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Dance videos of Damandeep Singh Chaudhary falsely shared as the videos of Former Chief Justice BN Kirpal’s son Saurabh Kirpal - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 12, 2023
Update (12 June 2023):
Another video is being shared on social media claiming it is a new dance video of Former Chief Justice of Supreme Court BN Kirpal’s son Saurabh Kirpal. However, when we searched for the video using relevant keywords, we found the same video published on the Instagram page of Damandeep Singh Chaudhary on 03 June 2023. So, it is confirmed that the video shows a new dance video of Damandeep Singh, not a dance video of Former Chief Justice BN Kripal’s son Saurabh Kirpal.
Published (05 May 2023):
A post is being shared on social media claiming it as the dance video of Saurabh Kirpal, an openly gay senior advocate and the son of the Former Chief Justice of Supreme Court BN Kirpal. Emphasizing same-sex marriage as an important case, the post says that if Narendra Modi was not the Prime Minister of the country, Hijras would have already become the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Dance video of Saurabh Kirpal, an LGBTQI advocate and the son of the Former Chief Justice of Supreme Court BN Kirpal.
Fact: The man who is seen dancing in the video is Damandeep Singh Chaudhary, a digital creator and the Co-Founder of ‘Runway Lifestyle’, a fashion and lifestyle company. Saurabh Kirpal through a tweet clarified that the viral video circulating on social media has nothing to do with him. Hence the claim made in the post is False.
On reverse image search of the screenshots of the video, we could not find any credible sources related to the video. The video shows a man dancing to the “Sajana| Say Yes To The Dress” song composed by Badshah and one could see the watermark “SAYING YES TO ALL SAJNAS AND TO ALL THE DRESSES” on the video.  When we searched for the video using relevant keywords, we found the same video on the Instagram page “damandiaries”, with the description, “Finally dancing to one of my most favourite track of the season.”
A post shared by Daman S Choudharry (@damandiaries)
In the bio section of the Instagram page, the man mentioned his name as Damandeep Singh Chaudhary and stated that he is a digital creator and the Co-Founder of ‘Runway Lifestyle’,  a fashion and lifestyle company.
Saurabh Kirpal published a tweet regarding the viral video and said, “There’s a video of a man dancing, allegedly me, that’s gone viral. a) it’s not me, b) mocking anyone this way is disgusting homophobia. Bigots may cloak their hatred behind justifications, but it remains vile. Shame on them”.
There’s a video of a man dancing, allegedly me, that’s gone viral. a) it’s not me, b) mocking anyone this way is disgusting homophobia. Bigots may cloak their hatred behind justifications, but it remains vile. Shame on them
To sum it up, the man dancing to Badshah’s Sajan song in the video is not Saurabh Kirpal, son of the Former Chief Justice of Supreme Court BN Kirpal.


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Danish Kaneria is not in the photo. Also, the photo was clicked after Yousuf had converted to Islam - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 31, 2019
A screenshot of a tweet is being widely shared on Facebook. The tweet claims that the image shows ‘Hindu’ Danish Kaneria & ‘Christian’ Yousuf Youhana offering Namaz during a match of Pakistan cricket team under the captaincy of Inzamam-ul-Haq. Let’s analyze the authenticity of the claim.
Image shows ‘Hindu’ Danish Kaneria & ‘Christian’ Yousuf Youhana offering Namaz along with Inzamam-ul-Haq.
Fact: The man in the extreme left is not Danish Kaneria, he is Abdul Rauf, Pakistan cricket team’s physiotherapist in 2006. And, the image was clicked after Yousuf has converted to Islam. So, the claim is FALSE.
The tweet (archived) in the screenshot was put by BJP Mahila Morcha’s National In-charge of social media – ‘Priti Gandhi’. In the comments section of the tweet, ‘Umar Farooq Kalson’, whose Twitter profile describes himself as Pakistan correspondent to ‘ESPNcricinfo’, has written that the man in the extreme left is not Danish Kaneria. He said that the person is Abdul Rauf, Pak cricket team’s physiotherapist in 2006, and also, Yousaf at the time of that photo was ‘Mohammad’ Yousuf.
Extreme left of the photo is Abdul Rauf (Pak masseur) and not Danish Kaneria. Yousaf at the time of this photo was Mohammad Yousaf. https://t.co/fGeyfRX4pQ
When the image in the screenshot is cropped and subjected to reverse image search, it was found in the ‘Getty Images’. The image was found to have been clicked in August 2006 at Bristol (England) during Natwest T20 Series.
With the above information, when searched on Google, the full scorecard of that match was found. The scorecard clarifies that Danish Kaneria wasn’t part of the team played during that match.
And, from the 2005 article of ‘ESPNcricinfo’, it was found that Yousuf Youhana has converted to Islam and from thenceforth would be known as ‘Mohammed Yousuf’. So, the image was clicked after Yousuf has converted to Islam.
To sum it up, the image in the post doesn’t have Danish Kaneria in it and also, it was clicked after Yousuf had converted to Islam.
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source: news-factly

created: December 31, 2019

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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Darul-Uloom Deoband did not issue a ‘fatwa’ asking Muslims to sell food with chemicals, to make Hindu people sick - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 14, 2022
A post is being widely shared on social media claiming that the Darul Uloom Deoband had issued a ‘fatwa’ asking Muslims to sell food with chemicals to make Hindu people sick. The photo of the purported tweet confirming the news by a Maulana is being shared through the post. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Darul Uloom Deoband issued a ‘fatwa’ asking Muslims to sell food with chemicals to make Hindu people sick.
Fact: Darul Uloom Deoband did not issue a ‘fatwa’ asking Muslims to sell food with chemicals, to make Hindu people sick. In fact, when a similar claim went viral in 2020, Darul-Uloom Deoband had complained to the police regarding a fake fatwa issued in their name. The twitter account ‘@gayur_sheikh’ is not the official twitter account of Darul Uloom Deoband. In fact, when one tries to open that handle, it is shown that the account ‘doesn’t exist’. Darul Uloom Deoband is one of India’s largest Muslim seminaries. It is known for issuing controversial fatwas. Darul Uloom Deoband once issued a fatwa stating that it is illegal for women to work, support family. It also once issued a fatwa banning photography as un-Islamic. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched on the internet about such a ‘fatwa’ issued by Darul Uloom Deoband asking Muslims to sell food with chemicals to make Hindus sick, we could not find any information. There is no such ‘fatwa’ issued by Darul Uloom in their official website. If there were such a ‘fatwa’, it would have been reported by major news outlets.
When a similar claim went viral on social media in 2020, we found some articles (here and here) where it was mentioned that Darul Uloom Deoband had complained to the police regarding a fake fatwa issued in their name. The representative of Darul Uloom Deoband said that they did not issue such a ‘fatwa’.
When the screenshot in the post is seen clearly, one can see that the account ‘@gayur_sheikh’ is not the official twitter account of Darul Uloom Deoband. In fact, when one tries to open that handle, it is shown that the account ‘doesn’t exist’.
Darul Uloom Deoband is one India’s largest Muslim seminaries. It is known for issuing controversial fatwas. Darul Uloom Deoband once issued a fatwa stating that it is illegal for women to work, support family. It is also once issued a fatwa banning photography as un-Islamic.
To sum it up, Darul Uloom Deoband did not issue a ‘fatwa’ asking Muslims to sell food with chemicals, to make Hindu people sick.


