of the two major national parties i.e., the BJP and the Congress are casting aspersions on one another over Nirav Modi’s fleeing from India. Let’s try to analyze the claims made in the posts.
The archived version of the post can be seen here.
The archived version of the post can be seen here.
Nirav Modi stated before the London court that he didn’t leave India but was threatened by the leaders of a political party to escape and run away from the country.
Nirav Modi’s London Court proceedings were covered by almost all the leading newspapers in India. In the article on The Times of India which covered the same, there was no mention of any such statements made by Nirav Modi as claimed in the FB posts. Hence, the claims made in the posts stand
All this propaganda started with the tweet on 31st March by Gaurav Pradhan, a BJP supporter. He alleged that Nirav Modi testified that he had bribed Congress leaders to flee India. In his tweet, he went on to question the Congress leaders regarding their involvement  in Nirav Modi’s fleeing from India. Another version of the story was doing rounds earlier questioning the BJP’s involvement in Nirav Modi’s fleeing from India, which was proven false.
Nirav Modi’s London Court proceedings took place twice, first on 21st March,2019 and the second one on 29th March,2019. He was questioned in the court only on the 21st March hearing. It was covered by almost all the leading newspapers in India. As per the Times of India story which covered the same, there was no mention of any statements made by Nirav Modi regarding the threats by the Indian political leaders as the reason to flee from India.
Hence, Nirav Modi hasn’t stated to London Court that he was threatened by leaders of Indian political party and that is the reson to flee from the country. Since this is election time, the two political rival parties i.e., the BJP and Congress are spreading this misinformation to gain political mileage.


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Nirav Modi did not make any statement in a London Court about bribing BJP leaders to abscond from India - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 16, 2021
A post is being widely shared on social media claiming that Nirav Modi had confessed in a London court that he had bribed BJP leaders 1300 crores in order to abscond from the country. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Nirav Modi made a statement in London Court about bribing BJP leaders with 1300 crores to abscond from India.
Fact: Nirav Modi’s London Court proceedings and his whereabouts were covered in many news articles. There was no mention of any such statement made by Nirav Modi. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
We searched for news articles about any such statement made by Nirav Modi linking his leaving the country to BJP leaders but found none. A news article published by the Business Standard says that Nirav Modi is currently in jail at the Wandsworth Prison in southwest London. According to the news article, a UK Court on 25 February 2021 allowed the extradition of Modi to India, and UK’s Home Secretary Priti Patel signed the extradition order clearing the path for his extradition. However, Nirav Modi had appealed the court order alleging he will not receive a fair trial in India. In March 2019, Nirav Modi was arrested in central London by UK authorities, reports of which can be seen here and here. None of the news articles mention anything about Nirav Modi’s statement in London Court about bribing BJP leaders for absconding from India.
FACTLY had earlier debunked similar claims shared in 2019 about Nirav Modi’s statement on bribing BJP/ Congress leaders to abscond from India.
To sum it up, Nirav Modi made no statement in a London Court about bribing BJP leaders with 1300 crores to abscond from India.


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Nirbhaya Fund - Low Utilization of Funds is a common feature
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 1, 2021
As observed in an earlier story, only about 62% of the funds released under the Nirbhaya fund were utilized as of January 2021. A detailed analysis further reveals that low utilization is a common feature across various schemes. Here are all the details.
In an earlier story, we analysed the status of funds released & utilized by the states for the various schemes and projects under the Nirbhaya Fund.  We also looked at the broad allocation of Nirbhaya funds for various schemes. Disparities in terms of utilization of these funds were observed in multiple schemes.
In this story, we take a deeper look to understand the release of the funds & utilization by the states for each of these schemes. As in the previous story, the information on the release of funds and utilization is based on the Central government’s answer in Lok Sabha on 05 February 2021.
