A Congress MLA misbehaved with the police when he was stopped by the police while chanting ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans as part of a Rahul Gandhi’s program in Madhya Pradesh

The incident happened when Asif Mohammad Khan, a former Congress MLA, was addressing a gathering near a mosque in Shaheen Bagh along with supporters. A Delhi Police constable asked Asif if he has prior permission for the gathering from the Election Commission. Former Congress MLA Asif Mohammad Khan, whose daughter Ariba Khan is a candidate in the forthcoming Delhi MCD polls, was arrested on Saturday after a video surfaced of him allegedly abusing and manhandling a police officer in Delhi's Jamia Nagar the day before. A case was registered against him on Friday soon after the incident came to light. [...] Police said that when the constable asked Asif if he had ECI's permission or not, the former legislator turned aggressive and began misbehaving with him. "Asif used abusive language and manhandled the constable. A complaint was registered against Asif in Shaheen Bagh police station and an investigation is underway," ANI quoted the Delhi Police as saying.


Cristiano Ronaldo said that he loves Islam more than anything

A post is being shared on social media claiming that Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo said he loves Islam the most. A photo accompanying the post looks like an interview set-up. Let’s verify the claim made in this post through this article. [...] Fact: The photo in the viral post was captured in January 2022, when Ronaldo received the ‘Globe Soccer’s Top Scorer of All Time award in Dubai.‘ As per news reports, Ronaldo expressed his love towards Dubai, its people and its culture. Nowhere in the news was it reported that Ronaldo said he loves Islam the most. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE. [...] To sum up, Cristiano Ronaldo did not say that he loves Islam the most.


EctoLife is producing 30,000 lab-grown artificial babies every year

An animation video which shows artificial incubation of babies is being widely shared. The video is being shared with a claim that a company named EctoLife is producing 30,000 such lab-grown artificial babies every year. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post. [...] However, the facility is not in operational stage currently. It is just a concept pitched by Hashem Al Ghaili. He introduced this concept in December 2022. According to Hashem Al Ghaili, Ecto Life could grow around 30,000 babies. He further added that this could help people to produce customized babies. Introducing the concept, Hashem Al Ghaili, shared the same video on his YouTube channel.


Nirav Modi stated before the London court that he didn’t leave India but was threatened by the leaders of a political party to escape and run away from the country.

Nirav Modi’s London Court proceedings were covered by almost all the leading newspapers in India. In the article on The Times of India which covered the same, there was no mention of any such statements made by Nirav Modi as claimed in the FB posts. Hence, the claims made in the posts stand FALSE.


Rahul Gandhi: “Surgical strikes and Air strikes happened during UPA government but we didn’t disclose to anyone, not even to Army and Airforce”.

UPA Did 3 Surgical Strikes But Didn’t Show Off: Rahul Gandhi [...] Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday asserted that the Indian Army had conducted three surgical strikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) when the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was in power, but those operations were kept under the wraps at the force’s behest.(PTI) Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday asserted that the Indian Army had conducted three surgical strikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) when the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was in power, but those operations were kept under the wraps at the force’s behest.


More people have travelled in airplanes than in AC trains for the first time

An infographic on the government’s 48-month portal makes certain claims about the expansion of the aviation sector under the NDA government during the past four years, including one which states—for the first time—more people have travelled in aeroplanes than in AC trains. [...] Claim 3: More people have travelled in aeroplanes than in AC trains for the first time [...] FACT: We find that for the first time in 2016-17, unlike the previous years, the number of people who travelled by aeroplanes is higher than those who travelled in all AC class of trains. Thus, the claim is TRUE.


30,000 rupees is provided towards tuition fee and 20,000 as contingency allowance.

Rs. 30,000/- or the actual tuition fees paid, whichever is less. Contingency allowance: Rs 2000/per month for Ten Months. [...] Rs. 30,000/- or the actual [...] Contingency allowance: Rs 2000/per month for Ten Months.


Cost of the Evian brand’s water bottle seen at the family gathering of Tejashwi Yadav is ₹2900 per liter

evian water comes from a pristine and protected Alpine mountain source. [...] We are currently moving our evian range to a new ‘click’ cap that is designed to stay attached to the bottle throughout its usage and when recycled. [...] From conveniently sized on-the-go evian water bottle formats that fit in your bag to limited edition designer bottles that elevate any occasion, there’s an evian product to hydrate you any moment in your day.


2017-18 is the is the best ever year of safety record for the railways and less than 100 accidents were recorded in that year.

Railways'' safety record in 2017-2018 best in 57 years: Official data [...] The Railways has maintained the best safety record in 2017-2018 fiscal in over five decades, according to official figures. [...] Significantly, despite trains having travelled an additional 74 million train km in 2017-2018 as compared to the last five years, accidents have remained at an all-time low.


Former Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar along with his wife met Narendra Modi to show his support for BJP in the General Elections-2019.

Many Facebook users are sharing a post with the picture of Sachin Tendulkar and his wife with Narendra Modi. In the post, it is claimed that Sachin Tendulkar has met Modi to show his support for BJP in the General Elections-2019. Let’s try to analyze the claims made in the post. [...] Fact: The picture in the post is the one taken in the context of Sachin Tendulkar briefing Modi about the release of his biopic "Sachin: A Billion Dreams". So, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING. On doing Google Reverse Image search, the picture in the post was found to be the one taken during the meeting of Sachin Tendulkar and his wife with Narendra Modi, to give information about his then-upcoming movie "Sachin: A Billion Dreams". ‘AajTak’ has published an article regarding the same on May 19, 2017. There was no mention regarding Sachin’s support to BJP anywhere in it.


Bharatmala Pariyojana: Phase 1: 5,35,000 crore rupees for expanding highways sector with multi-modal integration

This is a new umbrella program for the highways sector that aims to optimize the efficiency of road traffic movement across the country by bridging critical infrastructure gaps. Special attention has been paid to fulfilling the connectivity needs of areas of economic activity, places of religious and tourist interest, border areas, backward and tribal areas, coastal areas and trade routes with neighbouring countries under the programme. Multi-modal integration is one of the key focuses of this programme. A total of around 53,000 kms of NHs have been identified to improve National Corridor efficiency, of which 24,800 kms are to be taken up in Phase-I, which will be implemented over a period of five years i.e. 2017-18 to 2021-22 in a phased manner. This includes 5,000 kms of the National Corridors, 9000 kms of Economic Corridors, 6000 km of Feeder Corridors and lnter-Corridors, 2000 kms of Border Roads, 2,000 kms of Coastal Roads and Port Connectivity Roads and 800 kms of Green-field Expressways. Total likely fund provision for Bharatmala Phase-I is Rs. 5,35,000 cr. [...] 2.4 New Expressways planned under under Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-I (i) Delhi-Jaipur Expressway (ii) Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway (iii) Vadodra-Mumbia Expressway (iv) Hyderabad- Vijayawada- Amravathi (HVA) Expressway (v) Nagpur-Hyderabad-Bangalore (NBH) Expressway (vi) Kanpur Lucknow (KL) Expressway (vii) Ring road/ Expressway at Amravathi 2.5 Indian Bridge Management System (IBMS)


Shashi Tharoor had said that he would even hit a Shivling with a chappal, if needed, to oust Modi.

Shashi Tharoor quoted the Shivling statements as said by an unnamed RSS source to a journalist of ‘The Caravan’. Those were not his personal remarks. Also, those quoted statements are twisted in the post. Hence, the claim is MISLEADING.


A Muslim boy attacked a Hindu girl in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh, in yet another Love Jihad incident

On January 6, the Supreme Court of India declined to stay controversial laws recently enacted in several states to tackle "love jihad" – a baseless conspiracy theory accusing Muslim men of luring Hindu women into marriage with the aim of forcefully converting them to Islam. [...] By allowing the so-called "love jihad" laws to remain in force, the Supreme Court increased the vulnerability of India’s Muslims, who are already subject to immense discrimination and religious persecution under the rule of Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). [...] "Love jihad" is not a new conspiracy. Since the 19th century, far-right Hindutva groups in India have been baselessly claiming that Muslim men are predatory. That they are working to seduce Hindu women to convert them to Islam. That they want to use Hindu women’s wombs to produce Muslim babies and alter the demographics of the Hindu-majority country.


Agreement on real time information sharing with Switzerland

The second claim is that ‘agreement on real time information sharing with Switzerland’. A number of policy related MoUs have been signed with Switzerland. One of such agreements is the ‘Joint Declaration on Automatic Exchange of Information on Tax Matters – signed in November 2016’. This agreement allows for real time information sharing of the finances related to Indian nationals with bank accounts in Switzerland. Switzerland and India are among a list of 84 countries that share such information with other countries. Switzerland shared its information with 36 countries, while India shared it with 58 as per the 2018 OECD report on this issue. The report of the OECD committee further states that ‘in 2014, the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes (the Global Forum) adopted the Standard for Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information in Tax Matters (the AEOI Standard), developed by the OECD working with G20 countries. To deliver a level playing field, the Global Forum launched a commitment process under which 100 jurisdictions committed to implement the AEOI Standard in time to commence exchanges in 2017 or 2018’. It is thus clear that the real time information agreement that was signed with Switzerland is part of a larger global initiative and the adoption of the standard developed the OECD.


India with 5288 tops the list of countries with most universities

The US-based National Science Foundation (NSF) published a report titled ‘Science & Engineering Indicators 2022,’ that saw India climbing to third place in 2020 from seventh place in 2010. According to the report, six nations contribute more than half of all peer-reviewed Science and Engineering (S&E) papers worldwide. China and America are the major contributors, with a percentage share of 23 and 16, respectively and India occupies the third place with a 5% share. According to a government assessment, just 15.8% of all articles produced by Indian scholars are published in the top ten journals worldwide, and even china (27.6%) is way ahead of us in publishing quality research. Unfortunately, in the most populated country after china, with the largest network of Higher education Institutions in the world (5288 universities) our contribution to scientific research is abysmally low. Compared with the United States (3216) and Indonesia (2595) we have more research institutions at our disposal but the quality of scientific research is atrocious. World University Rankings 2023 conducted by Times Higher Education explicitly shows that Indian institutions are way behind American, European and Chinese Universities in teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.