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Data: 11.2% in Rural, and 7.2% of Surveyed Households in Urban Areas Constructed/Purchased a House After 31 March 2014
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 14, 2023
The 78th Round of National Sample Survey by National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) covered key information of multiple indicators to gather crucial data regarding the progress of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The survey report contained data on households that purchased/constructed a house after 31 March 2014.
The 78th Round of National Sample Survey by National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) covered key information of multiple-indicators to gather crucial data regarding the progress of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In addition, the survey also gathered data on the purchase/construction of residential property by a household after 31 March 2014, and on migration, as per the request of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The survey covered whole of India excepting few regions of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. At the national level, a total of 11,63,416 people (including 7,13,501 in rural areas and 4,49,915 in urban areas) and 2,76,409 households (including 1,64,529 in rural areas and 1,11,880 in urban areas) were surveyed in this round.
In today’s story, we look at the data on purchase/construction of residential properties by households.
At All-India level:
Rural Indians dominate in new houses purchased/constructed after 2014.
In-depth data was gathered regarding the purchase or building of house(s) or flat(s) for residential use after 31 March 2014, including the number of new house(s)/flat(s) purchased/constructed, if the new house/flat was purchased/constructed by the surveyed household for the first time, whether it was owned by the surveyed household as of the date of survey, etc.
At an all-India level, the percentage of surveyed households constructed/purchased any house/flat stands at 11.2 for rural areas and 7.2 for urban areas. Further, the percentage of those who purchased/constructed any house/flat for the first time among the above stands at 47.5 and 57.9 for rural and urban areas respectively. It indicates that while rural areas dominate in purchase or construction of house/flat, less than half of them are purchased/constructed for the first time whereas, six out of every ten households who constructed/purchased house/flat in urban areas are first timers.
Among the social groups, STs dominate other social groups in percentage of those who purchased/constructed house or flat after 2014, including for the first time, in rural areas, whereas OBCs dominate in urban areas in above parameters.
Banks dominate funding ecosystem in urban areas for construction/purchase of new house/flat.
Information on the source of financing for the households who purchased/constructed new house/flat after 31 March 2014, for the first time and owned the same as on date of survey was gathered in terms of four categories: (a) bank, (b) private finance (NBFC, etc.), (c) own financing, and (d) any other source. The term “any other source” in this context refers to funds obtained from the central or state governments, loans obtained from the Life Insurance Corporation or the Postal Life Insurance, refundable loans, or advances from PPF accounts of public sector offices, loans obtained from friends, relatives, or moneylenders, among other things.
The data on source of financing indicates that banks dominate the funding ecosystem in urban areas whereas financing in rural areas is still heavily dependent on other sources. This asymmetric distribution is indicative of the level of access to financial services in rural and urban areas. The share of own and private financing is almost similar for both urban and rural areas.
Larger floor area and a greater number of rooms in urban areas than rural areas
The data on the average floor area, average number of living and other rooms of the flat/house that are constructed/purchased for the first time after 31 March 2014, for residential purposes and that are owned by the surveyed household on the date of survey is collected in this round. A living room is defined as the one with at least four square meter carpet area and a height of at least 2 meters (from floor to highest point of ceiling) and is usually used for the purposes of living.
It is found that newly constructed/purchased houses or flats in urban areas have greater floor area measured in square meters and also has a greater number of living and other rooms as compared to rural areas. From the data on first-time purchases/constructions, it is evident that urban areas dominated rural areas. And combining this data with the above data indicates that though the share of first-time buyers in urban areas is high, they aspire for a better house design while people in rural areas prefer small homes. The setting of the location i.e., urban, or rural also impacts the way people decide on their home design.
Interestingly, more than 44% of the households in rural areas have an average floor area between 30 to 60 square meters, while similar share of urban households has an average floor area between 60 to 160 square meters. In other words, the maximum floor area for rural households is the minimum floor area for urban households.
At State-level:
Chhattisgarh & Telangana have seen more first-time purchasers in rural areas than urban areas.
The state-level data of the percentage distribution of households who purchased/constructed any house/flat for the first time after 31March 2014 shows that Telangana, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand are the only three states among large states that have seen rural areas dominating urban areas. In Telangana, 77.5 percent of people purchased/constructed for the first time in rural areas, while it is 73.1 percent for urban areas. Similarly, for Chhattisgarh, this percentage is 80.4 and 67.5 respectively for rural and urban areas. Rest all major states have urban areas featuring more first-time purchases/constructions than rural areas.
Stark difference in rural and urban areas in Telangana and Jharkhand in source of funding
In terms of funding new purchase/construction, among 18 major states, only Madhya Pradesh and Odisha have greater share of people with ‘banks’ as the primary source of funding in rural areas as compared to urban areas. Similarly, Punjab is the only state in where people sourcing finance from ‘other sources’ are higher in rural areas than urban areas.
Further, in Telangana, 7.5 percent in rural areas had banks as major source of finance while the same is 49.1 percent in urban areas. In Jharkhand, 6.1 percent in rural areas stated banks as major source when compared to 23.6 in urban areas.
Similarly, funding from ‘other source’ in Telangana in rural areas stood at 66.4 percent, and 30.9 percent for urban areas, whereas funding from ‘other source’ in Jharkhand stood at 61.7 percent in rural areas, while for urban areas it is 21.2.
Featured Image: 8th Round of National Sample Survey


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Data: 20 Batsmen, 25 Bowlers & 09 All-Rounders were at the top of ICC T20I rankings since 2005
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 3, 2022
Data of the ICC T20I rankings since 2005 indicates that a total of 20 different batsmen, 25 Bowlers & 09 All-Rounders were at the top of the rankings at least once. Out of the 25 Bowlers who held the top rank, 17 are Spinners while the remaining 08 are seam bowlers.
The 8 edition of the Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup in Australia has entered the later phase of the group stage, with all the Semi-final spots still up for grabs. While the performances of most of the favourite teams were as expected, there have been a few surprises along the way.
Apart from the team performances, some of the individual performances have managed to grab the attention irrespective of the match results.
While these performances would live in the memory of the cricket fans for some time to come, there is also a more tangible benefit in the form of improving their ICC rankings. The ICC rankings are indicative of the current form of the player, with each performance in ICC-sanctioned matches being tracked and rated.  Here is a look at the trends in ICC rankings of the players, specifically in the T20I format.
What are ICC Rankings?
International Cricket Council (ICC) Player Rankings are the official player rankings issued by ICC, the governing body of Cricket. Referred to as MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings, it is a list where international cricket players’ performances are ranked using a points-based system. The players are rated on a scale of 0 to 1000 points. It is a moving average i.e.; the ratings are averaged by adding the latest performances. i.e., if a player performs better than his/her past record, the points increase or vice versa. The ranks are provided based on the ratings of the players. These ratings are provided across the three formats i.e., Tests, One Day Internationals (ODIs) and T20 Internationals (T20Is).
The Ratings are provided for both male & female players separately. Another segregation is based on the role i.e., Batsman, Bowler and Allrounder. Starting March 2021, ICC shifted to a weekly system of updating the player rankings. The rankings for men are updated on Wednesdays.
In the latest updated T20I rankings, India’s Surya Kumar Yadav has claimed the top ranking, contributed by his recent form and his performances in the ongoing World cup.
In this story, we look at the trends in Men’s T20I player rankings. The rankings are as of 14October 2022 i.e., prior to the current T201 World cup. The data is obtained from the official ICC website.
Pakistan’s Babar Azam holds the record for the highest number of days as the No.1 among Batsmen
The first T20I was played on 17 February 2005, between Australia and New Zealand. Ricky Ponting, the captain of Australia top-scored with an unbeaten 98 runs. This is reflected in the first T20I ICC rankings, with Ricky Pointing being the first No.1 ranked batsman in T20Is. With fewer matches played in the initial years, Ricky Ponting held that position for over a year with 372 days.  Graeme Smith replaced Ricky Ponting at the end of February’2006 as the top-ranked T20I batsman in the world. He was the No.1 ranked player for 637 consecutive days. He was replaced at the top by Gautam Gambhir, who also became the first Indian batsman to be ranked No.1 in T20Is.
A snapshot of Men’s T20I batting rankings:
Rashid Khan was at No.1 for the greatest number of consecutive days among bowlers
Australia’s Michael Kasprowicz took four wickets in the first T20I match between Australia & New Zealand, helping him to become the first bowler to achieve the No.1 ranking in T20Is for bowlers. Like his compatriot Ricky Ponting, he held on to the position for a long period of time i.e., 246 days, until he was replaced by another Australian, Brett Lee.
The No.1 ranking juggled between Brett Lee and New Zealand’s Andre Adams until Andrew Symonds of Australia held it for a considerable period of time. His two tenures as the No.1 ranked T20I bowler in the world were for 351 and 247 days.
A Snapshot of Men’s T20I bowler rankings:
Australia’s Shane Watson is the highest-rated T20I All-rounder in history
Allrounder ratings are derived from both the bowling and the batting ratings of the cricketers. Players who appear higher on both the batting and bowling rankings tend to be higher in the overall allrounder rankings. Australia’s Andrew Symonds is the first player to be ranked No.1 T20I allrounder, which he held for a record consecutive 940 days. He also holds the record for the total number of days as the world’s No.1 allrounder with 1447 days.
Only 9 players have achieved the No.1 ranking among allrounders since the inception of T201s. Afghanistan’s Mohammed Nabi and Bangladesh’s Shakib-al-Hasan rank next among the players with the highest number of total days as the No.1 allrounder.
In terms of rating, the highest rating for an allrounder was achieved by Australia’s Shane Watson with 557 points. There is no Indian player who was ranked No.1 in the allrounder rankings. The highest ranking achieved was by Yuvraj Singh at No.3.
Factly’s videos on the T20I World Cup can be viewed here, here and here.
Featured Image: ICC T20I rankings