Only Chhattisgarh & Uttarakhand have utilized more than half of the funds released for One-Stop Centres
One-Stop Centres (OSCs) (also referred to as Sakhi Centres) are intended to provide integrated support to women who are affected by violence – in private & public spaces, within the family, community, workplace etc. Aggrieved women who are facing any kind of violence including sexual assault, harassment, domestic violence, trafficking, honour-related crimes etc. can reach out to OSCs, where they can find support and redressal. This scheme is being implemented under the aegis of the Ministry of Women & Child Development (MWCD) and Nirbhaya Fund is being utilized to establish OSCs in states.
In the earlier story, we have highlighted that only 23% of the funds released to the states under this schemes have been utilized till January 2021. State-wise numbers reveal wide disparities between states – both in terms of funds released and the extent of utilization.
As per the information provided by MWCD recently through a press release, there are 680 operational OSCs out of 728 sanctioned so far across the country. Uttar Pradesh has the highest with 75 OSCs, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 51. In most states, there is an average of one OSC per district. However, in West Bengal, none of the OSCs are operational though 23 OSCs are sanctioned. As per the data shared by the government in the Lok Sabha, not a single rupee has been utilized by the state of West Bengal as far as OSCs are concerned.
Challenges in the implementation of OSCs have been highlighted in various news reports. Lack of facilities, lack of counsellors, and access to legal, medical & psychological support are cited as challenges with the functioning of OSCs. Few other reports have highlighted that OSCs are increasing the challenges for women rather than finding a solution, in a few of the states.
More than 3/4 of the funds allocated for OSCs remain un-utilized and this seems to have an impact on the implementation of the scheme. The government should immediately focus on improving the infrastructure & access to resources at the OSCs so that they serve the intended purpose.
Karnataka, M.P, Maharashtra & West Bengal have not utilized any of the funds released towards Women Helpline Scheme
Universalization of Women Helpline Scheme is another initiative launched under the aegis of MWCD. Like the earlier OSC scheme, the funds were released to nearly all the states, albeit with comparably lesser funding. Across the States/UTs, about 55% of the funds were utilized, but with wide disparities among states.
The purpose of the scheme is to provide a 24-hour immediate and emergency response to women affected by violence. Women Helpline (WHL) is integrated with OSCs. Funds are allocated to the states to align and upgrade their existing helplines to a centralized national-level helpline. The emergency number under this scheme was 181, to begin with. However, since Feb’2019, an Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) or 112 was launched replacing the various emergency numbers (including 181). Even this initiative was launched using Nirbhaya Funds, with the collaboration of MWCD, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and C-DAC.
In specific to this Scheme, few of the large states like Karnataka, M.P, Maharashtra & West Bengal have not used any of the funds which were allocated to them under this scheme. It isn’t even the case of these funds being released recently, with all these states receiving the funds during 2015-16 itself.  Like in the case of OSC, Chhattisgarh tops in terms of utilization with 82% of the funds being utilized.
Nine of the 13 states allocated funds under Mahila Police Volunteer Scheme have not used them
One of the major challenges that women face regarding ‘Gender-Based Violence’ (GBV) is that the women who are victims of harassment do not find it easy to approach the police or the authorities. The NFHS-5 (National Family & Health Survey) data clearly establishes that there is under-reporting of the violence committed against women. The Mahila Police Volunteers (MPV) was envisaged to be the link between police and community and facilitate reporting of instances of harassment or violence against women.
However, data indicates that only about 22% of the funds released to the states under this scheme were utilized. Out of the 13 States/UTs that received funds, only 4 states have utilized the funds towards the scheme. Nine of them have not spent a single rupee under this scheme.
Haryana has used all the funds that were released under this scheme, while Gujarat has utilized around 55% of the released funds. As per an update provided in Lok Sabha in July 2019, there were 9531 Mahila Volunteers, with Chhattisgarh having the highest (4568) followed by Andhra Pradesh (3000). In the same response, the government has stated that there was no assessment done yet, on the impact of MPVs.
However, in a more recent response in Lok Sabha specific to Andhra Pradesh, the government reported that a total of 7,569 cases were brought to the attention of police in two of the districts where the scheme was implemented. Of these, 1279 cases were registered, and 6290 cases were settled after counselling.
