Ratan Tata: “In a country, if Prime Minister’s popularity increases due to the death of 65 soldiers, then nobody can save that country from getting destroyed”

The tweet attributed to Ratan Tata is from a fake Twitter handle. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.


Ratan Naval Tata (born 28 December 1937) is an Indian industrialist, philanthropist and former chairman of Tata Sons. He was a chairman of the Tata Group from 1990 to 2012, and interim chairman from October 2016 through February 2017. He continues to head its charitable trusts.[2][3] In 2008, he received the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian honour in India, after receiving the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian honour in 2000.[4] [...] Early life & education [edit]Ratan Tata was born in Bombay, now Mumbai, during the British Raj, into a Parsi Zoroastrian family, on 28 December 1937.[8] He is the son of Naval Tata, who was born in Surat and later adopted into the Tata family, and Sooni Tata, the niece of Tata group founder Jamsetji Tata. Tata's biological grandfather, Hormusji Tata, was a member of the Tata family by blood. In 1948, when Tata was 10, his parents separated, and he was subsequently raised and adopted by Navajbai Tata, his grandmother and widow of Ratanji Tata.[9] He has a younger brother Jimmy Tata[10] and a half-brother, Noel Tata, from Naval Tata's second marriage with Simone Tata, with whom he was raised.


Kuki tribes living in Manipur came from the Burma (Myanmar) as refugees and were later granted ST (Scheduled Tribe) quota in India in 1968

The Kukis are an ethnic group including multiple tribes originally inhabiting the Northeastern States of India, including Manipur, Mizoram and Assam; parts of Burma (now Myanmar), and Sylhet district and Chittagong hill tracts of Bangladesh. Zooming out into the present, when the State of Manipur has been the epicentre of widespread communal clashes since May 3, non-tribal Meitei organisations have described Kuki tribes as "foreigners" and "illegal immigrants". They are holding Kuki-Zomi groups responsible for the ethnic clashes that have claimed more than 120 lives and displaced more than 50,000 people. The Kuki-Zomi groups have denied the allegations, insisting the tribal communities have been systematically targeted for ethnic cleansing. They accuse BJP leader N. Biren Singh’s Government of treating them as "outsiders". [...] Yet today, with sharpened ethnic differences, all three prominent groups in the State are vying for exclusivity, land, and political representation. This can in part be traced back to the fact that the concretisation of tribal identities and nomenclatures in the region happened during the time of the British, who did so for administrative convenience and to fit groups into the distinctions of "civilised" and "uncivilised". Notably, Kuki is not a term coined by the ethnic group itself, the tribes associated with it came to be generically called Kuki under the colonial rule, and were further divided by the British into ‘old Kukis’ and ‘new Kukis’.


The letter does not mention the entire Kukis in Manipur as refugees. Previous letters related to the viral letter indicate that the District Commissioner of Manipur was implementing the humanitarian aid provided by the Indian Government to the Kukis of Myanmar, who were forced to flee to Manipur in 1967 during the Khadawmi operation in Myanmar. Moreover, the Kuki tribes were granted the ST status in India as early as 1950 and and they have existed in the Manipur kingdom for many centuries. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.


An image of a letter dated 1968 is currently being widely shared on social media platforms, claiming to show that the Kuki tribes living in Manipur came from the neighbouring country Burma (Myanmar) as refugees and were later granted ST (Scheduled Tribe) quota in India in 1968, allowing them to enjoy various advantages and perks. Let’s verify the claim made in the post. [...] Fact: The letter does not mention the entire Kukis in Manipur as refugees. Previous letters related to the viral letter indicate that the District Commissioner of Manipur was implementing the humanitarian aid provided by the Indian Government to the Kukis of Myanmar, who were forced to flee to Manipur in 1967 during the Khadawmi operation in Myanmar. Moreover, the Kuki tribes were granted the ST status in India as early as 1950 and and they have existed in the Manipur kingdom for many centuries. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.


India’s longest road tunnel, the Chenani – Nashri tunnel in Jammu is constructed

The Chenani – Nashri Tunnel (also known as Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Tunnel) is India’s longest road tunnel completed in the Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir. The 9.2 km long road tunnel is a major road tunnel project in Northern India and the biggest of the country which includes (9 km Main Tunnel + 9 km Escape Tunnel + 1 km Cross Passage = total tunneling done is 19 km. The highest progress achieved in a Month from 4-Faces was 850 m which is a record in the Himalayan Tunnel by NATM. [...] - The construction cost of Chenani – Nashri Tunnel is Rs 3720 crore, the tunnel will reduce the distance between Jammu and Srinagar from 41 Km to 9.2 Km - 1500 Engineers, Geologist, Skilled workers and Labours worked on the project - 92.7 FM is mandatory for vehicles for quick response where emergency messages will be relayed - 6000 LED multiple color lights will be used to break the monotony - GSM phones will work inside the tunnel. 118 SOS boxes have been set up, one every 150 meters on both sides - Smoke and heat dampeners will react quickly in fire incidents or occurrence - 118 CCTVs, one every 75 meters - At 50 Km/hr speed, the tunnel is 12 minutes to 15 minutes drive - Each tube has a diameter of 13 meters, while sideway has a diameter of 6 meters - Rs.


A social media post that claims that ‘Hindus have the highest fertility rate in World’ is being widely circulated. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post. [...] Hindus and Jews, stand next with a fertility rate of 2.3 per woman, just below the global average of 2.4. This implies that contrary to the viral claim, it is not the Hindus who have the highest fertility rate. [...] India is home to almost 94% of Hindus across the world. Even in India, it is not Hindus who have the highest fertility rate. As per the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2019-21, the fertility rate of Muslims stands at 2.36. While that of Hindus stands slightly less at 1.94.


According to studies conducted by Pew research organisation, globally Muslims have the highest fertility rate of any religious group, with an average of 2.9 children per woman, followed by Christians at 2.6 children per woman. Hindus and Jews, stand next with a fertility rate of 2.3 per woman, just below the global average of 2.4. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.


With a Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.4 children per woman, Hindus have about the same fertility levels as the world’s overall population (2.5) in the 2010-2015 period. Global fertility among Hindus is above the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman (the number considered necessary to maintain a stable population, all else being equal). Hindu fertility rates are highest in the Asia-Pacific region (2.4) and lowest in Europe (1.5). [...] Hindu fertility rates during the 2010-2015 period are 3.2 in Pakistan, 2.6 in Nepal and 2.5 in India. In many countries, Hindu fertility is below the 2.1 replacement level, including Australia (1.7), Indonesia (1.6), the United Kingdom (1.5) and South Africa (1.5).