created: November 3, 2022


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Data: 24% of The Assurances Pending in 17th Lok Sabha. Some Very Old Assurances Are Still Pending
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 13, 2023
Latest data indicates that 24% of the Assurances made in the 17th Lok Sabha are pending as of 12 January 2023. At the same time, 45% of the Assurances made in the Rajya Sabha during the current (17th) Lok Sabha term are pending. Some very old Assurances are still pending.
In a Parliamentary democracy, the Parliament is the supreme authority. The Executive shall be collectively responsible to the Parliament. Parliament provides a unique opportunity for the elected representatives to hold the government accountable. Elected representatives adopt various strategies to gather information on topics of public interest and in that process, ensure accountability of the government. This could be in form of questions, debates, and resolutions, among others. However, often, when the government is faced with a lack of information or the issues raised have not been thought of previously, Ministers frequently provide assurances, commitments, or promises to consider a topic, act, or provide information in the future while responding to questions in the House or during deliberations of Bills, Resolutions, Motions, etc. These assurances do not lapse either on the expiry of the term of Lok Sabha or on the dissolution of the House.
These assurances are very crucial, and it becomes imperative that these are tracked, to provide a meaningful closure to the assurances made. For such reasons, the Lok Sabha, and Rajya Sabha have formed the ‘Committee on Government Assurances’.  The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs maintains Online Assurance Monitoring System (OAMS) to keep track of all the assurances made.
Today’s story looks at the trends in assurances made, and the implementation of those assurances. Similar reports on assurances and their implementation, compiled by Factly, can be read here, here, here, and here.
Brief about the Committee
The Lok Sabha has established a ‘Committee on Government Assurances’ with the aim of institutionalising the process to ensure the fulfilment of promises, and undertakings made from time to time by the Ministers are implemented, and in a reasonable amount of time.
The Lok Sabha Secretariat and the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs review the discussions in the Lok Sabha to identify the Ministers’ words and responses that serve as assurances. The standard list of forms constituting assurances can be found here. The assurances so picked out are informed to the respective Ministries/Departments.
For the implementation of assurance, the Committee has set a maximum time frame of three months, to be counted from the day it was delivered in the House. For any assurances that aren’t feasible to implement, the Government must approach the Committee and present the facts for consideration, and if agreed, such assurances can be dropped. Various Ministries submit implementation reports in the required format to the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, and a compiled report by the Committee on Government Assurances is placed before the House.
Around 24% assurances of 17th Lok Sabha are Pending
As of 12 January 2023, around 2259 assurances are made in the 17 term of Lok Sabha. Out of these 2259 assurances, 1605 assurances are implemented, both partially and fully. The number of assurances dropped stands at 122, while the pending assurances add up to 532. This is around 24% of the total assurances made in this term of Lok Sabha.
As mentioned earlier, the work on these assurances is a continuous process. Accordingly, progress can be made on the assurances made in the past Lok Sabha terms. The pendency rate of the 13th and 14th Lok Sabha is Zero, while that of the 15 and 16 Lok Sabha is 0.9% and 3.1% respectively.
45% assurances made in Rajya Sabha for current Lok Sabha term are pending
Like the Lok Sabha, the sessions held in Rajya Sabha during the current Lok Sabha witnessed higher pendency. During the 16 Lok Sabha, 17 Rajya Sabha sessions (232 to 248) were held, and for the 17 Lok Sabha, so far, 10 sessions (249-258) have been held.  The cumulative pendency of assurances in Rajya Sabha during these two Lok Sabha terms stands at 6.8% and 45% respectively.
In terms of numbers, 2983 assurances were made in all sessions during the 16 Lok Sabha term, out of which 2640 were fully implemented, and 140 were dropped. For sessions in the 17 Lok Sabha, so far, 908 assurances are given, out of which 490 are fully implemented, and 10 assurances are dropped.
5 ministries account for 30% of the pending assurances
If we look at the data of ministry-wise assurances, it is found that around 5.5% of assurances are pending for all ministries cumulatively from the 13th Lok Sabha to the 17 Lok Sabha. Out of this, five ministries/departments namely Railways, Defence, Education, Law and Justice and Social Justice and Empowerment cumulatively account for more than 30% of the total pending assurances.
For the 17 Lok Sabha, as noted earlier, a total of 532 assurances are pending out of the 2259 assurances. Out of these 2259 assurances, nine ministries accounted for more than 45% of assurances made. Ministries like Railways, Road Transport and Highways, Health and Family Welfare, Education and Finance were the top five ministries in terms of assurances made. In terms of pendency, Education, Law and Justice, Railways, Defence, and Chemicals and Fertilizers are the top five ministries accounting for 32% of the pending assurances for the 17 Lok Sabha.
Long-pending assurances still a worry
Pending assurances are always worrisome as they limit the accountability of the Government. Many a time, even the time limit set for the implementation of the assurance is not followed strictly. Below are a few examples of assurances, which have been pending for years.
Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3725 answered on 25 August 2011
This question pertained to the implementation of the Law Commission’s recommendations on `The Legal Education & Professional Training and Proposals for Amendments to the Advocates Act, 1961 and the University Grants Commission Act, 1956.’ The Minister for Law and Justice at that time replied that the matter is under consideration.  The latest reply by the same minister is as below.
The Ministry’s request to drop the assurance was not acceded by the Committee.
Lok Sabha unstarred questions 1243, and starred question 314
These two questions pertain to accountability and transparency in sports bodies and the need for an independent sports regulator. A committee was set up to look into the developments post the introduction of the National Sports Development Code of India 2011 and provide suitable recommendations. The Committee recommended Draft National Code for Good Governance in sports, 2017.  Another committee was formed by the Department of Sports to review this draft court, which the Delhi High Court set aside.
The Ministry’s request to drop the assurance was not acceded by the Committee.
Some important dropped assurances
Lok Sabha Unstarred question 6810, and Starred question 237
These questions pertained to the ‘Integrated Energy Policy’ and ‘New Energy Policy’. NITI Aayog prepared a draft National Energy Policy and circulated it for inter-ministerial consultations in 2018. No progress has been made since then.
As per the request of the Ministry, the assurance has been dropped.
Lok Sabha Unstarred Questions 2987, and 3025
These questions pertained to the security in railways and the Railway Protection Force (RPF). On the question of whether there is any proposal to make RPF fully responsible for safety and security in railways, the ministry replied that the matter has been forwarded to the states for soliciting their opinion. Similarly, a proposal for amendment in the RPF Act, 1957 has been sought to empower RPF to register and investigate passenger-related offences in the passenger area, for which the Ministry of Home Affairs has conveyed observations. These are under the consideration of the Ministry of Railways.
As per the request of the Ministry, the assurance has been dropped.
Pendency reduced over the years, but room for improvement still exists
Data on the pendency of assurances from the previous terms of Lok Sabha shows a consistent decline. If such trends are to be continued, it is safe to assume that the pendency of assurances will only decline further. It is observed that the recent Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha sessions have more pendency, which is understandable. However, given a time period of three months for the implementation of assurance, even the recent sessions must have lower pendency of assurances which is not the case.
Some assurances tend to be pending for years. Such long pendency in assurances delegitimizes the accountability of the Government, and hence, special efforts must be taken to ensure the assurances are duly implemented, wherever possible.

created: January 13, 2023


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Data: 26 States/UTs report 18% less Road Accidents & 15% less Deaths in Lockdown year 2020
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 2, 2021
Road Accidents have been the leading cause of death among young adult males in India. India is also the country with most road accident deaths among 199 different countries. Though the number of road accidents has reduced by around 10% in the last 10 years, the number of deaths has increased. In the lockdown year of 2020, 26 States/UTs that have reported complete data, saw 18% less Road Accidents & 15% less Deaths.
India is among the countries that reports the greatest number of road accidents in the world. Every year, thousands of road accidents are reported across India resulting in fatalities and severe injuries. Road injuries are the leading cause of death among young adult males in India. According to the WHO, in 2019, road injury was among the top 10 causes of deaths globally. More people lost their lives to road injuries than to tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, or liver cirrhosis. Road accidents are a socio-economic burden on the victims’ households as well as on the economy. Unlike certain chronic illnesses and diseases, road injuries are preventable through effective interventions and stringent enforcement of rules, as most of them occur due to negligence, poor infrastructure, and carelessness.
An average of 1200+ road accidents were reported daily in India in 2019
Responding to a question in the parliament recently, the Union Government stated that the total number of road accidents in the country stood at 4,49,002 during 2019. Compared to 2018, the number has dropped by nearly 4%. The trend in the number of reported road accidents from 2010 as per the annual ‘Road Accidents in India’ report reveals that the least number of accidents were reported in 2019. In 2010, 5.28 lakh road accidents had taken place, and since then there has been a gradual decrease in the number of such accidents. Between 2010 & 2019, there has been a 10% reduction in the number of road accidents.  The data is based on information supplied by the Police Departments of States and UTs. Hence, the actual number of accidents may be higher.
According to data presented in the Lok Sabha earlier this year, 26 states/UTs had submitted data for the entire calendar year 2020. The data indicated that the total number of accidents in these 26 states/UTs had dropped by around 48,500 in 2020, a reduction of more than 18% compared to 2019. The nationwide lockdown and movement restrictions imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19 may have also contributed to the reduction.
Fatality due to road accidents is highest in India
India ranks first in the number of road accident deaths among 199 countries and accounts for almost 11% of the accident-related deaths in the world, according to the Road Accidents in India 2019 report 2019. Though the number of accidents has reduced in the last 10 years, the number of fatalities has gone up. In 2019, 1.51 lakh persons lost their lives due to road accidents, which is merely 0.2% less than 2018. The fatalities number was about 1.35 lakhs in 2010 and has increased by around 12% between 2010 & 2019.
In 2020, the 26 states/UTs reported a decline in the number of deaths due to road accidents by more than 13,000 or 15%.  Over 79,000 deaths were reported in 2020 in these 26 states compared to more than 93,000 deaths in 2019. As noted earlier, this could be because of the nationwide lockdown that restricted the movement of people & vehicles.
However, the possibility of under-reporting in fatalities cannot be ruled out. The data reported by police does not include the deaths that take place in hospitals after 30 days if the hospital data and police data are not linked. Further, fatalities in which the person who caused the accident cannot be identified will not be reported since crime/offence under IPC must be lodged against an individual and not against the road or vehicle or any object.
In 2019, around 4.51 lakh persons were injured in road accidents, the lowest since 2010. The number of persons injured in road accidents has dropped by almost 15% between 2010 & 2019.
90% of Road Accidents were reported by 15 states
A total of 15 states together account for more than 90% of the accidents since 2015. In the last five years, Tamil Nadu topped the list with an average of more than 65,000 accidents reported each year. The state reported more than 70,000 accidents in 2016 which has dropped to over 57,000 in 2019. Tamil Nadu reported close to 45,500 accidents in 2020, the lowest since 2015, yet the highest in India. The majority of the accidents in the state took place on the state and national highways. Tamil Nadu also had the highest number of black spots in the country, which is defined as a 500-meter stretch on the national highways where 5 road accidents or 10 fatalities took place in the last three years. Though Tamil Nadu reported the most accidents, Uttar Pradesh reported the greatest number of fatalities.
Since 2015, among the top 15 states, the states of Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and West Bengal have reported a drop in the number of accidents whereas the states of Bihar, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and Kerala have reported an increase in the number of road accidents. Seven of these states- Telangana, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, and Gujarat which have reported data for January to December 2020, have reported a drop in accidents even in 2020.
2 out of 3 fatalities in road accidents were due to overspeeding
Over speeding was the reason behind more than 70% of the accidents and 67% of the fatalities, in 2019. Other contributors to the high incidence of road accidents in the country are drunken driving, driving on the wrong side or lane indiscipline, jumping red lights, and usage of phones which are due to poor enforcement of traffic rules.
India ranks 3 globally in terms of total accidents
According to World Road Statistics- 2018 of the International Road Federation, India ranks 3rd in terms of total accidents, among 199 countries. The USA tops the list with more than 31 Lakh accidents. In terms of the incidence of accidents per lakh population, India’s incidence is 36 per lakh people which is much less than many developed and developing countries like the USA (684), Japan (393), Iran (365) and Turkey (233). However, in terms of fatalities, India tops the list.
Road crash had a severe impact on the vulnerable- poorer households, rural households, and women
A study titled ‘Traffic Crash Injuries and Disabilities: The Burden on Indian Society’ was conducted by the World Bank to assess the socio-economic impact of road crashes in India across 4 states — Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra which accounted for most road accident deaths in the country. It surveyed accident cases and corresponding families of victims to understand the relation between road crash fatalities and poverty, inequality, and vulnerable road users in India. The key findings of the study are as follows-
Policy-based approaches have been recommended to save lives
The report suggests policy-oriented approaches for saving lives and improving the ability of victims and their families to get back on their feet. Some of the approaches suggested are the following
Featured Image: Road Accidents in Lockdown year 2020

