text:
Fact Checking Government’s claims on MSP & Procurement
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 7, 2019
The government published an infographic on the 48-months portal making three claims about hike in MSP and procurement. This article is a fact check of the claims.
The government published an infographic on the 48-months portal making three claims about hike in MSP and procurement. This article is a fact check of the claims.
What is the Food Corporation of India?
The Food Corporation of India (FCI) was setup under the Food Corporation’s Act 1964 , in order to fulfill following objectives of the Food Policy;
Since its inception, FCI has played a significant role in procurement, storage & distribution of food grains.
Are farmers getting 1.5 times the production cost as MSP?
The first claim is that ‘farmers to get 1.5 times of the production cost as MSP for Kharif crops’.
According to the FCI website, ‘the Government policy of procurement of Food grains has broad objectives of ensuring MSP to the farmers and availability of food grains to the weaker sections at affordable prices. It also ensures effective market intervention thereby keeping the prices under check and also adding to the overall food security of the country. FCI, the nodal central agency of Government of India, along with other State Agencies undertakes procurement of wheat and paddy under price support scheme. Coarse grains are procured by State Government Agencies for Central Pool as per the direction issued by Government of India on time to time. The procurement under Price Support is taken up mainly to ensure remunerative prices to the farmers for their produce which works as an incentive for achieving better production. Before the harvest during each Rabi / Kharif Crop season, the Government of India announces the minimum support prices (MSP) for procurement on the basis of the recommendation of the Commission of Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) which along with other factors, takes into consideration the cost of various agricultural inputs and the reasonable margin for the farmers for their produce.’
As per the government’s response in Lok Sabha in December 2018, ‘government generally increases the MSPs of all notified crops which provide adequate return over cost of production. Government has increased MSPs substantially for all mandated crops for the season 2018-19. This decision of the Government was a historic one as it fulfills the commitment to the farmers to provide 50 per cent return over cost of production for the first time for all mandated crops.’
While it is true that the MSP offered by the government is 50% more the cost as determined by the CACP for 2018-19, this also happened multiple times during the UPA if one goes by the CACP reports. However, various farmer organizations have demanded that the 50% be over the ‘C2’ cost and not over the ‘A2+FL’ cost.
What is MSP?
The Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP) since 1985, earlier named as Agricultural Prices Commission) came into existence in January 1965. The 2017-18 annual report of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare states that, ‘CACP was set up with a view to evolve a balanced and integrated price structure,  and is mandated to advise on the price policy (MSP) of 23 crops. These include seven cereal crops (paddy, wheat, jowar, bajra, maize, ragi and barley), five pulse crops (gram, tur, moong, urad and lentil), seven oilseeds (groundnut, sunflower seed, soybean, rapeseed-mustard, safflower, nigerseed and sesamum), copra (dried coconut), cotton, raw jute and sugarcane.’
In order to understand the MSP better, it is important to know the determinants of it. The same annual report also states that, ‘Cost of production (CoP) is one of the important factors in the determination of MSP of mandated crops. Besides cost, the Commission considers other important factors such as demand and supply, price trends in the domestic and international markets, intercrop price parity and terms of trade between agricultural and non-agricultural sectors, the likely impact of MSPs on consumers, in addition to ensuring rational utilization of land, water and other production resources.’ Thus, pricing policy i.e. the exercise of MSP is not based on cost only though cost is an important determinant of MSP. To understand more about what MSP is and its constituents, watch Factly’s explainer video on MSP.
While 50% MSP over the cost was offered both during the UPA & the NDA, it is important to understand the quantum of MSP increase in their respective tenures.
The Directorate of Economics and Statistics  & Reserve Bank of India’s handbook of statistics have data related to the MSP of various crops over the years. The Open Government Data (OGD) platform of the government also has the MSP for the years between 2003 and 2012.
It can be seen from the data that the MSP for wheat did increase from Rs. 640 per quintal in 2004-05 to Rs.1285 per quintal in 2011-12. By the end of UPA’s second term in 2013-14, the MSP for wheat was Rs. 1400 per quintal. During the current government, the MSP for wheat increased from Rs.1450 per quintal in 2014-15 to Rs. 1840 per quintal in 2018-19.
In the case of paddy, MSP in 2003-04 was Rs. 550 and it increased to Rs. 1080 in 2011-12. The MSP for Paddy increased to Rs. 1310 per quintal by the end of UPA’s term. In the of the current government, the MSP for paddy increased from Rs. 1360 per quintal in 2014-15 to Rs. 1750 per quintal in 2018-19. It has to be noted that these prices correspond to Paddy (Common) and not grade ‘A’ paddy.If the percentage increase in MSP during various governments is considered, MSP for both paddy (common) & wheat increased by more than 60% during UPA’s first term. During UPA’s second term, the MSP for paddy increased by only 25% and by 27% in the case of wheat. The current NDA government increased the MSP for paddy by close to 29% and by 27% in the case of wheat.
Claim: Farmers to get 1.5 times of the production cost as MSP for Kharif crops
Fact:  It is true that the MSP announced for 2018-19 for major crops is one and half times the cost of production (A2+FL).  However, this happened during the UPA also. Even in terms of the quantum (%) of increase in MSP, the increase during the current government is not the greatest. Hence the claim is MISLEADING.
Another important aspect of this claim is the need to consider the actual selling price of the crops, despite the declaration of MSP. The following graph shows the difference between the MSP and the national average selling price of the crop (for the month of October 2018). This data has been compiled after the claim was made but it is an important consideration to keep in mind.
The graph shows that while the MSP of Kharif crops has been increased by varying amounts, the actual national average selling price has been lower for 10 out of the 14 crops. In some cases the selling prices are lower that the MSP for the previous years as well.
Has the extent of buffer stock increase in the case of Pulses?
The second claim is that the ‘extent of buffer stock of pulses increased from 1.5 lakh tonnes to 20 lakh tonnes’.
The website of FCI states that  ‘the storage function assumes paramount importance in organization such as FCI  because of its requirement to hold huge inventory of food grains over a significant period of time. Storage plan of FCI is primarily to meet the storage requirement for holding stocks to meet the requirements of Public Distribution System and other welfare schemes undertaken by the Government of India. Also, buffer stock is to be maintained for ensuring food security of the nation’.
As per a response in the Lok Sabha in December 2015, ‘the Government has approved creation of a buffer stock through procurement of about 50,000 ton pulses from the kharif crop 2015-16 and one lakh ton out of arrivals of Rabi crop of 2015-16’.  This implies that a total of l.5 lakh tonnes of pulses procurement was approved for 205-16.
Another response in Lok Sabha in March 2018 mentions that ‘Government has approved creation of a dynamic buffer stock of up to 20 lakh MT of pulses for effective market intervention, to moderate its prices’.  This implies that 20 lakh MT of pulses were approved to be stocked.
Even the official press release of the concerned Minister & the Cabinet approval of the decision also corroborate this claim. Of this buffer of 20 lakh MT, 10 lakh MT is to be procured domestically and the remaining is to be imported to improve domestic availability. These norms will be based on the production in respective years.
Claim: Extent of buffer stock of pulses increased from 1.5 lakh tonnes to 20 lakh tonnes.
Fact: A total of 1.5 lakh tonnes of pulses procurement was approved for 205-16. Government has indeed approved creation of a dynamic buffer stock of up to 20 lakh tonnes. Hence, the claim is TRUE.
What is the amount of Pulses procured?
The third claim is that about 16.24 lakh metric tonnes of pulses procured as of March 2018.
As stated in a response in Lok Sabha in March 2018,  ‘as of 14th March 2018, 13.89 lakh MT of pulses is available in the buffer after disposal of 6.61 lakh MT from a total of 20.50 lakh tonnes of pulses procured for building the buffer under Price Stabilization Fund (PSF). For building the dynamic buffer of up to 20 lakh MT of pulses, 16.71 lakh tonnes was procured domestically’.
Hence it is clear that the domestic procurement was over 16 lakh metric tonnes in the case of pulses as of March 2018.
Claim: About 16.24 lakh metric tonnes of pulses procured as of March 2018.
Fact: For building the dynamic buffer of up to 20 lakh MT of pulses, 16.71 lakh tonnes of pulses was procured domestically as of March 2018. Hence, the claim is TRUE.
This story is part of a larger series on the 4-years of the Modi government. This series has been made possible with the flash grant of the International Fact Checking Network (IFCN). Read the rest of the stories in this series here

