text:
Vrindavan Mandir is not a government project; ISKCON Bangalore is building it. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 4, 2022
A post is being shared on social media, which claims that  ‘ a huge temple will be built with a cost of 500 crore rupees in Vrindavan and 51000 government schools will be shut. This is how India will become a vishwa guru.’ This claim implies that the government is spending money on a temple while it is closing 51000 government schools. Let’s verify this claim through this article.
Claim: 500 crore rupees are being spent on Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir while 51,000 government schools are being closed.
Fact: The Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir is a project of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) Bangalore. Construction of this temple was inaugurated in March 2014, with 300 crore rupees as the projected cost. Neither is this temple being built by the government of India nor is it being funded by the government. On the other hand, according to the Ministry of Education’s UDISE+ reports, more than 51,000 government schools were shut in 2018-2019. Factly noticed that the number of government schools in the country has been fluctuating for the past ten years with no definite trend. The post incorrectly compares a privately funded project with government schools getting closed. Hence the claim is Misleading.
The post compares the Vrindavan temple getting built with crores of rupees while government schools get closed. We performed a keyword search on the internet to learn more about the Vrindavan temple. According to Vrindavan Chandrodaya Temple’s official website, it was conceived by the devotees of ISKCON Bangalore with a projected cost of 300 crore rupees.
It was inaugurated in March 2014 by Akhilesh Yadav, the then chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. The projected cost of the temple was 300 crore rupees. Further, we could not find any information about Government’s contribution to the project in terms of funding.
To check the veracity of the post’s claims that 51,000 government schools are getting closed, we ran a keyword search on the internet and found a related TelegraphIndia news report from May 2022. The report quoting UDISE+ says that ‘51,000 government schools were closed in 2018-19.’
UDISE+ is a database of schools maintained by The Ministry of Education, which releases yearly reports/data about the total number of schools in the country, student enrollment, and other useful information about schools in India.
Data from the UDISE reports indicates that the number of government schools fell from 10,83,747 in 2018-19 to 10,32,570 in 2019-20, a drop of 51,177. To further examine the yearly trend in the total number of government schools over the past ten years, Factly downloaded the data from UDISE+ and observed that the number of government schools fluctuated over the years. There was also an increase in the number of schools in the years 2014-15 and 2015-16. But the most significant drop was in 2019-20, when the number reduced by over 50,000. No reasons were provided for this decline in the UDISE+ report. One can see the past ten years’ trend in the table below.
Hence, it can be concluded that the post incorrectly compares a privately funded project with the closing down of government schools.
To sum up, Vrindavan Mandir is not a government project; ISKCON Bangalore is building it.

created: November 4, 2022


text:
Waterjets use abrasive materials such as garnet along with water to effectively cut through hard substances - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 4, 2023
A video demonstrating waterjet cutting technology has been widely shared on social media, claiming that with significant pressure applied to water and forced through a tiny nozzle, it can slice through even the hardest materials, such as rocks, bulletproof glass, iron, and diamonds. Let’s examine the accuracy of the claim made in this post.
Claim: By subjecting water to immense pressure and directing it through a minuscule nozzle, it can effectively cut through the hardest materials, including rocks, metals, bulletproof glass, and even diamonds.
Fact: While pure waterjet cutting can be used to cut softer materials, abrasive waterjet cutting is required to cut through harder substances such as metals and ceramics. This is because abrasive particles like garnet or aluminium oxide are added to the high-pressure water stream, which increases the cutting force and allows for effective cutting of hard materials. Therefore, the claim made in the post that water alone can cut through the hardest materials, including rocks, metals, bulletproof glass, and diamonds, is MISLEADING.
The video in question discusses waterjet cutting technology.  Waterjet cutting technology works by using a high-pressure pump to generate a powerful stream of water, which is then forced through a small, specialized nozzle. The waterjet exits the nozzle at high velocity, enabling it to cut through various materials. The cutting process is controlled by a computerized system, which guides the waterjet nozzle along the desired cutting path, ensuring precision and accuracy in the final cut. This computer-guided process allows for intricate designs and complex shapes to be cut with minimal waste and high efficiency.
There are two main types of waterjets cutting: Pure waterjet cutting & Abrasive waterjet cutting.
2. Abrasive waterjet cutting: In the case of abrasive waterjet cutting, abrasive particles like garnet or aluminium oxide, silicon carbide etc. are mixed into the water stream. The combination of the high-pressure water and abrasive particles enhances the cutting force, enabling the water jet to cut through harder materials like metals, glass, and ceramics.
Abrasive particles in waterjet cutting significantly enhance the cutting capabilities of the high-pressure water stream. They increase the cutting force by getting accelerated within the water jet and impacting the material, causing erosion and material removal. The hardness and sharpness of the abrasive particles allow the waterjet to cut through harder and thicker materials, such as metals, glass, and ceramics, which would otherwise be difficult or impossible with pure waterjet cutting. Additionally, the abrasive particles help create cleaner, smoother edges and enable more precise cutting, making abrasive waterjet cutting an effective and versatile cutting method for a wide range of applications.
Several videos demonstrating the capabilities of abrasive water jets cutting through metals and hard substances can be seen here & here. When it comes to diamond cutting, while some highly advanced abrasive jet machines can cut certain types of diamonds, other efficient techniques are also used, including laser cutting, plasma cutting, and electric discharge machining etc.
To sum it up, while pure water cutting can effectively cut soft materials, abrasive waterjet cutting is necessary to cut through harder substances like metals. Abrasive particles, such as garnet or aluminium oxide, are added to the high-pressure water stream to enhance cutting force and enable the waterjet to effectively cut through hard materials.

source: news-factly

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


text:
Wayne Parnell converted to Islam in 2011, five years before he got married to Aisha Baker - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 28, 2022
A collage of images is being shared on social media claiming that South African cricketer Wayne Parnell, after studying Islam for a very long time  had recently converted to Islam along with his family. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: South African cricketer Wayne Parnell recently converted to Islam along with his family.
Fact: South Africa left-arm seamer Wayne Parnell converted to Islam in 2011, five years before he get married to Aisha Baker in 2016. Wayne Parnell did change his name to Waleed Wayne Parnell after converting to Islam. Wayne Parnell and his wife Aisha Baker were blessed with a boy in 2018 and a girl in 2021. The photo shared in the post was shared by Wayne Parnell in May 2022. Wayne Parnell converted to Islam five years before his marriage. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When we searched to check whether South Africa cricketer Wayne Parnell had converted to Islam, we found that Wayne Parnell had converted to Islam in July 2011. Several sports and news websites published articles reporting this information in 2011. They can be seen here and here. Confirming his conversion to Islam, Wayne Parnell told the media, “I converted to Islam in January 2011, after a period of personal study and reflection and it is a faith that I have always been interested in”. Wayne Parnell changed his name to Waleed Wayne Parnell after converting to Islam.
Wayne Parnell married Aisha Baker in May 2016. A few pictures from Wayne Parnell and Aisha Baker’s wedding ceremony can be seen here and here. Waleed Wayne Parnell and Aisha Baker were blessed with a baby boy in May 2018 and named him Khalid. The couple was blessed with a second child in July 2021.
Wayne Parnell shared this family picture shown in the post on 03 May 2022. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that Wayne Parnell  converted to Islam in 2011, before having a family.
To sum it up, South Africa left-arm seamer Wayne Parnell converted to Islam in 2011, five years before he got married to Aisha Baker.