created: August 2, 2021


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Data: 285 People Lost Their Lives Due to ‘Collapse of Bridge’ in the Last 10 Years as per NCRB Report
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 8, 2022
The National Crime Records Bureau’s annual ‘Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India’ report provides data relating to the accidents in the country, including the figures for accidents involving bridge collapses. The number of incidents of Bridge Collapse has reduced considerably over the years.
On 30 October 2022, a suspension bridge over a river in the city of Morbi, Gujarat collapsed, resulting in around 140 deaths and more than 180 injured. The bridge was a 19th-century structure, that was reopened 5 days prior to the incident, following a lengthy closure for repairs.
The bridge was a pedestrian bridge and initial reports suggest that there were more people on the bridge at the time of collapse than what it can hold.  The investigation is currently on, and an FIR was registered against the maintenance and management agencies of the bridge.
This incident has once again brought to the fore discussion around the construction and maintenance of the public utility structures like bridges and similar such incidents in the past.
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)’s annual ‘Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India’ (ADSI) report provides data relating to accidents in the country, including the figures for accidents involving bridge collapses.  Here is a look at the trend over the years regarding bridge collapses in the country.
Decline in the number of accidents due to ‘Collapse of Structure’
Accidents relating to the Collapse of a Bridge are categorised under the Collapse of a Structure in the ADSI report. The category also includes the collapse of other structures such as Residential buildings, Commercial buildings, Dams, etc. Compared to the other structures in the category, the accidents relating collapse of bridges are fewer. The major share of accidents in this category is the collapse of residential buildings.
In 2021, there were 1576 recorded accidents relating to the Collapse of structures, out of which 1158 incidents were related to the collapse of residential buildings. There is an increase compared to 2020 when 1481 cases of collapse of structures were reported. However, a declining trend in the number of accidents reported due to the collapse of structures is observed over the years.  During the 10-year period of 2012-2021, the highest number of such incidents was reported in 2013 with 3074 cases.
Number of Accidents due to Collapse of Bridge has reduced
There is a significant drop in the number of accidents due to the collapse of bridges. As per the latest ADSI report for 2021, there were 8 cases of Accidents due to the collapse of the bridge in the year 2021 compared to 9 such incidents in 2020. While there has been a varying trend in the number of cases recorded each year, there is a considerable decline in the number of such reported incidents.
In 2012 & 2013, 45 cases were recorded each year. The number of cases had a sharp fall in the next year with 16 cases. The highest number of cases in the subsequent years, was 23 in the year 2019, followed by 22 in 2015.
Fewer Deaths and Low Death Rate in accidents due to Collapse of Bridge
The reduced number of accidents due to the collapse of bridges is also reflected in the number of deaths recorded.  In 2012, accidents due to the collapse of bridges resulted in 64 deaths. There were 53 deaths reported in the next year. However, in the subsequent year, there have been comparatively fewer deaths due to fewer accidents.
In 2016, a total of 47 deaths were recorded in these accidents. Compared to the year 2015, there is a higher number of deaths although the number of accidents was lower. During the 10-year period, 2016 had the highest fatality rate i.e., deaths per accident. The figure is 2.47 in 2016. In 2012, which recorded the highest number of fatalities, this rate was 1.42.
In recent years, there was not only a fall in the number of fatalities, but the fatality rate is also lower. It ought to be noted that, deaths are dependent on the severity of a particular incident and a singular incident can contribute majorly to the total number of deaths in a year.
There is a higher prevalence of deaths in accidents due to the collapse of bridges among males. During the period 2012-2021, out of the 285 deaths recorded, 239 were males.
There is also a decline in the number of people injured. In 2012, a total of 53 people were injured. A lower number of injured victims was recorded in the subsequent years. There were no injuries from the accidents in 2015, 2016 and 2021, although the incidents resulted in deaths.
Jharkhand reported the highest number of Accidents due to collapse of Bridge
Among the states, the highest number of accidents due to the Collapse of Bridges was reported from Jharkhand. ADSI report provides a State-wise break-up of the accidents due to the collapse of bridges in recent years.
In 2021, out of the 8 accidents across the country, 5 were in Jharkhand. Even in earlier years, Jharkhand consistently had the highest number of accidents due to bridge collapses. The only exception was in 2019 when 7 such incidents were reported in Jharkhand and 8 in Bihar.
Figures from recent years indicate that Jharkhand and Bihar have the highest number of such accidents.  During the 2016-2021 period (2017 is not included as State-wise information for accidents due to the collapse of bridges is not provided), there were 34 accidents recorded in Jharkhand.
Recent accident in Morbi has the highest death toll.
As per the latest reports, the recent bridge collapse in Morbi, Gujarat has resulted in the death of around 140 people.  As highlighted earlier, the trend of the number of deaths varies across the years due to the nature of accidents. One severe incident could have led to more deaths. Over the past 10 years, there have been multiple accidents that have resulted in a larger death toll.
In 2019, there were 26 deaths reported in the country. The Mumbai foot-over bridge collapse resulted in the death of 6 people that year. In 2016 there were 29 deaths due to the British-era bridge collapse across the Savitri River on the Mumbai-Goa highway. The total number of deaths as per the ADSI report in 2016 was 47. It ought to be noted that nearly 26 deaths were caused due to the Kolkata flyover collapse in the same year.
In 2011, a bridge collapse in Darjeeling resulted in the death of 32 people. Just a week after this incident, there was a foot-over bridge collapse in Arunachal Pradesh, resulting in the death of at least 30 people. The recent Morbi bridge collapse is the most fatal in the past 15 years.
Featured Image: Collapse of Bridges