“When the entire opposition unites, then understand that the king of the country is honest”- Chanakya

2. Couldn't resist sending you this link of this small clip from Chandraprakash Dwivedi's CHANAKYA: [...] March 12, 2015 at 4:04 PM hi ri, chanakya is indeed the FATHER OF OUR NATION.


More line of control violations under NDA than UPA

The posts claim that in the period between 2009-2014 under the UPA-II regime, fewer number of ceasefire violations by Pakistan have taken place. There were fewer terror attacks, lesser casualties of security forces and civilians when compared to the 2014 - 2019, the period under the Modi-led NDA government. The post further cites the South Asian Terrorism Portal (the Facebook posts) and Central Information Commission (tweets) as its respective data sources. [...] While the numbers in the posts shared above are not correct, the data does show that there have been more CFA violations under the NDA than under the UPA. [...] During 2009 - 2013, 628 CFA violations have taken place during the UPA-II. From 2014 - 2019, 3041 CFA violations have taken place during the NDA. None of the numbers as stated in the viral social media posts are from the SATP.


1054 essential medicines brought under price control regime

Apex think tank Niti Aayog has proposed a change in the manner the government identifies medicines that should be brought under price control. It wants the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO), the rule framed under Essential Commodities Act to fix ceiling prices for drugs, de-linked from the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) prepared by the health ministry. The proposal, part of Niti Aayog's draft Three Year Action Plan, if approved, can open a Pandora's box as criteria for selecting medicines that need to be brought under government price control has always been a contentious issue. For instance, the rationale for the much debated decision to cap the prices of cardiac stents was that the medical device was one of the items in the NLEM, and subsequently notified as an essential medicine under DPCO. If the government decides to delink NLEM from the DPCO, it can lead to a fresh debate on the number, category and class of drugs and medical devices that should come under price control. [...] The policy was challenged in the court by public interest groups, which resulted in a Supreme Court directive that ordered the Central government to ensure that no essential medicines should be out of price control because of the change. The government complied with the Court order by deciding to have NLEM as the basis for the medicines and medical devices that should be brought under price control.


A poster branding PM Modi as a nation robber has been put up in New York

Money Heist-inspired Poster In Hyderabad Calls One 'Mr N Modi' A ‘Nation Robber’ [...] "Mr N Modi, we only rob bank, you rob the whole nation," the poster read. [...] "Posters which just says ‘Mr N_Modi’ was torn by T-BJP Leaders. May be the poster was referring to Nirav Modi? Tearing it was an indication that BJP is aware of who the robbers are," he said.


India has validated elimination of maternal and neo-natal tetanus in may 2015, before the global target of December 2015.

The first claim is that ‘India has validated elimination of maternal and neo-natal tetanus in May 2015, before the global target of December 2015’. A response in Lok Sabha from August 2016 stated that ‘WHO has certified Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Elimination (MNTE) in India in May 2015, well before the global target date of December 2015. WHO has also certified India to be free from YAWS, a chronic bacterial disease, in May 2016’. [...] Fact: WHO has certified Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Elimination (MNTE) in India in May 2015, well before the global target date of December 2015. Hence, the claim is TRUE.


Rs. 1,290 crore rupees allocated under National Bamboo Mission to help setting up small industries.

Lack of clarity about the manner of disbursal of the Rs 1,290 crore outlay announced in Budget 2018 is making bamboo farmers and other players skeptical about the revival of the sector that has been long ignored. The rural economy has been given a boost with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s allocation for a Restructured National Bamboo Mission. The National Bamboo Mission is a wholly-sponsored central scheme. There is a tinge of skepticism in the people for whom the allocation has been announced. Though the Budget has allocated a total outlay of Rs 1,290 crore under the revised bamboo mission, the money is to be paid over a three-year period. "On an average, Rs 430 crore will be spent annually. The big challenge this poses is to know how the money will be disbursed, who will qualify for it, and how can people apply for it," says Kedar Krushna Panda, assistant vice president, ILFS, in-charge of Tripura Bamboo Mission. Panda says the government has to give more clarity on how farmers can apply for the funds.


Recent visuals of liquor mafia gang assaulting a police officer during Mahagatbandhan’s rule in Bihar

In the context of Bihar’s recent Hooch tragedy, where more than 70 people died after consuming spurious liquor, video of a group of people assaulting a police officer near a railway track is being shared on social media claiming it as recent incident during the current Mahagathbandhan’s rule in Bihar. Let’s verify the claim made in the post. [...] Fact: Video shows liquor mafia gang thrashing ASI Ashutosh Kumar on 05 September 2020 for obstructing their illegal liquor business. On receiving the information, Jakkanpur Police reached the spot with extra force and rescued the injured ASI. However, during this period, Nitish Kumar served as the CM of Bihar with support from the BJP. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING. [...] To sum it up, an old video of liquor mafia assaulting a police officer during NDA’s rule in Bihar is shared as a recent incident during Mahagathbandhan’s rule.


Raghuram Rajan had warned Rahul Gandhi and P Chidambaram about Nirav Modi, but they forced him to remain silent and kept approving loan till May 2014

Raghuram Rajan clearly denied such claims while mentioning Social media has a habit of attributing complete rubbish to him. Hence the claim is FALSE


Website offering prizes in the name of Mohammed bin Rashid Ramadan Competition

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. [...] 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. [...] To sum it up, website offering prizes in the name of Mohammed bin Rashid Ramadan Competition is fake.


Interview of Bill Gates where he was accused of stealing Microsoft Software and making money by promoting COVID-19 vaccines

A video of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates being interviewed by a journalist has gone viral. In the video, the journalist accuses Gates of stealing Microsoft software and promoting COVID-19 vaccines to make billions. She grills him with tough questions, and the interview ends abruptly after Gates appears frustrated. Let’s check the veracity of the video. [...] Fact: This viral video was created using DeepFake Technology. In the original video, uploaded on ABC News (Australia) YouTube channel on 31 January 2023, Gates was questioned on climate change, COVID-19 conspiracy theories, rise of Artificial Intelligence, etc. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE. [...] After watching the entire video, we discovered that the anchor never asked Gates the questions seen in the viral video. Instead, she asked him about a range of other topics, including climate change, COVID-19 conspiracy theories, Elon Musk buying Twitter, Gates’ association with Jeffrey Epstein, his philanthropic activities, and the rise of artificial intelligence.


Karnataka football team made to wait outside CM Siddiramaiah’s residence and made to sit outside for 3 hours

Karnataka Congress leaders eye chief minister's post if Siddaramaiah vacates seat In Karnataka, amid rumours that CM Siddaramiah may resign and the Chief Minister post may become vacant, Congress leaders are lining up for the post.


Priyanka Gandhi has worn a Christian Cross over her neck during a Congress election rally in Kerala.

A collage with a couple of photos of Priyanka Gandhi is being widely shared on social media. It is being claimed that one photo in the collage shows Priyanka wearing a Rudraksha mala during her visit to Uttar Pradesh and the other photo is of Priyanka wearing a ‘Christian cross’ over her neck during her Kerala visit. But, FACTLY has found that the photo of Priyanka Gandhi wearing a ‘Christian cross’ over her neck is photoshopped. In the original image, the chain worn by Priyanka Gandhi does not have a ‘Christian cross’. The photo was captured during an election rally in Uttar Pradesh 2017. Also, FACTLY has debunked the photo when it went viral in 2019. [...] Fact – 1. Getty Images – https://www.gettyimages.in/detail/news-photo/indian-congress-party-leader-priyanka-gandhi-arrives-at-a-news-photo/642274474


More civilians killed under NDA than UPA

Claim 3: Total civilians killed under UPA & NDA govt. are 12 & 210 Fact: Total civilians killed under UPA & NDA govt. are 2081 & 1482. So the claim is FALSE A total of 2081 civilians were killed under the UPA government in 10 years, according to 2004-05 & 2013-14 annual reports of Ministry of Home Affairs, whereas a total of 1482 civilians were killed under the NDA government in 4 years, according to a Lok Sabha answer. So, numbers mentioned in the post are wrong.


Social media ads propagating a downloadable variant of Google’s AI chatbot, Bard

- Inside Google Bard’s AI Mechanism - 25 Google Bard Prompts for Social Media Advertisers - A Timeline of Google Bard’s Growth and Future Updates [...] Download the 35 Google Bard Prompts for Social Media Advertisers, your free Google Bard cheat sheet. In addition to the 25 prompts above, we’ve included 10 bonus AI prompts for digital marketers to enhance copy ideas and ad concepts. Get it today and discover Bard’s AI-driven brilliance. [...] The rise of Google Bard cements the undeniable role of AI in social media advertising. With Google Bard at your disposal, you can seize the opportunity to tap into the possibilities that Google Bard offers. As a free tool (for the time being), now is the moment to maximize its features and master the art of Bard AI prompts.


Setu Bharatam project for safer roads. Making all national highways free of railway level crossings, by 2019, by building railway over bridges/under passes. Total outlay of 20, 800 crore rupees.

What is the outlay for the Setu Bharatam project? The second claim talks about the Setu Bharatam project which is initiated for safer roads and making all national highways free of railway level crossings by 2019. The claim is that the total outlay for the project to build railway over bridges/under passes is Rs. 20,800 crores. [...] According to another response in Lok Sabha in March 2018, the government mentioned that ‘under this programme, construction of 208 ROBs or RUBs on Level Crossings at an estimated cost of Rs. 20,800 crores are included originally. However, due to site requirements/constraints, construction of bypasses, National Highway entrustment to National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and corridor construction approach etc., 174 ROBs/RUBs are remaining as on date under Setu Bharatam scheme. 90 ROBs have already been sanctioned for Rs. 7101.24 crores. 40 ROBs have already been awarded & 24 ROBs have been taken for execution.’