None of the funds released for Central Schemes of MoRTH & Department of Justice were utilized by the States
In an earlier story based on NCRB’s Crime In India (CII) reports, we have highlighted the huge pendency and lower conviction of the cases relating to Crimes against women. Ensuring quick & right justice to women victims of violence & harassment is one of the important drivers behind establishing the Nirbhaya Fund. To further these efforts, the Department of Justice was tasked to establish ‘Fast Track Special Courts’ to dispose of cases that are pending trial under Rape & POCSO Act. As highlighted in the earlier story, none of the funds allocated to the states have been utilized for the establishment of fast-track courts.
U.P has received the highest funds with Rs. 77 crores followed by Maharashtra & Madhya Pradesh. On 09 January 2020, the Government of India announced that 1023 Fast-track special courts would be established.
Another scheme, under which Nirbhaya Funds were released to the States but not yet utilized is “Development, Customization, Deployment and Management of State-wise vehicle tracking platform for Safety & Enforcement as per AIS 140 Specifications”. The purpose of the scheme is to provide States with the required funds for upgrading the Public service vehicles as per AIS -140 specifications i.e., to fit ‘Vehicle Location Tracking (VLT)’ devices and Emergency buttons. The support to the states is extended under the aegis of the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH). The scheme was approved in 2019-20 and a total of 19 States/UTs have received funds under this scheme. Funds were released to 5 states in 2019-20 and to another 14 states in 2020-21.  However, not a single rupee under this scheme is utilized so far.
Highest expenditure among MHA projects was for Safe City project
When compared to the schemes launched under various Ministries through the Nirbhaya Fund, the projects under MHA have the highest proportion of fund utilization. Most funds were released to Delhi with around Rs. 403 crores for various projects under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), of which 87% of the funds were utilized. It is followed by Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka & Uttar Pradesh.
The details provided in Lok Sabha have the cumulative total of funds released to the States & funds utilized for the various projects under MHA. However, it does not provide the project-wise release of the funds. This can be ascertained to an extent, based on the details of expenditure by States for various MHA projects given in the same Lok Sabha response.
Based on this information, it is observed that the highest expenditure was under the “Safe City” project. Apparently, 8 cities were chosen for Safe City Project – Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad & Lucknow. These are the capitals of the 8 states to which the highest funds were allocated. The proportionately higher utilization under MHA schemes can also be attributed to the higher expenditure under – Safe City project.
The utilization of the funds released under other MHA schemes is comparably lower in the other states.
As per the details provided in Lok Sabha, a total of Rs. 1,285.12 crores are the expenditure so far under the Safe-city project. However, a few of the latest news reports highlight the delays in the execution of the project in a few cities.
Utilization is comparatively higher for State specific projects
Apart from the Central projects & schemes under the aegis of Central Ministries, there are certain State-level projects that have received funding from Nirbhaya Fund.
As per the details provided in the Lok Sabha answer, there are four such schemes under MWCD and 3 under MoRTH. There are variances in the extent of utilization of the funds released, the details of which are captured in the below table. However, compared to schemes being implemented under the aegis of various central ministries, the fund utilization in the state-specific projects is better.
Non-utilization of the funds is a major concern
The common aspect under various projects and schemes that received funds under Nirbhaya Fund is the low utilization in most states. From the decadal review of the Crime against women that we did based on NCRB’s annual CII report, it is clear that the instances of crimes against women are increasing.
These trends indicate the importance of the various schemes under the Nirbhaya fund which is aimed at supporting the different initiatives and schemes aimed to improve the safety of women in the country.
Each of these schemes & projects covers various aspects that could improve women’s safety. The low utilization across the board calls for a detailed assessment of the efficacy of the funds released to various schemes & projects and initiatives corrective measures as necessary. Such low utilization defeats the purpose of establishing a non-lapsable fund with a specific focus on women’s safety.