A recent judgement by an Indian Court allows both the wife and girlfriend to live in the same house

In Indian culture, practice of two individuals (heterosexual) "living together" has existed since time immemorial. However, concubines were kept by men apart from their formally wedded wives for the sole purpose of entertainment and relaxation. After Independence, bigamy was outlawed in India in line with the secular format of family laws.49 There is no specific law in India for dealing with the nuances of a live-in partnership in holistic manner. The provisions under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code and Section 2(f) of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 have been expanded in scope to entitle an aggrieved person to maintenance and to secure legal protection against atrocities within domestic relationships.50 These provisions are neither designed nor adequately framed to define rights and duties of cohabiting partners or to deal with disputes that arise between them. The Indian judiciary over period of time, has assiduously addressed several allied issues but in the absence of legislation, piecemeal judicial approach has also impinged personal views of Judges causing legal conundrum, as deliberated in some of the landmark judgments. [...] The Indian Courts have further dealt with the issue of "relationship in the nature of marriage" to adjudicate disputes relating to live-in relations.59 The constitutional courts have reiterated that live-in, despite not being socially accepted in India, does not contemplate any offence under law. Consequently, two consenting adults are at liberty to live together and no person would be permitted to interfere in their peaceful living.60 The High Court of Allahabad held61 that: (Payal Sharma case61, SCC OnLine All para 1)


Definitely, these couples have few rights or you can say the female partners in these relationships have certain rights. As the Indian judiciary recognises live-in relationships, it ensures protection to the parties in such cohabitations. These rights are provided in order to address the intimate partner violence which women have to go through during their time together. Taking into account their agonies, the Indian judiciary has made remarkable decisions in recent judgments. So what are the most important and basic legal rights of a female in a live-in relationship in India? [...] For the first time in 1993, Supreme Court granted legal validity to the children born from live-in relationships in the case of S.P.S. Balasubramanyam vs. Suruttayan. In addition to that, the bench observed that if a man and a woman reside in the same house and cohabit for a significant period of time, there is a presumption of marriage under Section 114 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872. Ultimately, the children will be recognised as legitimate and will be eligible to receive a share in ancestral property. [...] Supreme Court Guidelines On Live-In Relationships In India


Subramanian Swamy stating that Adani did not acquire the 74% shares of Mumbai Airport from the Indian government, but instead purchased them from multiple foreign partners who Congress sold in 2006

Adani Group takes over Mumbai airport management, now controls 33% of India's air cargo traffic The Adani Group has formally taken over the management of the Mumbai International Airport from the controls of the GVK Group. [...] Adani Group will have 74% stake in Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, post the stake purchase transaction, with 50.5% being bought from GVK Group and 23.5% from minority partners including Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), and Bidvest Group.


Home / Companies / News / Adani Group acquires 74 per cent stake in Mumbai International Airport Adani Group acquires 74 per cent stake in Mumbai International Airport [...] The Gautam Adani-led Adani group has acquired a 74 per cent stake in Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), a joint venture between the Airports Authority of India and GVK Industries. MIAL operates the Mumbai airport — the largest in the country after Delhi.


The types of disabilities have been increased from the existing 7 to 21.

The types of disabilities have been increased from existing 7 to 21 and the Central Government will have the power to add more types of disabilities. The 21 disabilities are given below:- 1. [...] Specific Learning Disability have been added for the first time. Acid Attack Victims have been included. Dwarfism, muscular dystrophy have has been indicated as separate class of specified disability. The New categories of disabilities also included three blood disorders, Thalassemia, Hemophilia and


ii. The types of disabilities have been increased from existing 7 to 21 and the Central Government will have the power to add more types of disabilities. The 21 disabilities are given below:- 1. Blindness 2. Low-vision 3. Leprosy Cured persons 4. Hearing Impairment (deaf and hard of hearing) 5. Locomotor Disability 6. Dwarfism 7. Intellectual Disability 8. Mental Illness 9. Autism Spectrum Disorder 10. Cerebral Palsy 11. Muscular Dystrophy 12. Chronic Neurological conditions 13. Specific Learning Disabilities 14. Multiple Sclerosis 15. Speech and Language disability 16. Thalassemia 17. Hemophilia 18. Sickle Cell disease 19. Multiple Disabilities including deafblindness 20. Acid Attack victim 21. Parkinson’s disease iii. Speech and Language Disability and Specific Learning Disability have been added for the first time. Acid Attack Victims have been included. Dwarfism, muscular dystrophy have has been indicated as separate class of specified disability. The New categories of disabilities also included three blood disorders, Thalassemia, Hemophilia and Sickle Cell disease. [...] The Parliament passed the "Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Bill-2016" on 16th December, 2016. In the Bill, the Disability has been defined based on an evolving and dynamic concept and the types of disabilities have been increased from existing 7 to 21 and the Central Government will have the power to add more types of disabilities. Speech and Language Disability and Specific Learning Disability have been added for the first time. Acid Attack Victims have been included.


The Rs.500 note with green security thread closer to Mahatma Gandhi picture is a fake note

Accept only the note where the green security thread is near to RBI Governor’s signature. Fact: Both the variants of Rs. 500 notes shown in the image are acceptable. RBI Spokesperson clarified that the variation in the notes is due to defect in printing and people can freely accept both variants. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE. When searched for the ‘Rs.500 fake note’ on Google, news articles published back in 2016 on this issue can be found in the search results. According to the Business Insider article, RBI Spokesperson Alpana Killawala clarified, "It is likely that notes with printing defect has got released due to the current rush. However, people can freely accept such a note in transaction or return it to RBI." So, there is no truth in the claim that the note with green security thread closer to Gandhi is fake.


The security thread appears to the left of the Mahatma's portrait. Security thread has a plain, non-readable fully embedded security thread. But since October 2000, the Rs.2000 notes contain a readable, windowed security thread alternately visible on the obverse with the inscriptions ‘Bharat’ (in Hindi), ‘2000’ and ‘RBI’. All the currency notes have security thread. When notes held against the light, the security thread on Rs.2000, Rs.500 and Rs.100 can be seen as one continuous line. [...] On the obverse side of Rs.2000, Rs.500, Rs.100, Rs.50 and Rs.20 notes, a vertical band on the right side of the Mahatma Gandhi’s portrait contains a latent image showing the respective denominational value in numeral. The latent image is visible only when the note is held horizontally at eye level.


WikiLeaks has published the 1st list of black money holders in Swiss banks.

(See attached file: List of Black Money Holders from Wiki


Various posts on social media claim that WikiLeaks has released the "first list" of black money holders in Swiss Bank. The post is going viral on all social media platforms. DigitEye Team also received the message on its Whatsapp fact-checking number. The list contains 24 names — Sonia Gandhi, A Raja, Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, P Chidambaram to name a few. All the money listed next to the names are figures in dollars. The first name on the alleged list is Congress leader Sonia Gandhi who it claimed to be holding more than $56 billion. The numbers are not in chronological order and neither the names are in any set order. According to the alleged list, the lowest amount is held by P Chidambaram. [...] WikiLeaks has not published any report on the same on its website. The latest report was published in October 2019. WikiLeaks took to Twitter and tweeted about a similar list of Indian black money holders. In the 2011 tweet, it clarified that such list "never appeared on WikiLeaks".


By subjecting water to immense pressure and directing it through a minuscule nozzle, it can effectively cut through the hardest materials, including rocks, metals, bulletproof glass, and even diamonds

This is a machine that holds a diamond blade used to cut very hard materials such as tile and glass. These are best to always run with water to keep the dust down and to keep the blade and material cool as it is cut. The finer the grit on the blade, the finer the cut will be. Some blades are so clean they do not boil when you fire polish them. [...] This is a dedicated room where a blower will do cold work that uses water to lubricate as it is cut. Many times you will find a lapping wheel, diamond saw, maybe a drill press with a diamond bit even.


A video demonstrating waterjet cutting technology has been widely shared on social media, claiming that with significant pressure applied to water and forced through a tiny nozzle, it can slice through even the hardest materials, such as rocks, bulletproof glass, iron, and diamonds. Let’s examine the accuracy of the claim made in this post. [...] Fact: While pure waterjet cutting can be used to cut softer materials, abrasive waterjet cutting is required to cut through harder substances such as metals and ceramics. This is because abrasive particles like garnet or aluminium oxide are added to the high-pressure water stream, which increases the cutting force and allows for effective cutting of hard materials. Therefore, the claim made in the post that water alone can cut through the hardest materials, including rocks, metals, bulletproof glass, and diamonds, is MISLEADING. [...] To sum it up, while pure water cutting can effectively cut soft materials, abrasive waterjet cutting is necessary to cut through harder substances like metals. Abrasive particles, such as garnet or aluminium oxide, are added to the high-pressure water stream to enhance cutting force and enable the waterjet to effectively cut through hard materials.