British authorities denied Savarkar the barrister degree and law practice, because Savarkar refused to take the oath of allegiance/loyalty to the British Empire

Many people feel that Savarkar was not called to the Bar because he refused to take a pledge of allegiance to the British Crown. The chain of events was as follows: [...] On 14 July 1909 the benchers gave their verdict: "None of the charges against Savarkar was proven. However, there is still suspicion about him. Therefore he will not be called to the bar as yet. He is a member of this society and will continue to enjoy the privileges of the membership." Savarkar eventually withdrew from Grays Inn in 1910. All this information is given in Savarkar’s letters from London (Samagra Savarkar Vangmaya, Vol.4 pp. 132/3/4)There was never any question of taking a pledge of allegiance to the British Crown. If there was, Savarkar would not have hesitated even for a moment to take such a pledge. Throughout his life, Savarkar had emphasized that Hindus have suffered terribly over the centuries by foolishly sticking to the pledges given to their enemies - Muslims and the British. Time has come for them to be realistic.


Hindus who wish to express their support for the Uniform Civil Code should give a missed call to ‘9090902024’ before 06 July 2023

Update (08 July 2023): The Law Commission of India has also issued a disclaimer notice stating that certain phone numbers circulating on social media, which are erroneously linked to the Uniform Civil Code, are not associated with them. Individuals can express their views on the Uniform Civil Code by visiting the website of the Department of Legal Affairs or by sending an email to the Law Commission of India.


RBI issued new guidelines to banks to treat scribbled notes as invalid

RBI did not issue any such new guidelines stating scribbled bank notes as invalid. RBI on their website clearly stated that all bank notes with writings or colour stains on them will continue to be legal tender, provided they are decipherable. Lately, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) through a tweet clarified the same saying that bank notes with scribblings on them will still continue to be legal tender. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.


It is not mandatory for a woman to submit her marriage certificate or divorce decree while applying for passport

NEW DELHI: Making the process to get passports friendlier for divorced or separated women, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has done away with the practice of asking for the name of the spouse, following a recommendation from a Parliamentary panel. The step is among a slew of measures announced by the MEA to bring the passport-seeking process up to date with modern norms. "In case of divorce or separation, the applicant is not required to provide the name of the spouse in the form while applying for the issue of passport," said an MEA official. It is mandatory only for married applicants to provide the name of the spouse in the passport application. [...] Taking a leaf out of the experience of other countries, the MEA has made it non-mandatory for the applicant to provide the names of both mother and father in the application form if the parents are divorced or separated. "Only one parent’s name — either mother or father or legal guardian — is mandatory," added the official.


Provided for penalties for offences committed against persons with disabilities (PwDs)

Gehlot informed the media persons that the Bill provides for penalties for offences committed against persons with disabilities. Designated special Courts have been proposed to handle cases concerning violation of rights of PwDs. [...] Bill provides for penalties for offences committed against persons with disabilities. Designated special Courts have been proposed to handle cases concerning violation of rights of PwDs.


The Titanic ship was switched with the HMS Olympic and deliberately sunk as part of an insurance fraud scheme

There is no evidence to support this conspiracy theory. The theory was propagated by British author Robin Gardiner, but it was debunked by many authors and experts, including Steve Hall and Bruce Beveridge. The differences between the Titanic and the Olympic were more than just cosmetic and included many structural differences that would have made it impossible to switch the two ships. The insurance fraud theory also does not hold up to scrutiny. Several documentary films have presented expert evidence to debunk the conspiracy theories surrounding the Titanic disaster. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.


Bridges over Narmada at Bharuch and Chambal at Kota.

New Narmada Bridge is known as 3rd Narmada Bridge at Bharuch over river Narmada, A extradosed bridge with the longest spans in India and part of the six laning project of a section of NH-8 between Vadodara and Surat. Kota Chambal Bridge is a part of the Kota Bypass located outskirts of the city over the Chambal river in Rajasthan. The cable-stayed bridge is an Iconic Engineering Marvel and around 60-metre-high from the surface. [...] There are more Cable-stayed Bridges in India, completed and under construction such as Kacchi Dargah–Bidupur Bridge,Versova–Bandra Sea Link, Krishnarajapuram bridge,Akkar Bridge Sikkim, Anji Khad Bridge and Nivedita Setu over Hooghly river connecting Howrah with Kolkata.


GrAMs, electronically linked to e-NAM, to make direct sale to consumers and bulk purchasers.

Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAMs) The Government has also announced to develop and upgrade existing 22,000 rural haats into Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAMs) to take care of the interests of more than 86% small and marginal farmers. The GrAMs will be electronically linked to e-NAM and exempted from regulations of Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs) which will provide farmers facility to make direct sale to consumers and bulk purchasers.


Inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) introduced in Nov 2015. Around 4 crore doses administered to children.

The annual report (2017-18) of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) states that ‘there are three types of Polio viruses namely type-1, 2 and 3 for which the vaccine was provided under Universal Immunization Programme as trivalent oral polio vaccine. Since last case of wild polio virus type-2 was reported in 1999, therefore, Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has recommended switch from trivalent OPV to bivalent OPV (containing only type-1 & 3). The tOPV to bOPV switch happened in India on 25th April, 2016. As part of Global Polio end-game strategy, to mitigate the risk associated with tOPV to bOPV switch, MoHFW has introduced Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) in UIP in November, 2015, which was expanded across the country by June, 2016. Currently, two dose fractional schedule is being followed in the country with vaccination at 6 weeks and 14 weeks of age. Till December, 2017, around 3.45 crore doses of IPV have been administered to children across the country since its introduction’. [...] Fact: MoHFW has introduced Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) in UIP in November, 2015, which was expanded across the country by June, 2016. 4.56 crore doses of IPV have been supplied to the state governments and 3.45 crore doses administered till December 2017. Since the claim was made in May 2018, the number might have reached the 4 crore doses. Hence, the claim is TRUE. However, this shift to IPV is part of the larger global movement against Polio and as mandated by GPEI.


Social security has been made a nationwide phenomenon with Jan Suraksha

Jan Suraksha Schemes have provided an effective social security cover to the people: PM [...] The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has extended good wishes to all the beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Jan Suraksha Schemes on completion of 8 years of the Schemes . [...] "The #JanSuraksha schemes launched 8 years ago have been a source of strong support for crores of Indians. They have provided an effective social security cover to the people. My best wishes to all the beneficiaries."


Farm credit target has been raised to a record high of 11 lakh crore rupees for 2018-19.

Budget 2018: The farm credit target is likely to be raised by a whopping Rs 1 lakh crore to a record Rs 11 lakh crore in the Budget 2018-19 to improve credit flow in the agriculture sector, according to sources. In the current fiscal, the government has kept a credit target of Rs 10 lakh crore. Of which, Rs 6.25 lakh crore has already been disbursed in the first six months till September 2017, the government data showed. "The government’s priority is agriculture. There is a possibility that the credit disbursal target for the agriculture sector will further be increased to Rs 11 lakh crore for the next fiscal," sources said. Since credit is a critical input in achieving higher farm output, the institutional credit will help delink farmers from non-institutional sources of credit where they are compelled to borrow at usurious rates of interest, they said. Normally, farm loan attracts an interest rate of 9 per cent. But the government has been providing interest subvention to make available short-term farm credit at an affordable rate and help boost farm output. The government is providing 2 per cent interest subsidy to ensure farmers get short-term farm loan of up to Rs 3 lakh at an effective rate of 7 per cent per annum.


Bhutan has become the first country in the world without Mosques

There is only a prayer hall provided for Muslims to offer prayers at Bumthang, Ura Highway, in Semtokha, Bhutan. Apart from this prayer hall, no other prayer hall or Mosque was constructed for Muslims in Bhutan. But there are a few other nations like Monaco and Slovakia where there are no establishments of Mosques for Muslims to offer prayers like Bhutan. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.


AMRIT pharmacies provide drugs for cancer and cardiovascular diseases at a discount of 60 to 90 percent

The BJP government published an infographic on the 48-months portal that makes claims about affordable healthcare, specifically about essential medicines. This article is a fact check of the claims.


Visual capture of the occurrence of snowfall in the great mosque of Mecca

The National Meteorological Center of Saudi Arabia has confirmed that the visuals shown in the post are fake. The official Twitter handle of the Emirate of Makkah Province tweeted that the snowfall video is incorrect and was made with additional effects. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.


Mob lynched a Christian and set him on fire over blasphemy charges in Pakistan’s Nankana Sahib

In light of a recent incident in Nankana Sahib in Pakistan, wherein a man was lynched and set on fire by mob over blasphemy charges, a social media post claiming that the victim, who was set on fire is a Christian is being widely shared. The viral post also shared a video of mob setting a man on fire, attributing the visuals to the recent incident. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post. [...] According to the news reports, recently in Pakistan’s Nankana Sahib, a mob killed a man who was accused of blasphemy. Earlier, the man was arrested over blasphemy charges, after a mob attacked him for allegedly desecrating the Quran. Later, the mob entered the police station and dragged him out, beat him to death and set him on fire. [...] To sum it up, man lynched to death over blasphemy allegations in Pakistan is not a Christian.


A group of people getting electrocuted during Sri Ramanavami Procession for dancing in front of a Mosque.

A video showing a group of people being electrocuted by a high-tension wire has been circulating on social media. The post claims that the individuals were part of a group dancing to loud music in front of a mosque during a Sri Ramanavami procession and insinuates that the incident was divine punishment for their disrespectful behaviour. Let’s verify the claim made in the post. [...] According to the media reports (here and here), three men tragically lost their lives due to electrocution while performing stunts during a Ram Navami celebration in Kotra deep/Kodta deep Singh village of Kota district of Rajasthan on 30 March 2023. The incident occurred when seven individuals formed a human pyramid to retrieve a steel ring that was stuck in an overhead high-tension cable. As they attempted to remove the ring, the group received an electric shock. The victims have been identified as Abhishek, 24, Mahendra Yadav, 40, and Lalit Prajapat, 25, all residents of Baroda village. Four other individuals—Amit Mehar, 19, Himanshu, 21, Radhayshyam Mehra, 24, and Palendra Prajapat, 23—also suffered electrocution but survived. [...] To sum it up, the incident in which three people were electrocuted during Ram Navami celebrations in Rajasthan did not take place in front of a mosque.


India’s National Anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’ is declared by the UNESCO as the best anthem in the world.

UNESCO’s official website has a document saying that the news ‘Jana Gana Mana’ declared by the UNESCO as the best anthem in the world is a rumor. Hence the claim is FALSE


Payment of wages to workers within 15 days in 85% of the cases as compared to long delays in the past.