created: February 7, 2019


text:
Fact Checking the Government claims about the Jan Suraksha Yojana
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 2, 2019
The BJP government published an infographic on the 48-months portal that makes four claims about the Jan Suraksha Yojana. This article is a fact check of those claims.
The BJP government published an infographic on the 48-months portal that makes four claims about the Jan Suraksha Yojana. This article is a fact check of those claims.
How many people have been insured under the PM Suraksha Bima Yojana?
The first claim is that ‘13.25 crore persons insured under PM Suraksha Bima Yojana at 12 rupees per year’.
The annual report  (2017-18) of the Ministry of Finance states that to compliment the national mission for financial inclusion, ‘specific social security schemes have been launched in May 2015, for all eligible account holders. Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) offers insurance of Rs. 2 lakh against accidental death/permanent disability and Rs. 1 lakh for partial disability due to accident, at annual premium of Rs. 12 for savings bank account holders (18-70 years)’.
The same report also states that ‘the scheme is offered & administered through Public Sector General Insurance Companies (PSGICs) and 8 other General Insurance companies offering the product on similar terms. The initial cover period from 1st June 2015 to 31st May 2016 now stands renewed every year from 1st of June to 31st May the next year. 13.25 crore account-holders have insured themselves for personal accident cover under PMSBY till December 2017’. It also states that a total of 14,292 claims have been paid.
It is also necessary to note that, though not entirely this integrated and not focused on accidents, a similar scheme existed during the UPA government as well. A response in Lok Sabha states that ‘Ministry of Labour and Employment is implementing the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) to provide smart card based cashless health insurance, including maternity benefit, cover of Rs. 30,000 per annum on family floater basis to BPL families (a unit of five). Apart from BPL families, RSBY coverage has been extended to various other categories of unorganised workers viz. Building & Other Construction workers, licensed Railway porters, Street Vendors, MGNREGA, Beedi workers, Domestic workers, Sanitation workers, Mine workers, Rickshaw pullers, Rag pickers and Auto/Taxi drivers. As on 17.02.2014 more than 3.77 crore families are availing the benefits of the scheme across the country’.
Claim: 13.25 crore persons insured under PM Suraksha Bima Yojana at an annual premium of 12 rupees per year.
Fact: 13.25 crore account-holders have insured themselves for personal accident cover under PMSBY till December 2017, at annual premium of Rs. 12. Hence the claim is TRUE.
How many people benefitted from the PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana?
The second claim is that ‘PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana benefitted 5.22 crore families at 330 rupees per year’.
The Annual report (2017-18) of the Ministry of Finance states ‘the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) offers life insurance of Rs. 2 lakh at an annual premium of Rs. 330 for bank account holders (18-50 years) .The scheme was also launched in May 2015’.
The report also further details that ‘PMJJBY offers renewable annual life cover of Rs. 2 lakh to all subscribing bank account holders in the age group of 18 to 50 years, covering death due to any reason, for a premium of Rs.330 per annum per subscriber. The scheme is administered through LIC and 10 other Life Insurance companies offering the product on similar terms at the choice of the Bank / RRB / Cooperative Bank concerned’.
As per the latest information shared by the government in the Lok Sabha, the total enrollment under this scheme is 5.33 crore in 2017-18 and the total number of claims in 2017-18 is 89766.
Claim: PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana benefitted 5.22 crore families at 330 rupees per year.
Fact: A total of 5.33 crore families enrolled under this scheme in 2017-18. Since it is a life insurance scheme, enrollment is not equal to receiving benefits. While the number of enrollments is true, the claim that all the enrolled families benefitted is MISLEADING.
How many subscribers does the Atal Pension Yojana have?
The third claim is that ‘Atal Pension Yojana, for unorganised sector workers, has more than 1 crore subscribers’.
The Annual report (2017-18) of the Ministry of Finance states that ‘Atal Pension Yojana (APY) offers guaranteed minimum monthly pension between Rs. 1000 and Rs. 5000 after age of 60 years to subscribers (18-40 years) based on their contribution’.
It goes onto state that ‘Atal Pension Yojana (APY) was launched in May 2015. This aims to provide monthly pension to eligible subscribers not covered under any organized pension scheme. APY is open to all bank account holders in the age group of 18 to 40 years. Under APY, any subscriber can opt a guaranteed pension of Rs 1000 to Rs 5000 (in multiples of Rs. 1,000) receivable at the age of 60 years. The contributions to be made vary based on pension amount chosen. The Central Government would co-contribute 50% of the total contribution or Rs. 1,000 per annum, whichever is lower, for a period of 5 years for those eligible subscribers who joined the scheme between the period 1st June, 2015 and 31st March, 2016 and who are not members of any statutory social security scheme and who are not income-tax payers’.
It is further mentioned that ‘as on 30th December 2017, 79.20 lakh subscribers have been enrolled under APY’.  However, a more recent reply in Lok Sabha states that ‘as on 10th December 2018, 1.33 crore subscribers have been enrolled under APY’.
Claim: Atal Pension Yojana, for unorganised sector workers, has more than 1 crore subscribers.
Fact: Atal Pension Yojana (APY) aims to provide monthly pension to eligible subscribers not covered under any organized pension scheme. As of December 2018, 1.33 crore subscribers have enrolled under APY. Hence, the claim is TRUE.
What is the PM Vaya Vandana Yojana?
The fourth claim is that ‘Financial security of senior citizens has been ensured with PM Vaya Vandana Yojana, that gives 8% interest for 10 years and investment limit doubled to Rs. 15 lakh rupees and scheme extended till 2020’.
The Annual report (2017-18) of the Ministry of Finance states that ‘Government has also launched a scheme namely Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY )to protect elderly persons aged 60 and above against a future fall in their interest income due to the uncertain market condition, as also to provide social security during old age. The scheme is being implemented through Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India. The scheme provides an assured return of 8% per annum payable monthly for 10 years. The differential return i.e. the difference between return generated by LIC and the assured return of 8% per annum would be borne by Government of India as subsidy on annual basis’.
‘As per the scheme, on payment of an initial lump sum amount ranging from a minimum purchase price of Rs. 1,50,000 for a minimum pension of Rs 1,000 per month to a maximum purchase price of Rs. 7,50,000 for maximum pension of Rs. 5,000 per month, subscribers will get an assured pension based on a guaranteed rate of return of 8% per annum, payable monthly. LIC had conducted soft launch of the scheme in May 2017. The duration of the scheme will be for a period of ten years and the scheme is open for subscription for a period of one year i.e. from 4th May, 2017 to 3rd May, 2018. As of December 2017, a total of number of 1,96,641 subscribers consisting corpus of Rs.9163.93 crore are being benefited under PMVVY’.
A document on the LIC website states that ‘Government of India in the budget speech of 2018-19 has announced the enhancement of maximum limit under Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana to Rs. 15 lakhs per senior citizen. The period of sale for this scheme has also been extended up to 31st March, 2020’.
As per government data, 2.95 lakh persons are covered under the scheme as of July 2018.
Claim: Financial security of senior citizens with PM Vaya Vandana Yojana, gives 8% interest for 10 years. Investment limit doubled to 15 lakh rupees and scheme extended till 2020.
Fact: Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana  (PMVVY) provides an assured return of 8% per annum payable monthly for 10 years. The maximum limit under the scheme has been enhanced to 15 lakhs rupees per senior citizen and the period of sale for this scheme has been extended to 31 March, 2020. Hence, the claim is TRUE.
This story is part of a larger series on the 4-years of the Modi government. This series has been made possible with the flash grant of the International Fact Checking Network (IFCN). Read the rest of the stories in this series here

source: news-factly

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


text:
Fact Checking the Government’s claims on Auctions & Clearances
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 5, 2018
An infographic titled ‘cronyism out, cleanliness in’  is one of the many on the Government’s 48-month achievement portal. This one has four claims about the efforts of the government to end corruption. Here is a fact check of these claims.
An infographic titled ‘cronyism out, cleanliness in’  is one of the many on the Government’s 48-month achievement portal. This one has four claims about the efforts of the government to end corruption. Here is a fact check of these claims.
Claim 1: Clean Auctions for Coal Blocks
The first claim in the infographic is that the government ensured clean auctions of coal blocks and telecom spectrum and set a new benchmark. While this claim is extremely subjective, it is possible to explore the possible reasons behind the claim. In respect of coal mines, the allocations were made under the provisions of the Coal Mines (special provisions) act, 2015 and the Mines and Minerals (development and regulation) act, 1957. These allocations are made through auction to public and private sector companies and through allotment to public sector companies.
According to an answer given in Lok Sabha by the government,  19 coal blocks have been allocated through allotment route to central/state government companies. The answer further points out that in 2014, e-auctions were conducted, applications were required to be submitted online and security audits have been conducted. It is said that ‘It was one of the most transparent auctions where bids were placed on an electronic platform accessible to everyone with an internet connection.’
In another answer given by the government in the Lok Sabha, details about the telecom spectrum auction were provided. The government also assured that all major telecom service providers were a part of the auction process. It has to be noted that this is not the first time that the telecom spectrum is auctioned. Spectrum was auctioned even as far as back in 2001.
In terms on setting a bench mark, however, it is a subjective claim and hence cannot be verified.
Claim: The government ensured clean auctions of coal blocks and telecom spectrum and set a new benchmark.
Fact: It is TRUE that the coal blocks were auctioned & telecom spectrum was also auctioned, but whether it set a benchmark is something that cannot be verified. Also, the auction of telecom spectrum is not new.
Claim 2: Online application mandatory for all Clearances
The second claim is that online application is made mandatory for all clearances. Assuming that this means environmental & forest clearances, the government in an answer provided in the Rajya Sabha mentioned that proposals are now processed through online system.  In another answer provided in the Rajya Sabha, the government mentioned that all project proponents have been mandated to make online submission of applications for Terms of Reference (TOR) and Environmental Clearance (EC) from 4th July 2014.
Claim: Online application made mandatory for all clearances
Fact: It is TRUE that all project proponents have to now make online applications for environmental & forest clearance.
Claim 3: Abolition of interviews for Non-Gazetted Posts
The third claim is that the government has abolished interviews for non-gazetted posts, ensuring that meritorious candidates win. The central government has dispensed with the interview for all group C and non-gazetted posts of group B category in the central government. An office memorandum to that effect was issued in October 2015.
Claim: Government has abolished interviews for non-gazetted posts
Fact: Government has dispensed interview for all group C and non-gazetted posts of group B category in the central government. Hence, the claim is TRUE
Claim 4: Time taken for environmental approvals has reduced
The final claim in the infographic is that the time taken for environmental approvals has been brought down to 180 days from 600 days. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has rolled out a portal named as Online Submission and Monitoring of Environmental, Forest and Wildlife Clearances (a single window approval system) in July 2014. The government in an answer to the Lok Sabha also mentioned about  certain steps to reduce the time for issuing clearances.
Directions were issued by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) under Section 18(1)(b) of the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) , Act, 1974 to all SPCBs/PCCs  to maintain uniformity in categorization of industries as red, green and orange as per list finalized by CPCB, which identified 85 types of industrial sectors as ‘Red’, 73 industrial sectors as ‘Orange’ and 86 sectors as ‘Green’. According to the final Document on Revised Classification of Industrial Sectors, 2016, this classification has been changed to 60 industrial sectors as red, 83 industrial sectors as orange and, 63 industrial sectors as green and 36 industrial sectors as white. This is a significant change because the sectors that fall under the category of white are considered to be practically nonpolluting and such industries need not obtain consent to Operate. Intimation to concerned State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) would suffice.
The government has  given details regarding the time taken for environmental clearances in the Lok Sabha. According to the data shared, the average time period for environmental clearances has come down from 600 days (prior to 2014) to 177 days during 2017 & 140 days in 2018. The live statistics regarding approvals can be found on the official website. It also provides details about the timeline of approvals for each of the project proposals.
The annual report of the Ministry of Environment mentions number of the clearances granted each year.  It is interesting to note that the number of approvals hasn’t increased significantly despite a reduction in the time taken. It could also be because of the inclusion of certain type of industries in the white category and changes to the process.
Claim: The time taken for environmental approvals has been brought down to 180 days from 600 days.
Fact: The time taken for environmental approvals was 600 days prior to 2014 and it was 177 days in 2017. Hence, the claim is TRUE. The reduction in time taken could be because of multiple reasons like changes in process etc.
This story is part of a larger series on the 4-years of the Modi government. This series has been made possible with the flash grant of the International Fact Checking Network (IFCN). Read the rest of the stories in this series here.