Calculating Pressure: A Fire Hose Nozzle [...] Water pressure inside a hose nozzle can be less than atmospheric pressure due to the Bernoulli effect. Explain in terms of energy how the water can emerge from the nozzle against the opposing atmospheric pressure. [...] What is the pressure drop due to the Bernoulli Effect as water goes into a 3.00-cm-diameter nozzle from a 9.00-cm-diameter fire hose while carrying a flow of 40.0 L/s? (b) To what maximum height above the nozzle can this water rise? (The actual height will be significantly smaller due to air resistance.)


Speech and language disability and specific learning disability have been added for the first time.

''(A) IN GENERAL.–The term 'specific learning disability' means a disorder in 1 or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which disorder may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations." [...] Based on policy and procedure established by the LEA, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) involved in determining whether a child has a specific learning disability are not required to take into consideration whether a child has a severe discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability in oral expression, listening comprehension, written expression, basic reading skill, or reading comprehension. As an alternative to using the IQ-achievement discrepancy model, LEAs can establish a process to determine if a child has a specific learning disability that finds out if a child responds to scientific, research-based instruction (RTI). [...] LEAs may develop a scientific, research-based intervention (RTI) or early intervening program that may be used to determine if a child has a specific learning disability. SLPs must be involved in developing these programs to ensure that students with a speech or language impairment are receiving an appropriate education in a timely manner.


Specific Learning Disability (SLD) Under IDEA, "Specific Learning Disability (SLD) means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. Specific learning disability does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage" (34 C.F.R. Section 300.8(c)(10)). Dyslexia is a subcategory of Specific Learning Disability (SLD) and has been added so that the Department can distinguish students with dyslexia from other students with SLD who are reported in this disability category.


For the first time since 1980 (i.e., DSM-3), the DSM-5 integrated Specific Learning Disorders under one label instead of retaining the separate disorders: reading disorder, writing disorder, and mathematics disorder. There is considerable variability both within and between these classifications, a lack of isolated neural deficits [49], high rates of comorbidity [26]. Given these and the dimensional framework of the DSM-5, the decision was to have one single category for Specific Learning Disorder, but to use specifiers to capture the developmental course and severity of various manifestations at the time of assessment [56]. Specifiers are not mutually exclusive, which means manifestations across academic domains can be captured within a single diagnosis. One of the most common manifestations of Specific Learning Disorder is dyslexia, a difficulty mapping letters with the sounds of one’s language in order to read printed words typically resulting from a deficit in the phonological component of language [20]. In the DSM-5, dyslexia is suggested as an alternative term for problems with accurate or fluent word recognition, poor decoding, and poor spelling abilities.


3.8 crore poor women provided with free LPG connections, target raised to 8 crore.

The first claim is that the government is ‘Ensuring smoke free lives for every Indian family through Ujjwala Yojana’. It says 3.8 crore poor women were provided with free LPG connections and that the target was raised to 8 crore. As per the website of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), the scheme aims to safeguard the health of women & children by providing them with a clean cooking fuel – LPG, so that they don’t have to compromise their health in smoky kitchens or wander in unsafe areas collecting firewood. PMUY was launched in May 2016 in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh. Under this scheme, 5 crore LPG connections were to be provided to BPL families. Under PMUY, cash assistance up to Rs. 1600 is provided for releasing new LPG connection by the Government. The beneficiary bears the cost of Hot Plate and purchase of first refill. The beneficiary has option to take Hot Plate or the first refill or both on loan basis, from OMCs at zero interest rate and the same is recovered through subsidy received by the beneficiary as and when refill is purchased. [...] According to an answer provided in the Lok Sabha by the government, a total of 3.19 crore LPG connections were released under PMUY as of December 2016. This number was at 4.73 crore in July 2018. A press note from the government in February 2018 noted that the Cabinet has approved enhancing the target under PMUY to 8 crore connections from the earlier 5 crore with an additional budget allocation of Rs. 4,800 crores.


The initiative was launched on January 05, 2015 with an objective to provide people with affordable energy efficient appliances across the country. More than 29.83 crore LED bulbs were distributed in just four years, saving Rs. 15,497 crores per year for the people. [...] The Union Cabinet launched the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana on May 01, 2016, which envisages of smoke free rural India. It aims to benefit five crore families especially women living below poverty line by providing free LPG connections by 2019. It will help reduce health disorders, air pollution and deforestation. The Cabinet has approved Rs. 8,000.00 crores for the next three years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the scheme in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh on May 01, 2016. So far 3.8 crore LPG connections were provided to BPL households. The target for the scheme has been raised to provide LPG connections to 8 crore women.


Numerous universities, 7 IITs, 7 IIMs, 14 IIITs, 1 NIT, 103 KVs and 62 Navodaya Vidyalayas established and have started functioning.

7 IITs, 7 IIMs, 5000 Atal Tinkering Labs among new educational institutions coming up: President Ram Nath Kovind 103 Kendriya Vidyalayas, Eklavya Model Awasiya Vidyalayas in all talukas having a majority tribal population and 62 new Navodaya Vidyalayas are also on the cards in an effort to improve India's education system. President Ram Nath Kovind announced on Thursday that the government is setting up 5,000 Atal Tinkering Labs, 7 IITs, 7 IIMs, 14 IIITs, one NIT and four NIDs in India to improve the education standard. He stressed that a multidimensional approach was being taken up to provide increased opportunities for the highest standard professional education. [...] 2. "Every parent aspires for a good education for their sons and daughters so that they can succeed in life... Seven IITs, seven IIMs, 14 IIITs, one NIT and four NIDs are being established," the President said, as per PTI.


Highest ever participation of women in 2016-17 at 56%

Over the past 70 years, womenâs participation in labor force activities has greatly expanded. Immediately following World War II, less than one-third of women were in the labor force. However, women soon began to participate in greater numbers, and their labor force participation rose rapidly from the 1960s through the 1980s before slowing in the 1990s. Women reached the peak of their labor force participation in 1999, with a rate of 60.0 percent. Since then, labor force participation among women has declined, to 56.7 percent in 2015. In addition, a large share of women work full time and year-round. Over time, women have increasingly attained higher levels of education: among women ages 25 to 64 who are in the labor force, the proportion with a college degree more than tripled from 1970 to 2015, increasing from 11 percent to 41 percent. Womenâs earnings as a proportion of menâs earnings also have grown over time. In 1979, women working full time earned 62 percent of what men earned; in 2015, womenâs earnings were 81 percent of menâs. [...] Womenâs labor force participation was 56.7 percent in 2015, down from 57.0 percent in 2014. Menâs labor force participation, which always has been much higher than that for women, was little changed at 69.1 percent in 2015. (See table 2.)


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

BJP MLA Aravind Limbavali apologised after his daughter misbehaved with the media and police officials when she was stopped for flouting traffic rules. BJP MLA Aravind Limbavali has extended his apology to the media and police officials on behalf of his daughter who was caught on camera misbehaving with traffic police officials and journalists after she was asked to stop for jumping a signal. [...] The MLA's daughter argued with the police over a traffic rule violation and the police, in turn, showed her the evidence and collected Rs 10,000 fine.


Cristiano Ronaldo said that he loves Islam more than anything

Misleading claim that Cristiano Ronaldo 'converted to Islam' circulates on social media [...] The post’s headline translates into English as "Subhanallah. Cristiano Ronaldo Converted to Islam and Said Assalamualaikum". [...] Later in the blog post, the text questions whether Ronaldo really converted to Islam. It states: "Cristiano Ronaldo converted to Islam and said Assalamualaikum. But really?"


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.