created: September 28, 2022


text:
We can Decongest our Jails , if our Governments are willing
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 4, 2015
According to the Prison Statistics of the National Crime Records Bureau(NCRB) for the year 2013, Indian Prisons are overcrowded with occupancy ratio of 18% more than the capacity. More than 2/3rd of the inmates are undertrials. Section 436A of CrPC provides for the maximum period for which an under trial can be detained. An under trial prisoner has to be released on bail with personal bond, after serving for more than half of the maximum punishment. Despite advisories by the MHA & directions from the supreme court, state governments have not acted.
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statistics indicate that our prisons across the country are overcrowded. The all India average occupancy ratio of our prisons is 118.4%, 18% more than the capacity of the prisons. And not surprisingly, 2/3 of the inmates are under trials, thanks to the slow pace of our judicial process. But there are ways to decongest our jails, provided our governments are interested.
The Prison Numbers & Caste Breakup
As per the NCRB, at the end of 2013, the total numbers of jail inmates is 4,11,992 out of which 2,78,503 were under trial prisoners. This is a whopping 2/3 of the total inmates.
Nearly one third (1/3) of all these under trials belong to SCs/STs. Another 32% of them belong to the OBCs while the rest make up the remaining 36%. It is clear from these statistics that the poor and the disadvantaged are often at the receiving end spending long years in jails.
Travesty of Justice
It is a travesty of justice when majority of these under trials are acquitted by courts as and when the trials are complete. If the last four years are any indication, more under trials are acquitted than the ones who are convicted. In 2011, while the acquittal rate was 59%, the conviction rate was 41% for all IPC crimes. (Out of all the cases where the trial is complete). In 2012, the acquittal rate went up to 62% while the conviction rate was just 38%. In 2013, the acquittal rate was 60% while the conviction rate was just 40%. The conviction rate went up to 45% in 2014 while the acquittal rate stood at 55%. In other words, more than half the people who spend their time in prisons while the trial is on are finally acquitted. Large numbers of cases take years for the trial to be complete and the accused spend all that time in the prison.
Is there a law to prevent this?
The Parliament in its wisdom has amended the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973 by inserting a new section 436A. This was done in 2005. This section defines the maximum period for which an under trial prisoner can be detained in jail. Section 436A of CrPC reads
“436A. Maximum period for which an under trial prisoner can be detained – Where a person has, during the period of investigation, inquiry or trial under this Code of an offence under any law (not being an offence for which the punishment of death has been specified as one of the punishments under that law) undergone detention for a period extending up to one-half of the maximum period of imprisonment specified for that offence under that law, he shall be released by the Court on his personal bond with or without sureties.
In other words, an under trial prisoner (UTP) has the right to seek bail on serving more than one half of the maximum possible sentence on their personal bond. No person can be detained in prison as an under trial for a period exceeding the maximum possible sentence. This provision is, however, not applicable for those who are charged with offences punishable with the death sentence.
What is the situation now?
Prisons and prison administration is a state subject under the seventh schedule of the constitution. Hence the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has been sending advisories to state governments to ensure the implementation of this section. The Union Home Ministry has sent guidelines in 2011, 2013 & also 2014.
In its advisory, the MHA noted that only the poor and indigent who have not been able to put up the surety are those who have continued to languish as under-trials for very long periods and that too for minor offences. The advisory also noted that the lack of adequate legal aid and a general lack of awareness about rights of arrestees are principal reasons for the continued detention of individuals accused of bailable offences, where bail is a matter of right and where an order of detention is supposed to be an aberration. Thus a disproportionate amount of our prison-space and resources for prison maintenance are being invested on Under Trial Prisoners (UTPs) which is not sustainable.
Hence in January, 2013, the MHA asked the state governments to consider taking the following actions
The MHA asked the states to do this with immediate effect. Most states did not constitute a review committee as advised by the MHA.
The Supreme Court’s Intervention
The Supreme Court in September, 2014 in the case of ‘Vijay Aggarwal v. Union of India & Ors’ issued the following directions relating to UTPs
Even in May 2015, the Supreme Court directed the National Legal Services Authority to coordinate with the Union Home Ministry to ensure urgent review of such UTP cases for granting them bail. A Social Justice Bench of Justices Madan B. Lokur and U.U. Lalit noted that 67 per cent of those lodged in the prisons in the country are under trials who are too poor to get bail, the Supreme Court has. It has given one month to ensure the functioning of the under trial Review Committee in every district in the country.
The MHA issued another advisory in which it explained the calculation of half the maximum possible sentence in cases where a person is accused of multiple offences and under multiple sections of the IPC.
Even after all these advisories, under trials and especially those from the disadvantaged sections of society continue to languish in jails while their trials drag on for years, often for petty offences. We could decongest our jails and provide relief to lakhs of under trials provided our governments are willing to implement the law.
What can we do?
We could use the RTI act to understand what is happening in our respective states. That will at least push the state governments to act. We could ask for the following information from the state governments based on the advisory by MHA.
One Ms. Divya Iyer filed an application under RTI with the Tihar Jail authorities. The case went up to the Central Information Commission and the CIC in a detailed order, directed the home department officials to issue directives to all jail authorities.

created: September 4, 2015


text:
Website offering free gift cards on 20th anniversary of D-Mart is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 23, 2021
A post that shares the link of a website that claims to be offering free gifts by D-Mart as the organisation is celebrating its 20 anniversary, is being widely shared across social media platforms. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: D-Mart providing free gifts, as it is celebrating its 20 anniversary.
Fact: This is a fraudulent website. Economic Offences wing of Cyberabad Police termed a similar news as fake. Earlier, D-Mart also issued an advisory through Facebook, asking its customers to not believe in any offers apart from those available on their official website and D-Mart Ready App. Also, D-Mart was founded in the year 2002, which means it will turn 20 in 2022. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
This is a fraudulent website, as the URL of D-Mart is different from the original website, which is www.dmart.in. Google search with relevant keywords led us to a tweet by the Economic Offences wing of Cyberabad Police which termed a similar post as fake. The tweet rated the offer as Ponzi and categorically warns public that clicking on the website link would lead to theft of personal & financial information by cyber criminals.
బీ అలర్ట్.. ఈ లింక్ ఓపెన్ చేయవద్దు.#DMart pic.twitter.com/x9XmqHzWqO
Further, as per the information available on the official D-Mart website, it was founded in 2002, which means it will turn 20 in 2022. With this, we can infer that the claim made in the post is false. When the same message went viral earlier in February 2021, news articles reported the news as fake and asked the public to ignore such messages.
D-Mart issued an advisory through a Facebook post, asking its customers to not believe in any offers apart from those available on their official website and D-Mart Ready App and refrain from clicking on such links.
To sum it up, website offering free gift cards on 20 anniversary of D-Mart is fake .


text:
Website offering prizes in the name of Mohammed bin Rashid Ramadan Competition is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 11, 2023
A social media post accompanying a website link offering prizes in the name of Mohammed bin Rashid Ramadan Competition is being widely shared.  Let’s fact-check authenticity of the claim made in this post.
Claim: Website offering prizes in the name of Mohammed bin Rashid Ramadan Competition
Fact: There is no such official competition being organised in the name of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The URL shared is a phishing website intended to steal personal information of the users. Further the domain of the URL is known for hosting phishing websites. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
There is no such official competition being organised in the name of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President, and Prime Minister of the UAE. We could not find any official reports or news articles in this regard.
Fraudulent website:
Further, the URL shared in the viral post, is a Ponzi website, tricking the users into providing their personal information. Upon clicking the URL provided in the viral post, one gets to participate in a quiz related to Islam.
Irrespective of the answers marked, the website offers prizes and following the quiz, the website further directs the user to providing personal information like name and phone number. Eventually, after a few steps, the website directs the user to share the link with contacts on WhatsApp.
Website Details :
This purported website is registered in 2020 and registration is valid till September 2023.
The domain ‘pages.dev’ of the viral URL, is known as a platform for frontend developers that is abused by some to host phishing websites. In fact, some subdomains of the domain ‘pages.dev’ are blocked by Malwarebytes because they were associated with phishing.
Hence, all these establish that the viral post is nothing, but a phishing campaign intended to steal personal information of users.
To sum it up, website offering prizes in the name of Mohammed bin Rashid Ramadan Competition is fake.


text:
West Bengal Ammonium Nitrate Seizure is not 10 Times the Amount Involved in Beirut Explosion, But 1/100th - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 10, 2023
A social media post has been circulating, comparing the 2020 Beirut explosion to a recent case in West Bengal where a large amount of ammonium nitrate was seized. The post claims that the amount of ammonium nitrate caught in West Bengal is 10 times more than what caused the Beirut explosion and raises concerns about potential massive damage. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim:  The amount of ammonium nitrate seized in West Bengal is 27,000 kg, 10 times more than the amount that caused the Beirut explosion in 2020.
Fact: The amount of ammonium nitrate involved in the 2020 Lebanon explosion was 2,750 tonnes. In contrast, the amount of ammonium nitrate seized in West Bengal by the Kolkata Special Task Force last year was 27,000 kg. This quantity is approximately 1/100th of the ammonium nitrate that caused the Beirut explosion. Therefore, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
According to reports, the Lebanon blast that occurred due to the detonation of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate in August 2020 killed 218 people, injured more than 7,000 people, displaced 300,000 people, and caused estimated material damage worth $3.8-4.6 billion.
Regarding the case in West Bengal, on 31 March 2023, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested two suppliers of explosives and gelatin sticks in connection with a detonator seizure case. The two accused Merazuddin Ali Khan of Bokaro and Mir Md. Nuruzzaman of Birbhum, were arrested from the Raniganj and Kolkata regions in West Bengal.
NIA ARRESTS TWO IN WEST BENGAL DETONATOR SEIZURE CASE pic.twitter.com/gayJqx1f1W
In June 2022, the Kolkata Special Task Force intercepted a Tata Sumo car transporting around 81,000 electric detonators. The driver, Ashis Keora, was arrested and led the police to a stash of illegally stored explosives, including 27,000 kg of ammonium nitrate, 1,625 kg of gelatin sticks, and 2,325 more electric detonators. The case was initially registered at Md Bazar Police Station in Birbhum district in West Bengal, and the NIA took over the case in September 2022.
Nuruzzaman had reportedly supplied 27,000 kg of ammonium nitrate to another accused, Rintu Sk, while Merazuddin had supplied electric detonators and gelatin sticks to Rintu Sk. The NIA continues to investigate the sources of these explosives and other bomb-making materials.
However, drawing a comparison between the Lebanon blast and the amount of ammonium nitrate seized in Bengal is misleading because the quantity discovered in Bengal is only about 1/100th of what was involved in the Beirut explosion.
To sum it up, the amount of ammonium nitrate found in Kolkata is approximately 1/100th of the amount that caused the Lebanon blast in 2020.


text:
West Bengal's public debt is around 4.9 lakh crores, not 400 lakh crores - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 22, 2020
A post claiming West Bengal has a public debt of Rs. 400,31,900 crores (400 lakh crores) is being shared widely on social media. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: West Bengal has a public debt of Rs. 400,31,900 crores (400 lakh crores)
Fact: As per RBI, total outstanding liabilities of West Bengal for 2019 stood at Rs. 4,04,735.9 crores. Whereas the as per the 2020 revised estimates and 2021 budget estimates total outstanding liabilities of West Bengal stood at Rs. 4,47,602.3 crores and Rs. 4,90,647.3 crores (around 4.9 lakh crores). Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
According to the data available on the RBI website, total outstanding liabilities of West Bengal for 2019 stood at Rs. 4,04,735.9 crores. Whereas the as per the 2020 revised estimates and 2021 budget estimates total outstanding liabilities of West Bengal stood at Rs. 4,47,602.3 crores and Rs. 4,90,647.3 crores.
There are few other states like UP & Maharashtra whose quantum of outstanding liabilities are more than West Bengal. However, the quantum of liabilities does not show the actual picture of the economy. Debt-to-GDP ratio which measures the financial leverage of an economy gives the true picture of the economy. Lower the debt-to-GDP ratio better the financial health of the state as it indicates the ability of the state to pay back its debt. As per RBI, for the year 2019 total outstanding liabilities as a percentage of GSDP of West Bengal stood at 37.1. According to the 2020 (RE) and 2021 (BE) the same stood at 35.7 & 34.7. However West Bengal is one among the major states which has a higher debt-to-GDP ratio, which is way more than the limit prescribed by the FRBM Act.
Though the quantum of outstanding liabilities and Debt-to-GSDP ratio of West Bengal is high compared to other major states, the total debt of WB is not Rs. 400,31,900 crores (400 lakh crores) as claimed in the post. Total debt of WB for the year 2019 stood at Rs. 4,04,735.9 crores.
To sum it up, West Bengal do not have this whopping amount of public debt of about 400 lakh crores.