Payment of wages – the rights and responsibilities of workers and employers [...] In most employment relationships, there is both an express and implied duty for the employer to pay their workers wages (unless the worker is in repudiatory breach of contract or has agreed to waive their contractual right to be paid for whatever reason). If the employer fails to pay a worker the full amount that they are owed under the contract then the employer has breached the terms of the contract. If this failure to pay wages is deliberate then this is a fundamental breach of contract and the worker can choose to terminate the contract of employment (and claim constructive unfair dismissal, if they are an employee and wish to do so). Alternatively, the worker can choose to waive the employer’s breach. If the failure to pay is a mistake on the employer’s part then there is probably not a fundamental breach of contract unless the employer’s conduct is repeated or unexplained. The obligation for the employer to pay the employee persists even if the employee is refused permission to come to work (i.e. for medical reasons, because of disciplinary suspension or if there is a work shortage).


Congress party leaders sat before a banner that reads ‘…Chor Group Meeting.’

A photo of senior Indian National Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is being shared by social media users against the background of an image with accompanying text which reads 'Chor Group Meeting' (thief group meeting). [...] The photograph in this report did not contain the words 'Chor Group Meeting'. [...] Evidently, the words 'Chor Group Meeting' were edited onto an old photo of a CWC meeting.


The maps failed to show the divided territory of Kashmir as a disputed region, Indian media reports say. [...] Most maps depict Kashmir as a disputed region provisionally split into areas under Indian and Pakistani control. [...] The move comes after Delhi reportedly raised objections with the US that the India map ignored India's claim on Kashmir while the corresponding map of Pakistan showed Pakistani-controlled Kashmir as part of Pakistan without acknowledging its disputed status, according to Indian media reports.


Scenes of protesters firing machine guns during recent clashes in Manipur

Amid the recent violent clashes in Manipur, a video showing people firing bullets from machine guns is being circulated on social media with the claim that it depicts the ongoing conflict. Let’s verify the claim made in the post. [...] The Manipur clashes are centred around the demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the non-tribal Meitei community. The unrest began when the BJP-led government launched an eviction drive in February, which some saw as targeting a specific tribal group. Protests escalated on May 3 after the Manipur High Court directed the state to pursue a 10-year-old recommendation to grant ST status to the Meitei community. Tribal groups oppose this move, fearing a loss of job opportunities and the possibility of the Meiteis acquiring land in the hills, pushing the tribals out. The situation intensified with violent protests, arson, and a death on May 3 and 4 following a "tribal solidarity rally" against the move to include the Meiteis in the ST list. In response, the government deployed the army to regain control of the situation. Consequently, the video in question predates the recent violent clashes that unfolded in Manipur. We contacted the previous uploaders of the video to determine if it is from a video game or a real incident and if it is indeed real, to gather more information, such as the location and context of the firing. This article will be updated accordingly once the necessary information is obtained.


India ranked 9th on the foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in 2016 – World Investment Report 2017.

Key information about India Foreign Direct Investment India Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) increased by 8.4 USD bn in Dec 2023, compared with an increase of 3.1 USD bn in the previous quarter. See the table below for more data. Explore the most complete set of 6.6 million time series covering more than 200 economies, 20 industries and 18 macroeconomic sectors.


Special banking arrangement of Rs. 10,000 crores to clear fertilizer subsidy dues.

CCEA approves Special Banking Arrangement for payment of outstanding subsidy to fertilizer The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved implementation of Special Banking Arrangement (SBA) for Rs. 10,000 crore for payment of outstanding claims on account of fertilizer subsidy in year 2016-17. CCEA chaired by Prime Minster Narendra Modi also approved that in future, Department of Fertilizers will avail SBA with concurrence of Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance. [...] Accordingly, SBA was worked out with State Bank of India (SBI) for an amount of Rs. 10,000 crore to meet outstanding subsidy claims of fertilizer companies. The loan together with Government interest thereon has been repaid from BE 2017-18 within the sanctioned budget.


Recent picture of US President Joe Biden having ice cream in Ukraine’s capital city Kyiv

A morphed photo showing United States President Joe Biden eating an ice cream cone in front of a take-away counter in Kyiv, Ukraine has gone viral on social media. [...] The photo of Biden having an ice cream outside a restaurant in Kyiv soon went viral with several sarcastic takes and many users actually falling for the morphed image. [...] The same photo is being widely shared on Facebook with one of the captions reading, "This is a COOL pic of President Biden enjoying an ice cream cone, a chocolate one, in Kyiv, Ukraine!"


Recent picture of Deepika Padukone posing in saffron-coloured heels

BHOPAL: More than a month before its release, the Shah Rukh Khan-Deepika Padukone starrer much awaited Bollywood film, ‘Pathaan,’ has landed into trouble in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, due to the saffron coloured costume worn by the film’s lead lady in the song, Besharam Rang.’ Peeved over Deepika Padukone wearing a saffron coloured bikini towards the end of the song (first track of the 2023 movie) whose video was released recently, the MP’s Home, Jail and Law Minister Narottam Mishra said on Wednesday, "The costume used in the song is highly objectionable. The filming of the song in such a manner reveals a polluted mindset." [...] "Since the song is titled ‘Besharam Rang,’ does that mean that saffron colour is shameless? The objectionable scenes in the concerned song should be banned or deleted at the earliest." The MP Congress’s media wing vice-president Bhupendra Gupta mocked the MP home minister on the issue.


Modi government reconstructed the Sharda Peeth temple situated in PoK

Home Minister Amit Shah said on March 22 that the government will move forward to open Sharda Peeth on the lines of the Kartarpur corridor. Sharda Peeth, a revered site for the Hindu community, is located in Neelum Valley in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) across Teetwal village in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir, along the Line of Control (LoC). [...] He said the architecture and construction of the temple have been done according to mythological scriptures under the aegis of Sharda Peeth. The idol of Sharda Maa was donated by the Sringeri Math on January 24 and has been installed here, he added. "The reconstruction of Maa Sharda’s temple in Kupwara is a necessary and important step in the direction of discovery of Sharda-civilisation and promotion of Sharda-script. Once upon a time, Sharda Peeth was considered the centre of knowledge in the Indian subcontinent, scholars from all over the country used to come here in search of scriptures and spiritual knowledge. Sharda script is the original script of our Kashmir, which has been named after Maa Sharda," he said.


Hyderabad: Fed up of being sidelined, top TRS leader T. Harish Rao is said to be seriously considering plans to move to the BJP on an invitation from top leaders of the party. [...] Mr Harish Rao is expected to make his move after the Lok Sabha election results. The BJP wants to build a strong base in the southern states and Mr Harish Rao’s presence in its ranks could give it a strong footing in Telangana state. The BJP has of late begun attracting leaders to its fold. With the withering away of the Congress, it could emerge as the alternative, with the support of Mr Harish Rao and his team from the TRS.


Under the UPA II, the average annual MSP growth rate was 19.3%, under the NDA government; this has fallen to 3.6%

Official data on the real economy under the NDA regime has been criticised from several quarters for overestimating its own macroeconomic performance and undervaluing that of the UPA regime. Even then, the simple truth which is evident from the official data is that on average, real GDP growth was at least one percentage point higher during the UPA decade than that of the NDA (See Table 2). Not only did the deep slump following the pandemic and lockdown cause major disruption during NDA-II, but slowdown in the economy was already evident under NDA-I after the successive policy shocks of demonetisation and GST rollout. The UPA era had also witnessed the global financial crisis and consequent worldwide recession in 2008-09, which was also a major external shock. [...] The most problematic aspect of UPA era’s growth process was the high inflation that accompanied it, particularly the double digit food inflation (Table 2). The new series of CPI data reflect a sharp decline in the overall consumer inflation rate by the end of NDA-I’s tenure to 3.4%, but a resumption of the inflationary trend under NDA-II, averaging around 6% annually. As was the case with the UPA regime, NDA too has relied upon the Reserve Bank of India to try and control inflation by raising its policy interest rate and managing liquidity.


A woman gets garlanded, and kisses are blown at her while joining the Congress party in Karnataka

Later, around 20 BJP women parliamentarians led by Union Minister of State for Agriculture Shobha Karandlaje complained to the Speaker and demanded stringent action against the Wayanad MP. The leader from Karnataka alleged that Gandhi blew a kiss at Irani and other women MPs. [...] Karandlaje said he left after throwing the kiss. "After blowing a flying kiss towards Smriti Irani and all the other women members, he went away. This is a inappropriate, indecent behaviour. Senior members told us that such an incident had never happened in the history of Parliament. So, we filed a complaint with the Speaker, urging him to take the CCTV footage and initiate action against the MP," she said. [...] "Throughout the Bharat Jodo Yatra — those who joined it and watched it — were all giving it (flying kiss) as a symbol of love and affection," Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal said.


A woman can choose whether the name in the passport should be of her mother or the father and not both parents.

Exclusion of father/mother name from passport of minor in single parent custody 1. The online passport application form now permits that an applicant may provide the name of father or mother or legal guardian, i.e., only one parent and not both. This would enable single parents to apply for passports for their children and get passport(s) issued where the name of either the father or the mother is not required to be printed at the request of the applicant. [...] (a) A self-declaration on a plain paper stating that he/she does not want to have biological father/mother’s name on his/her passport and instead of that, the name of the step father/mother be mentioned against the column of father’s/mother’s name. The applicant also has to declare that in future if there is litigation, the entire onus to defend such a case will be on him/her.


India remains the world’s fastest growing large economy.

India's economic growth is projected to reach 6.2 per cent in 2024 India remains the fastest-growing large economy and its growth is projected to reach 6.2 per cent in 2024, according to the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2024 report published by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. [...] Though India's growth is projected to reach 6.2 per cent in 2024, it slightly lower than the 6.3 per cent estimated for 2023. This year's growth will be supported by robust domestic demand and strong growth in the manufacturing and services sectors, the UN report said.


During UPA government’s tenure, the unemployment rate was 2.2% while under NDA government, the unemployment rate is 7.9%.