created: November 8, 2022


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Data: 30% of all Nobel Laureates were born in the USA
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 17, 2020
The Nobel prizes were being awarded starting in the year 1901. Till 2020, a total of 930 unique individuals & 25 organizations received the 603 Nobel awards. 30% of all the Nobel laureates were born in the USA. Only 6% of the awardees are Women.
In his last will, Swedish inventor, entrepreneur, scientist, and businessman, who also wrote poetry and drama, Alfred Nobel declared that his remaining assets were to be used to constitute a fund, the interest on which would be distributed every year as prizes to ‘those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind’. He clearly mentioned that the prize would be divided equally into five- for the best contribution in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and to the person who has contributed by and large to bring Peace on Earth.
Alfred Nobel had further mentioned that Swedish Academy of Sciences would give the awards for Physics and Chemistry, Karolinska Institute in Stockholm for Medicine, Academy in Stockholm for Literature, and a committee of five persons to be selected by the Norwegian Storting would give the prize for Peace. He also stated that the awards should be given to the worthiest persons, irrespective of nationality.
The Nobel Prize was first awarded in 1901 in the five fields. It was in 1968, Sweden’s central bank, Sveriges Riksbank established the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in memory of Alfred Nobel. The responsibility to select the laureates was given to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Thus, the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences was included only in 1969.
603 awards given between 1901 and 2020
Between 1901 and 2020, a total of 603 Nobel Prizes were awarded, including the Prize in Economic Sciences. The greatest number of prizes were given in the field of Physics (114), followed by Literature (113), Chemistry (112), and Medicine (111). There have been times when the Nobel Prize was not awarded. A total of 49 awards across fields were not given so far including the period during World War I (1914 to 1918) and World War II ( 1939 to 1945).  Also, if no work has been found to be worthy, the award may not be given in a particular year. So far, the Prize for Economic Sciences has been awarded regularly amongst all the fields.
A maximum of up to three persons can share a prize as per the Nobel Foundation’s statutes. The 603 awards have been awarded to 962 laureates including 934 individuals and 28 organizations. Only a handful have been awarded more than once. A total of 930 unique individuals and 25 unique organizations have received the prestigious Prize at least once. Four individuals and two organizations have received the award more than once.
International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) won the Peace Prize three times and the UNHCR that works with refugees won the Peace Prize twice. The founder of ICRC, Henry Dunant was the first recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901. John Bardeen won Nobel Prize in Physics twice and Frederick Sanger won twice in Chemistry. Linus Pauling won the prize in Chemistry in 1954 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1962. Marie Curie is the only woman who won the Award twice- in 1903 for Physics and in 1911 for Chemistry. In fact, she was the first woman recipient of the award.
Only 57 women have received Nobel Prize in over 120 years
Since the inception of the awards 120 years ago, only 57 women have received the award compared to 873 male recipients. In other words, a mere 6% of the individuals who have been awarded are women. However, this number has been improving over the last few decades.
In the first decade beginning 1901, three women received the award. In the subsequent decade, Marie Curie was the only woman to have received the award. No woman received the award during the period 1951 to 1960 during which over 70 awards were given. 69 of these were given to men and one was conferred to an organization. 60% of the women laureates received their awards after 1990. Four women each have been awarded the Nobel Prize in 2018 & 2020. The year 2009 holds the distinction for most women recipients, when 5 of the 13 laureates were women.
Majority of Women Nobel laureates received their award for bringing Peace
Analysis of the number of women laureates by field reveals that 17 women were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and 16 women were awarded the Prize in Literature. A further 12 women were awarded the Prize for their contribution in the field of Medicine and Physiology. The two women laureates in Economic Sciences are Elinor Ostrom (2009) and Esther Duflo (2019). Only 7 women won the Prize for Chemistry and 4 won in Physics, including Marie Curie who was awarded once in each of these fields. Of the four awardees in Physics, Andrea Ghez won the award in 2020 and Donna Strickland won the award in 2018. Two of the seven awardees in Chemistry were awarded in 2020.
Every 3 out of 4 Women laureates were from North America or Europe
About 24 of the 57 women Nobel laureates are from Europe and 18 are from North America. Together, nearly 74% of the women recipients are from either of these two continents. Except for two awardees each in Medicine and Chemistry, all the other women recipients of the award in the fields of Chemistry, Physics, Medicine, and Economic Science are from Europe and North America.
Only one woman from South America (Chile) and one from the Oceania (Australia) have received the award. 15 of the 18 women from North America are from the USA, making it the country with the maximum number of women Nobel Prize winners. France has the highest number of women recipients in Europe and second in the world with four women recipients. Germany with 3 women recipients has the third highest number of female Nobel awardees in the world.
30% of Nobel Laureates were born in USA
USA is the country of birth for the most Nobel laureates across the globe. A total of 281 of the 934 individual Nobel awardees or 30% of all the individual awardees were born in the USA.  UK, Germany, and France was the country of birth of more than 50 recipients each. Nearly 54% of the Nobel laureates were born in one of these four countries.
10 Nobel laureates, all men, were born in India. The list includes Ronald Ross, Rabindranath Tagore, Sir C V Raman, H Gobind Khorana, Abdus Salam, S Chandrashekar, Amartya Sen, Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Kailash Satyarthi, and Abhijit Banerjee.
Two laureates didn’t accept the award while one laureate was forced to return
Two Nobel Laureates- Jean Paul Sartre and Le Duc Tho declined the prize awarded to them. Jean Paul Sartre declined the award as he consistently declined all the official honours. Le Duc Tho cited the situation in Vietnam for not accepting the Peace Prize. Boris Pasternak had initially accepted the Nobel Prize for Literature but was later coerced by authorities in Soviet Union to decline. Adolf Hitler forbade three German laureates- Richard Kuhn, Adolf Butenandt, and Gerhard Domagk from accepting the award. However, they later received the Nobel Prize Diploma and Medal but not the prize amount.
Featured Image: Nobel Laureates

created: October 17, 2020


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Data: 33% Coastal Districts Record Erosion of Over 40% of Shoreline While 20% Districts Record Accretion of Over 40%
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 19, 2024
Data from the NCCR shows that between 1990 & 2016, out of the total 69 coastal districts, 23 have undergone Erosion by over 40% while 14 have undergone accretion by over 40%. Among 7 states with higher erosion, the State of West Bengal has 100% of its districts undergoing erosion by over 40%, followed by Kerala and Gujarat with 50% and 37% of their districts.
In a February 2023 reply given in the Parliament in response to a question on the factors causing Coastal Erosion in Andhra Pradesh, the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) stated that “The shoreline changes are combined effect of natural (like tropical cyclones, monsoon floods, sea level rise, extreme events, etc.) and anthropogenic (like ports/harbours, damming of rivers, etc.) reasons”
The same Ministry in a study report titled ‘Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Ocean’ noted that “Since the middle of the twentieth century, India has witnessed a rise in average temperature; a decrease in monsoon precipitation; a rise in extreme temperature and rainfall events, droughts, and sea levels; and an increase in the intensity of severe cyclones, alongside other changes in the monsoon system. There is compelling scientific evidence that human activities have influenced these changes in regional climate.”
Both the official documents categorically record the link between Climate Change and the numerous negative impacts of the same. Coastal Erosion is one of such major impacts witnessed at a greater level in India.
Factly’s previous story on Coastal Erosion had highlighted that National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) reports had shown that out of the total 6,907 km of the coast in the mainland of India, about 2,318 km at 33.6% and 1,855 km at 26.9% had undergone erosion and accretion, respectively, while the rest of 39.6% the coastal land being in the stable condition. The official data itself reveals that 60% of coastal land had undergone significant changes. These changes have happened within a span of about 3 decades between 1990 to 2018.
In this story, we look at the district-level situation of the Coastal States of India which are facing the problem of Coastal Erosion and Accretion.
Methodology
The data has been sourced from Dataful, which has compiled District-wise National Assessment of Shoreline Changes data published by NCCR from the year 1990 to 2016. The same data is used for analysis in this story.
None of the Coastal Districts are Free of Erosion and Accretion
India has 9 States and 2 Union Territories with Coastal Land. According to the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), about 250 million people, or about 26% of the Indian population live within 100 kilometres of the shoreline of the Indian Coast. Another 2021 study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) noted that India stands in the 7th position among the countries that are vulnerable to climate extremes. The same study also noted that more than 300 extreme events have hit the country in recent decades which are directly and indirectly attributable to impacts caused by Climate Change.
The NCCR has published reports on shoreline changes in 69 districts, including the data of UTs Daman and Diu and Coastal cities Chennai and Mumbai. The analysis of district-wise data shows that not a single coastal district in India had been without Erosion or Accretion during the period from 1990 to 2016. Notably, the Highest Erosion and Accretion were witnessed in the South 24 Paraganas district of West Bengal and Kachchh district of Gujarat at 193 and 124 kilometres, respectively. This Lowest Erosion and Accretions were recorded in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh and Karaikal district of Tamil Nadu at 0.9 and 2.56 kilometres, respectively.
The CEEW report notes that 95% of the coastal districts are vulnerable to numerous types of negative consequences that are witnessed across the globe due to Climate Change. In confirmation of the same report, the data shows that all coastal districts have undergone both Erosion as well Accretion.
40 and 27 Districts have undergone over 20 Kilometres of Erosion and Accretion, Respectively
The data shows that some of the districts among 69 districts have undergone significant erosion by over 20 kilometres each, between the period of 1990 and 2016. While 40 districts in 8 out of the 9 coastal states have undergone Erosion of more than 20 kilometres each, 27 districts in the 9 states have undergone Accretion of over 20 kilometres in length each. Among the districts with higher erosion, 3 out of 3 districts in West Bengal, 7 out of 14 in Tamil Nadu, 3 out of 6 in Maharashtra, 7 out of 9 in Kerala, 1 out of 3 in Karnataka, 10 out of 16 in Gujarat, 5 out of 9 in Andhra Pradesh, 4 out of 6 districts in Odisha were recorded Erosion of over 20 kilometres.
When it comes to Accretion, the States of Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal have recorded 6, 1, 5, 2, 2, 1, 5, 4, and 1 districts respectively each with over 20 kilometres of Accretion.
Therefore, the data shows that 59% and 39% of the total coastal districts of India have undergone significant Erosion and Accretion, respectively, by over 20 kilometres.
33% and 20% of the Coastal Districts have recorded Erosion & Accretion of over 40% of shoreline
The data also shows that out of the total 69 districts, 23 and 11 districts respectively have undergone Erosion by over 40% and 50% of the total coastal length, while 14 and 7 districts have undergone accretion by over 40% and 50%, respectively, of the total coastal length. Therefore, the data shows that while 33% and 16% of the coastal districts of India have undergone erosion by over 40% and 50%, respectively, 20% and 10% have undergone accretion by over 40% and 50%, respectively.
The data also shows that while 7 out of a total of 9 states have districts that have undergone erosion by over 40%, 4 states have districts with accretion by over 40%. Among 7 states with higher erosion, the State of West Bengal has 100% of its districts undergoing erosion by over 40%, followed by Kerala and Gujarat with 50% and 37% of their districts.
Climate Change is a Cause of Concern for One and All, Prior-Assessment and Measures of Control are the Need of the Hour
The 2020 MoES study on Climate Change notes that “Warming since the 1950s has already contributed to a significant increase in weather and climate extremes globally (e.g., heat waves, droughts, heavy precipitation, and severe cyclones), changes in precipitation and wind patterns (including shifts in the global monsoon systems), warming and acidification of the global oceans, melting of sea ice and glaciers, rising sea levels, and changes in marine and terrestrial ecosystems.”
The same study goes on to say that global temperature has already risen by an average of 1°C since the pre-industrial age and it is anticipated to increase to an average of 3-5°C by the end of the 21st Century. The temperature in India has risen by 0.7°C since 1901 and is projected to increase by an average of 4.4°C by the end of the 21st century.
The data also suggests that India has seen significant changes to its Coastal Area within about 3 decades. As noted by MoES, these changes of Erosion and Accretion witnessed are the post-consequences caused principally by Climate Change. Therefore, with the projected warming to be higher than what is already witnessed, the negative consequential impacts are only going to exacerbate the situation.
Therefore, at this crucial juncture of climate change-induced negative impacts becoming more aggravated, stringent and serious measures can only prevent and reduce the level of anticipated impact. On the same note, the INCOIS suggests that preparedness at the taluk/village level with the prior assessment of coastal vulnerability with respect to physical, social, economic, and environmental parameters could help combat the changes experienced and anticipated.
Factly’s previous story on Mangrove Forests, which are known to be climate resilient and combat climate change, had shown that the bulk of the same forests are under degraded status. It was also observed that if Mangroves are raised under the existing initiatives such as District Environment Plans with utmost priority, it would help arrest and prevent the level of Coastal Erosion in India.
Another story on Solid Waste (SW) generation has highlighted that the generation of the same waste has increased over the years, contributing to increased Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions which cause Climate Change. Another story highlighted how the Himalayan Lakes are expanding due to the melting of Himalayan Glaciers caused by Climate Change induced impacts, including GHG emissions. Data also shows that industrialized districts such as Nellore and East Godavari in Andhra Pradesh, Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu, Kachchh in Gujarat, etc. have shown higher coastal erosion.
Therefore, as suggested by INCOIS, the local-level assessment of the impacts of Climate Change, and measures driven towards increasing natural resources such as Mangrove Forest cover, reducing the anthropogenic activities such as SW generation, industrial and other activities which cause GHG emissions and coastal changes could help reduce the negative climate change-related consequences.
It is pertinent to note that the CEEW report observed that 75% of all districts in India are vulnerable to different types of negative impacts caused by Climate Change. Hence, Climate Change is not just a concern of coastal districts alone, but of the entire nation.