created: December 22, 2020


text:
West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle is not campaigning for BJP in 2019 Elections - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 29, 2019
Due to the overlap of the schedules of  Indian General Elections and IPL cricket tournament, a news about the West indies cricketer Chris Gayle is doing rounds on several social media platforms. Many Facebook posts claim that Chris Gayle will be campaigning for BJP in the upcoming elections 2019. Let’s analyse the authenticity of the claim made in the post.
The archived version of the post can be found here.
West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle will be campaigning for BJP in the upcoming Indian General Elections-2019.
Coincidentally, the colour of the kurta he wears in it happens to be the party colour of BJP. But the photo in the post was the one taken during an ad shoot of Manyavar, a premier ethnic dressing company. Hence, the claim stands FALSE.
The news that Chris Gayle will be campaigning for BJP has been in circulation since 2018. The photo in the post was the one taken on April 25, 2018 during an ad shoot of Manyavar, a premier ethnic dressing company. Coincidentally, the colour of the kurta he wears in the pic happens to be the party colour(saffron) of BJP. And as the elections are approaching and Gayle is also available in India for the IPL tournament, such news have gained mileage. Yahoo has also debunked an article with similar claims involving Chris Gayle’s campaigning for elections.
Finally, there is no truth in the news that West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle would be campaigning for BJP. Hence all such claims made are False.


text:
Westminster Abbey in London flew the Pakistan flag to commemorate Pakistan Day as per its longstanding Commonwealth tradition - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 12, 2024
Several posts (here, here, & here), accompanied by a video showing a Pakistani flag flying on top of a royal building, are being widely shared across social media platforms. These are viral with claims suggesting that Pakistani Muslims have occupied London and hoisted the Pakistani national flag on Westminster Abbey as a sign of Islam replacing Christianity at Easter festivities. In this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: The Pakistani national flag was hoisted on Westminster Abbey in London during the holy week of Easter in a sign of London’s takeover by Islam.
Fact: Westminster Abbey flew Pakistan’s national flag on 22 March 2024, as a representative from the High Commission of Pakistan attended Evensong on the same day, having been invited to commemorate Pakistan Day  on 23 March 2024. This occurred before the start of Easter week. It was part of their tradition to fly the national flag of Commonwealth nation when a representative of it attends Evensong on or around their national day. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
To verify the accuracy of the viral claims, we conducted a relevant keyword search on the internet and came across several reports (here, here, & here) concerning the hoisting of the Pakistan national flag on Westminster Abbey. According to these reports, London’s Westminster Abbey flew Pakistan’s flag on March 22 to observe a tradition that dates back more than 50 years and is unrelated to Easter, an Abbey spokesperson told Reuters, responding to claims spreading online that it was a sign of Islam replacing Christianity at Easter festivities. The Pakistani flag was hoisted above the Abbey for the day on March 22 because a representative of the country’s High Commission attended Evensong that day, having been invited to commemorate Pakistan Day.
An Abbey spokesperson told Reuters that it’s a tradition dating back more than 50 years to invite High Commission representatives of Commonwealth states to Evensong on or around their national days. When a representative attends, the respective state’s flag will be hoisted above the Abbey. The presence of the Pakistani national flag for a day above Westminster Abbey was unrelated to Easter, and no flag was flown during Holy Week, which began on Palm Sunday on 24 March 2024, until the eve of Easter Sunday on 30 March 2024, when the St. Peter’s flag was flown. This information was also mentioned on the Westminster Abbey official website.
We also came across a post by the Pakistan High Commission in London, UK, on their official Twitter handle. According to this post, as per tradition, Pakistan’s flag was hoisted on the rooftop of Westminster Abbey, and Westminster Abbey organized a Special Evensong to mark Pakistan Day.
Westminster Abbey @wabbey marks Pakistan Day with Special Service.
Pakistan's flag hoisted on the rooftop of Westminster Abbey.
As per tradition, the Westminster Abbey organized a Special Evensong to mark the Pakistan Day.
Special prayers were offered for the progress and… pic.twitter.com/5Do5XYvbGw
The official website of the High Commission of Pakistan in London also mentions this tradition of hoisting Pakistan’s flag on the rooftop of Westminster Abbey. According to this website, “This year, a representative from the High Commission of Pakistan attended Evensong on 22 March 2024, in advance of Pakistan Day on 23 March 2024. And, as per tradition, the Pakistani national flag was flown.”
This is a tradition of Westminster Abbey. This privilege is accorded to all Commonwealth members on their respective National Days and is not exclusive to Pakistan only. The tradition of hoisting Commonwealth nations’ flags is mentioned on Westminster Abbey’s official website, and various countries’ High Commissions have noted the occurrence, including Jamaica in August 2011, Bangladesh in March 2017, Singapore in August 2013 and 2018, Sri Lanka in February 2022 and 2023, and Trinidad and Tobago in August 2022.
To sum it up, Westminster Abbey in London flew the Pakistan flag to commemorate Pakistan Day as per its longstanding Commonwealth tradition.


text:
What are Special Category States? - Factly
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 25, 2015
Special Category State (SCS) is again in the headlines. Political parties have been demanding that Andhra Pradesh be granted the SCS status post the bifurcation of the state. Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Rajasthan have been demanding this status for quite some time now. Both the present and former Chief Ministers of Bihar have gone a step ahead by doing a protest in Delhi over extending SCS status to their state.
As the competition among states for getting the SCS gets fierce, we decided to examine & understand what does being a SCS mean.
What are Special Category States (SCS)?
The Central Government assistance to states (apart from sharing the central tax revenue) has many components. Some of them are
The issue of Special Category Status came up at the time of approval of the Gadgil Formula at the meeting of the National Development Council (NDC) held in April, 1969. Out of the 17 States at that time, 14 States were brought under the Gadgil Formula. The remaining 3 States namely Assam, Jammu & Kashmir and Nagaland were given special consideration. Subsequently, eight (8) other States were granted Special Category Status when they attained statehood. Himachal Pradesh (1970-71), Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura (1971-72), Sikkim (1975-76), Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram (1986-87) and Uttarakhand (2001-02) were added to the list. States other than these eleven are referred as General Category States (GCS).
(Gadgil Formula is now revised and is known as the Gadgil Mukherjee formula that is used for allocation of NCA among General category states. This formula gives weight to population (60%), per capita income (25%), fiscal performance (7.5%) and special problems (7.5%))
The decision to grant special category status lies with the National Development Council, composed of the Prime Minster, Union Ministers, Chief Ministers and members of the Planning Commission (replaced by NITI Aayog).
The special category status is given based on the following parameters
States under this category have a low resource base and are not in a position to mobilize resources for their developmental needs even though the per capita income of some of these states is relatively high. Moreover, a number of these states were constituted out of the former small Union Territories or districts of some other states, necessarily involving creation of overheads and administrative infrastructure that was out of proportion to their resource base.
During the past four years, requests for special category status have been received from the State Governments of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Goa, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana.
Benefits to Special Category States (SCS)
The nature of benefits to Special Category states will help us understand why many states crave for this status. The major benefits of SCS are
Apart from the central assistance, the states receive a significant amount of revenue from the transfer of central taxes. The current share of states in the net collection of central tax revenue is 32% (to be increased to 42% as per the recommendations of the 14 Finance Commission). There is no preferential treatment to SCS when it comes to sharing of the central tax revenue.
To get an idea of what these amounts look like, let us look at the actual numbers for the financial year 2011-12. All the figures in actuals for financial year 2011-12.
Sources: RTI reply from Planning Commission, Finance Commission of India , PRS Legislative Research, India Budget Portal , Reply to starred question No 70, Lok Sabha answered on 11th July, 2014.

created: February 25, 2015


text:
What are the Benefits & Facilities extended to a Bharat Ratna Awardee?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 24, 2015
Bharat Ratna is India’s Highest Civilian Honour. But what do the awardees receive from the Government? What is the worth of the medallion presented to them? Are they given any monetary award? What other facilities are extended to them?