Fact: As per quinquennial (recurring every 5 years) NSSO surveys on employment & unemployment, the unemployment rate during the UPA was around 2.2%. The unemployment rate during the NDA as per the PLFS 2017-18 was 6.1%. The figure of 7.9% is based on the survey of a Mumbai based private organization. Hence the claim is PARTLY TRUE. According to a Mumbai based organisation, Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, in June 2019, the unemployment rate in India had reached 7.9%. The report has further added that the rate of labour participation has also declined. According to the report, labour participation rate is the proportion of working age population comprising of those above the age of 15 years, that is actively looking for a job, be it employed or unemployed. Unemployment rate has been calculated as the proportion of labour force that is not employed. The sample size used is 5,22, 000. The sampling method has not been mentioned. [...] According to the National Sample Survey Office (68th round), in 2011-12, the unemployment rate stood at 2.2%. This survey was based on 4,56,999 persons spread out across the country selected using appropriate statistical sampling methods. The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) published in May 2019 states that the unemployment rate in India as of 2017-18 was 6.1%. PLFS was based on 4,33,339 persons across the country. The unemployment rate as per earlier NSSO surveys was 2% in 2009-10 and 2.3% in 2004-05.


The number of ITRs filed during FY 2017-18 is 6.84 crore, a jump of 80.5% compared to FY 2013-14

The government has released provisional figures of direct tax collections for FY 2017-18. According to the data, in FY 2017-18, 6.84 crore income tax returns (ITRs) were filed with the Income Tax Department as compared to 5.43 crore ITRs filed during FY 2016-17, a growth of 26 per cent. Driving the growth in the number of income tax return filings is the growth in new ITR filers. The government data shows the number of new ITR filers has increased to 99.49 lakh (as on 30.03.2018) during FY 2017-18, as compared to 85.51 lakh new ITR filers added during FY 2016-17, a growth of 16.3 per cent. The government also said that refunds amounting to Rs.1.49 lakh crore have been issued during 2017-18. [...] 8) As compared to 3.79 crore ITRs filed in FY 2013-14, the number of ITRs filed during FY 2017-18 (6.84 crore) has increased by 80.5 per cent. 9) The increase in total returns filed and new returns filed during FY 2017-18 is a result of sustained efforts made by the Income Tax Department in following up with potential non-filers through email, SMS, statutory notices, outreach programmes, etc. as well as through structural changes made in law and the government's emphasis on widening of tax net, the finance ministry statement said.


Visuals of a boy offering namaz in the middle of the road

The video was initially shared by a social media user who is based in Dubai. Further, clues like vehicle registration plates, food delivery executives and uniform of security guard suggests that the video is from Dubai. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.


Chilli Prices were Rs 12000 per quintal then, now is Rs 3000 to Rs 4000 per quintal

Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the chilli farmers were justified in holding a protest seeking supportive price for their produce. Instead of intervening on the issue to bail out distressed farmers, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao crushed their agitation using intimidating tactics. "KCR wrongly implicated poor chilli farmers in a fake case. The innocent farmers were immediately arrested and sent to jail. Today the Chief Minister crossed all limits by ordering the police to produce the arrested farmers before the court hand-cuffed. This is the height of arrogance of power," he said. [...] Uttam Kumar Reddy reiterated the demand that the State Government immediately procure the chilli by paying Rs. 12,000 per quintal. He warned the TRS Government of serious implications if it continues to neglect the farmers of Telangana State. "KCR remained a mute spectator to suicide by more than 3,000 farmers. TRS Government did nothing when farmers lost four consecutive crops and when a favourable monsoon increased their production in Rabi season, they were denied remunerative prices. Congress party will not tolerate this injustice with farmers and will launch mass agitation," he announced.


Brahmins hold a significant majority in high-level government positions

The PSC annual report for 2017-18 shows that Brahmins secured 33.39 percent of total government jobs, followed by a 20.01 percent share of the Chhetris, from among the 7,718 candidates recommended for civil service positions. [...] "Brahmins and Chhetris are the two communities conventionally focused on government jobs," said PSC Chairman Umesh Mainali. "So it’s natural that they continue to lead in the number of government jobs as well as applying for them." The percentage of fresh recruits in civil service was more than 40 in the fiscal year 2016-17. According to the PSC, 22.96 percent new jobs went to Brahmins and 18.67 percent to Chhetris that year.Massive applications from these two communities also raise their chance for selection in civil service even as the Civil Service Act reserves 45 percent seats for women, indigenous groups, Madhesis, Dalits, people with disability and those from the backward regions. Open competition is held only for 55 percent seats.Forty-four percent of applicants came from the two castes last fiscal year. According to the commission, of the 567,853 total applicants, 26.47 percent were Brahmins and 17.37 percent Chhetris.


The allocation to secondary education is down to Rs 576 crore in 2017-18 from Rs 9990 crore in 2016-17.

288 [Grant 70.) APFROPRIATION ACCOUNTS OF THE CENTRAL [...] Secoudary Eduention " 62.000 T4821 —TATO Fa —T,470 [...] Secondary Schools, . « &0rtoo Iusso9 5,201 —S,I71 — |


The UPA government constructed only 25 lakh houses in their last 4 years where as the current BJP government in the last 4 years constructed 1.25 crore houses, a difference of 1 crore houses.

- Fact: The UPA in its last 4 years constructed 89.65 lakh houses and not 25 lakh houses. Hence the claim is FALSE. [...] The Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing a gathering to mark the Grihapravesh (housewarming) of Prime Minister Awas Yojana- Grameen (PMAY-G) beneficiaries in Maharashtra, claimed that the UPA constructed only 25 lakh houses during their last four (4) years while the current government constructed 1.25 crore houses in the last four (4) years, one crore more houses. Here is a fact check of this claim. [...] As far as UPA’s last four years in concerned, the prime minister was way off the mark. The UPA constructed 89.65 lakh houses, almost 3.5 times the number of houses claimed by the PM. As far as the current government is concerned and if the houses constructed in the last six months is also taken into account, the figure might be closer to the 1.25 crore houses as mentioned by the PM. It has to be noted that this is only the count of rural houses for both governments. If the urban housing numbers are also included, then the numbers for both the governments could be higher.


Rural road connectivity increased from 56% in 2014 to 82% villages.

Has rural road connectivity increased and by how much? The first claim of the government is that rural road connectivity increased from 56% in 2014 to 82% villages. The impact assessment report of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) states that ‘PMGSY was launched in December 2000 as a special intervention of the Government of India with the broad objective of ensuring sustainable poverty reduction. The scheme aims to provide good quality all-weather single connectivity road to every eligible habitation. Rural roads are a state subject under the Constitution and as such are the basic responsibility of the states. However, under the PMGSY, the construction of good quality and well-engineered roads are fully funded by the Government of India. Maintenance of these roads is the responsibility of the states. The year 2013 saw the launch of PMGSY-II with the objectives of consolidating the existing rural road network and upgrading existing rural roads that provide connectivity to rural growth centres. PMGSY-II envisages sharing of construction costs between the Centre and the states with maintenance costs continuing to be funded fully by the states.’ [...] Fact: By June 2014, 56% of the target habitations under PMGSY were connected by roads. By July 2018, 88% of the target of PMGSY (II) have been connected by roads. Hence, the claim is TRUE. But, it has to be noted that the percentages correspond to the target under PMGSY and not the total habitations in the country.


A woman with ten kids from ten different men was buried in a Phallus-shaped coffin in Ghana, Africa

The person buried inside the Phallus-shaped coffin is not a woman but a man named John Nii Addo Allotey. When he was alive, he used to perform circumcision. John’s family decided to build a Phallus-shaped coffin for him as an honour to his profession. Hence the claim made in the post is Misleading.


All students studying Business Management at Seton Hall University in the USA are obligated to study Bhagavad Gita

A post circulating on social media claims that all students studying Business Management at Seton Hall University in the USA are obligated to study the ancient Hindu Scripture Bhagavad Gita. Further, the post also questions the absence of a similar course within the Indian educational system. Let’s verify the claim made in the post. [...] Fact: ‘The Journey of Transformation,’ the first course in Seton Hall University’s core curriculum, includes not only the Bhagavad Gita but also religious texts from diverse traditions such as Christianity, Hebrew, Greek, and others. Furthermore, it is evident that the Bhagavad Gita has been integrated into the curriculum of various Indian universities and is also referenced in NCERT textbooks at the school level. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING. Upon conducting an internet search to gather more information, we discovered media reports (here & here) regarding this matter. According to these reports, Seton Hall University, a prominent Catholic university located in New Jersey, made the study of the Bhagavad Gita compulsory for all students starting in 2008. The university aimed to introduce a transformative course that would profoundly impact the character and lives of its students.


Sangeeta Phogat suffered a devastating 0-10 defeat in the Hungary Ranking Series tournament

A photo is being shared on social media claiming that wrestler Sangeeta Phogat suffered a devastating loss with a score of 0-10 in the Hungary Ranking Series tournament. Sharing the picture, many users taunted Sangeeta Phogat for participating in the protests. Sangeeta Phogat was one of the six wrestlers who took part in the protests against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh, who has been accused of sexual harassment. Let’s verify the claim made in the post. [...] When we searched for the details of the claim made in the post, we found the results and videos of the Hungary Ranking Series tournament on the United World Wrestling website. As per the details provided on this website, Sangeeta Phogat in her first round at the Hungary Ranking Series tournament suffered a devastating 0-10 defeat against the US wrestler Jennifer Page Rogers. [...] To sum it up, despite a 10-0 loss in the first round, Sangeeta Phogat made a strong comeback and eventually won the Bronze Medal at the Hungary Ranking Series tournament.


Shram Suvidha Portal has been launched that allocates Unique labour identification number and enables online registration of establishments

The BJP government published an infographic on the 48-months portal that makes three claims about ensuring labour welfare. This article is a fact check of the claims.


20 Gokul Grams are being established and 41 Bull Mother farms modernized.

The second claim is that ‘20 Gokul Grams are being established and 41 Bull Mother farms are modernized’. [...] A response to a question in the Lok Sabha in August 2018 mentions that 20 Gokul Grams and 41 Bull Mother farms are under progress in various states. [...] Fact: 20 Gokul Grams have been sanctioned for 13 states under the scheme. As of August 2018, 20 Gokul Grams and 41 bull mother farms are under progress in various states. Hence the claim is TRUE.