created: January 19, 2024


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340 deaths of Manual Scavengers in Sewers & Septic tanks between 2016 & 2020
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 2, 2021
Manual scavenging has been a scourge of the Indian society for decades. Despite legislative efforts, there is still a sizeable number of manual scavengers in the country with more than 80% concentrated in just four states. Data also indicates that 340 people lost their lives between 2016 & 2020 in sewers & septic tanks.
The practice of manual scavenging has plagued Indian society for decades. Despite efforts over the years to eradicate this practice, it still exists in various parts of the country.
‘The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993’ defines ‘Manual Scavenger’ as a person engaged in or employed for manually carrying human excreta. The scope was expanded in – ‘The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013’, to include persons employed in the cleaning of septic tanks, open drains and railway tracks, etc.
In spite of the fact that the legislation in 1993 banned manual scavenging in India and the amendment in 2013 imposed stringent punishment for engaging any person in hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks, manual scavenging continues to this day in certain parts of the country.
Over the years, governments have enacted laws and implemented schemes to alleviate the plight of manual scavengers. Organizations like the Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA) are also at the forefront of fighting the cause of those involved in manual scavenging and its elimination.
However, factors like the caste paradigm – with most of the people engaged in this activity belonging to lower Dalit castes, meager alternative livelihood opportunities, lack of infrastructure (e.g., lack of water for sanitation), etc. have hindered the efforts towards prevention of manual scavenging.
We take a look at the course of legislation & reforms in this area and their efficacy in addressing this issue over the last few years.
A long history of legislation to prohibit employment of manual scavengers
The Union government planned to introduce – ‘The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2020’ in the Monsoon Session of Parliament in 2020. However, the same was not introduced in that session of parliament.
Complete mechanization of sewer cleaning, compensation to manual scavengers in case of sewer deaths was proposed in the bill. This bill was planned to be an amendment to – ‘The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013’.
Here is a timeline of the legislation & efforts towards the prohibition of Manual scavenging.
The National Commission for Safai Karmacharis (NCSK) constituted in 1994, based on the aforementioned act in 1993, provided its first report in the year 2000. In this report, it highlighted the gap in the legislation and its actual implementation of the 1993 Act. The CAG’s report of 2003, evaluating ‘National Scheme for Liberation and Rehabilitation of Scavengers & their Dependents’ corroborated the observations made in the NCSK’s report.
In 2013, the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers Act, 2013 was passed in the parliament. A key emphasis of this act was on the rehabilitation of manual scavengers and also to introduce mechanization to prevent manual scavenging.
Kaka Kelelker Commission -1956, Barve Committee Report, Pandya Committee Report – 1968, made early suggestions to bring in mechanization and to regulate the service conditions of manual scavengers.
SRMS introduced to rehabilitate manual scavengers and dependents in alternative occupations
In 2007, the ‘Self-Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS)’ was introduced. The initial objective of the scheme was to rehabilitate manual scavengers and their dependents into alternate occupations by 2009.
The initial timeline was not met, and hence the scheme was extended. The scheme was revised under – Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers & their Rehabilitation Act, 2013. The definition of who constitutes a manual scavenger has been highlighted earlier in the story. The scheme was extended further to include dependents i.e., anyone who is a member of the family or is dependent on the manual scavenger.  The assistance under this schema includes:
Responding to an answer in Lok Sabha in September 2020, the Government of India provided data on the number of beneficiaries under SRMS. More than 45 thousand families received assistance during the four-year period 2017-2021 (up to 15 September 2020).
In the last five years, 340 deaths of Manual scavengers while on work were reported
While SRMS has benefitted more than 45 thousand families in an effort to rehabilitate them towards alternate employment, the data presented by the Government of India indicates that there are nearly 67 thousand people engaged in manual scavenging activity.
Responding to a question in Rajya Sabha in February 2021, Minister of State for Social Justice & empowerment took cognizance of the prevailing practice of people employed into manual scavenging, in spite of the efforts of the government.  As per the information provided by the respective states, there are a total of 66,692 manual scavengers in the country as of 10 February 2021.   More than half of them i.e., 37,379 are in Uttar Pradesh followed by 7378 in Maharashtra and 6170 in Uttarakhand in that order. In fact, more than 80% of the manual scavengers as per the government data are in just the four states of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, and Assam.
Further, the government also provided details of on-job fatalities of manual scavengers i.e., death in sewers or septic tanks.  In the last five-year period (2016-2020), there have been over 500 fatalities due to drowning in sewers and septic tanks. During this period the highest fatalities were recorded in 2019 with 110 deaths.  Of these deaths, 217 were fully compensated while 47 received partial compensation.
Inconsistency & under reporting of Manual scavengers
Responding to a question in Lok Sabha in November 2010, the government stated that more than 1.18 lakh people were identified as manual scavengers for rehabilitation under SRMS.
Based on this information, it can be said that there has been a fall in the number of people identified as manual scavengers in the last decade. As highlighted earlier, the latest information states there are around 66.6 thousand manual scavengers. However, there have been apprehensions about the under-reporting of the number of manual scavengers.
As per the survey conducted by National Safai Karmacharis Finance & Development Corporation (NSKFDC) in 2018, there were 87,913 manual scavengers in India. However, this survey was conducted only in identified 170 districts in 18 states. Furthermore, of these, only 42 thousand have been recognized by the government and only around 27 thousand have received any benefits.
As per a report on ‘Down to Earth’, there are around 1.82 lakh households who have listed their primary occupation as manual scavenging in Socio-Economic Caste Census-2011. But as pointed out earlier, the Government of India, in its Lok Sabha answer in 2020 has identified around 1.18 lakh Manual scavengers. This does point to under-reporting & improper identification on part of the government. Even the number identified through the 2018 survey is inaccurate since it does not cover all states & districts.
Beyond the validity of the government numbers, the fact that a sizable number of the people are still engaged in this activity and deaths are still caused due to their engagement is very concerning, especially in a modern democracy like ours.
Proper & fool-proof identification of those engaged in manual scavenging, encouragement for alternative employment, and development of infrastructure along with efforts to address the inherent caste-related issues, is the way forward.
Featured Image: Manual Scavengers in India