created: October 5, 2018


text:
Fact Checking the Government’s Claims over formalization of Economy
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 4, 2018
One of the infographics put up by the current government on the 48-month portal makes certain claims about formalization of the economy leading to securing people’s rights, as part of a broader set of claims about eliminating corruption. Here is a Fact Check of these specific claims.
One of the infographics put up by the current government on the 48-month portal makes certain claims about formalization of the economy leading to securing people’s rights, as part of a broader set of claims about eliminating corruption. Here is a Fact Check of these specific claims.
Claim 1: Has number of ITRs filed increased substantially?
The first claim of the government is that the number of Income Tax Returns (ITRs) filed during financial year (FY) 2017-18 is 6.84 crore, a jump of 80.5% compared to FY 2013-14.
The taxpayer has to communicate the details of his taxable income/loss to the Income-tax Department. These details are communicated to the Income-tax Department in the form of return of income. More information about ITRs can be accessed from the Income Tax website.
The claim here pertains to the ITRs filed during the financial years of 2017-18 and 2013-14. A press release of the  income tax department notes, ‘During FY 2017-18, 6.84 crore Income Tax Returns (ITRs) were filed with the Income Tax Department as compared to 5.43 crore ITRs filed during FY 2016-17, showing a growth of 26%. There has been a sustained increase in the number of ITRs filed in the last four financial years. As compared to 3.79 crore ITRs filed in FY 2013-14, the number of ITRs filed during F.Y. 2017-18 (6.84 crore) has increased by 80.5%.” These numbers can be corroborated from the income tax department website.
While the number of ITRs filed has increased substantially in the last few years, that is not reflected in the total direct tax collections. The growth in Corporate tax collection in the four years of the current government is about 43% while it was 85% during UPA-2. In the case of personal Income tax, the growth during the four years of the current government is around 81% while it was 102% during UPA-2. The current government looks set to overtake or match the performance of UPA-2 as far as personal Income tax is concerned. In terms of the total direct tax collections, the growth during the four years of the current government is 57% while it was 91% during UPA-2.
Claim: The number of ITRs filed during FY 2017-18 is 6.84 crore, a jump of 80.5% compared to FY 2013-14.
Fact: The number of ITRs filed have increased substantially over the last 4 financial years from 3.79 crores to 6.84 crores. Hence, the claim is TRUE. But the total direct tax collections have not increased proportionately.
Claim 2: Registered tax payers with GST
The second claim in the same infographic is that more than 1 crore taxpayers registered with GST, including 35 lakh new taxpayers. The annual report published by the Ministry of Finance verifies the claim that the number of taxpayers under the new GST regime is close to 1 crore. As per the annual report, the total number of taxpayers under GST was 98.35 lakh as of December 2017 out of which 34.22 lakh were new taxpayers.
The annual report also points out that ‘GST has aided in widening of the tax base, e.g., entire textile chain has now been brought under tax net. Further, a segment of land and real estate transactions has been brought into the tax net as “works contracts”, referring to housing that is being built.’ The widening of the tax base could be one of the reasons for the increase in the number of registered taxpayers under GST.
Claim: More than 1 crore taxpayers registered with GST, including 35 lakh new taxpayers.
Fact: As of December 2017, close to 1 crore taxpayers were registered under GST out of which 34.22 lakh were new. Hence the claim is TRUE
Claim 3: 50 lakh new bank accounts for workers
The third claim is that 50 lakh new bank accounts were opened for cashless, transparent transfer of wages, benefitting workers. Without clarity on what kind of bank accounts have been opened and where, it is difficult to verify this claim. The number of bank accounts opened under Jan Dhan is far more than 50 lakh. Hence this claim is vague and could not be verified.
Claim: 50 lakh new bank accounts opened for cashless, transparent transfer of wages, benefitting workers.
Fact: The claim is unclear and hence, UNVERIFIED
Claim 4: New registrations with EPFO & ESIC
The final claim of the infographic is that more than 1.01 crore additional workers enrolled with EPFO and more than 1.3 crore workers registered with ESIC post-demonetization.
The Employees’ Provident Fund came into existence with the promulgation of the Employees’ Provident Funds Ordinance on 15th November, 1951 to provide for the institution of provident funds for employees in factories and other establishments. The Act is now referred as the Employees’ Provident Funds & Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952. The Central Board of Trustees administers a contributory provident fund, pension scheme and an insurance scheme for the workforce engaged in the organized sector in India.
The Constitution of India under ‘Directive Principles of State Policy’ provides that the State shall within the limits of its economic capacity make effective provision for securing the right to work, to education and to public assistance in cases of unemployment, old-age, sickness & disablement and undeserved want. The EPF & MP Act, 1952 was enacted by Parliament and came into force with effect from 4th March,1952. A series of legislative interventions were made in this direction, including the Employees’ Provident Funds & Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952
As per the data shared by the government in the Lok Sabha in July 2017, the number of accounts in EPFO was 17.14 crore as of March 2016 which increased to 19.33 crore in March 2017. The data also mentions that 1.01 crore employees were enrolled during the enrolment campaign held between 1st January 2017 and 30th June 2017.
As per another answer given by the government in the Lok Sabha, 1.89 crore employees were  covered under Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) in 2015-16. This number increased to 2.93 crore during the year 2016-17, an increase of 1.04 crore compared to 2015-16.
Claim: More than 1.01 crore additional workers enrolled with EPFO and more than 1.3 crore workers registered with ESIC post-demonetization
Fact: 1.01 crore employees were enrolled into EPFO under the enrolment campaign, 2017 between 1st January 2017 and 30th June 2017. A new set of 1.03 crore people who came under the ambit of the ESIC between the years 2015-16 and 2016-17. Hence the claim is TRUE.
This story is part of a larger series on the 4-years of the Modi government. This series has been made possible with the flash grant of the International Fact Checking Network (IFCN). Read the rest of the stories in this series here.

created: October 4, 2018


text:
Fact-Check Methodology
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 24, 2024


text:
FACTLY Impact: How Bharat got a Multiplex to arrange FREE Drinking Water to Moviegoers
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 30, 2018
Factly’s article on rules for multiplex/theatres in AP & Telangana helped a citizen report a violation and change things. This is the story of a conscientious citizen who used his awareness of the rules to report a violation and get it fixed when most others like him did not care.
Will awareness of the relevant government laws & rules help? Does it help in changing things around? At Factly, we have always believed that awareness of rules is the first step to engage with the government. We are delighted when citizens utilize the information shared by us and change things around. This is the story of Bharat, a conscientious citizen who got a multiplex to arrange FREE drinking water as per rules.
What do the rules say?
Factly had earlier published a story on the rules governing cinema theatres & multiplexes in Andhra Pradesh & Telangana. One of the licensing conditions for cinema theatres and multiplexes is providing drinking water to patrons as per ‘Andhra Pradesh Cinemas (Regulation) Rules, 1970’. The government has reiterated the same through multiple orders in the past.
What did Bharat do?
Bharat, a resident of L B Nagar in Hyderabad, frequents B V K Multiplex and found that the management was not providing free drinking water to moviegoers. Being a regular reader of Factly, Bharat recollected the relevant rules.
He made a complaint to the Rachakonda Police Commissioner, the concerned licensing authority and under whose jurisdiction the multiplex falls. The complaint was made through WhatsApp. He cited the relevant rules and how his previous complaints to the multiplex management fell on deaf ears.
To their credit, the Rachakonda police immediately passed on the complaint to the Circle Inspector of L B Nagar police station. The inspector spoke to Bharat and understood the relevant rules. He immediately got in touch with the multiplex management who acknowledged the mistake and arranged for drinking water instantly. The inspector shared the pictures of water being arranged by the multiplex.
The inspector also promised to issue notices to other multiplex & theatre owners if they fail to provide drinking water in the future.
“Engage with the system”, says Bharat
Bharat shared his story with Factly and had this to say, “We often fail to pursue such issues due to many preconceived notions and the delay in response or outcome. But today, the promptness in the response from police department surprised me. I did not have to move an inch from my chair to get this sorted. Being an avid follower of articles in Factly, I got to know the of the rules movie theatres in the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have to follow from one of their stories”.
“Every time I go for a movie in BVK Multiplex, I observed that they fail to provide free drinking water despite multiple oral and written complaints. After finding out from Factly about the relevant authority for making a complaint, I lodged a complaint with Rachakonda Police on their WhatsApp number 9490617111. Within a few minutes, I got a call from the Circle Inspector of LB Nagar Police Station and his prompt action immediately resulted in the multiplex management setting up drinking water facility”
“I was pleasantly surprised with how easy and hassle free the entire process was. All it required was a couple of WhatsApp messages. I urge all the citizens to know about such initiatives from the Police department in their locality and use them. I thank Factly team for letting the citizens know of their rights especially with relevant resources. I thank the Rachakonda Police for their WhatsApp initiative and CI of LB Nagar police, P.Kasi Reddy for his prompt action”