Double taxation avoidance agreement signed with Mauritius, Cyprus, Singapore

On May 10, 2016, India and Mauritius signed a protocol amending the India-Mauritius double income tax treaty that would, among other things, permit India to tax a Mauritian resident on capital gains arising from the sale of shares of Indian companies acquired on or after April 1, 2017. Although equity investments made prior to April 1, 2017 will not be subject to the protocol, the protocol will have a profound impact on foreign investors’ use of Mauritian entities to structure inbound equity investment into India. Foreign equity investors will likely turn away from Mauritius and toward jurisdictions that have more favorable tax treaties with India such as the Netherlands, Cyprus (although it is currently blacklisted in India) and UAE. Although Singapore historically has been among the more favored countries for inbound India investment, the protocol will also apply to Singapore investors because the India-Singapore double income tax treaty links its capital gains tax regime to the capital gains tax regime in the India-Mauritius double income tax treaty.


153 integrated cluster action plans (ICAPs) for 29 states and 1 UT have been developed.

To create 300 such Rurban growth clusters over the next 3 years, which will be ODF, green and also create agro based and thematic clusters based on skilled manpower and access to economic opportunities. - 267 clusters already identified. 153 integrated Cluster Action Plans (ICAPs), which are the blueprints of investment for 29 states and one UT of Dadra & Nagar Haveli. [...] Organic clusters are being especially developed in tribal, rainfed, hilly and remote areas for the welfare of disadvantaged farmers of these regions.


Allocation in budget 2018 raised to 3 lakh crore rupees, a rise of 20% over previous year.

While funding for health, education and sanitation programmes in Budget 2018-19 appears to be the highest over the last three years–a 13 percent rise from the previous year–the money set aside has declined from actual allocations of 2017-18, according to a FactChecker analysis of Budget data . With an eye on the 2019 general elections, finance minister Arun Jaitley announced the world’s largest national health insurance programme, scholarships for 1,000 doctorate engineering students at the Indian Institutes of Technology and Indian Institute of Science, and the construction of 18.8 million toilets by 2019. The estimated budgetary expenditure on health, education and social protection for 2018-19 is now Rs.1.38 lakh crore, a 13 percent rise over the estimated expenditure of Rs.1.22 lakh crore in 2017-18. [...] On a positive note, the budget for the National Nutrition Mission –a programme that seeks to reduce stunting, undernutrition, anemia and low birth weight of babies–under the women and child development ministry, rose over three times, from Rs 950 crore in 2017-18 (revised estimates) to Rs 3,000 crore in 2018-19 (budget estimate). This restores the government’s commitment to the improving nutrition status among Indian children, after the programme’s budget was cut in the revised estimate for 2017-18. From an allocation of Rs 1,500 crore, the revised estimate came down 36.6 percent to Rs 950 crore for that year.


Bio-toilets are introduced in train coaches only after 2014

Bio-Toilets in Indian Railways: In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mission of Swacch Bharat, Piyush Goyal-led Indian Railways has fulfilled the pledge of bio toilets in passenger trains. According to the national transporter, 100 per cent of passenger coaches have been fitted with bio toilets. This has ensured that no human waste is discharged from coaches of passenger trains on rail tracks. With this effort of the Railway Ministry, around 2,74,000 litres per day of excreta on rail tracks are being avoided. Indian Railway had said that with this move, human waste led corrosion of rails and fittings costing an amount of Rs 400 crore per annum, is also avoided. As many as 73,078 passenger train coaches have been fitted with 2,58,906 bio toilets. Further, the national transporter has planned to supplement the existing system of bio toilet with vaccum flushing system toilet (bio vaccum toilets), which substantially reduces the requirement of water for flushing, while ensuring effective flushing of fecal matter from the pans. According to Indian Railways, bio vaccum toilets have been provided in a total of 1,372 LHB (Linke Hofmann Busch) coaches and also, it has been decided to provide bio vaccum toilets in air-conditioned LHB train coaches. Besides, sanctions for 8,500 coaches are also available, Indian Railways said.


417 Mandis and 87.5 lakh farmers and sellers registered.

The second claim is that Produce worth 41,591K crore rupees has been transacted through 417 Mandis and 87.5 lakh farmers and sellers registered through the e-NAM portal. As per a response provided by the government in the Lok Sabha in March 2018, ‘National Agriculture Market (eNAM) is a pan-India electronic trading portal which networks the existing APMC Mandis to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities.’ The government further stated that e-NAM has been deployed 551 regulated wholesale markets in 15 States and 02 UTs across the country as of March 2018. The pilot of the e-NAM was launched in 2016. [...] Claim: Produce worth 41,591k crore rupees has been transacted through 417 Mandis and 87.5 lakh framers and sellers registered. Fact: The e-NAM website shows 585 Mandis in different states and UTs. A total of 1.12 crore farmers have been registered on the platform. The amount of transaction is unverified. The first part of the claim remains UNVERIFIED but the latter two are TRUE.


Minimum wage increased by 42%, directly benefiting 55 lakh workers.

A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers or it is the price floor below which workers may not sell their labour. [...] The basic rate of minimum wages for an unskilled worker in the scheduled employment other than agriculture has been proposed at Rs.350 in Area ‘C’ from the current minimum wage (basic wage + variable dearness allowance) of Rs.246 resulting in an increase of about 42%. The basic rate of minimum wages for an unskilled worker in the scheduled employment "agriculture" has been proposed at Rs.300 in Area ‘C’ from the current minimum wage (basic wage + variable dearness allowance) of Rs.211 resulting in an increase of about 42%. [...] Due to this revision, additional 55 lakh workers would be benefited. This would indeed, be a good gesture on the part of the Government towards the labour fraternity.


Pervez Musharraf has said “Biggest strength of Pakistan is Indian Muslims, not the nuclear bombs. They are converting India into an Islamic nation by population explosion. India can repeal article 370 from Kashmir, India can build Ram Temple, India can win war against Pakistan, but India cannot prevent itself from becoming an Islamic nation”.

Pakistan’s use of the Islamic card had hindered India’s engagement with the region including prohibiting participation in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) despite having one of the largest Muslim populations in the world. India was particularly worried about Pakistan’s membership in the pro-western Baghdad Pact along with Turkey and Iran. The pro-western political, military and strategic partnership fostered a special relationship between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia including the stationing of Pakistani troops in Saudi Arabia and the funding of Pakistani arms acquisitions and its emerging nuclear weapons program. As the war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan intensified, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also became a particularly strong Pakistan supporter. These same two Arab countries became the staunchest supporters of the Taliban regime. [...] Turkey under Pakistan’s influence has been highly vocal about India’s decision to abrogate Article 370. India has countered Turkey’s criticism calling it as an internal affair. India is also worried about Turkey’s growing regional aspirations. India to stymie Turkey’s postures has increased dialogue with Cyprus, Greece, and Armenia. [...] On 5 August 2019, the Government of India (GoI) announced the repeal of Article 370 of the Constitution and reorganisation of the Jammu and Kashmir (J & K) State into two union territories. This sparked an unprecedented, if ill-informed, international response, especially to the region's post-decision limits. Indeed, many countries have acknowledged that the reorganisation is India's internal affair and that the J&K issue must be resolved through dialogue between India and Pakistan.


Eating eggs and banana at the same time will kill a man in five minutes.

The mixture of egg and banana will not lead to poisoning. In many dishes like Banana egg pancakes and Banana scrambled eggs, eggs and banana are mixed to make the dish. Also, the image used in the post has been used previously for other posts related to the Iftar party. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.


All 34 international airports and all 48 domestic airports have been provided with accessible feature.

(19) Where provided, baggage check-in and retrieval systems shall be on an accessible route complying with 4.3, and shall have space immediately adjacent complying with 4.2. If unattended security barriers are provided, at least one gate shall comply with 4.13. Gates which must be pushed open by wheelchair or mobility aid users shall have a smooth continuous surface extending from 2 inches above the floor to 27 inches above the floor. [...] Section 36.211 Maintenance of Accessible Features Section 36.211 provides that a public accommodation shall maintain in operable working condition those features of facilities and equipment that are required to be readily accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities by the Act or this part. The Act requires that, to the maximum extent feasible, facilities must be accessible to, and usable by, individuals with disabilities. This section recognizes that it is not sufficient to provide features such as accessible routes, elevators, or ramps, if those features are not maintained in a manner that enables individuals with disabilities to use them. Inoperable elevators, locked accessible doors, or "accessible’’ routes that are obstructed by furniture, filing cabinets, or potted plants are neither "accessible to’’ nor "usable by’’ individuals with disabilities.


More than 1.16 crore antenatal check-ups conducted at over 12,900 health facilities.

The BJP government has published an infographic on the 48- months portal that makes four claims about welfare & benefits to pregnant women. This article is a fact check of the claims.


The colour markers printed on toothpaste represents the type of ingredient used in it

Fact Check: No, Colored Boxes On Toothpaste Tube Don't Represent Its Ingredients [...] Posts shared on social media claim that different colours on the strip at the bottom of toothpaste indicate its ingredients. An image being shared with the posts says that the black stripe represents pure chemical, the red stripe represents natural and chemical composition, the blue stripe shows natural and medicine, and the green stripe shows natural. The image is shared with the caption, "Meaning behind the colour codes of Toothpaste: BLACK-pure chemical, RED-natural + chemical, GREEN-natural, BLUE-natural + medicine." [...] The website of Colgate mentions that colour code means nothing. According to the website, if you want to know what kind of ingredients your toothpaste has, don't look for a coloured block at the end of the tube. Instead, take a look at the packaging for a comprehensive list of ingredients.


5 Hindus were caught raping a half-burnt dead body in the Sikar district of Rajasthan

The men, who were arrested on August 2, have been formally charged with rape, murder, and destruction of evidence, among other crimes, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement. They could face the death penalty if found guilty. The victim belonged to India’s Dalit community, the most oppressed in Hinduism’s caste-based hierarchy, senior police official Ingit Pratap Singh told CNN. The victim was allegedly gang-raped and killed on August 1 in a southwestern district of the Indian capital, after she had gone to fetch water from a crematorium, he said.