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

The viral visuals are just a depiction of the concept of incubation of babies through artificial wombs by a Berlin based science communicator and biotechnologist, Hashem Al Ghaili. He confirmed that the technology currently does not exist. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.


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.

-- ANI 07:52 Nirav Modi flees to UK, claiming political asylum Nirav Modi, the billionaire jeweller at the heart of a more than $2 billion fraud case, has fled to the United Kingdom, where he is claiming political asylum, the Financial Times reported, citing Indian and British officials. [...] Nirav Modi is in London trying to claim asylum from what he calls "political persecution", the FT reported.


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

Rahul Gandhi said the Manmohan Singh govt carried out three surgical strikes but the Congress didn't tell the world about it because it did not want to politicise the armed forces. [...] Rahul Gandhi said the reason why the UPA government did not disclose the surgical strike was because "we did not want to politicise the armed forces". [...] When asked about what was achieved by the surgical strikes carried out during Manmohan Singh's tenure, Rahul Gandhi said, "I won't talk about what happened. But the targets that were supposed to be hit were hit successfully."


The source of the information being posted by many users on Facebook is a parody account which posts satirical and parody content. So, the claim made is FALSE.


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. [...] "Do you know that like Narendra Modi’s surgical strike, (former PM) Manmohan Singh did that three times? When the army came to Manmohan Singh and said we need to retaliate against Pakistan for what they’ve done, they also said we want it to be secret, for our own purposes," Gandhi said.


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

Three factors are putting more passengers in planes. "The first is the expansion of economies and the rise in incomes in Asia and Africa," says IATA’s David Oxley. [...] While growth in mature markets like Europe and North America will be more incremental, with existing passengers flying more, China, India, and Indonesia will see more first-time fliers. Either way, that translates into demand for new planes, as established markets upgrade aging fleets and emerging markets grow their flight networks. Boeing has pushed production on its 737 line, which now completes 42 aircraft per month, but is expected to release 57 per month by 2019.


- India is now the third largest aviation market - Passenger traffic growth is in the range of 18-20% over the past three years - More people have travelled in airplanes than in AC trains for the first time - Domestic air passengers crossed 100 million in 2017 - A National Civil Aviation Policy was unveiled in 2016 [...] To verify the claim about the number of people travelling by air being greater than those travelling by AC train, the passenger data provided in the annual reports of the DGCA were compared with data provided in the statistical statements of the Indian Railways. The Indian Railways publishes an annual document titled ‘Statistical Statements’ that gives a breakup of the number of passengers that were carried in that year by the class in which they travelled. This data was aggregated to find the number of people who travelled by AC class in trains between 2012-13 and 2016-17. Total passenger traffic of the AC class is calculated by including the traffic in AC First Class, AC Sleeper Class, AC 3 Tier & AC Chair Car. Total passenger traffic of Airlines is calculated by including both domestic & international passenger traffic. Claim Check: We find that for the first time in 2016-17, unlike the previous years, the number of people who travelled by Airplane is higher than those who travelled in all AC class of trains. Thus, the 3rd claim is also TRUE.


By 2009, the amount of people who flew a commercial airliner in the previous year had risen to 39.85 percent in the Omnibus Household Survey. Gallup polls give numbers that are a little higher. In 2012, 52 percent of respondents said they had flown at least once in the past year, the highest number in a decade. Of course, these are only U.S. flyers, and for many parts of the world, information is even scarcer. A consumer survey conducted by Credit Suisse First Boston in 2004 found that 47 percent of respondents in eight large Chinese cities had ever flown in an airplane. Air travel is on the rise in China, as well as in other parts of Asia and Latin America. "As gross domestic product increases the number of trips per capita increases," Heimlich says, citing numbers produced by airplane manufacturers. "What they show is, to a point, air travel increases exponentially. Places with large populations like China and India are of great interest." [...] What’s not clear from these statistics is whether more people were flying, or the same people were flying more often, or both. It seems likely that the percentage of global citizens who have ever flown is growing, and will continue to grow. We just don’t have the data to back it up.


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

- To ensure good-quality secondary education with a focus on Science, Mathematics and English; and - To reduce the gender, social and regional gaps in enrolments, dropouts and improving retention. [...] - The scholarship amount of Rs.30,000 is provided towards tuition fee reimbursement and Rs.20000 as contingency allowance for 1000 persons/annum. [...] - Students will be tracked through their Aadhaar numbers and incase those not having a unique number will be provided with it.


An infographic published by the government on the 48-month portal makes claims regarding scholarship to persons with disability. Here is a fact check of these claims.


EMERITUS SCIENTIST SCHEME 3 OPERATION OF AN EMERITUS SCIENTIST SCHEME 7 CONTIGENT AND EQUIPMENT GRANTS 8 PROGRESS REPORT & RENEWAL OF ES SCHEME 9 FINAL TECHNICAL REPORT (FTR) [...] 1.5 The grant consists of (i) Scientist Allowance of Rs.20,000/- p.m. to the Emeritus Scientist (ES) for the duration of his/her tenure, (ii) suitable contingent grant per annum, and (iii)technical assistance in the form of research fellows/associates. [...] 7.3 The guidelines for the utilization of contingency grant are given in Annexure-I. The accounts are to be maintained in a prescribed manner as indicated in Annexure-III.


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

The Evian Water Bottle has received mostly positive reviews for its natural taste and refreshing hydration. Users appreciate its balanced mineral content and smooth, clean taste for everyday use. [...] The Evian Water Bottle is a good investment for those seeking pure, balanced, and refreshing hydration. With its eco-friendly practices and naturally smooth taste, it’s a premium choice for daily use and rehydration. [...] The Evian Water Bottle offers pure, refreshing hydration with a clean taste and balanced minerals, making it an excellent choice for those who value quality. While the price is higher than standard bottled waters, the premium experience and eco-conscious packaging make it a worthwhile pick.


The cost of the 1-liter Evian bottled water visible in the viral video is not ₹2900 but rather ₹250. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.


A video showing Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav’s family gathering is being widely shared on social media. The accompanying description claims that the Evian company water bottle seen on their table costs around ₹2900 per litre. Let’s verify this claim made in the post. [...] Fact: The cost of the 1-liter Evian bottled water visible in the viral video is not ₹2900 but rather ₹250. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE. [...] To sum it up, contrary to the claim, the cost of the 1-litre Evian bottled water visible in the viral video is not ₹2900 but rather ₹250.


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 [...] The railways has maintained the best safety record in 2017-2018 fiscal in over five decades, according to official figures. As of March 30, 73 accidents were reported across the railway network, compared to 104 in the previous fiscal, the lowest in 57 years.


The BJP government published an infographic on the 48-months portal that makes 3 claims about improving safety in Indian Railways, i.e., reducing railway accidents & elimination of Unmanned Level Crossings. This article is a fact check of the claims.


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

Posing to engage: The next phase of celebrity engagement, in the last phase of campaigning, saw Modi pose alongside a number of film stars, with no explicit endorsement from them. Such celebrity engagement included a kite-flying session with Salman Khan, and casual meetings with Rajinikanth, Vijay, and a number of southern film stars, a region where the BJP was particularly weak. Indeed, some of these actors, including Salman and Vijay, explicitly noted that they were not endorsing Modi—Salman even said he would vote for a Congress party candidate. However, the willingness of the celebrities to pose alongside Modi and Modi’s willingness to engage with them suggests a two-way acknowledgement of each other’s’ importance. Posing and tweeting with southern film stars, Modi undercut the idea that the BJP was largely a northern party, and likewise tweeting favourably about Muslim public figures including Abdul Kalam, Salman Khan, A R Rahman, and Sania Mirza undercut suggestions of Modi’s anti-secular credentials.