created: September 24, 2015


text:
What are the COVID-19 vaccine strategies around the World & in India?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 28, 2020
Many countries around the world have begun administering the public with COVID-19 vaccine developed by multiple companies like Pfizer, Moderna etc. Each of these countries has come up with a prioritization strategy to administer the vaccine to the most vulnerable groups as the availability is limited. Here is a look at such strategies around the world and in India.
Generally, it requires many years of research, testing, and trials for a vaccine to be rolled out for public use. During all these phases, the possible side effects both short-term and long-term are studied. However, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists and pharmaceutical companies worldwide have worked at jet speed towards developing a safe and effective vaccine to tackle this public health emergency of international concern. All these activities in the development of a vaccine have been condensed into less than 12 months.
61 vaccines are in clinical development stage
According to WHO’s latest landscape of novel coronavirus candidate vaccine development, there are a total of 61 vaccines in the clinical development stage and 172 in the pre-clinical evaluation stage as of 22 December 2020. After about a year’s efforts across the globe, countries have begun giving emergency approvals for the widespread public use of COVID-19 vaccines.
Various strategies have been devised by nations in order to ensure that the vaccines first reach the most vulnerable groups such as frontline healthcare workers who are at the highest risk of exposure, aged persons, and those with comorbidities, owing to the limited availability. A sufficient number of vaccines to immunize the entire population will not be available immediately and hence there is a need for a prioritization strategy.
FDA has given Emergency Use Authorization for Moderna & Pfizer Vaccines
Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the USA granted approval for emergency use authorization (EUA) for the coronavirus vaccine developed by New York-based Pfizer and the German company BioNTech. EUA is also granted for a vaccine developed by Moderna & NIAID. EUA is a mechanism under which the FDA has the power to permit the use of unapproved medical products for preventing serious conditions, provided certain criteria are met such as unavailability of approved and adequate alternatives.
Many countries have approved and begun administering vaccines
Pfizer was the first vaccine candidate to make public the vaccine’s efficacy. In early December, UK became the first country to give emergency authorization to a COVID-19 vaccine, the one developed by Pfizer. Bahrain was the second country to approve the Pfizer vaccine. Bahrain, like the USA, has given EUA. Other countries where the vaccine has been authorized for emergency use are Canada, Mexico, 27 member states of the European Union, Middle Eastern countries like Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, Serbia, and Chile. Singapore is the first Asian country to give regulatory approval.
USA and Canada have given EUA to the vaccine developed by Moderna. Similarly, Sputnik V developed in collaboration with the Russian health ministry was approved in Russia as early as August 2020. However, there were few concerns raised on the clinical trial process. Currently, the vaccine has been given approval for emergency use in Argentina and Belarus. The vaccine developed by CanSino has been given limited use approval in China. Bahrain, UAE, and China have also given approval for the China-based Sinopharm vaccine.  India has not yet approved any of the vaccines. The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization is responsible for vaccine approval in India. The CDSCO has sought additional data from those that have applied for emergency authorization.
Not only have the vaccines been approved, but countries have also started administering their use. Recently, the CDC has announced that the USA has passed a milestone by giving the first dose of vaccine to over 1 million people using the two authorized vaccines which were discussed earlier. UK, Israel, Mexico, and other countries that gave emergency approval have also begun their vaccination drives.
Price of vaccine varies across countries
As per reports,  the price of the vaccine in the European Union (EU) according to a deleted tweet of Belgian Minister is as follows-
Another report stated that the cost of the Pfizer vaccine in the USA would be $19.50 per shot which would be higher than that in the UK. Meanwhile, countries like France, Norway, and Japan have announced that the COVID-19 vaccine will be free for all residents. In few other countries, it is being given free for those who are recommended the vaccine.
Multiple strategies to ensure equitable distribution of vaccine
The distribution of the vaccines is being done on the basis of strategies devised by respective governments. The USA has rolled out Operation Warp Seed under which several US Federal Government departments such as Health and Human Services (HSS), Agriculture, Energy, etc., and the private sector are collaborating. The plan was announced as early as September when vaccine trials revealed promising results. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of USA recommended that both healthcare personnel and residents of long-term care facilities be offered the COVID-19 vaccine in the initial phase of the vaccination program. The USA Defense Department has stated that they have set aside some amount of the vaccine in cold storage as “safety stock” in case of disruptions in distribution such as weather delays or accidents.
The UK’s priority list is to cover residents in ‘care homes for older adults’ and their carers, those aged above 80 years, frontline healthcare and social workers, and then those aged 75 years and above, and in descending order of age, covering all aged 50 years and above. The motive behind covering the said age groups is to cover around 99% of the preventable deaths due to the coronavirus.
Unlike in the UK,  Ireland has prioritized those aged 65 years and above who are residents of long-term care facilities, followed by frontline healthcare workers. The next priority has been given to persons aged 70 years and above. Ireland’s strategy caters to not just persons on the basis of age but also those who are vulnerable and are at a heavy risk of exposure due to the sector in which they work. The list is not only comprehensive but also provides the rationale and ethical principles behind including each of these categories of individuals.
Government of India has not released a comprehensive priority list as yet
In India, the Government released recently a list of FAQs on the COVID-19 vaccine. These FAQs do not go into details of who will be vaccinated. The document states that based on the availability of vaccines, the government has selected priority groups based on risk. The first group includes healthcare and frontline workers. Persons aged over 50 years constitute the second group. Taking the vaccine will be voluntary. But it will be mandatory that people register themselves online for the vaccination and also bring a photo ID card with them.
The government in a press release in early December stated that over 30 crore people have been line-listed for the vaccine including healthcare workers, frontline workers like police, military, and sanitization staff, those aged above 50 years and with co-morbidities.
Government has to overcome other roadblocks
Besides the issue of the supply of vaccines, a few other challenges for the government would be the availability of adequate logistics and storage facilities for these vaccines. For instance, the vaccine developed by Pfizer has to be stored at ultra-cold sub-zero temperatures making the transportation & subsequent storage a logistical challenge. In addition, since the vaccine development took place at an extraordinary pace, there will be many people skeptical of the efficacy and wary of side effects. Educating the public and ensuring the informed decisions is another challenge that needs to be addressed.

created: December 28, 2020


text:
Here is a draft of 'Patient Rights'
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 6, 2018
The government has placed a draft ‘Charter of Patient Rights’ that recognizes 17 rights of a patient. Here is a low down of these 17 rights.
With the widespread expansion of private health care facilities, many citizens now choose private facilities over public health facilities. The patients are often at the receiving end in terms of charges, opaqueness in processes etc.  Even the government regulation in this area has been found wanting. The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India has now proposed a ‘Charter of Patient Rights’ to be implemented by state governments. The draft is now available in the public domain & comments are invited till 30th September 2018.
What is the current status of Patient rights in India?
Government of India has enacted the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act in 2010 and notified the Clinical Establishments (Central Government) Rules, 2012. The act and the rules provide for the following.
The National Council for Clinical Establishments has approved a standard list of medical procedures and a standard template for costing of medical procedures. As per the act, the States are responsible for regulating private hospitals in their respective States as per provisions of the act to ensure quality care. As per information shared by the government in the Rajya Sabha, only 11 States/UTs have adopted and passed a state level act to implement this. Some states have enacted their own version of the law while a few other states are yet to enact any law on these lines.
Need for a charter of ‘Patient Rights’
As per the document released by the government, legal provisions related to Patient Rights in India are scattered across different legal documents like the Constitution of India, Article 21, Indian Medical Council Regulations 2002, The Consumer Protection Act 1986, Drugs and Cosmetic Act 1940, Clinical Establishment Act 2010 etc. The charter that is now placed in the public domain is expected to become a guiding document for governments to formulate concrete mechanism for their implementation.
What are part of the Patient Rights?
The charter defines 17 rights of a patient listed below.
Right to Information: Every patient has a right to adequate & relevant information about the nature, cause of illness, provisional/confirmed diagnosis, proposed investigations and management, and possible complications to be explained at their level of understanding in language known to them. Patients and their caretakers also have a right to know the identity and professional status of various care providers who are providing service to him/her.
Right to records and reports: Every patient or his caregiver has the right to access originals/copies of case papers, indoor patient records, investigation reports (during period of admission, preferably within 24 hours and after discharge, within 72 hours). This should be made available after paying appropriate fees for photocopying or allowed to be photocopied by patients at their cost.
Right to Emergency Medical Care: As per Supreme Court, all hospitals both in the government and in the private sector are duty bound to provide basic Emergency Medical Care, and injured persons have a right to get Emergency Medical Care. Such care must be initiated without demanding payment/advance and basic care should be provided to the patient irrespective of paying capacity.
Right to informed consent: Every patient has a right that informed consent must be sought prior to any potentially hazardous test/treatment (e.g. invasive investigation/surgery/chemotherapy) which carries certain risks.
Right to confidentiality, human dignity and privacy: All patients have a right to privacy, and doctors have a duty to hold information about their health condition and treatment plan in strict confidentiality, unless it is essential in specific circumstances to communicate such information in the interest of protecting other or due to public health considerations.
Right to second opinion: Every patient has the right to seek second opinion from an appropriate clinician of patients’ or caregivers’ choice. The hospital management has a duty to respect the patient’s right to second opinion, and should provide to the patient’s caregivers all necessary records and information required for seeking such opinion without any extra cost or delay.
Right to transparency in rates and care as per prescribed rates: Every patient and their caregivers have a right to information on the rates to be charged by the hospital for each type of service provided and facilities available on a prominent display board and a brochure. They have a right to receive an itemized detailed bill at the time of payment. It would be the duty of the to display key rates at a conspicuous place in local as well as English language, and to make available the detailed schedule of rates in a booklet form to all patients/caregivers.Right to non-discrimination: Every patient has the right to receive treatment without any discrimination based on his or her illnesses or conditions, including HIV status or other health condition, religion, caste, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, linguistic or geographical/social origins.
Right to safety and quality care according to standards: Patients have a right to safety and security in the hospital premises. They have a right to be provided with care in an environment having requisite cleanliness, infection control measures, safe drinking water as per BIS/FSSAI Standards and sanitation facilities.
Right to choose alternative treatment options if available: Patients and their caregivers have a right to choose between alternative treatment/management options, if these are available, after considering all aspects of the situation. This includes the option of the patient refusing care after considering all available options, with responsibility for consequences being borne by the patient and his/her caregivers.
Right to choose source for obtaining medicines or tests: When any medicine is prescribed by a doctor or a hospital, the patients and their caregivers have the right to choose any registered pharmacy of their choice to purchase them. Similarly, when a particular investigation is advised by a doctor or a hospital, the patient and his caregiver have a right to obtain this investigation from any registered diagnostic centre/laboratory having qualified personnel and accredited by National Accreditation Board for Laboratories (NABL).
Right to proper referral and transfer, which is free from perverse commercial influences: A patient has the right to continuity of care, and the right to be duly registered at the first healthcare facility where treatment has been sought, as well as at any subsequent facilities where care is sought.
Right to protection for patients involved in clinical trials: Every person/patient who is approached to participate in a clinical trial has a right to due protection. All clinical trials must be conducted in compliance with the protocols and good clinical practice guidelines issued by Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation and other applicable provisions.
Right to protection of participants involved in biomedical and health research: Every patient who is taking part in biomedical research shall be referred to as research participant and every research participant has a right to due protection. Any research involving such participants should follow the National Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical and Health Research involving Human participants.
Right to take discharge of patient, or receive body of deceased from hospital: A patient has the right to take discharge and cannot be detained in a hospital, on procedural grounds such as dispute in payment of hospital charges. Similarly, caretakers have the right to the dead body of a patient who had been treated in a hospital and the dead body cannot be detailed on procedural grounds, including nonpayment/dispute regarding payment of hospital charges against wishes of the caretakers.
Right to Patient Education: Patients have the right to receive education about major facts relevant to his/her condition and healthy living practices, their rights and responsibilities, officially supported health insurance schemes relevant to the patient, relevant entitlements in case of charitable hospitals, and how to seek redressal of grievances in the language the patients understand or seek the education.
Right to be heard and seek redressal: Every patient and their caregivers have the right to give feedback, make comments, or lodge complaints about the health care they are receiving or had received from a doctor or hospital. This includes the right to be given information and advice on how to give feedback, make comments, or make a complaint in a simple and user-friendly manner.
Patients and caregivers have the right to seek redressal in case they are aggrieved, on account of infringement of any of the above mentioned rights in this charter. This may be done by lodging a complaint with an official designated for this purpose by the hospital and further with an official mechanism constituted by the government.
The draft charter also seeks to establish a robust grievance redress mechanism for the protection of these rights.  Those wishing to send Comments should do so by 30th September 2018 to the following contacts.Featured Image: By Gospel For Asia[CC BY-SA 4.0 ]