For pre-matric scholarship for OBCs, the rates of scholarship increased substantially.

The scheme of Pre-matric Scholarship for the benefit of children belonging to Weaker Section amongst OBCs has been formulated and this Scholarship would be helpful in spreading education amongst such children especially amongst the girl child of weaker sections. [...] The scholarships may be given to the students enrolled in class I or any subsequent class of pre-matric stage in the case of day scholars, and class III or any subsequent class of pre-matric stage in the case of hostlers. The scholarship will terminate at the end of class X. The duration of scholarship in an academic year will be 10 months. [...] Source: For Complete information on Pre Matric Scholarship Scheme for Other Backward Classes (OBC) Students for Studies in India, Click here


Muslim Advocate Adeel Ahmed recently filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking a ban on Gadar-2 film

A user named Pushpendra Kulshreshtha wrote- "Muslim advocate Adil Ahmed filed a petition in the Supreme Court to ban Sunny Deol’s upcoming film Gadar 2, this film has been made to hurt the sentiments of Muslims. Another user wrote- "A jihadi advocate Adil Ahmed has filed a case on Sunny Deol’s film Gadar 2 to be banned. Now it’s our responsibility to hit. Shri Radhekrishna" [...] Claim Review: Muslims file petition in Supreme Court seeking ban on Gadar-2


The Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) can only accomodate up to 64 candidates.

While the pre-2006 (M1) and post-2006 EVMs can accommodate up to a maximum of 64 candidates (including NOTA), the upgraded post-2006 EVMs (M3) can cater to 384 candidates. Hence, the claim stands FALSE.


Shark Tank India’s Judge Vineeta Singh played the role of Raju’s Mother in ‘3 Idiots’ movie

Shark Tank India season 1 judge, Vineeta Singh, has continuously been juxtaposed with actress Amardeep Jha, as netizens find both somewhat similar in their appearance. Amardeep Jha has played Raju Rastogi’s (Sharman Joshi) mother in famous movie 3 Idiots. Netizens started a meme fest where Vinita was replaced by actress in some photos. Vinita went a step ahead and moulds herself in actual character of Amardeep Jha in a video. The CEO of Sugar Cosmetics has dressed herself in a saree and got a bit makeover to look like Raju’s mother of movie 3 Idiots. The video has been shared by Vineeta on her Twitter as a response to the viral meme comparing her with Raju’s mother in 3 Idiots. [...] The videos begins with an employee noticing Vinita’s meme on social media. He later goes to Vineeta and talk about approvals of budget. Vineeta, portrayed as Raju’s mother, recreates 3 Idiots scene and says, "Paise kya ped pe ugte hai? Tumhe pta hai bhindi barah rupay ki ho gayi hai or paneer to sone k daam pe bik raha hai." He then left her cabin completely baffled and went to his seat.


Congress Manifesto: “Will withdraw the AFSPA, reduce army presence if voted”.

With the country set to elect the 17th Lok Sabha, the Congress on Tuesday released its election manifesto which among other things promised a review of the AFSPA and reduction in the presence of Army and personnel of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in Valley. The Congress Manifesto on Kashmir also said a review of both the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act and the Disturbed Areas Act would be carried out, and "suitable changes will be made in the text of the laws". "Congress promises to review the deployment of armed forces, move more troops to the border to stop infiltration completely, reduce the presence of the Army and CAPFs in the Kashmir Valley, and entrust more responsibility to the J&K police for maintaining law and order," the party said in the manifesto released by Congress president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Tuesday.


Union Minister of State for Home Affairs of India Kiren Rijiju has been re-elected as Member of Parliament from Arunachal Pradesh

Shri Rijiju was welcomed by Secretary Shri Srinivas Katikithala and other senior officials of the Ministry. Shri Rijiju is a Lok Sabha MP from Arunachal (West), Arunachal Pradesh. Born on 19th November 1971, Shri Rijiju has studied B.A., LLB from Delhi. This is the fourth term of Shri Rijiju as the member of parliament. He earlier served as the Cabinet Minister of Earth Sciences and Food Processing Industries in the Government of India since 2023 till June 2024. He also served as the Minister of State for Home Affairs from 2014 to 2019, Minister of State for Minority Affairs from 2019 to 2021, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Sports and Youth Affairs from 2019 to 2021 and as the Law minister from 2021 to 2023. Shri Rijiju has keen interest in badminton, football and athletics. He has also participated in National games. Shri Rijiju has written many articles in the Newspapers and Magazine related to Social, Cultural and Political issues. He has special interests in strategic and security affairs. An active social worker since school days, Shri Rijiju led several social movements as a social worker and student leader. He has represented India in various social and cultural events held in many countries. He was adjudged as the best young parliamentarian by the media during 14th Lok Sabha.


Families of the deceased persons to be given an assistance of 4 lakh rupees, up from 2.5 lakh rupees.

Supporting relatives and carers at the end of a patient’s life [...] Effective support can make a considerable difference to the relatives of people who are dying; helping to allay fears, reducing stress and anxiety, and minimising suffering in bereavement. Clear communication around practical considerations (death certificate, funeral arrangements, information around autopsy, etc) and psychosocial support (normalising grief, cultural and spiritual considerations) is key.


Contribution of 12% to EPF for new employees for 3 years by the government in sectors employing large number of people.

Union Budget 2018: Govt to pay 12% employer EPF contribution for 3 years for new workforce [...] The government will pay the employer’s contribution of 12% of basic salary towards the retirement corpus of individuals in the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) in the first three years of employment. [...] "I am happy to announce that the Government will contribute 12% of the wages of the new employees in the EPF for all the sectors for next three years," finance minister Arun Jaitley said in his budget speech.


S.M.S English Medium School in Karnataka designed a Social Studies question paper for 7th standard students, which exclusively asked questions related to Muslim and other communities, indicating bias against Hinduism

The allegation of prejudice in the Social Studies question paper at S.M.S English Medium School has been refuted by the school management. The first-month lessons covered topics on Christianity, Islam, crusades, the Mongols, and renaissance as per the prescribed syllabus. These topics were then included in the unit test for 7th standard students. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.


No organisation associated with Islam participated in the relief work during the Odisha train accident

Reliance Foundation on Monday announced a 10-point relief plan for the victims of the Odisha train accident, which led to the death of 275 people and injured around 1,000 of them. The foundation has also mobilised its disaster management team to aid the relief efforts. [...] The foundation's relief efforts in Odisha are being coordinated with the government and other agencies. The foundation is committed to providing all possible assistance to the affected people.


atayu, a mythical bird from Ramayana, is found alive for first time in Kaliyug in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh

Video of a huge vulture surrounded by a group of people is being shared on social media claiming that Jatayu (a mythical bird) of Ramayana is found alive for the first time in Kaliyug and gave Darshan in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.


Visuals of a Hindu girl lying in a pool of blood after being murdered by her Muslim lover in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh

The prime accused in the case released a confession video of the crime and shared it from the girl's Instagram account on Friday, police said. In the confession video, the prime accused is heard saying, "My name is Abhijeet Patidar and I along with a partner run a business in Patna. We both had an affair with the girl. She was continuously demanding money from my partner and took about ₹12 lakh from my partner before fleeing to Jabalpur. My partner asked to kill the girl and I did so. We both are involved in the woman's murder." Police said the accused also uploaded a video of the girl lying in a pool of blood in the hotel room. However, he later deleted the video. Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Shivesh Baghel said, "The preliminary investigation has revealed that the accused had booked a room on November 6 at Mekhla resort. Going by the CCTV footage of the resort, he stayed alone in his room that night. The next day, the girl came to meet him at the resort in the afternoon and they ordered something to eat. After about an hour, the youth left the hotel alone after locking his room."


isuals of the people of Pakistan vandalising a mosque in Karachi for its iron and bricks

Vandals Attack Ahmadiyya Muslim Mosque in Karachi, Pakistan Vandals have desecrated two minarets of an Ahmadiyya Muslim Mosque in Karachi, Pakistan. Three thugs entered the Mosque on Martin Road in Karachi, climbed up using a ladder, and desecrated two of its minarets. The upper portion of the minaret has been smashed to bits.


There were 83,000 common service centers pre 2014. This number has increased to 2.92 lakh post 2014.

‘Holistic development driving rural India’ is an infographic published by the government on the 48-months portal. The infographic contains claims about sanitation, service centers and optical fiber connectivity. Here is a fact check of these claims.


While Manmohan Singh spent Rs 12 crore per trip i.e. Rs 493 crore on 38 trips, Modi spent only Rs 10 crore per trip i.e. Rs 443 crore on 44 trips.

NEW DELHI: While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has often come under criticism for his frequent foreign tours, it transpires that his predecessor Manmohan Singh is not much behind, either in the number of trips or the expenses incurred on them. While Singh made 38 foreign trips during his second term (2009-14), incurring a total cost of approximately Rs 1,346 crore, Modi has so far undertaken 48 visits, costing nearly Rs 2,021 crore to the exchequer. The expenditure includes the cost of maintenance of the Prime Minister’s aircraft and setting up a secure hotline. According to information provided by the Ministry of External affairs in Parliament, the maintenance of chartered aircraft meant to fly the PM on foreign trips comprises bulk of the expenditure. The total maintenance cost during UPA-II under Singh was about Rs 842 crore while during the current NDA rule it’s about Rs 1,582 crore. The highest amount was probably spent on Modi’s nine-day tour of France, Germany and Canada between April 9 and 17, 2015.


Prices of cardiac stents and knee implants reduced by 50 to 70%”

The BJP government published an infographic on the 48-months portal that makes claims about affordable healthcare, specifically about essential medicines. This article is a fact check of the claims.