DHARAMSALA: Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, accompanied by his wife Anjali, has reached Dharamsala for a three day stay to meet their son Arjun, who was undergoing a training session by National Cricket Academy at scenic cricket stadium. [...] Tendulkar had avoided the queries of media stating that he loves this hill town and therefore was staying here for couple of days.


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

- As of March 2022, the government plans to spend Rs. 10,565 crore (US$ 1.38 billion) on the Trans-Arunachal Highway and Kaladan Multi-Model Transport Project, as well as other roads development projects such as capital connectivity, district connectivity, connectivity to the international border, and improvement and strengthening of roads in the region of Sikkim. [...] - Under Phase-I of Bharatmala Pariyojana, the Ministry has approved implementation of 34,800 km of national highways in 5 years with an outlay of Rs. 5,35,000 crore (US$ 76.55 billion). Under this scheme, 22 greenfield projects (8,000 kms length) are being constructed; this is worth Rs. 3.26 lakh crore (US$ 43.94 billion). [...] - In August 2021, the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Mr. Nitin Gadkari, announced to launch 1,080-km (road construction) projects worth Rs. 25,370 crore (US$ 3.4 billion) in Gujarat under the Bharatmala Pariyojana—the ambitious road and highways project that aims to build highways from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and then cover the entire string of Himalayan territories.


The BJP government published an infographic on the 48-months portal. This infographic contains claims about the Bharatmala Pariyojana and Setu Bharatam Project. This article is a fact check of those claims.


The Minister of State for Road Transport and Shipping and Chemical & Fertilizers Shri Mansukh L Mandaviya in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today informed that under Phase-I of Bharatmala Pariyojana it is expected to generate roughly 14.2 crore man-days of employment during the construction phase and roughly 22 Million permanent jobs driven by increased level of economic activities enabled by development of the Economic Corridor network. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs had approved the implementation of "Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-I", for the National Highways Road Sector to be implemented by Ministry of Road Transport & Highways and its implementing agencies over a period of 5 years (2017-2022) at an estimated outlay of Rs 5,35,000 crore for upgradation of 34,800 km of highways/roads. Details of Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-I is as below: Funding for the Bharatmala Pariyojana will be through Central Road Fund (CRF), earmarked for NH, Gross Budgetary System (GBS), monetization of NHs through Toll Operate Transfer (TOT), Permanent Bridges Fee Fund (PBFF), Market borrowing and Private Investment.


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

Here is exactly what Tharoor said - "... and this personality cult has not sat very well with many in the RSS establishment. There's an extraordinarily striking metaphor expressed by an unnamed RSS source to journalist Vinod Jose of The Caravan which I quote here, in which they express their frustration with their inability to curb Mr Modi. And the man says, "Mr Modi," he says, "is like a scorpion sitting on a Shivling; you cannot remove him with your hand, and you cannot hit him with a chappal either." And if you think about it, that's a very very profound understanding of the relationship. Because if you remove a scorpion with your hand you will get stung very badly, but if you hit a Shivling with a chappal, then you have undermined all the sacred tenets of the faith that you hold in that the scorpion is sitting on. So, ultimately, you live with it with seething frustration. That may well be a very interesting clue to the rather complex dynamics that exist between the Hindutva movement and the Moditva expression of it." [...] It is clear that Shashi Tharoor did not say he would attack a "Shivling" with a "chappal" and that he only quoted a line from an article published in 2012.


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

The boy who attacked the girl is a Hindu named Sushil Yadav. Local Police clarified that there is no Love Jihad angle in this incident. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.


Agreement on real time information sharing with Switzerland

The agreement between Switzerland and the European Union (EU) on the automatic exchange of information (AEOI) in tax matters is helping to combat cross-border tax evasion. The agreement has been in force since 2017 and is applicable between Switzerland and all EU member states. It implements the global standard on AEOI of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). In 2004, Switzerland and the EU concluded a taxation of savings income agreement as part of the Bilaterals II agreements aiming at combating cross-border tax evasion. This was replaced by the agreement between Switzerland and the EU on the automatic exchange of financial account information in tax matters, which was signed on 27 May 2015. The new agreement implements the OECD global standard on AEOI, which Switzerland committed to in 2014. In this context, Switzerland and all of the EU member states have been collecting information on financial accounts since 2017, and have been exchanging this data since 2018. By implementing the global AEOI standard, Switzerland and the EU are making an important contribution to the prevention of cross-border tax evasion and increasing tax transparency.


India with 5288 tops the list of countries with most universities

As per the UGC, there are a total of 1078 universities in the country. Further, according to the All-India Survey on Higher Education 2020-21, there are totally 1,113 Universities/ University like institutions in the country registered under AISHE. The viral data is mostly collected from Webometrics ranking of World Universities in its June 2021 edition. The methodology of this analysis by webometrics is questionable, as it involves the online presence of a university and its content. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.


Over 31,000 universities exist around the WorldWorld, each with a distinct personality that may impress anyone. India’s Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is the World’sWorld’s largest university with 3.5 million students enrolled. Countries with the educational institutions on the lists provide tertiary, quaternary, and postsecondary education to students all around the WorldWorld. India has the most number of universities in the World. According to data from July 2021, India had 5,288 universities. Due to its vast population, the country has many universities. However, India is ranked 24th in the WorldWorld regarding educational system strength. [...] Rajasthan, with 85 institutions, is the state with the most universities, and it also has the most private universities, with 52. The state with the most recognized universities (28) and most state universities (35) is Tamil Nadu. Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is a popular destination for overseas students in India.


Anand Mahindra Shares List Of Countries With Most Universities [...] Anand Mahindra recently shared a list of countries ranked by the number of universities they have. India topped the list as the country with the highest number of universities. According to the screenshot that Mahindra shared, India has a total of 5,288 universities. [...] Following is the list of the top ten countries with the highest number of universities mentioned in the screenshot: – - India: 5,288 Unis - USA: 3,216 Unis - Indonesia: 2,595 Unis - China: 2,565 Unis - Brazil: 1,297 Unis - Mexico: 1,173 Unis - Japan: 1,063 Unis - Russia: 1,058 Unis - Iran: 704 Unis - France: 617 Unis


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

A social media post attributing a quote to ancient Indian scholar Chanakya (also known as Kautilya) is being widely shared across social media platforms. The Hindi quote attributed to Chanakya loosely translates to "when the entire opposition unites, then understand that the king of the country is honest". Through this article, let’s fact-check the authenticity of the quote attributed to Chanakya. [...] In Arthashastra, Chanakya addresses strategies to handle a united opposition, however, he refrains from endorsing the King’s honesty in the face of the united opposition. [...] To sum up, this quote endorsing the King’s honesty in the face of united opposition is misattributed to Chanakya.


The viral quote is being shared against the backdrop of opposition parties boycotting the inauguration of the new Parliament building. However, the viral quote is misattributed to Chanakya. There are no authentic sources or references attributing the quote to Chanakya. Moreover, in Arthashastra, Chanakya proposed alliances and the concept of joining forces with the enemies of one’s opponents. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.


More line of control violations under NDA than UPA

Total terror related incidents under UPA & NDA govt. are 9739 & 1219. So, the claim is FALSE.


Claim 4: Total Line of control violations under UPA & NDA govt. are 563 & 5596 Fact: Total Line of control violations under UPA & NDA govt. are 517 & 2847. So the claim is FALSE A total of 517 Line of Control violations occurred under the UPA government between 2004-2013, whereas a total of 2847 Line of control violations occurred under the NDA government in 4 years, according to the South Asian Terrorism Portal SATP . So, even here, the numbers mentioned in the post are wrong.