created: September 6, 2018


text:
What are the various components of your Air Fare? - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 30, 2018
The DGCA has launched a ‘Know Your Rights’ portal for the convenience of air passengers. Among other things on the portal is detailed information on the various components of the Air Fare.
The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the regulatory body for civil aviation (air travel) has launched a ‘Know Your Rights’ (KYR) portal that details all the rights of air travelers. Among them is a detailed explanation of the various components of the Air Fare.
Information available on six major issues
On the KYR portal, DGCA has detailed information on six broad issues that are important to a passenger. The portal has information on
Travel Issues
This section has information on five common subjects, i.e., refund, delay & cancellations, baggage issues, booking issues & information on airfare component. For each of these subjects, the relevant information as per rules, timelines to be followed if any is provided.
For instance, the timelines for processing a refund in case of cancellations is provided in detail. The refund should consist of the PSF, UDF & service tax. Similarly, information on the rights of passengers in case of delays, cancellations or if they have been denied boarding is also provided.
What are the different components of the Air Fare?
The air fare consists of the following components
The Airlines may also offer optional services on chargeable basis. Any passenger can avail the following services at the time of booking process and choose any of them as desired
Airfare Buckets: Airlines are also mandated to display tariff sheet on their respective website indicating fare in multiple levels or buckets referred to as Reservation Booking Designators (RBDs) as per the circular issued in 2010. Passengers can check these fares levels from the tariff sheet and verify with what is being offered to them. Passengers have all the rights to enquire from the airline in case the charges are beyond these levels. For instance, the fare sheets of Indigo and Jet Airways can be accessed here.
What other information is available on the KYR portal?
DGCA’s KYR portal also has information on facilities to be provided for passengers with disability, senior citizens, expectant mothers etc. It also has advisories for passengers in case they are being overcharged. The portal also has information on the grievance redressal mechanism and the details of the nodal officers.
It also has information on how unruly passengers will be handled and other details of ‘no-fly’ list. The KYR portal also has some useful tips for healthy air travel.


text:
What are social welfare schemes implemented by Ministry of Social Justice?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 12, 2021
The Ministry of Social Justice implements more than 20 schemes for the welfare of Scheduled Castes, Other Backward Classes, Persons with Disabilities, Senior Citizens, Victims of Substance Abuse, Transgender persons, and other marginalized groups. Here is a review of the schemes’ budget allocation & utilization.
The social security legislations in India derive their strength and spirit from the ‘Directive Principles of the State Policy’ as contained in the Constitution of India. The State and Central Governments have initiated a plethora of social protection and welfare schemes to provide social security to disadvantaged/underprivileged citizens. Through such programmes and schemes, the State aids individuals, and families in need for education, unemployment compensation, skill development, healthcare, etc. which help in bringing social and economic development of people from disadvantaged castes and the economically vulnerable category. Such schemes extend support and improve their standard of living and provide them with equal opportunities.
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment implements social welfare schemes for the social, educational, and economic development of the marginalized
The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment is entrusted with the task of empowerment of the disadvantaged and marginalized sections of society. The target groups of the Ministry include Scheduled Castes, Other Backward Classes, Persons with Disabilities, Senior Citizens, Victims of Substance Abuse, Transgender persons, and beggars. The Ministry has been implementing various programmes/schemes for the social, educational, and economic development of the target groups. Recently, in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, the Ministry presented details of the quantum of funds allocated and utilized across 25 schemes during the last three years for the progress of SC, OBCs, Senior Citizens and other marginalized communities.
A large portion of budget allocation is towards ‘Student Scholarships’
Of the 25 schemes, 11 are fellowships and scholarships for students. The lion’s share of budget allocation among the social welfare schemes is for scholarships. The total allocation for the 25 schemes was over Rs. 9,428 crores in 2018-19, Rs. 8,152 crores in 2019-20, and Rs. 7,958 crores in 2020-21. The allocation for the 11 scholarships alone accounted for 80% (Rs. 7,587 crores), 62% (Rs. 5,075 crores), and 77% (Rs. 6,102 crores) of the total allocation to the 25 schemes in the three years of 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 respectively.
The allocation for five other education-related and skill development schemes has gone up from Rs. 117 crores in 2018-19 to Rs. 180 crores in 2020-21. Allocation for the remaining 9 schemes such as that for transgender persons, senior citizens, rural development, and manual scavengers was Rs. 1,723 crores in 2018-19 which increased to Rs. 2,931 crores in 2019-20 and decreased to Rs. 1,675 crores in 2020-21.
The fund utilization in schemes for social defence for 2020-21 was 92% and that for Education, Hostel, and Skill development was 82% in 2019-20. For the remaining scheme types, the utilization has been above 98% for all three years.
48% of the budget allocated for social welfare schemes in 2020-21 was for post-matric scholarships for SC students
Students from different backgrounds are encouraged to pursue their education at different levels like post-matric, pre-matric and abroad through financial grants. Among these, the budget allocation is the highest for post-matric scholarships for SC students. About Rs. 3,815 crores were allocated for the scheme in 2020-21 while the expenditure was over Rs. 4,000 crores. This scholarship scheme alone accounted for 48% of the total budget allocation for these 25 schemes in 2020-21.
The allocation for the scheme was as high as Rs. 6,000 crores in 2018-19 and 99% of the same was utilized. There were over 62.37 lakh beneficiaries for the scheme in 2020-21, the highest in the past five years. The pre-matric scholarship for SC students had over 30.5 lakh beneficiaries in 2020-21 as compared to 20.2 lakh in 2016-17, despite low utilization.
Allocation for some scholarships has increased 2 to 6 times
In 2020-21, the utilization in the national fellowship for OBCs was only 73.3% of the allocated budget and 81% in the case of the pre-matric scholarship for SC students in classes IX and X. This is low compared to other scholarships where the utilization was over 90% of the allocated funds. It is also observed that in the three years, the allocation for the pre-matric scholarship to SC students has gone up 5.6 times while the same for Central Sector Scholarship of Top-Class Education for SC students and National Overseas Scholarship has doubled.
Only about 40% of funds were utilized for the free coaching scheme
With respect to the schemes related to education, such as ‘Dr. Ambedkar Loan Subsidy on Interest for Education Loans to study abroad for OBC and EBC students’, hostel construction, and skill development assistance for OBCs/DNTs/EBCs, the allocation has always been below Rs. 50 crores. The allocation for four of the seven schemes has been increased continuously in the three years.
At the same time, the utilization has been low for the free coaching scheme for OBC and SC students for competitive examinations- 44% in 2019-20 and 40% in 2020-21. Nonetheless, there has been an increase in beneficiaries from 1,296 in 2018-19 to 2,112 in 2020-21. The scheme can potentially benefit thousands more if the utilization of funds is improved.
Only 55% of funds allocated for ‘Rehabilitation for Manual Scavengers’ has been utilized in 2020-21
The allocation of other welfare schemes for social defence ranges from Rs. 30 crores allocated for the welfare of transgender persons to Rs. 600 crores allocated for ‘Implementation of the Protection of Civil Rights Act,’ in 2020-21. The utilization also ranges from 44% in the case of ‘Assistance to Voluntary Organizations for protection of SCs’ to 72% in the case of ‘PM Gramin Adarsh Yojana for rural development’, and 83%in ‘Implementation of National Plan for Drug Demand Reduction’, and 100% for ‘implementing the National Action Plan for Senior Citizens’. However, only 55% of the funds allocated for the ‘Rehabilitation scheme for Manual Scavengers’ has been utilized in 2020-21 and 77% in 2019-20 when it had nearly 16,000 beneficiaries.
Lack of awareness, poor implementation, fraudulent activities hinder the effectiveness of these schemes
There are multiple factors that affect the effectiveness of these schemes. Firstly, poor utilization of available funds limits the reach of the programs. Secondly, poor awareness of the schemes means that the intended beneficiaries do not make use of the program. Despite the availability of many schemes, information regarding these is inadequate among the target population, as evident from certain studies.
Other factors such as lack of a single-window approach to these schemes, inadequate publicity, poor literacy levels, hinder access to these welfare schemes. On the other hand, poor implementation of schemes, lack of proper scrutiny, and fraudulent activities also significantly affect the program goals. Regular audits and impact evaluation of these schemes are a must for the intended results to be achieved.
CAG’s performance audit of Post Matric Scholarship in Haryana suspected crores worth fraud through Aadhar number manipulation
According to a CAG report released in March 2021 for the year 2019-20, a performance audit of Haryana’s Post-Matric Scholarship Schemes that provide financial assistance to SC and OBC students pursuing higher studies revealed that there were deficiencies in planning and financial management, inadequate scrutiny of applications of students, irregularities in disbursement of scholarship, suspected fraudulent payment, weak monitoring mechanism, etc. The department did not evaluate the effectiveness of the schemes. Moreover, it raised suspicion that Rs. 18.98 crore worth of fraudulent payments were released by manipulating the Aadhaar numbers of students under the post-matric scholarship scheme between 2014 and 2019 in Haryana.
Lack of planning, poor financial management and irregularities in disbursement of scholarship funds in five states was highlighted by CAG
Similarly, another CAG report from 2018 which audited the performance of ‘Post Matric Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Caste Students’ in five States of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh between 2012 and 2017 highlighted multiple issues.
The report highlighted that there were systemic gaps in the scheme’s guidelines themselves as well as lack of planning, poor financial management and irregularities in the disbursement of scholarship funds. The total financial implication of these gaps was Rs. 581.68 crores. Further, the discrepancies and inconsistencies in data generated through the web portals with additional financial involvement of Rs. 455.98 crore pointed to the need for a thorough review of the scheme guidelines as well as its implementation to ensure that the scheme funds were not misused or diverted for other purposes.
A recent newspaper report highlighted that in Bihar, there has not been a single application in the last three years for the Centrally Sponsored ‘Post-Matric Scholarship for SC and ST students’ which the officials put the blame on “technical issues with the National Scholarship Portal”. Unless and until such issues are sorted, the intended benefits of the schemes would not materialize.
Featured Image:  Social welfare schemes in India