A young Dalit man named Lakhan’s head was shaved, and he was assaulted by a mob in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut

A video is being shared on social media in which a mob is seen shaving a young man’s head and later assaulting him. According to the post’s description, his name is Lakhan, a Dalit, and the incident happened in Meerut. The later part of this post’s description reads, ‘wonder where are all those leaders who go for photo ops to eat in Dalits house now vanished ?’ Let’s fact-check this claim through this article. [...] Fact: According to the news reports, the incident did happen in Meerut. Some people in the Brahmpuri area assaulted a man named Lakhan Kumar. The police clarified that the assaulters and Lakhan both belong to the Dalit community and related to each other. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading. We performed a keyword search on the internet to know if such an incident as claimed in the post happened in Meerut involving a person named Lakhan. This search led us to news reports that contained the same video. According to TV 9 and Amar Ujala, a man named Lakhan Kumar was assaulted by the people of Mangat Puram Basti of the Brahmpuri police station area on allegations of molestation. These media reports did not mention the details regarding Lakhan’s caste.


A circular in the name of AICTE talks about scrapping the 75% attendance rule for the engineering course.

AICTE: ‘Scrapping of 75 Per Cent Attendance Rule’ Circular Is Fake. The circular which has become viral on Social Media is misleading and mischievous, said AICTE in a statement. NEW DELHI: All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) said averted the engineering students and teachers that a recent circular issued on AICTE letterhead regarding scrapping of 75% Attendance rule and introducing Vocational Projects as fake. The circular which has become viral on Social Media is misleading and mischievous, said AICTE in a statement. The council also said it has not issued any circular in this regard. "Your attention in drawn to a fake circular issued on AICTE letterhead regarding scrapping of 75% Attendance rule and introducing Vocational Projects which has become viral on Social Media / Network. The Circular is misleading and mischievous," the statement said. AICTE is now planning to lodge a complaint against the fake circular in the Cyber Crime Cell of Delhi Police. The ‘fake circular’ in question which was addressed to ‘all Directors/Principals of AICTE approved institutions’ was named ‘Scrapping of 75% Attendance Rule and introducing Vocational Projects’. General Public is hereby notified that the circular issued by anonymous sources in the name of AICTE is fake and misleading. It is further informed that AICTE has got no connection whatsoecer with the said circular . pic.twitter.com/YOCHKqoXXR – AICTE (@AICTE_INDIA) January 20, 2018 [...] Click here to View / Dowload AICTE Circular – Fake Circular on Scrapping of 75% Attendance Rule and Introducing Vocational Projects


The song “Mere Angane Mein” was originally from a 19th-century movie called ‘Miss Sheela’ (1883)

A post circulating on social media claims that the popular Bollywood song "Mere Angane Mein" was originally from a 19th-century movie called ‘Miss Sheela’ (1883) and that Bollywood has been blatantly copying without giving credit to the original creator. Let’s verify the claim made in the post. [...] Fact: There is no evidence of a movie by the name "Miss Sheela" released in 1883. Considering that the first Indian talkie film, "Alam Ara," was released in 1931, and the patent for the gramophone was only granted in 1887, with the first-ever Indian recording taking place in 1902, it is highly implausible that a film called ‘Miss Sheela’ was released in 1883 with songs recorded on gramophone records. Furthermore, the song "Mere Angane Mein," which has been featured in several Bollywood films, is actually a traditional folk song from Uttar Pradesh. Therefore, the claim made in the post is FALSE. [...] In conclusion, "Mere Angane Mein" was inspired by a traditional folk song, and there is no evidence to support the claim that it was copied from a purported 1883 film by the name ‘Miss Sheela’.


The bill originally introduced by the UPA had 19 categories as mentioned in an answer in Lok Sabha. The current government amended the bill to include ‘Dwarfism’ & ‘Acid attack victims’ in the types of disabilities. [...] The third claim made by the government is that Acid attack victims have been included in the list of people considered as disabled. ‘Acid attack victims’ is defined as a person disfigured due to violent assaults by throwing of acid or similar corrosive substance in the Rights of persons with disabilities Act, 2016. Under the new Act, acid attack victims fall under the category of locomotor disability within the larger category of physical disability. [...] Fact: Under the new act, acid attack victims are considered physically disabled. Hence the claim is TRUE. It should also be noted that ‘acid attack victims’ as a category was not included in the original bill introduced by the UPA.


Concept design of car safety belt in 1960s that goes around the neck

In 1958 Volvo's efforts in creating an effective safety solution resulted in a patent application for Nils Bohlin's three-point safety belt. His design had four important properties: 1) The system consisted of a lap belt and a diagonal belt, 2) the belts were anchored at a low attachment point beside the seat, 3) the belt geometry formed a V shape with the point directed toward the floor and 4) the belt stayed in position and did not move in an impact. [...] Since the 1960s, Bohlin's three-point safety belt has saved many hundreds of thousands of lives and prevented or reduced the severity of injuries among many millions of others. This makes the three-point safety belt the single most important safety device in the car's 120-year history. [...] Since the 1960s, Volvo Cars has worked hard to increase belt usage. For instance, Nils Bohlin conducted a long presentation tour in the US introducing the three-point safety belt to convince the widest possible audience of its benefits.


Financial security of senior citizens with PM Vaya Vandana Yojana, gives 8% interest for 10 years. Investment limit doubled to 15 lakh rupees and scheme extended till 2020.

The fourth claim is that ‘Financial security of senior citizens has been ensured with PM Vaya Vandana Yojana, that gives 8% interest for 10 years and investment limit doubled to Rs. [...] A document on the LIC website states that ‘Government of India in the budget speech of 2018-19 has announced the enhancement of maximum limit under Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana to Rs. 15 lakhs per senior citizen. The period of sale for this scheme has also been extended up to 31st March, 2020’. [...] Fact: Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY) provides an assured return of 8% per annum payable monthly for 10 years. The maximum limit under the scheme has been enhanced to 15 lakhs rupees per senior citizen and the period of sale for this scheme has been extended to 31st March, 2020. Hence, the claim is TRUE.


World’s biggest Anaconda snake which is 134 feet long and 2067 Kgs weight.

A series of low-resolution photos purportedly showing the "world's largest anaconda" have been circulating online since at least 2010: [...] The world's largest Anaconda was caught in Amazon forest. This snake had eaten 257 people & 2325 animals. It is 134 feet long and 2067 kg. This anaconda was caught alive by a long struggle after 37 days and killed by the Royal British commando force. [...] This claim contains several giveaways beyond the obviously manipulated photographs. Most obviously, a 134-foot-long snake is more than four times longer than the world's largest snake, the Green Anaconda, which (according to National Geographic) can reach a length of about 30 feet. Even Titanoboa, the enormous Cretaceous fossil discovered in 2012, topped out at under 50 feet.


Disinvestment crossed target of 72,500 crore rupees.

Budget guided by the mission to strengthen agriculture, rural development, health, education, employment, MSME, and infrastructure sectors. [...] Loans to Women Self Help Groups will increase to Rs.75,000 crore in 2019 from 42,500 crores last year. [...] - Disinvestment crossed target of Rs 72,500 crore to reach Rs 1,00,000 crore - Comprehensive Gold Policy on the anvil to develop yellow metal as an asset class.


In an open letter written by Dr. Devi Shetty, he called on people to gather at the Governor’s residence of each state with a petition to oppose the recently proposed health care service tax which he labels as a ‘Misery tax’

When I did a 100 heart operations in 1989, I knew it was possible to start a revolution in cardiac surgery: Dr Devi Shetty [...] Theatre of life: Dr Devi Shetty When Devi Shetty was just 14 years old, something remarkable happened in the world of medicine. Christiaan Barnard, a South African cardiac surgeon, performed the world’s first human-to-human heart transplant operation, and the patient lived for 18 days. Shetty, who was studying in a school in Mangalore, Karnataka, was so awed by the development that he decided he would become a heart surgeon. That ambition was reinforced by the respect he saw in people’s eyes for doctors in his town. "They looked at doctors as if they were gods," he recalls.


More than 6 lakh high risk pregnancies identified.

The BJP government has published an infographic on the 48- months portal that makes four claims about welfare & benefits to pregnant women. This article is a fact check of the claims.


1000 scholarships per annum are available

ICAPP Scholarship ($1,000 per year) The Institute for Civics and Public Policy (ICAPP) Scholarship is awarded to students with a passion for civics, public policy or public service. ICAPP Scholars will have unique opportunities to pursue a variety of programs sponsored through the Institute for Civics and Public Policy at Ohio Northern University. Two students will be named ICAPP Scholars and awarded a renewable annual scholarship of $1,000. The deadline to apply is Feb. 29, 2024. TO APPLY - CLICK HERE!


In 2004, under the Manmohan government, there was no tax on income upto Rs. 50,000. In 2019, under the Modi government, there is no tax on income upto Rs. 5,00,000.

Under his tutelage, the tax system was rationalised. Many controls and regulations that saddled Indian business were scrapped and entrepreneurs found themselves empowered with new business freedoms. Productivity jumped and the industry grew in unprecedented leaps. Years later, India’s industry captains still look to Singh with reverence and gratitude. And there is a general expectation that with the "reformist" back at the helm, India’s economy will be in safe hands.


Agro based and thematic clusters for skilled manpower and economic opportunities are being identified

Agro-based clusters in developing countries: staying competitive in a globalized economy [...] Part II [751kb] 5. Agro-based clusters in Asia 6. Agro-based clusters in Africa 7. Conclusions and recommendations 8. Annexes 9. References and further reading © FAO 2010


Nepal bans all Indian TV channels except DD News

New Delhi: Nepal has banned all Indian news channels, except DD News, for alleged propaganda against the country. Reports say that Nepal cable operators have stopped getting signals of Indian news channels. [...] Earlier, Nepal has amended its map which shows some Indian territory as part of it.


Silver foil making process still involves animal products

HYDERABAD: The officials of the State Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) have now started to crack the whip on the process of making silver foil, used on sweets like Kaju kathli and other barfi sweets. [...] "In Chetha Bazar at Charminar, a lot of silver foil is prepared using the traditional method, In this method, where the ‘chandi-ka-warq’ or the silver leaf is made by placing silver inside folded buffalo skin and hammering it until the desired thickness is arrived at," explained an FSSAI official. Though the traditional practice has been a long used method to make silver foil, recently, FSSAI issued guidelines opposing the mode of preparing the silver leaf. According to the latest guidelines, the silver leaf is not supposed to be prepared using any form of animal origin.