text:
FACTLY launches ‘Counting India’
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 15, 2017
FACTLY was founded with a vision of making public information & data meaningful to the common man.  Towards this end, we have launched the beta version of our first data tool ‘Counting India’ today.
Counting India (CI) is Factly’s attempt to bridge the gap between the facts and the narrative. It is our attempt to process the data available and present it in a way you will understand. It is a journey that can take you as far as you want, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari with a special set of eyes. Eyes that will crunch the numbers, create personalized data visualization on key demographics and eyes that cannot lie.
Counting India makes data related to the States/Districts in India more accessible and understandable. The primary source of data for CI is the Census of India 2011 and other official sources. In CI, one can compare any two States/Districts side by side. One can also embed, access or download the data.
We envision that every person who is interested in using data in their sphere of work will value CI’s platform. CI will also be a reliable resource for policy makers, journalists and researchers to explore and discover stories of public interest in India.
CI code is licensed under the MIT License. CI has been modeled on tools like Wazimap Kenya, Census Reporter and as inspired by NepalMap.
How to use Counting India?
Search for any State/District by typing in the first few characters in the in the name of any State/District. Then select the location you are interested in from the drop-down.
Alternatively, click on the map area you want to go to. The + and – buttons zoom in an out.
Once you select the location, data about that location appear. Statistics are broken down into categories. Find a key figure for a sub-category on the left.
Hover over graphs to see comparisons with the district and country averages.
Please send us your feedback to ci@factly.in

created: February 15, 2017


text:
Failure to link PAN with Aadhaar would attract a maximum penalty of Rs. 1,000, not Rs. 10,000 - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 28, 2021
Update (APRIL 01, 2021):
In view of the difficulties arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic central government has issued a notification on 31 March 2021extending the last date for linking of Aadhaar number with PAN from 31 March 2021 to 30 June 2021.
A post claiming that failure to link one’s PAN (Permanent Account Number) with Aadhaar number by 31 March 2021, which is the last date for doing so would attract a penalty of Rs. 10,000. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Penalty of Rs. 10,000 for not linking one’s Aadhaar number with their PAN card by 31 March 2021.
Fact: The current deadline for linking one’s PAN with Aadhar is 31 March 2021. While it is true that one could be levied with a fine for not linking these two numbers, the maximum penalty for not linking is Rs. 1,000 and not Rs. 10,000. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
After multiple extensions of deadlines to link PAN with Aadhaar, the current deadline is 31 March 2021. Failure to do so would attract a penalty and even the PAN would be deemed invalid.
Understanding & keeping in mind the times that we are in, we have extended deadlines. PAN – AADHAAR linking can be done till 31st March, 2021. We do hope this helps you plan things better.#ITDateExtension#FacilitationDuringCovid#WeCare #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/oTHAoLXv21
While it is true that one could be levied a fine for not linking these two numbers, the maximum penalty for not linking one’s PAN with Aadhar is not Rs. 10,000. The Finance Bill, 2021 which was passed in the Lok Sabha recently introduces a new section 234H into the Income Tax Act, 1961. It is according to this section an individual can attract a penalty up to Rs. 1,000 for not linking his/her PAN with Aadhaar. Multiple news articles reporting the same can be read here, here, and here.
However, according to section 272B of the Income Tax Act, 1961 which reads ‘If a person fails to comply with the provisions of section 139A, the Assessing Officer may direct that such person shall pay, by way of penalty, a sum of ten thousand rupees’. In all likelihood, it is this section which could have been misconstrued as failure to link Aadhaar number under section 139AA would attract a penalty of ten thousand rupees. In other words, penalty for not complying with the provisions of Sec 139A would have been misunderstood as penalty for violation of Sec 139AA.
To sum it up, failure to link PAN with Aadhar before 31 March 2021 or the last date as specified by the government would attract a maximum penalty of Rs. 1,000 but not Rs. 10,000. Read the detailed procedure on how to link PAN with Aadhaar here.


text:
Fake Alert Message alleging contamination of cool drinks with Ebola virus is falsely attributed to Hyderabad police - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 6, 2023
A viral message on social media claims that Hyderabad Police alerted the public against consuming soft drinks like Maaza, Fanta, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, etc. as an employee from one of these companies allegedly mixed his blood, contaminated with the Ebola virus, into the product. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Hyderabad Police warned the public against contamination of cool drinks with the Ebola virus.
Fact: Neither the Hyderabad police nor the Government of India has issued any such advisory alerting about the contamination of cool drinks with Ebola virus. This has been confirmed by clarifications from both the Hyderabad police and PIB. Additionally, there are no reports suggesting such contamination. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The Hyderabad police have not released any such advisory advising the public to avoid consuming soft drinks. Further, we could not find any news reports of contamination of beverages with the Ebola virus. In the past, when similar news circulated in 2019, the Hyderabad police explicitly refuted the allegations. They took to Twitter to debunk the report as fake.
Fake news spreading on social media about cool drinks and a warning from Hyderabad city police is fake one and Hyderabad city police never released any message regarding this. pic.twitter.com/cCy32Vh7fN
An identical message has been circulating, falsely attributing it to the Indian government. However, PIB Fact Check has clarified that the claim is untrue, stating that the government has not issued any such advisory.
A message is doing the rounds on social media claiming that the Government of India has advised citizens to avoid cold drinks for a few days as they are contaminated with the Ebola virus.#PIBFactCheck:
❌This message is #fake
✅ @MoHFW_INDIA has issued no such advisory! pic.twitter.com/472K6L1L9n
Previously, Factly has debunked similar claims that arose when certain images went viral in connection with the message. The fact-check article can be read here.
The Ebola virus:
Ebola virus disease (EVD), previously referred to as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a severe and frequently fatal illness that impacts both humans and other primates. The virus is transmitted to humans from wild animals. Within the human population, the virus can further spread through human-to-human transmission.
In 1976, the Ebola Virus Disease made its initial appearance through simultaneous outbreaks in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since then, ebolaviruses have emerged periodically, infecting individuals in various countries.
Most recently, on 20 September 2022, an Ebola outbreak was reported in Mubende district, located in western Uganda, specifically caused by the Sudan ebolavirus. However, on 11 January 2023, the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Uganda officially declared the conclusion of the Ebola disease outbreak caused by the Sudan ebolavirus. The history of Ebola disease outbreaks can be seen here.
To sum it up, a fake Alert Message alleging contamination of cool drinks with Ebola virus is falsely attributed to Hyderabad police.


text:
Fake BBC survey predicts Congress win - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 13, 2019
Any election season is colorless without its share of fake surveys and predictions and these are even high when it is about General Elections in India. The 2019 General Elections have given rise to a lot of surveys across media platforms and one such survey citing BBC predicts Congress party win. Let analyze the details of this survey.
BBC Survey Predicts Congress Win in 2019 General Elections.
BBC is always at the center of fake surveys during every elections and have confirmed that they do not conduct any pre-election surveys in India. So, the claim made in the post is False.
This is not the first time BBC name is linked to such surveys. Few days back similar post citing BBC claimed that BJP is going to win the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
The survey which is being widely shared on social media platforms claim that “BJP will loose seats and Congress led UPA will win 2019 Lok Sabha polls says CIA, KGB & MOSAD Survey… ” . The post claims the survey is done by American, Russian and Israeli spy agencies, which is very unbelievable and the BBC website link provided doesn’t take you to any such survey page. This clearly indicates the claims to be false.
BBC editor Mukesh Sarma on his Facebook post confirmed that BBC has not conducted any such survey. Even during recent Karnataka and Rajasthan elections similar fake surveys citing BBC were shared on social media.
Hence, the surveys citing BBC are False as BBC does not conduct any election survey in India


text:
Fake messages and websites now offer non-existent smartphone employment from the Government - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 13, 2020
A message is being shared on social media with a claim that the government is going to provide employment to people with smartphones, on the occasion of Navaratri as unemployment is rising in the country. It is being claimed that one can register on the given link and start earning 1000 to 2000 rupees by working two to three hours from home. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Government to provide employment to people with smartphones.
Fact: There has been no such announcement by the Central Government. Also, the given link redirects people to some private application. Similar messages are being shared on social media with other dubious website links. The ‘Press Information Bureau (PIB) has also clarified that the message is fake. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched if the Central Government has made any announcement regarding such employment, no information was found on the internet. Also, the given link redirects people to some private application. So, it can be confirmed that the message is fake.
We also found from the internet that many similar messages (occasion ‘Navaratri’ is replaced by ‘Gandhi Jayanthi’ in some messages) are being shared on social media with other dubious website links and private application links. Some of those links are – ‘https://www.pep.today/’ and ‘https://www.youtubegifts.in/’. If the government is providing employment, it does the registration through an official portal, not through blogs. Also, on filling up the details in the registration form given on those blogs, both the blogs redirect to a different page, where the user is asked to share the link with 10 other people to complete the registration. No government initiative or scheme asks people to share a link on WhatsApp to complete the registration. So, these are fraudulent websites cashing in by putting the image of the Prime Minister.
The ‘Press Information Bureau (PIB) has also clarified that the message is fake, and the Central Government has made no such announcement. FACTLY has also previously debunked many such messages offering free laptops, smartphones, and scholarships in the name of Government.
दावा:- #Whatsapp पर एक मैसेज में दावा किया जा रहा है कि बढ़ती बेरोजगारी को देखते हुए इस नवरात्र पर केंद्र सरकार बेरोजगारों को देगी घर बैठे रोजगार का मौका। #PIBFactCheck:- यह दावा फर्जी है। केंद्र सरकार द्वारा ऐसी कोई घोषणा नहीं की गई है। pic.twitter.com/GGjbZUtVU4
To sum it up, do not register yourself using such fraudulent links for employment from the government. If the government offers any such employment, the registration will be through official government portals.