The first claim is that ‘1054 essential medicines brought under price control regime giving consumers total benefit of more than 10,000 crores’. [...] Pursuant to the announcement of National Pharmaceutical Pricing Policy, 2012 (NPPP, 2012), Government notified the DPCO 2013 in May 2013. All the medicines specified in the National List of Essential Medicines prepared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and revised from time to time are included in the Schedule – I of DPCO, 2013 which are under price control in accordance with provisions of DPCO 2013. [...] Claim: 1054 essential medicines brought under price control regime giving consumers total benefit of more than 10,000 crores.


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

Mr modi we only rob bank you rob the whole nation#ModiNotWelcome pic.twitter.com/T4RuWDud1y— AbdQuddus@Hyderabad@india🇮🇳 (@abdquddus117) June 20, 2023 One poster inspired from popular series Money Heist with text "Mr. N Modi, we only rob bank, you rob the whole nation" written on it is being shared on social media platforms in context of the Prime Minister’s visit to the US. The post said, "Posters in USA,loud and clear message from money heist Mr modi we only rob bank you rob the whole nation (sic)". It was shared widely on Twitter, including one by Aurangabad Congress Sevadal. [...] When we searched "Money Heist Posters on PM Modi", Google search threw up results from several old news reports in July 2022 with Hyderabad dateline. The posters were erected in Hyderabad ahead of BJP’s national executive that was held in July 2022 there. The same was reported by Telangana Today, dated July 1, 2022, titled "Hyderabad: ‘Money Heist’ hoarding at LB Nagar calls PM Modi ‘nation robber.’"


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

Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Elimination � WHO African Region, 2000, 2005, and 2010�2015 [...] - Liu L, Oza S, Hogan D, Perin J, Rudan I, Lawn JE et al. Global, regional and national causes of child mortality in 2000-13, with projections to inform post-2015 priorities: an updated systematic analysis. Lancet. 2015 Jan 31;385(9966):430-40. PubMed | Google Scholar - World Health Organization. Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus (MNT) elimination: Progress towards global MNT elimination. 2016. Updated November 9, 2016; Cited 2016 December 18. [...] - World Health Organization. Maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination: validation survey in 4 States and 2 union territories in India, May 2015. Wkly Epidemiol Rec. 2015 Oct 30;90(44):589-608. PubMed | Google Scholar - World Health Organization. Maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination: validation survey in 4 States in India, April 2013. Wkly Epidemiol Rec. 2014 May 2;89(18):177-88. PubMed | Google Scholar - Vandelaer J, Partridge J, Suvedi BK. Process of neonatal tetanus elimination in Nepal. J Public Health (Oxf). 2009 Dec;31(4):561-5. PubMed | Google Scholar - Vandelaer J, Olaniran M. Using a school-based approach to deliver immunization-global update. Vaccine. 2015 Jan 29;33(5):719-25. PubMed | Google Scholar - Global Vaccine Alliance Initiative. New and underused vaccines support GAVI; 2016. Accessed 2016 December 20.


Maternal & Neonatal Tetanus Elimination - India has validated Elimination of Maternal & Neonatal tetanus from the country in May 2015, well before the global target date of December 2015. [...] - Out of 21 endemic states/UTs, 5 state/UTs achieved LF elimination target.


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

The BJP government published an infographic on the 48-months portal that makes five claims about the budgetary allocations and outcomes of the agriculture sector. This article is a fact check of the claims.


New Delhi, Apr 25 () The government today approved a restructured National Bamboo Mission (NBM) with an outlay of Rs 1,290 crore for two years, a move aimed at benefiting one lakh farmers, said an official release. [...] "An outlay of Rs 1,290 crore (with Rs 950 crore as central share) is provisioned for implementation of the Mission during the remaining period of 14th Finance Commission," the release said. [...] The Mission will focus on development of bamboo in limited states where it has social, commercial and economical advantage.


The latest budgetary allocation of Rs 1,290 crore for the National Bamboo Mission (NBM) is a significant step to improve the country's bamboo economy, which was so far shackled by legal and regulatory restrictions. In December 2017, the government, in an amendment to the Indian Forest Act, (IFA), 1927, exempted bamboo grown in non-forest areas from definition as a tree. Bamboo, though taxonomically a grass, was legally defined as a 'tree' under the IFA. The twin objectives of the latest amendment aim to promote bamboo cultivation in non-forest areas in order to increase rural incomes and expand the country's green cover. As a result, this dispenses with the requirement to obtain felling/transit permit for commercial use of bamboo and would transform bamboo cultivation and bamboo economy.
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Bamboo was perceived all along as a wild growth in forest areas and not as a cultivated crop that could be harnessed for profit. Commercial cultivation of bamboo will replace wood as the material of choice for building houses. Success on this score will help stop felling trees, which would otherwise be used as timber, and save the environment from further loss of tree cover.


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

Bihar Liquor Mafia Mows Down Police Inspector To Death, Injures Home Guard Personnel Police inspector Khamas Chaudhary was mowed down to death by a liquor mafia in Bihar's Begusarai. A Home Guard personnel was also injured in the incident. An inspector with the Begusarai police in Bihar was mowed down to death while on a vigil to stop a car transporting liquor in the state, said the Superintendent of Police, as per ANI. A jawan of the Home Guard who was accompanying inspector Khamas Chaudhary also suffered injuries in the incident, the SP added.


A recent incident in Darbhanga district shows how fearless the liquor mafia have become in Bihar. A police constable, on Thursday, died after he was run over by a Scorpio which was on its way to collect a consignment of illicit liquor, according to the police. [...] According to reports, the police had received a tip-off about a consignment of liquor that a gang was looking to collect from an auto. This is why the police were on patrol yesterday. However, contrary to the information received, the gang turned up in a Scorpio. A local villager Manoj Gupta, while targeting the government, said that earlier people used to be killed by the consumption of illicit liquor, now the liquor gangs are killing policemen. The situation has worsened after prohibition, he said.


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

The Facebook post claims that Rajan had warned Rahul about the scam involving Nirav but he was asked to remain silent. [...] Several Facebook users such as Jayaram Ramaswamy, Acharya Sannjiv Sharma, Sahil Mittal and JaiRam Tiwari posted an image of Rajan along with a quote attributing him. The quote reads, "I had warned Rahul Gandhi and P Chidambaram about frauds of Nirav Modi. But they forced me to remain quiet and kept approving the loans till May 2014. Why am I being blamed for the PNB scam now?" Using reverse search or by searching with the keywords "Raghuram Rajan + Rahul Gandhi + Nirav Modi", we could not find any credible report validating the claim. Rather, we came across a news article by News 18 published on March 13, 2018, where Rajan had hit out at social media for a "fake quote". "Social media has a habit of attributing complete rubbish to me," Rajan said.


In the wake of upcoming general elections India, a lot of fake posts are resurfacing on social media and the following is one such post doing rounds in social media again claiming that 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. [...] The post claiming 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 first appeared in social in March 2018 and was debunked by Boom Live then. In the wake of upcoming general election 2019, this post is again doing rounds in social media and a simple google search will result in fact checked articles on this claim. You can also notice Raghuram Rajan denying such claims in an interview quoting "Social media has a habit of attributing complete rubbish to me,"


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


Winners of Mohammed Bin Rashid’s ramadan contest was announced in the presence of Raed Barqawi, Executive Editor-in-Chief of Al Khaleej newspaper, among jury members on Tuesday. Ibrahim Mohammed BuMelha, Advisor to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum for Cultural and Humanitarian Affairs and Chairman of the Jury for His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Ayyam Al Kheir Competition, published exclusively by Al Khaleej during the holy month of Ramadan, has announced the winners of the top 10 winners of the Dhs1-million competition and the names of 100 winners of Umrah packages. [...] Meanwhile, Barqawi said Al Khaleej readers and followers were proud of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Ramadan competition, which was exclusively published by Al Khaleej over the holy month of Ramadan every year.