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38% of projects planned under first phase of Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana yet to start
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 21, 2021
The union government launched the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) in late 2014, under which each Members of Parliament were supposed to take the responsibility of developing the socio-economic and physical infrastructure of three villages by 2019, and an additional five villages by 2024. Data indicates that 38% of the projects planned under the first phase of the scheme are yet to start while 54% are complete.
In October 2014, the Union Government launched the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY), under which each Member of Parliament will take the responsibility of developing socio-economic and physical infrastructure of three villages by 2019, and an additional five villages by 2024. The goal of the scheme was to develop three Adarsh Grams by March 2019, of which one was to be achieved by 2016. Thereafter, five such Adarsh Grams (one per year) will be selected and developed by 2024. The scheme is inspired by the principles and values of Mahatma Gandhi and his vision for Gram Swaraj. It places equal stress on nurturing values of national pride, patriotism, community spirit, self-confidence and on developing infrastructure.
The objective of SAGY is the holistic development of identified Gram Panchayats
The main objectives of SAGY are:
Development project plans are devised by officials and experts
For the purpose of this scheme, the MPs first identify gram panchayats after validation of the District Collector/District Magistrate. A Charge Officer is then appointed following which social mobilization is undertaken by the MP. A working group is then set up by the District Collector which includes officials and experts who come up with a draft village development plan (VDP) based on the needs of the people. The MP then adds suggestions and submits the plan for approval from the Gram Sabha and the District Level Committee chaired by the District Collector. The proposed projects as per the VDP are then executed through the convergence of all Central & State Schemes and in partnership with Private, Voluntary, and Cooperative (PVC) sectors. No specific fund is provided under the scheme and the funds under various existing state & central schemes are to be utilized for this purpose.  The scheme is being implemented in a phased manner.
MPs can identify any gram panchayat, except their own village or that of their spouse
For identification of the village as per the guidelines of the scheme, the MPs are allowed to select any gram panchayat, except their own village or that of their spouse for development as an Adarsh Gram. The MPs of Lok Sabha can choose a village from their constituency, and MPs of Rajya Sabha can choose from the state from which they are elected. Nominated members can choose a village from any district of the country. MPs who represent urban constituencies can identify a village from a neighbouring rural constituency for development under SAGY.
703 Gram Panchayats were identified for development under SAGY’s first phase
Since the inception of the scheme, Phase-I (2014 to 2016) witnessed the greatest number of villages being identified for development. Under Phase-I of SAGY, a total of 703 Gram Panchayats across the country were adopted by MPs including 500 Gram Panchayats identified by Lok Sabha members and 203 Gram Panchayats identified by Rajya Sabha Members. Under Phase-I, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had adopted the panchayat of Jayapur in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Similarly, the then Home Minister Rajnath Singh had adopted Benti panchayat in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The state-wise number of panchayats identified varies from one in UTs and North-eastern states to more than 100 in Uttar Pradesh. The number of panchayats identified in major states (states with at least 10 panchayats identified) is given in the subsequent chart. These states together account for more than 90% of the panchayats identified under the scheme in phase-I.
Only 54% of the planned projects are complete, 8% in progress
The status of projects related to drinking water, toilets, power, roads, telephone connectivity, and construction of immovable assets in the gram panchayats identified under the first phase of SAGY, was shared in the Lok Sabha on 10 August 2021. According to the data presented, a total of 11,874 projects were planned of which only 6,358 projects are complete and 947 are in progress. In other words, only about 54% of the planned projects are complete and over 8% are in progress. The remaining 4,569 projects, 38% of the planned projects are yet to start.
Nearly 49% of the total projects planned (over 5,800 projects), are related to roads. Out of this, 2,990 projects (51%) are complete and 396 (13%) are in progress. Construction of immovable assets comprised over 2,178 projects planned (nearly 19% of all planned projects) of which only 44% are complete (957) and 18% (176) are in progress. The percentage of completion is the least for projects related to the ‘construction of immovable assets’. On the other hand, the percentage of completion is the highest for toilet-related projects. More than 77% of the planned projects (1,116 out of 1,442) are complete and over 10% (115) are in progress in the case of toilets. The rate of completion is 56% for drinking water projects (917 out of 1,638). For projects related to power (366 out of 785), the completion rate is 47%. A total of 50% (12 out of 24) of the projects related to telephone connectivity are complete.
Not a single project is complete in West Bengal and Nagaland
The list of major states which had a relatively higher percentage and a lower percentage of completed projects as against planned projects for each of the categories is listed below. For projects related to telephone connectivity, only a few states have proposed projects in the category and the number of projects ranges from 1 to 4 in these states. Most of these states have proposed only 1 project and have completed it.
Only 9 projects were planned in total in the state of West Bengal and not a single project is complete. The same is the case with Nagaland because where not a single project is complete. These states haven’t been included in the list below.
States of Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Uttarakhand have a higher percentage of completed projects
Of all the states, the percentage of completed projects was the highest in Tamil Nadu (86%), followed by Uttar Pradesh (85%). In the states of Gujarat, and Uttarakhand, more than 70% of the projects planned for Phase-I are complete, while in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, and Kerala the completion rate is more than 60%.
Though states like Manipur and UTs have reported a higher percentage of completed projects, the number of projects planned in these places was less than 100 as compared to Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Maharashtra where the number of projects planned was more than 1,000. Among states with more than 100 planned projects, the completion was low in Assam and Bihar, where only 12% and 27% of the projects were completed respectively. In Punjab, Odisha, and Maharashtra, less than 40% of the projects are complete. The percentage of planned projects in progress ranges from 1% (in Chhattisgarh) to 13% (Kerala) in states with more than 100 planned projects.
Lack of funds and political will is hindering the progress of the scheme
Under the first phase of SAGY, only about half the projects are complete and about 38% of the projects are yet to start. As observed in one of our earlier stories,  a 2019 report of the Ministry of Rural Development noted that the scheme had not made any significant impact on the socio-economic development of Gram Panchayats. The report further noted that the identified villages under SAGY faced a shortage of funds and that MPs did not utilize the funds under the MPLADS scheme, which is one of the main sources of funds for SAGY. Additionally, the report also found that there was a lack of political will to complete the planned projects.

created: October 21, 2021


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44% of Indian students in US were on OPT in 2020-21, the highest ever
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 22, 2021
The Open Doors report which provides data on international students in the US was recently released. As per the report, the number of international students in the US fell by over 15% in 2020-21 and reached the lowest since 2014-15. Among the Indian students, 44% were on OPT in 2020-21, the greatest ever share of OPT students.
The Open Doors Report on International Education Exchange is a definitive annual survey which provides comprehensive information and data on the international students studying in the United States of America (USA). The report also provides data on places of origin, sources of financial support, fields of study, host institutions, academic level, and rates of growth of the international student population in the USA, as well as on the economic impact of international students on the state where they study and the country in general. The data from the report is used by US Embassies, the Departments of State, Commerce, and Education, and other federal, state, and local organizations for policy decisions. Recently, the report for 2021 was released.
The number of international students in the US is lowest since 2014-15
As per the latest report for the academic year 2020-21, the number of international students in the US is the lowest since 2014-15. While each of the years between 2015-16 to 2019-20 recorded more than a million international students in the US, the number in 2020-21 fell to 9.14 lakh because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Compared to the previous academic year 2019-20 when the number of international students was 10.75 lakhs, there has been a fall of 15%. The year 2018-19 recorded the all-time highest number of international students in the US and that number has decreased for two years in a row now.
7 out of 10 international students in the US are from Asia
Students from Asia continue to account for the lion’s share of international students in the US. The share of students from Asia has increased from 66.1% in 2014-15 to 70.6% in 2020-21, the highest since 2015-16. During this period, the share of students from Europe and the Middle East & North Africa has declined. While the share of students from Europe dropped from 8.8% to 7.4%, the share of students from the Middle East and North Africa has dropped from 10.4% to 6.3%.
More than 50% of the international students in the US from India & China alone
Since 2014-15, the top 25 places of origin of international students in the US account for an average of 83% of all international students each year. All these 25 countries recorded a drop in the number of students in 2020-21 as compared to 2019-20. The percentage decline for these countries ranges from 3.3% to 32.9%.
China is the place of origin for the greatest number of international students in the US. Every year, since 2014-15, more than 3 lakh students in the US are from China. From 31%, the share of students from China has increased to 35% in 2018-19 and 2019-20, despite the 14.8% decline in the number of students in 2020-21.
India is the place of origin for the second greatest number of international students in the US. In 2018-19, more than 2 lakh students were from India which has declined since then- by 4.4% in 2019-20 and by 13.2% in 2020-21. Along with China, the students from both the countries accounted for 45% of all international students in 2014-15 which increased to 53% in 2020-21.
12 countries were the places of origin for more than 10,000 students each, including India and China. The trend in the number of students from these 12 countries is indicated in the following chart.
1 in 2 international students in the US are pursuing STEM courses
In terms of the field of the international students in the US, nearly 21% of the international students in the US were pursuing engineering-related courses in 2020-21, followed by nearly 20% who were pursuing Math & Computer Science and 16% for business and management courses. More than 50% of the international students were pursuing STEM-related courses in 2020-21.
More than three-quarters of the Indian students in the US are pursuing STEM courses
Among Indian students in the US, the greatest demand is for mathematics and computer science, followed by engineering like the trend in the previous years. More than 68% of the Indian students had opted for either of these two fields of study. More than 75% of the Indian students in the US had opted for STEM courses. Except for Engineering, Math & Computer Science, the share of Indian students pursuing other major courses is much less than the share of all international students pursuing that course. In the case of Engineering, Math & Computer Science, 68% of Indian students in the US were pursuing these courses while the share is only 40% for all international students.
The majority of the international students were pursuing graduate courses
The trend in terms of the level of the study shows that the majority of the international students- over 3.6 lakh students (39%), were pursuing undergraduate courses followed by 3.29 lakh students (36%) at the graduate or masters level courses. Over 2.03 lakh students were on OPT (optional practical training) and 21,151 were pursuing non-degree courses in 2020-21.
Most Indian students now on OPT
The student visa rules of the US allow for Optional Practical Training (OPT), which is temporary employment that is directly related to a student’s major area of study. Eligible students can apply to receive up to 12 months of OPT employment authorization before their student visa expires. Students who earned a degree in certain science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields may apply for a 24-month extension of OPT. In other words, those students who pursue STEM courses can opt for three years of OPT or temporary employment before their student visa expires.
As more than 75% of the Indian students in the US are pursuing STEM-related courses, the share of Indian students on OPT has been increasing over the years. In 2020-21, 43.9% of Indian students were on OPT compared to 41% who were pursuing graduate courses. This is the first time that the share of Indian students on OPT is more than the share of those pursuing graduate courses. The percentage of Indian students pursuing graduate courses fell from 64% to 41% between 2014-15 and 2020-21. During the same period, the share of Indian students on OPT increased from 22.1% to nearly 44%. In 2020-21, about 14% of Indian students were pursuing undergraduate courses.
More than 25% of the international students in Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, and New Jersey were Indians
California hosted the maximum number of international students (1.32 lakh) while New York hosted the second greatest number of students (more than 1 lakh). However, in contrast to the popular trend, New York was the most preferred destination for Indian students. About 17.4% of the students in New York were Indians (over 18,600 students). California was the second most preferred state with 13.7% of the students there being Indians (more than 18,000). Texas, which was the most preferred state for Indian students between 2014-15 and 2018-19, was the third most preferred in 2020-21. Illinois and Massachusetts also hosted more than 10,000 Indian students each. However, in terms of percentage share of Indians of all international students, over 31% of the international students in Arizona, 27.4% in Illinois, and 26% in Indiana and New Jersey were Indians.
The primary source of funding for 54% of the international students was ‘Personal or Family’ funding
The primary source of funding for 54% of the international students in the US in 2020-21 was personal or family funding. 18.4% of the students were funded by US colleges or universities. Current employment was the source of funding for 22.7% of the students. Further 2.5% were funded by foreign governments or universities. Only 0.5% of students were funded by a foreign private sponsor in 2020-21. Other sources of funding including foreign private sponsor, US government, US private sponsor, international organizations and other sources was the source of funding for 2.4% of the students
The trend since 2015-16 indicates that the ‘personal and family funding’ as a source of funding for international students has decreased from 66.5% in 2015-16 to 54% in 2020-21. The sponsorship of foreign governments also decreased from 7.4% to 2.5% during the same period. Current employment as the source of funding increased from 6.6% in 2015-16 to 22.7% in 2020-21.
Impact of COVID-19 visible in the drop in numbers
According to OECD, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected higher education globally as universities closed their premises and countries imposed lockdown measures restricting cross-border movements. The continuity of learning and the delivery of course material, the safety and legal status in the host country, provision of emergency financial aid grants to students have all been affected due to the pandemic. Visa issues, uncertainty in re-opening or duration of the closure of institutions, employment, the value offered by a university education which includes networking and social opportunities, etc. were bothering the international students which resulted in many reconsidering their decision to study abroad in 2020-21. Countries like Canada, and the UK were lenient in their visa rules or allowed students to remain on campus. However, countries such as Australia, Canada, and the US where international student inflows provide an important source of revenue for tertiary institutions suffered losses with the fall in the number of international students.
Record approval for Indian Student Visa applicants in 2021 as per the US embassy
Despite COVID-19 challenges, Indian students want to study abroad according to a study by iSchoolConnect. UNESCO’s survey also reveals that post the pandemic outbreak, the students across India started revaluating their choices and are moving to countries like New Zealand, Germany, and Ireland instead of the popular choices like the US, UK, and Canada.
While the pandemic’s impact in 2020 resulted in a reduced number of Indian students in the USA, the forecast for 2021 looks better. The US Embassy and Consulates in India announced in August 2021 that it has approved more student visa applications in 2021 than ever before, despite the global COVID-19 pandemic. As per a press release by the US Embassy in India, more than 55,000 students and exchange visitors were boarding planes to study in the United States, and more students are being approved every day. The impact of these increased numbers may be visible in the academic year 2021-22.
Featured Image: Indian students in the USA