created: October 13, 2020


text:
Fake News Alert: AICTE has not issued any Circular scrapping the 75% Attendance rule for Engineering
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 22, 2018
A circular in the name of AICTE has been widely shared on social media in the last few days. The circular talks about scrapping the 75% attendance rule for the engineering course. AICTE has clarified that it’s a fake circular.
In the last few days, a circular in the name of an advisor to AICTE has been shared widely across social media. The crux of the circular is that the AICTE has scrapped the 75% attendance rule in all B.E/B.Tech courses and is introducing vocational projects instead of mandatory attendance. The circular is addressed to all the directors & principals of AICTE approved institutions. The circular mentions the following.
The alleged circular then goes onto ask institutes to make relevant provisions and that detailed documents would be made available later both on the MHRD website as well as the AICTE website.
AICTE says the Circular is ‘FAKE’
The AICTE distanced itself from the circular and  called it fake . In a  communication uploaded  on the AICTE website, AICTE said that the circular is misleading & mischievous. The communication asked that the circular  be ignored. It also said that a police complaint is being lodged with the cybercrime cell of the Delhi Police.
The circular is FAKE for multiple reasons
A careful reading of the circular would reveal that it is fake for multiple reasons.
There is no advisor by that name: The circular was signed by one Prof. G K Gokhale, an advisor in the Policy & Academic Planning Bureau of AICTE. The  AICTE website does not list  anyone by that name as an advisor in the bureau.
The 75% attendance rule is not uniform across: Universities that award B.E/B.Tech degrees and affiliate colleges in various states have different attendance rules.  Below are the details of attendance rules in some of the universities.
Attendance rules won’t change in the middle of an academic year: Even if AICTE were to modify the attendance rules, they won’t do it in the middle of an academic year. They would do it with effect from a fresh academic year.
There is no such NSSO report in the public domain: There is no such employability report  in the  public domain  where the survey was undertaken by the NSSO & AICTE.
All those concerned should ignore the circular.

created: January 22, 2018


text:
Fake news clip says ‘19-year-old IIT Kharagpur student Arvind Kejriwal accused of raping a girl’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 29, 2020
A news clip with the heading – ‘IIT student accused of rape’ is being widely shared on social media. The clip reads that 19-year-old IIT Kharagpur student, Arvind Kejriwal, is accused of raping a local girl and was detained by the Police for questioning over the incident. Let’s analyze the authenticity of the news clip.
A newspaper published that 19-year-old IIT Kharagpur student Arvind Kejriwal is accused of raping a local girl and was detained by the Police for questioning.
Fact: No information was found about Arvind Kejriwal being arrested for raping a girl during his study at IIT Kharagpur. The news clip in the post is ‘digitally’ created. So, the claim is FALSE.
When searched about the news referred to in the clip, information from no credible source was found. So, the news clip is clearly a fake one and has been created by using a website like ‘fodey.com’. The third column in the news clip and that in the ‘sample’ of fodey.com website is the same.
Using that website, one can create a news clip with the desired headline and the story of interest. FACTLY has tried to recreate the posted image on the ‘fodey.com’ website. The process can be seen below.
To sum it up, the news clip saying ‘19-year-old IIT Kharagpur student Arvind Kejriwal accused of raping a girl’ is a fake one.
Did you watch our new video in the DECODE series?

created: January 29, 2020


text:
Fake newspaper clip claims ‘Rahul Gandhi is not the son of Rajiv Gandhi’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 30, 2019
A newspaper clip is being widely shared on social media with a claim that an American DNA expert has revealed at a press conference that Rahul Gandhi is not the son of Rajiv Gandhi. Let’s try to analyze the authenticity of the newspaper clip.
An American DNA expert has revealed that Rahul Gandhi is not the son of Rajiv Gandhi.
Fact: No newspaper article that reported about any American DNA expert making the above revelation was found. The newspaper clip in the post with such news is a digitally created one. Hence, the claim is FALSE.
When googled for any news regarding “Rahul Gandhi is not the son of Rajiv Gandhi”, no information is found to be reported in the media. In the newspaper clip, it was mentioned that Dr Martin Sijo has held a press conference and revealed that Rahul is not the son of Rajiv Gandhi. But, it is quite unlikely that such a conference goes unnoticed without any media coverage. Also, no information was found about any American DNA expert Dr Martin Sijo. So, the newspaper clip in the post is a fake one, and it would have been created digitally.
Earlier this year, when a similar newspaper clip was in circulation claiming ‘Modi as the son of Asaram Bapu’, ‘FACTLY’ had debunked it and the article can be read here.
To conclude, the newspaper clip that claims ‘Rahul Gandhi is not the son of Rajiv Gandhi’ is fake.
Did you watch our new Episode of the DECODE series?

created: December 30, 2019


text:
Fake notice claims that NPR document is mandatory to withdraw money from banks starting 01 April 2020 - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 12, 2020
The photo of a notice is being shared widely on social media that NPR (National Population Register) document needs to be mandatorily submitted in banks. The post also claims that if the document is not submitted, the bank account will be blocked and asks people to withdraw money from the accounts before 31 March 2020. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
NPR document is mandatory to withdraw money from the bank accounts from 01 April 2020.
Fact: No such circular has been issued by the Reserve Bank of India. NPR document is one of the Officially Valid Documents (OVD) which need to be submitted for the KYC verification. NPR document is not mandatory; any other Officially Valid Document can be submitted. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched about the notice on Google, it was found that no such notice/circular was issued by the Reserve Bank of India. Also, no such order was issued by the government. When a similar message went viral with the photo of Central Bank of India advertisement in January 2020, the Central Bank of India has clarified that the NPR document is not mandatory, ‘any 1 document’ from the list of Officially Valid Documents can be submitted for the KYC verification. The detailed fact-check by FACTLY can be read here.
On the official website of RBI, in the ‘Master Direction – Know Your Customer (KYC) Direction, 2016’, it can be seen that ‘letter issued by the National Population Register containing details of name and address’ is included in the ‘Officially Valid Document’ (OVD) list. The ‘Master Direction – Know Your Customer (KYC) Direction, 2016’ is regularly updated and recently, it has been updated on 9th January 2020. Even in the updated direction, there is no mention of mandatory submission of the NPR document for the KYC verification. So, NPR document is not mandatory to withdraw money from the bank accounts.,
To sum it up, the notice which claims that NPR document is mandatory to withdraw money from the banks from 01 April 2020 is fake.
Did you watch our new video?


text:
Fake Office Memorandum shared as ‘Ministry of Health & Family Welfare declared holidays to a few states in the wake of COVID-19’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 16, 2020
An ‘Office Memorandum’ in the name of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare is making rounds on social media with the claim that it declared holidays in the states Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Sikkim in the wake of COVID-19. Let’s check the authenticity of that Office Memorandum.
Office Memorandum of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare declaring holidays to the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Sikkim in the wake of COVID-19.
Fact: No, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare hasn’t declared holidays to the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Sikkim. The Office Memorandum with such information is ‘fake’. So, the claim is FALSE.
The Office Memorandum in the name of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has the date as 13 March 2020 and subject as ‘Clarification regarding declaration of holidays to the states’. In the memo, it was written that the Ministry of Health & Family has declared holidays to the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Sikkim from 14 March to 21 March as a measure to curb the spread of COVID-19.
When looked at the Twitter account of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare to find if it has issued any Office memorandum declaring holidays to few states in the wake of COVID-19, a tweet regarding the memorandum was found.
#CoronaVirusUpdate:
Fact check on FAKE O. M. of the Health Ministry.
Please read the details here:https://t.co/e9BFk3M70b@PMOIndia @drharshvardhan @AshwiniKChoubey @PIB_India @MIB_India @DDNewslive @airnewsalerts @PTI_News @ANI
However, the respective state governments of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat have announced the closure of schools, colleges, and educational institutions in order to curb Covid-19. On 14 March, the Maharashtra government has announced that all the schools, colleges, and educational institutions in the state’s urban areas would be closed till 31 March. On 13 March, the state government of Uttar Pradesh has announced that all the schools, colleges, and educational institutions in the state would be closed till 22 March. On 15 March, the Gujarat state government has also announced that all the schools, colleges, and educational institutions
in the state would be closed till 28 March.
To conclude, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare hasn’t issued any O.M. declaring holidays to the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Sikkim.
Did you watch our new video?


text:
Fake tweets are shared as the last tweets of actor Sushanth Singh Rajput before his death - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 17, 2020
Screenshots of few tweets are being shared on social media claiming them to be the last tweets of actor Sushanth Singh Rajput before his death. In the post, it is mentioned that these tweets were later on deleted by him for some unknown reason. Let’s verify the authenticity of the tweets in the post.
Screenshots of tweets made by actor Sushanth Singh Rajput before his suicide on 14 June 2020.
Fact:  The tweets in the screenshot weren’t made by Sushanth Singh Rajput. Multiple inconsistencies in the format can be noticed in these tweets when compared with a standard tweet. So, the tweets in the screenshot are digitally created using a tool like ‘Photoshop’. Hence the claim made is FALSE.
When the tweets in the screenshot are carefully observed, one can notice the following differences –
So, the tweets in the screenshot are fake and could have been digitally created using a tool like ‘Photoshop’. These fake tweets are being shared as the last tweets of actor Sushanth Singh Rajput before his death.
Did you watch our new video?


text:
Fake Twitter handle impersonating Chinese journalist ‘Wang Wenwen’ tweeted thanking Rahul Gandhi for his support towards China - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 19, 2020
Screenshot of a tweet purportedly from the Twitter handle (@WangChinaR) allegedly of Chinese journalist ‘Wang Wenwen’ is doing the rounds on social media. The tweet has a video of Rahul Gandhi and the text ‘Thank you @RahulGandhi for speaking in favour of my country’. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Chinese journalist ‘Wang Wenwen’ tweeted thanking Rahul Gandhi for speaking in favour of China.
Fact: The official Twitter handle of Chinese journalist ‘Wang Wenwen’ is ‘@WenwenWang1127’, not ‘@WangChinaR’. So the tweet thanking Rahul Gandhi is not from ‘Wang Wenwen’s’ official Twitter account. Also, in the video in that tweet, Rahul Gandhi hasn’t spoken anything supporting China. Hence the claim made is FALSE.
‘Wang Wenwen’ is the Chief reporter and opinion writer of ‘Global Times’. The official Twitter handle of ‘Wang Wenwen’ is ‘@WenwenWang1127’, not ‘@WangChinaR’.
The tweet from ‘@WangChinaR’ seen in the screenshot has a video of Rahul Gandhi speaking about the recent faceoff between India and China. In the video, Rahul Gandhi asks PM Narendra Modi why is he silent on the death of 20 Indian soldiers and China’s attempts to grab Indian territory. Nowhere in the video, Rahul Gandhi mentioned anything supporting China as described in the tweet. Also, this twitter profile is created very recently in April 2020 and started tweeting only since 16 June 2020.
Thank you @RahulGandhi
For speaking in favour of my country.
Dear @narendramodi
Why are you silent?
Where are you hiding?
Come Out.#Darpok56Inch#IndiaChinaFaceOff pic.twitter.com/BWxy1qP25G
To sum it up, a fake Twitter handle (@WangChinaR) in the name of Chinese journalist ‘Wang Wenwen’ (@WenwenWang112) tweeted thanking Rahul Gandhi for his support towards China.
Did you watch our new video?