This is a phishing campaign that targets individuals during the month of Ramadan using WhatsApp messages. The attack begins with a message from a contact that contains a link to a fraudulent website posing as a competition organized by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, offering cash prizes for answering questions about Islam. [...] Ramadan Scam – Mohammed bin Rashid Ramadan Competition [...] "Urgent.. Mohammed bin Rashid Ramadan Competition🌙 Participate now, answer questions and win daily prizes 💵 Gifted by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Everyone is a winner. Hurry Up From here >> https[:]//mbr3[.]pages[.]dev/"


There is no mention of the laptop scheme in 2017-18 budget

The 2017 Union Budget, presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday, was broadly focused on 10 themes — the farming sector, the rural population, the youth, the poor and underprivileged health care, infrastructure, the financial sector for stronger institutions, speedy accountability, public services, prudent fiscal management and tax administration for the honest. [...] - Trade infra export scheme will be launched 2017-18.


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

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.


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

Who is Siddaramaiah - the next Karnataka CM? [...] Siddaramaiah's supporters gather outside his residence, pour milk over his poster As reports came in indicating that Siddaramaiah is likely to be named Karnataka CM once again, supporters of the Congress leader gathered outside his home in Bengaluru and poured milk over his poster, raising slogans. Visuals on local channels showed heavy celebrations as supporters burst crackers and danced on the streets. An official announcement is yet to be made by the Congress party on their decision.


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

The image in the post was the one captured during Priyanka Gandhi’s Uttar Pradesh election campaign in 2017. It was photoshopped by a few to gain political mileage for the upcoming general elections. Hence, the claim made in the post stands FALSE.


More civilians killed under NDA than UPA

Official figures further reveal that more terrorists were killed by the security forces during the BJP's tenure than under the UPA. [...] The number of civilians killed under the current government, however, stands at 100 as compared to 108 under the UPA. Contary to the above-mentioned official data, Surjewala had, on December 29, claimed in a tweet that as many as 134 civilians were killed under the NDA rule, whereas 71 were killed when the UPA was in power.


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

Following the recent launch of Google Bard on 10 May 2023, a flurry of advertisements (here and here) have emerged on social media promoting a ‘downloadable version’ of Google’s AI chatbot. These posts provide a link to what they claim is this downloadable version. This article looks at the authenticity of these claims. [...] These advertisements purport that the provided link offers access to a downloadable version of Google Bard AI. However, considering that Bard is an AI chatbot accessible via a web browser or as a Chrome extension, it’s ill-advised to download any content from such unverified and potentially unsafe sources. The provided link redirects to a website with a URL entirely different from the official Bard AI website, and it hosts a downloadable .EXE file, which could be a form of malicious software. Moreover, there’s a lack of trustworthy online information that corroborates the existence of a downloadable version of Bard AI. In fact, news reports (here and here) warn that cybercriminals are exploiting compromised verified (and unverified) social media accounts to bait users into downloading malware.


Concerns about the growing abilities of chatbots trained on large language models, such as OpenAI’s GPT-4, Google’s Bard and Microsoft’s Bing Chat, are making headlines. Experts warn of their ability to spread misinformation on a monumental scale, as well as the existential risk their development may pose to humanity. As if this isn’t worrying enough, a third area of concern has opened up – illustrated by Italy’s recent ban of ChatGPT on privacy grounds. [...] As chatbots become embedded in the internet and social media, the chances of becoming a victim of malware or malicious emails will increase. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has warned about the risks of AI chatbots, saying the technology that powers them could be used in cyber-attacks.


Google Bard, made available to all users as of 10 May 2023, functions exclusively in-browser and is not offered as downloadable software. The links embedded in these advertisements direct to malicious software, posing a risk of potentially compromising sensitive information on the systems where it’s installed. Hence, the claim made in this post is FALSE.


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.

"Veins give strength to our body. Similarly, infrastructure will give speed and strength to the development of India. There will be progress if we focus on building road and railway network, optical fibre network, water, grid and electricity connectivity along with electricity supply. Our government is working in that direction," Mr. Modi said while launching the Rs. 50,000 crore ‘Setu Bharatam’ project. The ‘Setu Bharatam’ project aims to make all national highways free from railway level crossing by 2019 to ensure road safety. Under the project, 208 rail-over bridges and rail-under bridges will be built at the cost of Rs. 20,800 crore, Road Minister Nitin Gadkari said. Also, 1,500 decade-old bridges will be reconstructed and revamped for Rs. 30,000 crore. [...] Published - March 04, 2016 11:44 am IST


Setu Bharatam was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 4 March 2016 at a budget of ₹102 billion (US$1.2 billion), with an aim to make all national highways free of railway crossings by 2019.[1] Under the project, as many as 208 rails over and under bridges (ROBs/RUBs) would be constructed at unmanned railway crossings on national highways and 1,500 dilapidated British-era bridges would be widened, rehabilitated or replaced in a phased manner at a cost of ₹208 billion (US$2.5 billion) and ₹300 billion (US$3.6 billion), respectively.[2][3] Setu Bharatam programme aims to make all National Highways free of railway level crossings by 2019. This is being done to prevent the frequent accidents and loss of lives at level crossings. 208 Railway Over Bridges (ROB)/Railway Under Bridges (RUB) will be built at the level crossings at a cost of ₹20,800 crore as part of the programme.


Setu Bharatam was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 4 March 2016 at a budget of ₹102 billion (US$1.2 billion), with an aim to make all national highways free of railway crossings by 2019.[1] [...] Setu Bharatam programme aims to make all National Highways free of railway level crossings by 2019. This is being done to prevent the frequent accidents and loss of lives at level crossings. 208 Railway Over Bridges (ROB)/Railway Under Bridges (RUB) will be built at the level crossings at a cost of ₹20,800 crore as part of the programme. [...] - ^ "PM Modi launches Rs 50,800 cr Setu Bharatam project to ensure highways without railway crossings by 2019". The Indian Express. 4 March 2016.


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

Chitragupta, Life of Barrister Savarkar (Madras: B. G. Paul & Co., 1926) [...] Longuet, Jean, Mémoire Présenté à la Cour d'Arbitrage de La Haye au nom de M. Vinayak Damodar Savarkar par Me J. Longuet (Paris, 1911) [...] Vaidya, Prem, Savarkar: A Lifelong Crusader (New Delhi: New Age International (P) Ltd, 1996)


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. In light of PM Modi’s recent remarks strongly advocating for the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and criticizing opposition parties for allegedly inciting minority communities against it, a post is circulating widely on social media platforms claiming that Hindus who wish to express their support for the UCC should give a missed call to ‘9090902024’ before 06 July 2023. Let’s verify the accuracy of this claim. [...] Fact: The Government of India has not launched any missed call initiative for expressing support or opposition to the Uniform Civil Code. Individuals can share their views on the UCC on website of Department of Legal Affairs or by sending e-mail to Law Commission of India. Moreover, the number ‘9090902024’ is linked to a BJP campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha Polls, where users can give a missed call to show support for the nine years of the Modi Government. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.


Uniform Civil Code – Public Notice 14/06/2023 28/07/2023


A user named Mukesh Vlogs shared the post on Facebook on January 31, 2024. This post reads, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to bring a Uniform Civil Code for the entire Indian population. For this, the citizens of the country have been asked to give their opinion. Within two days, 4 crore Muslims and 2 crore Christians have voted against UCC. Therefore, before the deadline 6th July, all Hindus in the country are requested to vote in favour of UCC. Please give a missed call on 9090902024 to support UCC and save the country. Your call will be recorded and will be accepted as support to UCC. Please share this information with all Hindus. Best wishes to all who gave a missed call on 9090902024. Bharat Mata Ki Jai. If you like this message If you share this with more than 100 people, you will be doing a great service to the country."