text:
What are your rights as an Air Traveller? - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 7, 2019
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has recently released the ‘Passenger Charter’ for Air Travellers. Among other things, this document lists the rights of a passenger in case of delays, diversions, cancellations and other scenarios.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has recently released the ‘Passenger Charter‘ for Air Travellers. Among other things, this document lists the rights of a passenger in case of delays, diversions, cancellations and other scenarios.
In case of Flight Delays
The charter lists three possible scenarios of flight delays. One is when there is a delay after the passenger has checked-in. In this case, the airline is supposed to offer free meals & refreshments during the waiting time. The 2nd case is when there is a delay of more than 6 hours. The passenger rights in this case include the right to be informed the rescheduled time 24 hours prior to the scheduled departure and arrange an alternate flight within 6 hours. If an alternate flight cannot be arranged, then the passenger shall be given a full refund. The 3rd case is when the delay is for more than 24 hours or more than 6 hours for flights scheduled between 8pm & 3am. The passenger is entitled for free hotel accommodation in this case.
In case of Flight Cancellation
In the case of cancellations, the charter lists two different scenarios and the compensation or refund rights that a passenger is entitled to. Broadly speaking, if the passenger is informed less than two weeks before but, up to 24 hours before the departure, then the airline has to arrange an alternate flight or offer a full refund. In case the passenger the not informed as per these provisions, then the airline has to pay a compensation in the event of missed connecting flights.
In case of Over-Booking
When the number of passengers who show up for the flight well within time is more than the number of seats available, it is termed as over-booking. In such a case, the airlines must first ask for volunteers willing to give up their seats in exchange of benefits as offered by the airlines. In case there are no volunteers, then the rights of the passengers are listed in the charter in two different scenarios.
What if the Passenger cancels the ticket?
Among other things, the charter makes it clear that the passenger must be clearly informed by the airline about the amount of refund in case of a cancellation. In any case, when a ticket is cancelled, the airline must refund all statutory taxes, user development fee, airport development fee, passenger service fee. This is also applicable in case of tickets sold during promos or with special fares where the basic fare is non-refundable.
No-charge Cancellation or Amendment within 24 hours
The charter also makes it clear that the passenger has the right to cancel or amend the ticket without any additional charges within 24 hours of booking the ticket.
Rights of Passengers with Disabilities
The charter also lists the rights of passengers with disabilities. The passengers with disabilities must inform the airlines about their requirements 48 hours prior to the departure. No airline can refuse to carry the passenger along with assistive aids/devices, escort etc. In case the passenger is denied boarding because of the disability, the airlines must specify the reasons in writing.
In case of loss of Baggage
The charter also notes that in case of loss, delay or damage to baggage, the liability of the airline is limited to 1131 SDR (or about 1570 USD) per passenger in case of international carriage and Rs. 20,000 per passenger in the case of domestic carriage.
The charter also mentions that all airports are equipped to provide free wi-fi services.
What about Grievances?
In case the passenger is not satisfied with the resolution provided by the airline, then he/she can lodge a grievance on the Air Sewa portal.


text:
What Benefits & Facilities are Freedom Fighters entitled to?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 2, 2017
Respecting & rewarding is the least we could do for the freedom fighters. As part of the Freedom Fighter Pension scheme, the government spent a total of 8669 crore rupees on pensions and an additional 261 crore rupees on free railway passes in the last 13 years. As on date, more than 37000 beneficiaries receive pension under this scheme.
Every Independence day, we recollect and remind ourselves about the great sacrifices by our forefathers. But what exactly is the government doing for those freedom fighters and their families? The Swatantrata Sainik Samman Pension Scheme is aimed at providing pension to freedom fighters & their dependent families. As of March 2017, a total of 37,356 individuals  receive pension under this scheme.
Swatantrata Sainik Samman Pension Scheme
During the Silver Jubilee year of Independence (1972), a Central Scheme for grant of pension to freedom fighters and their eligible dependents (where freedom fighters have already expired) was introduced by Government of India. In 1980, the Scheme was liberalized and renamed as Swatantrata Sainik Samman Pension Scheme, 1980 and made effective from August 1980.
The Swatantrata Sainik Samman Pension Scheme, 1980 was introduced to extend the pension scheme to the freedom fighters and their dependent families. The scheme is now known as the Swatantrata Sainik Samman Yojana.
The following list of movements/mutinies are recognized for award of pension under this scheme.
Who is eligible?
The following categories of freedom fighters are eligible for the Samman Pension under the Scheme. Anyone who wishes to apply for pension under this scheme has to follow the guidelines prescribed by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
What is the pension amount?
The following amount of pension is extended to various categories of freedom fighters and their dependents. This pension amount is not taxable.
What other facilities are extended to Freedom Fighters?
Apart from the pension amount as mentioned above, Freedom Fighters are also extended the following facilities
Expenditure on Railway passes was Nil in the last two years
The government spent a total of Rs 8669 crore on pensions from 2004-05 to 2016-17. The expenditure on free railway passes during the same period was Rs 261 crore. The government also spent Rs 2.1 crore on the freedom fighter home in Delhi.
The expenditure on free railway passes has been decreasing in the last 4 years. Only Rs 3 lakh was spent on free railway passes from 2014-15 to 2016-17. The reasons for nil expenditure are not known. It could be that the government is not reimbursing the railways or that the freedom fighters are not travelling.
Most Pensioners in Andhra Pradesh & West Bengal
As of March 2017, a total of 37356 individuals were receiving the freedom fighters pension including dependents. Of these, 12657 are freedom fighters themselves while 23127 are spouse pensioners. An additional 1572 are daughter pensioners. Of the states, both Andhra Pradesh & West Bengal account for 4937 pensioners each while Maharashtra has 4738 pensioners. Ten (10) states have more than 1000 pensioners each and these 10 states make up for 80% of all the pensioners. Close to 50% of all daughter pensioners are from West Bengal.