text:
Fake website falsely claims that workers will receive benefits of Rs. 80,000 from EPFO - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 31, 2019
A post with a website link is being widely shared on social media with a claim that workers who worked between 1990 and 2019 and find their name in the list on the website are eligible for benefits of Rs. 80,000 by Employee Provident Fund Organization (EPFO). Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Benefits of Rs. 80,000 by EPFO to workers who worked between the years 1990 and 2019.
Fact: EPFO has tweeted asking users to be beware of the fraudulent websites and posted the screenshots of the website which claimed that workers can get benefits of Rs. 80,000. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On clicking the link given in the post, the website with the url: https://socialdraw.top/epf/ gets opened. All the government websites generally have the domain ‘.gov.in’ but the above website has ‘.top’. Also, the website asks to share a message on WhatsApp to avail the benefits. No government website asks people to share messages on WhatsApp to receive benefits.
On Twitter, EPFO has tweeted asking users to be beware of the fraudulent websites and posted the screenshots of the above website.
Beware of FAKE OFFERS by Websites/Telecalls/SMS/email/Social Media, ASKING TO DEPOSIT MONEY into any Bank Account towards Claim Settlement/Advance/Higher Pension/ or any other service provided by #EPFO.#Fraud #FakeCalls #Lottery pic.twitter.com/ekuvhcyJsq
Also, on opening the official website (https://www.epfindia.gov.in) of EPFO, a pop-up comes with the message that ‘https://www.epfindia.gov.in’ is the only official website of EPFO.
It was also found that similar messages went viral last year in India and this year in South Africa. The clarification given by the South African government to their citizens can be read here.
To sum it up, fake website falsely claims that workers will receive benefits of Rs. 80,000 from EPFO.
Did you watch our new Episode of the DECODE series?

created: October 31, 2019


text:
False and unverified COVID-19 claims are being circulated in the name of UNICEF - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 5, 2020
With new positive COVID-19 cases being reported in India, a lot of messages with various claims regarding the virus are being shared on social media. A widely viral social media post claims that the preventive measures in the message were suggested by the UNICEF.
But, before fact-checking the message, let’s try to know a bit about the virus.
Now, let’ verify the claims made in the post.
Precautionary measures suggested by the UNICEF.
Fact: The viral message was not issued by the UNICEF. Some of the measures suggested in the message contradict the WHO’S view on COVID-19. Also, some have no scientific evidence. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
UNICEF mainly caters to the needs of the children and young people across the globe. On the UNICEF’s website, it can be seen that it advised the parents on how to protect themselves and their children from COVID-19. Most of the measures suggested in the viral social media message were not found on the UNICEF’s website and some of the measures contradict the UNICEF’s and WHO’s views (on the use of mask and warm weather reducing the outbreak).
Wearing a mask can prevent people from getting infected by COVID-19 since corona virus is large in size  with a diameter of 400-500 microns
Fact: According to WHO, people with no respiratory symptoms do not need to wear a medical mask. It recommends the use of masks for people who have symptoms of COVID-19 and for those taking care of  individuals who have symptoms. Also, the use of a mask alone is insufficient to provide an adequate level of protection and other equally relevant measures should be adopted. Secondly, the size of the corona virus is not 400-500 microns, it is only 0.12 microns. Hence, the claim made in the post is onlyPARTIALLY TRUE.
On the WHO’s website, in the FAQ section on Coronavirus, it can be read that people with no symptoms need not wear a medical mask. It reads, ‘WHO advises rational use of medical masks to avoid unnecessary wastage of precious resources and misuse of masks. Use a mask only if you have respiratory symptoms (coughing or sneezing), have suspected COVID-19 infection with mild symptoms, or are caring for someone with suspected COVID-19 infection’. Even CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) does not recommend masks to healthy people.
In one of the advisories released by the WHO, it can also be read that, ‘the use of a mask alone is insufficient to provide the adequate level of protection and other equally relevant measures should be adopted. If masks are to be used, this measure must be combined with hand hygiene and other IPC measures to prevent the human-to-human transmission of 2019-nCov…Wearing medical masks when not indicated may cause unnecessary cost, procurement burden and create a false sense of security that can lead to neglecting other essential measures such as hand hygiene practices. Furthermore, using a mask incorrectly may hamper its effectiveness to reduce the risk of transmission’. The guidelines regarding how to use masks can be watched here.
Talking about the use of masks, ‘The Guardian’ writes, ‘Wearing a face mask is certainly not an iron-clad guarantee that you won’t get sick – viruses can also transmit through the eyes and tiny viral particles, known as aerosols, can penetrate masks. However, masks are effective at capturing droplets, which is a main transmission route of coronavirus, and some studies have estimated a roughly fivefold protection versus no barrier alone (although others have found lower levels of effectiveness)…masks will probably make little difference if you’re just walking around town or taking a bus so there is no need to bulk-buy a huge supply’.
On its website, WHO writes, ‘Only wear a mask if you are ill with COVID-19 symptoms (especially coughing) or looking after someone who may have COVID-19. Disposable face mask can only be used once. If you are not ill or looking after someone who is ill then you are wasting a mask. There is a world-wide shortage of masks, so WHO urges people to use masks wisely’.
According to an article published in ‘The New England Journal of Medicine’, ‘the electron micrographs of negative-stained 2019-nCoV particles were generally spherical with some pleomorphism. Diameter varied from about 60 to 140 nm. Virus particles had quite distinctive spikes, about 9 to 12 nm, and gave virions the appearance of a solar corona’. So, the size of 2019-nCoV coronavirus is around 125 nm (0.125 microns). The smallest particles are 0.06 microns, and the largest are 0.14 microns. The electron microscopy image showing SARS-CoV-2 virus can be seen here.
An article published by the ‘Business Insider’ talks about the types of masks and their effectiveness. It can be read here.  Eric Toner, a scientist at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, says the following about wearing a mask, ‘There’s little harm in it. But it’s not likely to be very effective in preventing it’. In the ‘Daily Mail’ article, it can be read that ‘surgical masks, which have proved popular, rarely filter out particles smaller than 5 microns – and coronavirus is only 0.12 microns’.
Coronavirus live up to 12 hours on metal, 9 hours on fabric, and 10 minutes on the human hand.
Fact: According to WHO, ‘the studies suggest that coronaviruses (including preliminary information on the COVID-19 virus) may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days.’ There are no defined timelines for each surface. The topic is yet to be studied and confirmed. Hence the claim made in the post remains UNVERIFIED.
On the WHO website, it can be read that ‘it is not certain how long the virus that causes COVID-19 survives on surfaces, but it seems to behave like other coronaviruses. Studies suggest that coronaviruses (including preliminary information on the COVID-19 virus) may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days. This may vary under different conditions (e.g. type of surface, temperature or humidity of the environment)’.
An explainer by ‘Reuters’ on ‘How long can coronavirus survive on surfaces?’ can be read here and an analysis of earlier studies on similar coronaviruses can be read here. There is no defined answer on the topic. It is yet to be studied and confirmed.
Outbreak of COVID-19 will be stopped by the hot weather conditions.
Fact: As of now, there is no scientific evidence to show that hot weather conditions will stop the outbreak of COVID-19. According to the CDC, ‘it is not known whether the spread of COVID-19 will decrease when the weather becomes warmer.’. Hence, the claim made in the post remains UNVERIFIED.
In an article published by the ‘National Geographic’ on the topic, it can be read that, ‘viruses that cause influenza or milder coronavirus colds do tend to subside in warmer months because these types of viruses have what scientists refer to as “seasonality”. But it’s highly uncertain that SARS-CoV-2 will behave the same way. Those currently studying the disease say their research is too early to predict how the virus will respond to changing weather’. Similar views about the virus can be also seen in the ‘Will heat kill the coronavirus?’ article, published in the ‘New Scientist’.
According to the CDC, ‘it is not yet known whether weather and temperature impact the spread of COVID-19. Some other viruses, like the common cold and flu, spread more during cold weather months but that does not mean it is impossible to become sick with these viruses during other months.  At this time, it is not known whether the spread of COVID-19 will decrease when the weather becomes warmer.  There is much more to learn about the transmissibility, severity, and other features associated with COVID-19 and investigations are ongoing’. The same can be seen on the WHO’s website. WHO’s Dr Maria Van Kerkhove’s answer on the same topic can be watched here.
Gargling with warm water and salt will prevent COVID-19.
Fact: WHO does not mention ‘gargling with warm water and salt’ as a preventive measure. In an email to AFP, the WHO said, ‘We have seen no convincing evidence that rinsing one’s mouth with diluted saline water will provide protection from this disease’. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
In a press release regarding misinformation on Coronavirus, UNICEF has clarified that the message circulating on social media as UNICEF communication is not true. Also, ‘UNICEF Cambodia’ has tweeted the photo of the message and called it ‘fake’.
We would like to inform our audiences that the news below attributed to UNICEF is fake. UNICEF Cambodia is NOT the author of this post. Stay informed by following UNICEF official platforms.
For more information on #coronavirus, go to https://t.co/9F30DkELad pic.twitter.com/T0zXMYpMGS
To sum it up, the viral message regarding COVID-19 was not issued by the UNICEF. Most of the claims are either false or unverified.
Did you watch our new video?