Featured Image: Low Utilization of Nirbhaya Funds


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Nirbhaya Fund: Projects worth ₹ 6755 crores approved, only 20% utilized
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 12, 2019
The gruesome rape & murder of a veterinary doctor in Hyderabad has once again triggered the debate on safety of women. Apathy of governments is visible from the state of utilization of the Nirbhaya fund, established in the aftermath of the Nirbhaya incident in Delhi in 2012. Out of the ₹ 6755 crores worth projects approved so far, only about ₹ 1380 crores is utilized, which is just about 20%. Maharashtra utilized only 0.1% of the funds released so far.
Aftermath of the brutal2012 gang rape in Delhi, a few policy changes that were effected to tacklecrimes against women. Apart from the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act,
2013 or Nirbhaya Act, the Government of India has also launched the Nirbhaya Fund. This is a corpus fundcreated to support initiatives and measures taken to ensure the safety ofwomen.
Since the launch of thefund, the government has from time-to-time transferred money to this corpusfund and multiple new initiatives have been funded from this corpus.
In this story, weexplore details of the Nirbhaya Fund and take a look at the differentinitiatives/schemes funded through the Nirbhaya Fund along with the status ofutilization of these funds.
Nirbhaya Fund is a
non-lapsable corpus fund set up for enhancing safety and security of women
The Nirbhaya Fund is a non-lapsable corpus fund which is administered by the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance. This fund is dedicated specifically to improvise the safety and security of women.
The Ministry of Financehas issued guidelines on 25 March 2015, regardingthe framework of Nirbhaya Fund. The Ministry of Women and Child Development(MWCD) is appointed as the nodal ministry to appraise proposals for recommendedschemes that can be funded under the Nirbhaya Fund. In addition to this, theMWCD also has the responsibility of reviewing and monitoring the progress ofthese sanctioned schemes.
Appraisal and
recommendation of proposals is done by an Empowered Committee
An empowered committee was constituted on 26 October 2015 whose responsibility is to appraise and recommend the proposals to be funded through this fund.
The composition of theEmpowered committee is:
Any proposal made by thecentral government can be directly sent to MWCD while, the state departments arerequired to submit them to relevant central government department which arethen forwarded to MWCD.
Once the empoweredcommittee makes recommendations, the respective department places the proposalbefore the competent authority as per the following financial limits:
Apart from MWCD, which is the nodal agency for allocating funds, eventhe Ministry of Finance can disburse funds for few projects.
A total of ₹ 3,600 crores transferred to Corpus Fund as of 2018-19
Nirbhaya Fund was launched in the year 2013-14 with a corpus of ₹1,000 crore. As per an answer in Lok Sabha on 27 July 2018, further ₹ 2,600 were transferred to the corpus fund in the subsequent years.
Afterallocation of ₹1000crore per year during the first two years, there was no new transfer during2015-16 to Nirbhaya corpus fund. In the next two years ₹ 550 crores per year was added tothe corpus with ₹ 500crores being allocated in 2018-19. A total of ₹ 3,600 crores has been allocatedto Nirbhaya fund corpus till 2018-19.  Inthe 2019-20 budget, ₹ 500crores is estimated to be transferred to the corpus fund.
Nearly ₹ 6,755 crores approved for various schemes from Nirbhaya Fund, only 20%
utilized
Fundsunder the Nirbhaya scheme have been allocated to various schemes, launched bydifferent departments, focussed on enhancing the safety and security of women andto provide justice. The analysis presented in this story is based on the dataprovided by Minister for Women & Child Development in Lok Sabha, on twoseparate occasions in response to the questions raised by Members ofParliament.
As per aresponse in Lok Sabha on 26 July 2019, the minister provided thedetails of the various schemes under different ministries/departments, whichwere funded from the Nirbhaya corpus. In this response, the details werecategorised under various heads like – Appraisal Amount, Amount Approved by CFA(Competent Financial Authority), Amount Released and Amount Utilized.
As perthis data, total of ₹ 6,755crores were approved by CFA for various schemes launched by differentMinistries/departments. These include – Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry ofRailways, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Ministry of Women andChild Development, Department of Justice and Ministry of Electronics andInformation Technology.