created: August 2, 2017


text:
What changed in the NCRB’s ‘Crime in India’ report 2017?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 14, 2019
Every
year, the NCRB includes, excludes & merges some of the data in its flagship
publications like the ‘Crime in India’ report. Here is a look at what is new
and what is excluded in the 2017 report.
The Crime in India(CII) report of 2017 (65 Edition) was finally released by the National Crime Records
Bureau (NCRB) on 21 October 2019 after adelay of around 22 months. As noted in a previous
article by Factly, the CII report wasreleased after an average delay of 11 months since the year 2000. In otherwords, the 2017 report took almost double the time than it took for the similarreports since 2000.
The CII report hasbeen published since 1954 by the NCRB which works under the aegis of HomeMinistry. The Crime in India report is significant because it represents thestate of crimes, law and order in the country. Other than this, two other reports
are also released by the bureau,Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India (ADSI) and Prison Statistics India(PSI). The delay in releasing the report led to a lot of criticism and raisedmany doubts on whether the government was deliberately holding it back.
One of the mainreasons behind this delay as stated by Home Ministry is that ‘comprehensiverevision’ of the reporting in order to include more categories of crime accordingto a newspaper
report. The report is modified as and whennecessary so that it considers evolving crimes and to include new categories.Detailed recording of data makes it more comprehensive for parliamentarians,policy makers, researchers and others who use the data. In this story, we lookat the changes made in the latest report compared to the previous report.
A new table that provides data on Rape cases in custody
has been introduced
In the 2017 CIIreport, the bureau has focused on collecting detailed information on crimesagainst women and children. A new table on sub-section
wise registration of rape cases (Section 376) has been introduced in the CII report. Rape cases in custody(Section 376 (2) a-e)) by police personnel, public servant, armed forcesmember, jail staff, hospital staff and others have been tabulated. A few othernon-custodial rape cases (Section 376 (2) f, h-n) included in the table areoffence on pregnant women, women with disability and women below 16 years ofage. Data on cases registered under Section 376 (A to E) which deal with repeatoffenders, gang rape and rape by separated husband are also given in the table.
New Table with age profile and crime head wise details
of cases registered under POCSO
Under the sectionon Crimes against Children, data has been shared on the basis of age
profile of victims in the cases bookedunder the Protection
Of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). Up to 6 years, 6 to 12 years, 12 to 16 years and 16 to 18 years arethe different categories. Another table has been added for cases registeredunder Section
4 and 6 of POCSO act based on the offender’srelationship with the child victim.
Cyber-crimes targeting Women and Children incorporated
in 2017 report
Internet andsocial media usage are rampant in this age & time. Cyber-crime cases areonly increasing with every passing day. Taking this into consideration, animportant addition made to the list of crimes is the details of cyber-crimesagainst women and children.Detailed cyber-crime statistics under the crime heads ofblackmailing/threatening, stalking, defamation, fake profiles and other cyber-crimestargeting women and children covered under the Information
and Technology Act of 2000 have beenrecorded. In addition to this, records of online frauds, circulation fake newsand more have been incorporated in the report.
More detailed breakup of cases booked under the ‘SC/ST
Prevention of Atrocities act’
A more detailedbreakup of the offences registered under the Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act is given in the 2017 report. Crime
heads in this section include murder,murder attempt, simple and grievous hurt such as acid attack, assault on womenand children, social boycott and more.
Crimes by ‘Anti-National elements’ recorded in detail
The tables underthe head of offences against the state in the 2016 report have beenrestructured and rearranged in the current report. A new section on crimes committedby anti-national elements has been introduced which gives information regardingthe crimes reported against North East insurgents, Naxalites and Left-WingExtremists and terrorists. All such elements have been termed as‘anti-national’ in the report. Number of cases registered, location ofincident, number of civilians and police/defence personnel injured, andoffender details have been recorded here. Arms and other items of police/ defencepersonnel stolen by such anti-national elements and recovered from them havealso been given in detail.
Injuries and deaths of police officers, as well as civilians as a result of police operations involving anti-nationals, riots and dacoity, border crossfires and accidental killings, have been recorded in detail unlike in 2016 when only number of deaths and injuries were given without mentioning the reason behind it. The number of people arrested under the code of criminal procedure and those detained to prevent them from committing crimes on the grounds of suspicion has been categorised as per the crime-head. Country wise statistics of foreign offenders as well as foreign victims registered under different crime heads has also been included in the 2017 CII report.
The report has details on pendency of cases and
duration of pendency
Delay in justiceis yet another prominent section that has been included in the 2017
report. Period of pendency of cases incourts and police stations and pendency in investigation have been recordedthis year unlike the previous year where only number of cases were given. Timetaken for submitting charge sheets and final reports in both IPC & SLLcrimes have been enumerated for different crime heads.
In addition to thecategories mentioned above, the 2017 report has also collected
data on various Special Local Laws suchas The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, The Food Safety & StandardsAct, Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), The Chit Fund Act andmore. Most of these were clubbed under ‘Other SLL crimes’ in the 2016 report.
Some tables have been merged
‘The Prevention ofCorruption Act of 1988’ criminalises corruption. Data was compiled under theheads of action taken by courts and action taken by the department in which theoffender worked. The two tables have been combined into one in CII 2017. Similarly,tables on recidivism against juveniles and other persons have been combined.
Data on over 25 categories has been withheld as per reports
The table onvictims murdered by firearms has been omitted in the 2017 report. The table haddetails regarding the number of murders that took place in the year whichinvolved usage of licensed and unlicensed firearms.
The Home Ministryhas claimed that the bureau had collected details on cow slaughter, moblynching and hate crimes. But the data collected was vague
and unreliable because of which it wasexcluded from the report. Newspaper reports suggest that the ministry omitted around 25 categories of crime such as crimesagainst journalists, RTI activists, whistle-blowers and others who are prone tobe attacked. Details of crimes committed by religious preachers, khappanchayats, illegal migrants, servants, security and many others have also notbeen added in the report.
Issues with the methodology & delay
The data in theNCRB report is based on ‘Principle Offence Rule’, which means among manyoffences registered in a single FIR case, only most heinous crime (maximumpunishment) will be considered as counting unit for the purpose of datacollection. However, for crimes against children, women, SC/ST and a few othersimilar cases, the rule is not followed.
Anothershortcoming is that the population projections used are outdated. For instance,general population, population of women and children is estimated on the basisof 2001 census by the Registrar General of India.
Like justicedelayed is justice denied, the delay in the release of such important datamakes the data less useful. The NCRB which released the CII report for 2010 to2015 within 6 months has taken more than 22 months for the 2017 report. Thisdelay is also a cause for concern.

created: November 14, 2019


text:
What did the 15th Finance Commission recommend for 2020-21?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 10, 2020
The 15th Finance Commission submitted an interim report with its recommendations for devolution of the tax revenue for 2020-21. Since the criteria adopted by the 15th FC are significantly different from the earlier commissions, which of the states gain and which ones lose out? Here is an explainer.
The first report of the Fifteenth Finance Commission (15 FC) was tabled in the parliament on 01 February 2020. This report for the financial year 2020-21 was submitted to the President of India on 05 December 2019.
Thisis an interim report and contains the recommendations only for 2020-21. The finalreport of the 15 Finance Commission, that will makerecommendations for devolution of tax revenue for the next five years, isexpected to be submitted in October 2020. In her 2020-21 Budget speech, UnionFinance Minister, Nirmala Seetharaman stated
that the central government has accepted therecommendations of the first report in “substantial measure”.
Thisstory explores the recommendations of the finance commission, especially thedevolution of funds to the states for 2020-21.
What
is the role of the Finance Commission?
Article 280 of the Constitution requires the President to constitute a Finance Commission, whose main purpose is to make recommendations on the distribution of tax revenue between the Union and the States, and among the states as well.  The functions of the Finance commission include:
The Fifteenth Finance Commission was constituted on 27 November 2017, by an order of the President, with N.K. Singh as the chairman of the commission.
15th FC – Significant changes to the made to the Criteria
The 14th Finance Commission (14 FC),  whose recommendations were thebasis for devolution for the period 2015-20, recommended that 42% share of thedivisible pool of central taxes for the states. This was a 10% increasecompared to the earlier share of 32%.
Basedon the terms
of reference, substantial changes were made to the criteria adoptedand their respective weightage by the 15 FC.
The 15 FC recommended devolution of 41% from the divisible pool to the states. The difference of 1% is due to bifurcation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir into the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
Karnataka,
Kerala and Telangana see a reduction in their share
Outof the total divisible pool of Central taxes, Uttar Pradesh continues to havethe highest share even as per the 15 FC. However, there is a marginalreduction in its overall share of the divisive pool of the taxes.
Budget
allocation is Rs. 70000 crores less than 15th FC estimates
The 15 FC estimated a shortfall in the gross tax revenue compared to the budget estimates in July 2019. The initial assessment of the revenue for 2019-20 and 2020-21 was based on the provisional accounts of 2018-19, that amounted to Rs. 20.8 lakh crores. In view of the slowdown in sectors including automobiles, garments, construction etc. that contribute to GST, reduction in customs duty & excise collections, reduction in corporate tax collections etc. the 15 FC has reduced its estimate of gross tax revenue collection for 2019-20. The budget estimate was 24.64 lakh cores, but the 15 FC pegs it as Rs. 22.55 lakh crores.
Of this Gross Tax Revenue, few items such as – the cost of collection of taxes, cesses & surcharges, tax revenues of UTs, transfers to NDRF (National Disaster Response Fund) & NCCD (National Calamity Contingency Duty etc. are excluded from the divisible pool.
After these exclusions, the Finance Commission has pegged the amount available for the divisible pool at 82.2% of gross tax revenue which comes to Rs. 18.53 lakh crores for 2019-20 and Rs. 20.86 lakh crores for 2020-21.
With41 % of the divisible pool recommended to be devolved to states, the totaldevolution amount to the states for 2020-21 is Rs. 8.55 lakh crores. As per therecommendations of the 15 FC, Uttar Pradesh is estimated to receive Rs. 1.53 lakh crores (17.93%)  followed by Bihar which is slated to receivearound Rs. 86 thousand crores.
Karnataka,Kerala and Telangana which are allocated a lesser share in lieu of the new criteria,would be receiving about Rs. 31 thousand crores, Rs. 16 thousand crores and Rs.18 thousand crores respectively.  Theleast amount of this divisible pool will go to Goa and Sikkim which is around Rs.3.3 thousand crores each. Kerala would lose around Rs. 5000 crore and Telanganaaround Rs. 2500 crore because of the new allocation, compared to the 14 FC.
However, as per
budget estimates for 2020-21, the totalamount provided for devolution to states is only Rs. 7.84 lakh crores i.e. Rs. 70.9thousand crores less than the total amount recommended by 15 FCbased on its own estimates.  This is dueto less than estimated collection in taxes owing to the slowdown in theeconomy. In fact, the revised estimates of tax revenue in 2019-20 is almost 10%less than the budget estimates.
What
about Grants-in Aid to states as per the 15th FC?
The Finance commission is also required to make recommendations regarding the principles which govern the grants-in-aid to states out of the Consolidated fund of India. This is as per Article 275 of the Constitution of India.
Afterconsultations with the central and the state governments, the 15  FC decided to continue with the existing frameworkand legacy of the earlier Finance Commissions as far as Grants-in-Aid likeRevenue deficit grants, local bodies grants and disaster management grants.
Theapproach of the Finance Commission in respect to grants is the following.
RevenueDeficit Grants, Grants to Local Rural and Urban bodies, Special Grants to fewstates (Karnataka, Telangana & Mizoram) , Grant for Nutrition across thestates etc. were the major grants recommended by 15 FC in itsreport. Special grants were recommended for states losing out on account of thenew tax devolution formula.
AroundRs. 74 thousand crores is recommended by Finance Commission to be provided asRevenue Deficit Grants for 14 states.  Afurther Rs. 60 thousand crores as Grants to Rural Local Bodies and Rs. 29 thousandcrores as grants to Urban Local bodies was recommended.
However,as per the estimates provided in the union budget for 2020-21, only  Rs. 30 thousand crores were set aside as ‘RevenueDeficit Grants’. A total of around 99 thousand crores is provided as budgetestimate towards Grants to local bodies, of which 69 thousand crores is forrural local bodies and 30 thousand crores is urban local bodies.
Area
and Population are still the major drivers for the Tax devolution formula
Kerala(1.79), Andhra Pradesh (1.6), Karnataka (1.81), Tamil Nadu(1.58) andTelangana(1.67) are among the states which have a lower fertility rate andhence score better on the Demographic Performance criteria, scoring better thanstates like Bihar which has a high fertility rate of 2.93.
Sincethe 15 FC  considered only thepopulation of states as per 2011 census unlike the previous commissions whichalso considered the 1971 census, states that have controlled population loseout on this criterion. States like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal havelarge population compared to many other states and score high on this criterion.This couples with larger geographical area (U.P, Maharashtra) would mean that thescore they achieve on these criteria would be more than what a state likeKerala which scores high on development- based criteria.
Thelarger Income Distance of under-developed states and the higher weightageimplies that these states continue to get a higher share in the funds availablefor the states from the divisible pool.
Reducingthe weightage given for Income Gap and introducing development-based criterialike demographic performance is a step in the right direction encouraging thegood performance of the states.
The utilization of higher share by less-developed states to achieve various development targets should also be a primary driving force for future allocation. Target-based performance review of the states that receive higher funds to determine the future allocation of funds can be a way forward to balance the twin objectives of providing impetus as well as rewarding performance.
Featured Image: 15th Finance Commission
.