text:
False Images Shared to Misrepresent an Old Incident of Muslim Incestuous Marriage as a Recent Event - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 2, 2023
Images of a man and a woman are being shared on social media claiming that the man, a Muslim, married his daughter in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal in 2020 and subsequently impregnated her. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Images of a Muslim man who married his daughter in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri in 2020.
Fact: While there was an incident in 2007 in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri involving a Muslim man marrying his daughter and impregnating her, the images shared in the post are not related to that event. Since the post presents an old incident as a recent one using images that are not connected to the case in question, it is MISLEADING.
Initially, we conducted an internet search using relevant keywords to determine if any incidents of this nature were reported in Jalpaiguri since 2020. But our search did not yield any relevant results. However, in 2007, the Times of India reported that a Muslim man from Jalpaiguri married his daughter and impregnated her.
The same incident was also reported by BBC and Navbharat Times in 2007. As per the media reports, in 2007, Afazuddin Ali, who was 36 years old at the time, allegedly married his teenage daughter in the name of divine sanction and impregnated her. Ali’s wife, Sakina, served as the prime witness to the wedding. When villagers expressed their outrage, the Police intervened and arrested both Ali and Sakina. However, because the lower court lacked criminal jurisdiction and no specific charges were brought against the couple, they were subsequently released.
Nevertheless, images shared in the viral post do not show Afazuddin Ali and his daughter. Through a reverse image search of the viral images, we traced their origin back to a Twitter account based in Pakistan. Although the account has since been deactivated, the images were first shared on 18 July 2020. To gather more information about the people in the picture, we contacted the user’s alternate account and other followers. This article will be updated as soon as the required information becomes available.
To sum it up, the images being circulated are unrelated and are being falsely attributed to an old incident of a Muslim man marrying his own daughter in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri.


text:
False & inaccurate figures shared as the price build-up of Petrol in Delhi - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 18, 2020
A post is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it shows the price build-up of Petrol. It tries to convey a message that the State Tax on Petrol is much more than the Central Tax. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Price build-up of Petrol shows that the State Tax on Petrol is more than the Central Tax in Delhi.
Fact: The amounts of various taxes given in the post are not accurate. In Delhi, the State VAT is only Rs 14.49/Ltr., whereas the total amount collected by the central government in the form of taxes (Special Additional Excise + Road & Infrastructure + Basic Excise Duty) on per liter petrol amounts to Rs. 21.73. Also, the average Dealer Commission is Rs 3.54/Ltr. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
In addition to the tweet shown in the picture, Rishi Bagree has tweeted (archived) that the above price break-up calculation is that of Delhi.  On the Indian Oil website, the build-up of the Petrol price in Delhi can be found. The same can be also found on the Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum websites.
So, let’s compare the price build-up given in the post with the actual petrol price build-up in Delhi.
Crude + Refinery + Logistics – Rs 26/Ltr? No.
In the Indian Oil Price build-up, it can be seen that Base Price + Freight etc. add up to Rs 28.28/Ltr.
Dealer Commission – Rs 5/Ltr? No.
On average, the Dealer Commission is Rs 3.54/Ltr.
Central Tax – Rs 14/Ltr net (42% goes to state)? No.
In the Indian Oil Price build-up, it can be seen that the Excise duty is Rs 22.98/Ltr.
The central government levies taxes on petrol in the form of Basic Excise Duty (BED), Special Additional Excise Duty (SAED), and Additional Excise Duty (Road & Infrastructure) (AED), and other Cess introduced from time to time.
Of these taxes, Special Additional Excise Duty (SAED) was introduced by the Finance Act 2002. However, as per the act, the amount of excise duty levied under SAED is levied in the form of surcharge and hence the entire amount accrues to the union government. Hence the amount collected through this Special Additional Excise Duty (SAED) is not included in the divisible pool, and states would not get any share in it.
Additional Excise Duty (AED) on petrol was introduced by the Finance Act 1998, also known as Road & Infrastructure Cess. However, the entire amount collected in the form of additional excise duty under the Finance Act 1998 also goes to the Central Government, and states have no share. Similarly, AED was introduced on diesel through the Finance Act 1999. The states will not have a share in this either.
All in all,  states have a 42% share of the basic excise duty. However, this 42% is further distributed to each state in a proportion as recommended by the finance commission.
The Finance Act, 2018 has increased the Special Additional Excise Duty (SAED) from Rs 8 / Ltr of petrol to Rs 10 / Ltr and further, the Road & Infrastructure Cess is increased to Rs. 10/Ltr from Rs 8/Ltr. However, the states will not get any share of the revenue collected in the form of SAED and Road & Infrastructure cess. States will get a 42% share in the remaining Rs. 2.98 basic excise duty, which is Rs. 1.25. The remaining 58% of the basic excise duty which is Rs. 1.73 will reach the central exchequer, which sums up the total amount collected by the central government in the form of taxes (Special Additional Excise + Road & Infrastructure + Basic Excise Duty) on per liter petrol to Rs. 21.73.
On the other hand state government of Delhi collects Rs. 14.79 as state VAT on petrol. Also, Delhi government receives grants in lieu of share in Central Taxes and Duties, as Delhi government will not have any share in the divisible pool of the central taxes as other states have. So, the argument that Delhi government receives 42% share of the central taxes on petrol does not hold true.
State Tax – Rs 24/Ltr? No.
In India, the tax levied by each state government is different and those tax rates can be seen on the website of ‘Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell’ of the Central government. As of 18 March 2020, the tax rate levied by Delhi is 27% i.e. Rs 14.79/Ltr.
Although the Delhi state government receives their share of central taxes in the form of grants, these grants are received as a proportion of the total cumulative taxes which the center collects and not just petrol.
To sum it up, false inaccurate figures shared as the price build-up of Petrol in Delhi.
CORRECTION (JULY 06, 2021): Earlier, this article erroneously mentioned that both the Basic Excise Duty (BED) and Special Additional Excise Duty (SAED) collected by the Central Government would go into the ‘Divisible Pool’ which would then be distributed to the State Governments. But the Special Additional Excise Duty introduced through the Finance Act 2002 does not form part of the divisible pool and hence the states would not have any share in it. The details in this article have been updated accordingly to reflect this change. Error is regretted.
Did you watch our new video?


text:
False information is being shared in the name of secret clauses of the Transfer of power act - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 17, 2023
A social media post claims that the ‘transfer of power agreement’ contains some secret clauses, which are supposed to be kept secret till 2024.  The post further claims that adhering to these secret clauses ‘India has been paying 10 billion rupees pension to Queen Elizabeth, since 1947’. Also ‘under the agreement, India is bound to give 30 thousand tons of beef every year to Britain’. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in this post.
Claim: Since 1947, India has been paying 10 billion rupees pension to Queen Elizabeth ; India is bound to give 30 thousand tons of Beef every year to Britain.
Fact: Transfer of power act is available in public domain. Further, there are no such secret clauses in the act, which are allegedly extended till 2024. Moreover, India does not pay any pension to Queen Elizebeth and there is no such provision of exporting beef annually to UK, as claimed. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
There are no reports of any secret clauses enshrined in the Transfer of power act, as claimed in the viral post. Hence, there doesn’t exist a question of extending these secret provisions to 2024. Moreover, contrary to the claim made in the viral post, ‘Transfer of power act’ is available in the public domain and can be viewed here and here. Further, let’s look at each claim made in the viral post separately below.
Indian Parliament does not have the right to amend Articles 366, 371, 372, 395 :
Article 245 of the Indian Constitution empowers the Parliament to make and repeal laws, whereas Article 368 details the procedure to be followed with respect to amending the laws. Article 368 delineates the procedure to be followed with respect to repealing/amending the laws.
While Articles 366, 371, 372, and 395 respectively deal with provisions of Scheduled Tribes, Special Provisions given to certain States, continuance in force of existing laws and their adaptation, and the Repealing of the Government of India Act 1935 and Indian Independence Act 1947 respectively.
However, in article 368, there is no mention of restricting the Parliament with respect to repealing/amending these articles, as claimed in the viral post.
India pays 10 billion every year to Queen Elizabeth:
Over the years there is no mention of any such payment to Queen Elizabeth in the budget documents (here & here). Every payment made by the government of India is documented in the budget document. No reference to such a transaction implies that GoI does not make any such payment. Further, we could not find any news reports which endorse this claim.
In fact, contrary to the claim made India has been receiving foreign aid from the UK. According to this 2018 news report, Britain was to donate over 1.17 billion pounds to India as foreign aid in the course of over five years.
India is bound to give 30 thousand tons of Beef every year to Britain :
As per the Export Policy, the export of beef, which includes meat and edible offal of cows, oxen, and calf, is under the prohibited category and not permitted to be exported.
It is the buffalo meat that is exported to other countries from India in the name of beef. According to the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) for the year 2021-22, beef worth 25,000 crores is exported to 66 countries.
However, in the past nine years, it is only for three years there have been beef exports from India to the UK. India exported 0.4 MT, 0.03MT & 29MT of beef to the UK in 2014-15, 2016-17 & 2019-20 respectively. This implies there are no consistent exports of beef from India to the UK, contrary to the claim made in the viral post.
Further, we could not find any reports that state that India should export beef to the UK annually, abiding by any secret clauses, as claimed.
To sum it up, false information is being shared in the name of secret clauses of the transfer of power act.


text:
False news shared as wife fled to Agra from Bangalore after husband tested positive for coronavirus - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 17, 2020
A post is being shared on Facebook with a claim that a woman who returned to Bangalore with her husband from their honeymoon in Italy fled to her parents’ home in Agra after her husband was detected positive for coronavirus. Let’s try to analyze the authenticity of the claim made in the post.
After husband tested positive for coronavirus, wife fled from Banglore to Agra .
Fact: The woman went to her parents place in Agra on 9 March, while her husband was confirmed positive for coronavirus on 12 March. Also, she didn’t enter Bangalore city. Karnataka government has also clarified that the woman didn’t flee to her parents’ place. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched about the posted information on the internet, an article published by ‘Times of India’ on 14 March 2020 was found. From the article, it can be read that “According to health officials, the woman, who recently returned from her honeymoon in Italy and Greece and was put under quarantine after her husband showed symptoms of the disease. She escaped from Bengaluru on 08 March, took a flight to New Delhi and travelled to Agra to be with her parents.”
However, TOI later updated the article stating that the women left Bangalore on 09 March before her husband was not tested positive for coronavirus. Her husband was tested positive on 12 March. In the same article, it can be read that the couple travelled to Greece, Switzerland and France but not to Italy as mentioned in the post. So, the woman did not flee from quarantine as she left directly from Bengaluru airport on 09 March before her husband was tested positive.
Karnataka’s medical education minister, K.Sudhakar has clarified that the couple reached Bengaluru on 08 March at 9:45 pm from Mumbai and from there the woman took an early morning flight at 1:40 am on 09 March to New Delhi, and from there, she took the 8.10 am Gatimaan Express train to Agra. A flowchart released by the Karnataka government showing the whereabouts of the Google employee can be seen below. More information related to this case can be seen here, and here.
To sum it up, the news that the wife fled to her parents’ place after her husband was tested positive for coronavirus is false.
Did you watch our new video?