The HomeMinistry’s ‘Safe  City  Proposal’ scheme has the highest allocationwith ₹ 2,840crores of which ₹ 734crores have been released and utilized as per the information provided in LokSabha on 26 July 2019.
Amongother schemes, One Stop Centre  (OSC) hasa total approved allocation of ₹ 868crores, of which ₹ 289crores were released and ₹49.9crores were utilized.
Overall, ofthe ₹ 6755crores approved so far, only ₹ 1377crores have been utilized which is about 20% utilization.
Not a single rupee allocated to set up Fast Track Special courts utilized
so far
TheMinistry of Women & Child Development, responding to question in the Lok Sabha on 29 November 2019, provided information of theallocation and utilization of the Nirbhaya funds allocated to States/UTs undervarious schemes.
As perthis data, States/UTs has received a total of ₹ 1,672.2 crores for variousschemes under the Home Ministry. Of this, only ₹ 147 crores have been utilized i.e.8.8%. Meanwhile, the states/UTs were allocated a total of ₹ 372.64crores for various schemes under Ministry for Women & Child Development, ofwhich only ₹ 70.7crores were utilized.
Meanwhile,11 states (Jharkhand, Maharashtra, MP, Kerala, Karnataka, Manipur, Nagaland,Odisha, Rajasthan, Tripura, Uttarakhand) received ₹ 78.9 crores to set up Fast TrackSpecial courts for disposing cases pending under Rape & POCSO Act, but nota single rupee has been utilized as per the latest data.
One
stop Centre Scheme is one of the key initiatives by MWCD, to provideintegrated support and assistance under one roof, to women affected byviolence. A total of ₹ 311.2 croreshave been allocated from Nirbhaya Fund, for all the states & UTs (exceptfor West Bengal & Lakshadweep). However only ₹ 42.9 crores have been utilized so far. Even the other schemes underMWCD like the ‘Mahila
Police Volunteer Scheme’ and ‘Universalization
of Women Helpline Scheme’ have less utilization ratio across all the statesand UTs.
Delhi, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & UP have received the highest
allocation over the years
As notedearlier, the states can also submit proposals to utilize funds from theNirbhaya corpus.  The relevant State  Government Departments can also formulateproposals and submit them to the concerned Central Government Ministry/Department.
A totalof ₹ 2,264.9crores is allocated from the Nirbhaya fund so far to different states, under thevarious schemes of different ministries.
The UT ofDelhi was allocated the highest amount from the Nirbhaya fund. It received atotal of ₹ 393.4crores. Among the states, Karnataka received the highest with ₹ 245.6crores , followed by Tamil Nadu which received ₹ 208.9 crores.
The stateof Uttar Pradesh was given ₹ 195.5crores while Maharashtra received ₹ 202.9 under the Nirbhaya Fund.
Of thestates, the least amount was given to Sikkim at ₹ 8.6 crores. The other stateswhich received lower amounts of allocation include : Goa (₹ 9.01crores), Meghalaya (₹12.3crores) and Tripura (₹13.22)crores.
Uttar Pradesh followed by Chhattisgarh and Delhi have utilized the
highest amount by volume for various schemes.
Out ofthe total allocation, a sum of ₹ 252.1crores was utilized by the states for various schemes sponsored from theNirbhaya fund, which is just 11.1% of the amount released.
UttarPradesh has utilized the highest amount with a total of ₹ 41.9crores. It needs to be noted that UP has received the 4 highestamount among the states and UTs.
Chhattisgarhutilised the second highest amount with ₹ 20.3 crores followed by Delhiwith ₹ 19.4crores. Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh which are among the states which receivedthe higher amounts spent only ₹ 15.8crores and 14.3 crores respectively.
Maharashtrautilized only 0.19 crores, the least among all the states and UTs while itreceived the 5 highest amount.
Only 11.1% of the total funds utilized by States Maharashtra utilized
only 0.1%
Of thetotal funds released from Nirbhaya corpus to the states under various schemes, only 11.1% were utilized so far.