created: November 22, 2021


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Data: 45% Educational Loan Applications are from the Five Southern States - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 5, 2024
Data shared by the government in response to various questions reveals that the total disbursement of educational loans by Public Sector Banks almost doubled between 2014-15 and 2022-23. Data also reveals that the southern states dominate the number of educational loan applications compared to the rest of India with 45% of all such applications from just 5 states.
Financial constraints are one of the prime reasons behind the discontinuance of secondary education, found the 71st round of National Sample Survey Organization’s report from 2014. Availability and accessibility of credit for higher education are key determinants behind participation in higher education. Well-structured education loans possess the potential to render higher education financially within reach. Further, a thoughtfully crafted education loan scheme doesn’t merely offer financial aid; it becomes the bridge that spans the gap between aspiration and attainment. It empowers households to overcome the low-skill-low-income equilibrium traps. In today’s story, we look at the trends in educational loans in higher education in India.
Financial landscape of higher education in India
The Government of India, in association with the Indian Banks Association and the Reserve Bank of India, came up with a Model Loan Scheme in 2001. The objective behind such a scheme was to streamline and ease the loan accessibility for higher education in India. The Government also launched the Vidya Lakshmi Portal, aimed at streamlining the application process for the loan disbursals. This Portal serves as a one-stop platform for students, offering a singular gateway to access information and submit applications for educational loans from banks and government scholarships.
In addition to these, the Government also came up with a scheme called the Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme for Education Loans (CGFSEL). Backed by the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Ltd (NCGTC), this scheme offered a safety net by guaranteeing repayment in case of default on loans taken by students from lending institutions. A financial cushion of up to Rs. 7.5 Lakh was extended under this scheme, fortifying the educational dreams of countless students.
These two flagship schemes, complemented by tailor-made state-specific initiatives for distinct segments of society, constitute the bedrock of the higher education credit ecosystem. During 2009-10, the Government also launched the interest subsidy scheme for economically weaker section students.
As a result of all these proactive measures, the loan disbursement and loan accounts have grown steadily over the past decade and more.
Educational loans from Public Sector Banks almost doubled since 2014-15
The Public Sector Banks’ (PSBs) active involvement in India’s education loan sector, is particularly due to the Government’s commitment to ensure access to credit for economically vulnerable students. PSBs account for nearly 90% of all the educational loans disbursed by the Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs).
It is observed that the education loans from the PSBs grew from Rs. 9190.45 Crores to an all-time high of Rs. 17,688 Crore in 2022-23 (till December 2022). This represents almost a two-fold increase. However, the number of accounts of education loans shows a decline from 6,81,685 to 4,97,395 during the same period. The average ticket size of the loan grew from Rs. 1.35 Lakh to Rs. 3.55 Lakh in the corresponding period.
Large regional disparities in loan applications, as southern states dominate compared to the rest of India.
Demand for education loans is dependent on a multitude of factors- availability of better educational opportunities, level of financial inclusion, and willingness to pay for higher education. The data on the number of educational loan applications received by banks reveal an interesting trend. Banks (both PSBs and Private) in the States that are south of India, i.e. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, received a greater number of educational loan applications per lakh population compared to the rest of India. Kerala stood highest with 852 applications per lakh population in 2022-23, followed by 352 in Andhra Pradesh, 341 in Tamil Nadu, and 315 in Karnataka. In contrast, Bihar received only 30 applications, followed by 44 in Uttar Pradesh and 51 in Rajasthan. A time-series analysis from 2018-19 shows that there is a growth in applications. However, the growth rate of southern states is much higher as compared to other states.
Rise in number of guarantees for education loans by NCGTC in 2021-22 after witnessing a decline for past four years.
In addition to the above model loan scheme, the Credit Guarantee Fund for Education Loans also is quite significant in removing financial constraints. It provides a safety net against defaults in education loans, securing amounts up to Rs. 7.5 lakh granted by public, private, or foreign banks affiliated with the Indian Banks Association (IBA). By 31 March 2022, a total of 6.48 lakh loans, totalling Rs. 23,306.30 crores, were guaranteed, marking a substantial rise from the 5.46 lakh loans amounting to Rs. 19,175.28 crores recorded on 31 March 2021—a growth of approximately 22%. Loans under 4 lakhs comprise a significant 74% of the total guaranteed loans. Notably, almost 60% of the beneficiaries are females. Further, almost half of the total guarantees since inception were from South India.
Further, Public Sector Banks (with 12 registered Money Lending Institutions (MLIs)) secured guarantees for 6,42,684 loans totalling Rs. 23,131.72 crores, while private banks (with 6 registered MLIs) secured guarantees for 27,458 loans amounting to Rs. 174.58 crores by 31 March 2022.
Large untapped potential in educational loans yet to be realized.
The distribution of educational loans across India reveals a higher concentration in Southern India. And majority of these loans are from public sector banks. This highlights that there is a large untapped potential that is yet to be realized in the educational loan ecosystem. With increasing costs for higher education, as can be seen through NSSO reports, the demand for educational loans is expected to grow. Private banks must also become more responsive to educational loans.
On the other hand, since the majority of loans come under the average ticket size of Rs. 4 lakhs, no collateral is pledged by the banks for loan disbursal. Banks need to work on specialized approaches to ensure that these advances do not turn into NPAs. These could include looking at parameters such as university credentials, educational background, and past academic performances among others. A fine balance must be struck to ensure free flow of credit to higher education, but with adequate checks and balances.

created: January 5, 2024