text:
False random figures posted to claim that 99% of the Muslim voters have voted in Delhi Elections - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 14, 2020
A post is being shared widely on social media with a claim that, in 2020 Delhi Assembly Elections, 99 per cent of the Muslim voters have voted whereas only 68 per cent of the Hindu voters have exercised their voting rights. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
99% of the Muslim voters and 68% of the Hindu voters have voted in the 2020 Delhi Elections.
Fact: The Election Commission of India does not provide information regarding voter turnout on the basis of religion. While it is true that some of the Muslim majority constituencies have recorded higher voter turnouts, it does not mean that 99% of all the Muslim voters have cast their votes. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The Election Commission of India provides information regarding the voter turnout of all the elections on the ‘Voter Turnout’ application. The total number of voters in NCT of Delhi are 1,46,92,136. Delhi witnessed 62.59% voter turnout, so the number of voters who voted on the poll day was around 92 lakhs. In the ‘Voter Turnout’ application, it can be seen that there is no information on the voter turnout based on the religion. The voter turnout is provided only for the constituency, district, and total. ECI does not release voter turnout data on the basis of religion.
Some of the Muslim majority constituencies have recorded higher voter turnouts in the Delhi Elections. It does not mean that 99% of all Muslim voters have cast their votes. There is no data to suggest that 99% of Muslim voters voted. There are some exit polls that suggested that the majority of Muslims might vote for AAP (69% Muslim voters) and Congress (15% Muslim voters). But, they do not claim that 99% of the Muslim voters have come out on the Election day to vote.
To sum it up, some false random figures have been posted on social media to claim that 99% of the Muslim voters and 68% of the Hindu voters have voted in Delhi Elections.
Did you watch our new video in the DECODE series?

created: February 14, 2020


text:
False statements from a ‘parody’ account are being attributed to Kerala nun rape accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 6, 2019
In Kerala, Bishop Franco Mulakkal was accused of raping a nun. On social media, a few statements purportedly said by him in that regard are doing rounds. Let’s check the authenticity of those statements.
Kerala nun rape accused, Bishop Franco Mulakkal said- “Whatever happened between me and nun, it is not rape. It is the Holi Ritual of enlightenment to feel the Magical Existence of Holi Jesus at the end of the act”.
Fact: Bishop Franco Mulakkal hasn’t made these statements. The Twitter account of a ‘parody’  (satire) website has tweeted those statements attributing to him. Also, the news channel template carrying such statements with the image of Bishop Mulakkal is digitally created using a website. Hence the claim is FALSE.
An article of ‘India Today’ states that Bishop Franco Mulakkal is accused of raping a nun in Kerala. To check if Bishop Mulakkal has made such statements in that regard, Google search was performed with the text, ‘Whatever happened between me and nun, it is not rape. It is the Holi Ritual of enlightenment to feel the Magical Existence of Holi Jesus at the end of the act’. But no relevant information was obtained in the search results.
When searched with the same text on Facebook and Twitter, it was found that such claims have been doing rounds on social media for the past one year. During the search process, it was found that a Twitter account with the name ‘The Unpaid News’ was the first to attribute those statements to Bishop Mulakkal. The profile of that account had the description- ‘Indian Satirical News Website. Don’t believe in rumours. We bring you best fake news’. So, it is the Twitter account of a ‘parody’ website and the news posted by them are not true.
'Whatever happened between me and nun, it is not rape. It is the Holi Ritual of enlightenment to feel the Magical Existence of Holi Jesus at the end of the act': Bishop Franco Mulakkal, accused of Rape. pic.twitter.com/F6E7hVMK3q
The tweet had a screenshot with a news channel template carrying such statements as said by Bishop Mulakkal. When observed it carefully, the spelling of ‘Holy’ is seen as ‘Holi’ and also, near the watermark of ‘ANI’, one can find website address ‘breakyourownnews.com’. ‘Break Your Own News’ is a website that offers one to create their own template just by giving headlines and uploading an image. So, ‘The Unpaid News’ might have created such a template using this website.
To sum it up, false statements from a ‘parody’ account are being attributed to Kerala nun rape accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal.
Did you watch our new Episode of the DECODE series?

created: November 6, 2019


text:
Family Problems account for 33% of the Suicides in India’s Mega Cities
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 9, 2019
In the year 2016, the 53 mega cities reported more than 20,000 suicides, accounting for 16% of all the suicides in India. The four metropolitan cities of Chennai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai have reported more than 1000 suicides each in 2016. Family problems accounted for roughly 1/3rd of the suicides in these mega cities.
Suicides may be a result of numerous factors that take a toll on one’s emotions and thoughts. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that globally about 8 Lakh people die every year due to suicides.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) Accidental Deaths and Suicides India report, more than 1.31 Lakh suicides were reported in India in 2016. The suicide rate of India stood at 10.3 per lakh population. Suicide rate in cities was higher than the national average and stood at 13 suicides per lakh population. Family problems, Marriage related reasons, employment, indebtedness, and drug abuse are a few of the major reasons that drive individuals towards suicide. This story analyses the trends in suicides in major cities of India for the year 2016.
16% of Suicides take place in 53 major cities
A total of 20,879 suicides were reported across 53 major cities in 2016. This accounts for around 16% of the total suicides in the country. These 53 cities are those with more than 10 Lakh population each. It has to be noted that the number of cities part of this reporting was only 35 till 2010. This number increased to 53 starting in 2011.
In ten years, Suicides increased by 45.6% in Megacities as their number increases
Over the last decade, the number of suicides in the megacities has increased from 14,336 in 2007 to 20,879 in 2016, an increase of 46%. This is largely due to the increase in the number of cities reported in the NCRB. In 2007, only 35 cities were a part of this list while it increased to 53 in 2016.
During these years, the maximum number of suicides were reported in the year 2013 (21,313) when date from 53 cities was reported. The second-highest number of suicides was reported in 2016. Compared to 2015, the number of suicides in the 53 mega cities increased by more than 6% in the year 2016.
2016 reported the largest percentage share of Suicides
in cities
The percentage share of suicides in cities (of the total number of suicides in India) was found to be the highest in 2016. As mentioned earlier, 15.9% of the suicides across the country were reported from these major cities in 2016 while the share of the population in these cities is around 13%. The least share of suicides from the cities was in the year 2010 when it was only 10.2%. However, it has to be noted that the number of cities part of this reporting was only 35 till 2010. This number increased to 53 starting in 2011.
1 in 10 Suicides in cities reported in Chennai
Chennai reported the highest number of suicide deaths in 2016 among cities. Suicides in Chennai alone contributed to 10% of the suicides in the 53 cities. The city of Delhi has reported the second-highest number of suicides among the cities, accounting for 9% of the total suicides reported in cities.
Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru and Delhi account for 33%
of  the Suicides in cities
The fourmetropolitan cities of Chennai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai have reported morethan 1000 suicides each in 2016. In fact, these four cities together constituteone-third of the total suicides reported in the country. This is also muchhigher than the numbers reported by many of the states.
Chennai accountedfor more than 13% of suicide deaths reported in Tamil Nadu. Bengalurucontributed to 16.8% of the suicides in Karnataka, Mumbai accounted for 7% ofthe suicides in Maharashtra.
It is also observedthat the suicides in Chennai and Bengaluru have reduced in 2016 by 10.8% and 3.3%respectively compared to 2015. But in Mumbai and Delhi, the number of suicideshave shot up by 7.4% and 22.3% respectively compared to 2015.
Rate of suicide is highest in Durg Bhilainagar
followed by Rajkot
However, the rate of suicides suggests that Durg Bhilainagar in Chhattisgarh had the highest rate of suicides at 36.5 suicides per lakh population in 2016. Chennai reported a suicide rate of 23.3 and Bengaluru reported a suicide rate of 21.1. Mumbai and Delhi with suicide rates of 6.5 and 11.6 respectively, reported a suicide rate less than the national average for cities.
Family problems were reported as the reason for one-third of suicides in cities
In terms of the cause of suicide, family problems were the most prominent reason. This alone accounted for 33% of suicides reported in these cities.
Illness such as AIDS/ STDs, Cancer, Mental illness and other prolonged illness-related reasons accounted for 17.7% of the suicides in 2016 in the 53 cities.  A total of 3,691 suicide deaths were due to illness. Of this, mental illness accounted for 42.7% of the cases and prolonged illness accounted for 47%.
Other common causes of suicide include drug abuse/alcoholism, bankruptcy and indebtedness, unemployment, failure in examinations and career-related issues. Marriage related reasons accounted for 5.5% of the total suicides reported in the megacities. A total of 303 female victims and 37 male victims were reported to have taken their lives due to dowry related reasons.
Majority of the victims were male
Of the totalnumber of suicide victims in 2016 in the 53 cities,  14,387 victims (68.9%) were male, 6484victims (31%) were female and 8 were transgender. The cities also reported thedeath of 24 persons involved in 9 cases of mass suicide across six majorcities.
Multipronged efforts needed to reduce this number
India accounts for16% of suicides worldwide, roughly in proportion to its population share in theworld population. The number of attempts to suicide is also large.
Suicides are preventable if the signs are identified early. Extending support to address some of the issues mentioned earlier could help the cause. Especially in the case of illnesses related suicides, counselling may help to a great extent. Societal pressure in cases of career, employment etc. also seems to be a significant reason for many suicides. Seeking help for psychological reasons is still a big social stigma in India. This can only be overcome if seeking help becomes mainstream.
An effectivesuicide prevention policy needs to be formulated to address the multitude ofreasons for suicides.

created: December 9, 2019