Maharashtrahas significantly low utilization of funds with only 0.1% of the funds utilizedso far. As noted earlier in the story, Maharashtra is among the states with higherallocation (₹ 195.5crores) but the utilization was only ₹ 0.19 crores.
The stateof Telangana, where the recent gruesome case of murder and rape took place, hasutilized only 5.7% of the total allocation under Nirbhaya Fund. States of TamilNadu (3.4%), West Bengal (5.1%), Odisha (6.3%) and Karnataka (6.4%) utilizedlesser proportion of funds compared to the national average utilization of 11.1%if one goes by the data provided by the government in the Lok Sabha on 29 November 2019.
TheNational Capital Territory of Delhi, which records a higher incidence of crimesagainst women, and also the place where the Nirbhaya incident occurred,utilized only 4.9% of the funds released so far.
Low Utilization of allocated funds across states for key schemes
Ashighlighted earlier in the article, none of the funds allocated throughDepartment of Justice to set up Fast track courts have been utilised by thestates. A total of 11 states were released funds to setup fast track courts.
Similarly,12 states received funds for MWCD’s ‘Mahila Police Volunteer Scheme’, of which the utilization is lowamong all the states. Andhra Pradesh has utilized only ₹ 0.75 crores of the ₹ 5.2crores it received. Similarly, Chhattisgarh which received the highestallocation of ₹ 7.15crores under this scheme, utilized only ₹1.5 crores.
Universalizationof Women Helpline Scheme is a key initiative to developan emergency response system using a single emergency number. Funding was providedto nearly all the states and most of these states have utilized more than 60%of the funds allocated. However, there are  exceptions like the states of Punjab,Meghalaya and Sikkim which have utilized only around 40% of the fundsallocated.
Out of ₹ 33.6crores allocated to Karnataka for ‘Training Women for Heavy Passengers vehicles’,under Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, only ₹ 2.2 crores is utilized so far.Meanwhile UP has utilized 77% of the ₹ 40.2 crores for ‘enhancing women safety in publictransport’ initiative. Meanwhile, none of the ₹ 58.6 crores allocated to AndhraPradesh for ‘Abhaya Project’ have been utilized.
Only 23% of funds allocated for CCPWC Scheme utilized by states
Theincrease in the usage of Internet and modern communication technologies haveresulted in a significant increase in cybercrimes over the years. Women andChildren are the major targets of such crimes. To tackle cyber-crimes againstwomen and children and develop and effective mechanism, Cyber Crime Preventionagainst Women and Children (CCPWC) scheme was introduced. Developing an Online Cyber reporting platform,national level cyber forensic laboratory, creating awareness, research &development are the key focus areas  ofthis scheme.
A totalof  ₹ 93.12 crores were released out of an estimated ₹ 223.2crores for the various activities to be taken up under CCPWC scheme. However,as per the information provided in Lok Sabha on 29 November 2019,  only ₹ 22 crores have been utilized by the states so far.
Allocated funds being not utilized defeats the purpose of establishing
Nirbhaya Fund.
Out ofthe ₹ 3,600corpus fund, nearly 63% i.e. ₹2,258.6crores have been released to the states and various departments to implementthe proposed schemes. However, utilizing only Rs 252.1 crores i.e 11.1% of theallocation by the states and only a 20% utilization of the overall approvedamount is a gross neglect of the purpose of establishing the Nirbhaya Fund.
As perNCRB’s CII report-2017, the rate of Crime Against Women is 57.9 (per 1 lakh population)and the total number of reported cases of crime against women in 2017 was 3.45lakh, higher than the previous two years. As we have highlighted in an earlier story, many instances of crime, especially against womendo not get reported. Therefore the actual incidence of crime against womencould be much higher than what the numbers indicate.
Againstthis background, the non-utilization of funds allocated specifically for thepurpose of enhancing safety of women reflects the apathy of the governments.
There is an urgent need for the Ministry of Women & Child Development to initiate a review on the state of utilization of the funds and complete the approved projects on a war footing.