created: February 10, 2020


text:
What did the CAG report say on GST?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 10, 2019
The CAG in its first ever report on GST highlighted multiple issues like
actual GST collections being lower than estimates, lower return filing rates
and issues with the GSTN. Here are some of the highlights of the CAG report.
GST (Goods andServices Tax) came into effect from 01 July 2017, with an ideaof implementing a simplified, self-regulating and non-intrusive indirect taxcompliance regime. Government of India has hailed this to be a landmarkachievement by having in place a unified tax system in lieu of the multiplecentral and state taxes.
Two years intothe implementation, a review of GST implementation and the status of theexpected goals is paramount. The CAG’s (Comptroller and Auditor General) report on GST, for the year2017-18, the first year of GST implementation provides insights on theperformance of various aspects related to GST.
Total number of GST
registrations as on 28 February 2019 is about 1.2 crore. The GST registrations arefurther categorized into Normal taxpayers, Composition taxpayers, Tax Deductorsat Source, Tax Collectors at Source, Input Service Distributors and othersincluding NRTP, OIDAR etc.
Maharashtra,Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Delhi have the highest number of GSTregistrations with Maharashtra and UP accounting for nearly a quarter (24.51%)of the GST registrations.
Marginal increase in receipts from Indirect taxes (including GST)
The total taxreceipts (direct and Indirect taxes) post GST have increased by ₹ 2,03,215 crores. The increase in total tax receipts is largely due tothe increase in Direct Tax receipts (Income tax & Corporate tax). TheDirect tax receipts in 2017-18 (post GST) were ₹10,02,738 crores compared to ₹ 8,66,167 crores in2016-17 (pre GST), an increase of ₹1,52,937 crores or 18%.While the indirect taxes of which GST is a part, have increased only by 5.80%to the tune of ₹ 50,278 crores.
Prior to implementation of GST, Indirect taxes included – Central Excise, Service Tax, and Custom duties. Post GST, it has replaced Service Tax and duties of Central Excise (other than on petroleum products). While, tobacco is subjected to both Central Excise and GST, all the petroleum products continue to have Central Excise.
Actual GST
revenue fell short of estimates in both 2017-18 & 2018-19
The actual estimates for revenue through GST for 2017-18 were ₹ 4,44,631 crores. However, the actual GST revenue received for the year is ₹ 4,42,561 crores. While the actuals for IGST (Integrated GST) and Cess are higher than the estimates, the actual CGST (Central GST) is less than the estimates. It has to be noted that these are revised estimates, as there was no provision for the budget estimates in the budget for 2017-18 as GST was implemented in the middle of the year.
The actual IGST revenue was ₹ 1,76,688 crores which is ₹ 14,788 crores more than the estimates. Of the IGST revenue, ₹ 67,998 crores was allocated to the states with the balance being retained by Central Government.  The actual CGST fell short by ₹ 18,139 crores compared to the estimates i.e. 8.2% less than the estimates.
Even for the year 2018-19, the actual GST receipts fell short of the estimates. There were initial budget estimates provided as part of 2018-19 budget. Later these estimates were revised. The CGST actuals are less than both the budget as well as the revised estimates.
The Budget estimatesfor CGST were ₹ 6,03,900 crores which was later revised to ₹ 5,03,900 crores. However, the actuals fell short by ₹ 46,365 crores compared to the revised estimates. IGST also had ashortfall of ₹ 21,053 crores with actuals being only 58% of therevised estimates. Meanwhile, the cess collected is ₹ 5,081 crores more than the revised estimate of ₹ 90,000 crores.  It has to benoted that the figures for 2018-19 are provisional figures as available on thewebsite of the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) as of March 2019.
Revenue from
GST less than the earlier revenue generated from GST subsumed Indirect Taxes
As discussedearlier, GST has replaced a slew of Indirect taxes. The Central Excise onproducts of Petroleum and Tobacco do not form part of GST. The Central exciseon rest of items, Service tax and Custom duties are replaced by GST at thecentral level.
The revenue collected through GST for 2017-18 is less than the revenue through the Indirect taxes in previous years, which GST has replaced, as per the CAG’s calculations.
The totalsubsumed items revenue in 2016-17 was ₹ 5,23,822 crores.However, the revenue generated of these subsumed items post implementation ofGST for 2017-18 is ₹ 4,79,222 crores i.e. ₹ 44,600 crores or 10% less than the subsumed items revenue in 2016-17.
During 2018, percentage
of GST returns filed showed a consistent decrease
In its report, the CAG provided the trends of actual rate of GST returns filed for various GST return types for the period – April 2018 to December 2018. One consistent observation across the various GST return categories across all the months is the large difference between the expected GST returns and the actual GST returns filed.
GSTR-1 is a monthly return which needs to be filed for outward supplies. In the data provided for the nine months, the best performance was in June 2018, where in ₹ 70,48,521 crores worth of GST returns was filed against ₹ 93,16,710 crores that were due to be filed i.e. 78% of the actual GST returns. The end of quarter months (June, September & December 2018) have higher return filing percentage than the other months.
GSTR-3B is a summary form which needs to be filed every month for all the supplies made. It is a compulsory return which needs to be filed every month. The return filing Percentage has seen a consistent decline over the months. While 87% returns were filed in April 2018, it tapered off every month and in December 2018, only 79% were filed. It needs to be noted that the GSTR-3B returns filed prior to the due date are much lesser, with it ranging from 59%-64% in these 9 months. The CAG report notes that, 20% of GSTR 3B returns are filed after the due date.
GSTR-5 is areturn which needs to be filed by Non-Resident or Casual taxpayers. This filingpercentage was very low initially with 11% in January 2018. The return filingpercentage has subsequently increased and peaked in November 2018 at 87% but  again fell to 61% in December 2018.
GSTR-5A returnsand GSTR-6 returns needed to be filed by OIDAR (Online Information and DatabaseAccess or Retrieval services) and ISD (Input Service Distributor) have alsoseen lower filing rates with highest in a month being 52% and 53% respectively.
GSTR-4 is aquarterly return required to be filed by a composition taxpayer. The Percentage
of reruns filed has seen a consistent decrease over the quarters. In quarter endingJune 2018, the filing rate was 85% which reduced to 82% in the quarter endingSeptember 2018 and further decreased to 78% in the quarter ending December2018.  The composition tax scheme isapplicable for taxpayers with less than ₹ 1 crore turnover and can pay a fixed rate instead of the tedious GSTcalculations. This limit was further increased to ₹ 1.5 crores.
Need to
facilitate a convenient mechanism for filing GST returns
One of the mainideas behind introducing GST is to cut through the challenges &complexities faced by taxpayers in payment of taxes. Making the process simplerand having few tax rates instead of multiple rates are two of the mainactionable items. While GST has replaced multiple taxes, there are many issueswith the process involved in GST return filing as highlighted in the CAGreport.
The CAG furtherhighlighted the following issues in its audit report regarding GSTN, the ITbackbone of the GST system.
While, these can be considered as teething issues, it has been two years since the implementation of GST and the process has actually started much before that. Lack of complete understanding on the GST process, issues with the GST portal, non–clarity on the reimbursement and delays surrounding this are few of the reasons for lower GST filing rate.  The decreasing trend of tax filings is also a major concern especially with GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B returns. The government needs to focus on addressing these concerns to ensure that the revenue generated through GST is at par with the estimates.