Featured Image: Nirbhaya Fund Utilization

created: December 12, 2019


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NIRF Data: About 80% of the Total Expenditure of Educational Institutions is Operational in Nature
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 11, 2023
Data from the NIRF Rankings indicates one common feature across different types of educational institutions: the operational expenditure accounts for a large chunk of the total expenditure. On average, this share is almost greater than 80%.
In the first part of the series on the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), we looked at the genesis and the methodology behind the rankings. In the second part, the focus was on the comparison between the top 100 institutions vis-à-vis the rest. In this third part, we look at another crucial aspect of institutions – financial resources such as expenditures – both capital and revenue and look at its impact on the overall ranking of institutions.
Operational expenditure across institutions account for more than 80% of total expenditure.
Expenditures of educational institutions can be classified into capital expenditure and operational expenditure. Capital expenditure includes expenditures on libraries, equipment and software, workshops, and expenditure on the creation of capital assets. Operational expenditure includes expenditure on maintenance of academic infrastructure/consumables and salaries for teaching and non-teaching staff.
Analysing the data on expenditures, one common feature emerged across different types of educational institutions: operational expenditure accounts for a large chunk of the total expenditure. On an average, this share is almost greater than 80%.
3/5th of the operational expenditure is for salaries for teaching and non-teaching staff.
As mentioned earlier, operational expenditure includes salaries as well as maintenance of infrastructure and consumables. It is observed that salaries account for almost 60% of the total operational expenditure incurred by institutions. Among the different categories of institutions, colleges spend more than 85% of their operational expenditure on salaries, while management institutions spend between 40-50% of their operational expenditure on salaries. Engineering, pharmacy, and universities spend approximately 60% of their operational expenditure on salaries.
Expenditure on libraries remains the lowest among the capital expenditures.
Among the major capital expenditure heads, three major forms of expenditure incurred can be seen: Libraries, new equipment for laboratories and other expenditure on the creation of capital assets. The other minor capital expenditures include workshops, studios, and the upgradation of laboratories.
The data on the type of capital expenditure incurred shows that the bulk of the expenditure is on new equipment for laboratories and the creation of other capital assets. Expenditure on libraries remains a minute fraction of the total capital expenditure. Considering the importance that libraries play in fulfilling the objective of empowering students with the necessary skills and knowledge for academic success while also enhancing their employability prospects, it becomes important to increase the expenditure on libraries.
Is there an impact of capital expenditure on the overall NIRF rankings?
From our first part of this series, it is clear that the ranking of academic institutions also takes into account the financial resources and utilizations, and research publications among others. It is commonly conceived that more expenditure on these aspects can lead to better rankings. But how far does the capital expenditure influence the NIRF rankings, considering other things remain almost constant? We look at it by looking at some examples.
Upon looking at the data, we find that there is no strong evidence to establish any correlation, whether positive or negative, between capital expenditure (only expenditure on libraries, new equipment for labs, and other expenditures for the creation of capital assets are considered) and ranking. Taking the example of IIT Kharagpur under the Engineering category, we find that the capital expenditure for the 2019 ranking year stood at Rs.113.32 Crores when it secured 4 rank. For 2020, the capital expenditure rose to Rs. 235.6 Crores, while securing 5 place. In 2021, the expenditure had been Rs. 174 Crores and in 2022, it was Rs.210 Crores while maintaining the 5 position. In 2023, the capital expenditure had been Rs.184 Crores, while fell to 6 position.
Similarly, IIT Bombay consistently secured 3 position among engineering colleges, irrespective of its capital expenditure. For BITS-Pilani, capital expenditure for the 2019 ranking year stood at Rs.42.44 Crores, where it secured 25 rank. For 2020, the capital expenditure rose to Rs. 142.14 Crores, while declining to 30 rank.
There is no clear pattern that can be seen, assuming the remaining factors remain the same. The trend is the same across institutions and for various types of institutions.
Ultimately, rankings remain a complex phenomenon where multiple factors come into play. Consistently scoring better on all fronts looks like the only way to improve one’s respective rank.
Featured Image: NIRF Rankings

created: December 11, 2023