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

Banks Cannot Refuse To Accept Scribbled Bank Notes: RBI [Read Notification] [...] Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has clarified by its notification dated 25th April 2017 that the bank branches cannot refuse to accept scribbled/coloured/faded bank notes.Lately, RBI has received complaints from the general public that bank branches are refusing to take scribbled bank notes or whose colour has faded, particularly the ones in the denomination of INR 500 and INR 2000.Earlier RBI... [...] Thereby, through this notification, RBI has elucidated that bank branches are liable to accept bank notes even though it is scribbled/ coloured/ faded. Such notes are to be treated as soiled notes. In case, bank branches fail to accept such notes then it may invite punitive action.


Recently, the Union government issued a clarification about scribbling on bank notes after a viral image stated that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released new guidelines, under which writing on a note renders it invalid. The circulated message read: "As per New Guidelines of Reserve Bank of India, Writing anything on new notes makes the note invalid & it will no more be a legal tender." [...] "NO, Bank notes with scribbling are not invalid & continue to be legal tender. Under the Clean Note Policy, people are requested not to write on the currency notes as it defaces them & reduces their life," the PIB tweeted, with a graphic of the fake message that was circulated online.


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

You must provide an original or certified copy* of identity/citizenship status documentation during the application process and the names on all documents must match exactly with the name provided on the application. If you have legally changed your name, you must provide an original or certified name change document (such as marriage certificates and divorce decrees) in addition to the required documentation. Please bring one of the documents in List A to an application center.


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

Shri Gehlot informed 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. The Minister said that the additional benefits have been provided for persons with benchmark disabilities and those with high support needs. Every child with benchmark disability between the age group of 6 and 18 years shall have the right to free education. He said that it has been proposed to increase reservation from 3% to 4% in Government jobs for certain persons or class of persons with benchmark disability. [...] xiii. The Bill provides for penalties for offences committed against persons with disabilities. xiv.Designated special Courts have been proposed to handle cases concerning violation of rights of PwDs.


Constitutional Provisions on Disability - Article 41 of the Constitution of India declares that the State shall, within the limits of its economic capacity and development, make effective provisions for securing the right to work to education and to public assistance in cases of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement and in other cases of undeserved want. [...] - Penalties for offences: Provides for penalties for offences committed against persons with disabilities and violation of provisions of the new law. [...] A central sector scheme under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD).


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

A video circulating on social media is promoting a conspiracy theory surrounding the sinking of the Titanic. According to the theory, the Titanic ship never sunk and it was actually the HMS Olympic, one of the Titanic’s sister ships, that was deliberately sunk. The theory suggests that the Olympic, which had been damaged in an accident, was returned to the manufacturer for repairs while the Titanic was under construction. To recoup the losses from the accident and claim the insurance, the company allegedly switched the names of the two ships, and the Titanic was then deliberately sunk, resulting in the loss of over 1500 lives. The video claims that the source of these claims was Robin Gardner. Let’s check the veracity of these claims. [...] To sum it up, the evidence gathered from various sources including historical documents, shipbuilding records, and testimonies from experts, researchers, and historians strongly suggests that there is no basis to support the claims that the Titanic was switched with the Olympic and intentionally sunk for insurance fraud. Therefore, the theory remains a baseless and unfounded conspiracy.


Gardiner and van der Vat's theory runs like so: The Titanic did not sink. Rather, her damaged and almost identical sister-ship the Olympic was substituted and deliberately sunk in her place as part of a gigantic insurance fraud. [...] This, the theory continues, was accomplished with a simple switch. To the untrained eye, the Olympic and the Titanic were almost identical, and so a clandestine slight-of-hand was accomplished while the two ships were in dock together at the Harland and Wolff yard at Belfast in March, 1912. Name-plates, life-belts and so forth were secretly swapped. The Olympic" now disguised as the Titanic, was patched up and deliberately sailed into a known ice-field... The authors stress that this is not a mass murder conspiracy, but "an insurance fraud which went horribly wrong." The plan, they speculate, was that the "Olympic/Titanic" would indeed hit an iceberg, but that her water-tight compartments would keep her afloat for long enough for other ships of the same line safely to take off all the passengers and crew before the great ship went down. Unfortunately for all concerned, they claim, the liner's "ever-impetuous" Captain Smith got it "wrong" and hit the ice-field early, resulting in massive and terrible loss of life.


Bridges over Narmada at Bharuch and Chambal at Kota.

The BJP government published an infographic on the 48-months portal that makes three claims about the tunnels and bridges in India constructed during the 48 months of the government. This article is a fact check of these claims.


The second claim is that bridges over Narmada at Bharuch and Chambal at Kota have been built. The annual report of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (2017-18) states that, ‘a new four lane, extra-dosed bridge across river narmada at baruch, was inaugurated by the prime minister in March 2017, has brought relief for the people travelling on the vadidara-surat section of NH-8.’ The 1.4 kilometre extra dosed cable stayed bridge is the second such bridge in the country and the longest. The report also states that ‘a 6-lane cable stayed bridge across river Chambal at Kota was inaugurated by the Prime Minister in August 2017.’ It was built at a cost of Rs. 278 crores and marks the completion of the east-west corridor. [...] Fact: The bridge over Narmada at Baruch was approved during the UPA and has been constructed by the present government. The bridge on Chambal at Kota has been under construction since 2006 before a part of it collapsed in 2009. The current government completed the bridge. Since both the previous government and the current government had a role to play in the construction of these bridges, the claim is PARTLY TRUE.


Nayapura Chambal Bridge, Kota [...] Chawni Fly Over, Kota


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

About GrAMs - GrAMs are defined as "Retail agricultural markets in close proximity of the farm gate that promote and service a more efficient transaction of the farmers’ produces across the agricultural sub-sectors, by enabling both direct sales, between the producer and consumer, and aggregation of small produce-lots for subsequent transaction, both of which can occur either physically or online".[iv] - These GrAMs, electronically linked to e-NAM and exempted from regulations of APMCs, will provide farmers facility of direct sale to consumers and bulk purchasers.[v] [...] Objectives of GrAMs - Direct sale: The farmer-producers may offer any of their Agri-produce on sale directly to the consumers without having to go through the market regulations. The consumer could be a retail purchaser or a bulk purchaser (trader, processor, exporter etc); and the sale can occur through a physical negotiation or via an online trade platform like e-NAM. The disintermediation of such a transaction will result in transferring maximum value to the farmer on his produce.[vi]


These GrAMs, electronically linked to e-NAM and exempted from regulations of APMCs, will provide farmers facility to make direct sale to consumers and bulk purchasers. Moreover, an Agri-Market Infrastructure Fund with a corpus of Rs.2000 crore will be setup for developing and upgrading agricultural marketing infrastructure in the 22000 Grameen Agricultural Markets (GrAMs) and 585APMCs. He said, so far 470 APMCs have been connected to e-NAM network and rest will be connected by March, 2018. Shri Jaitley announced Rs 200 crore for organized cultivation of highly specialized medicinal and aromatic plants and said that the organic farming by Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and Village Producers’ Organizations (VPOs) in large clusters, preferably of 1000 hectares each will be encouraged. Similarly, allocation of Ministry of Food Processing has been doubled from Rs.715 crore in 2017-18 to Rs.1400 crore in 2018-19. Terming Bamboo as ‘Green Gold’, the Finance Minister announced a Re-structured National Bamboo Mission with an outlay of Rs.1290 crore to promote bamboo sector in a holistic manner. Under Prime Minister Krishi Sinchai Yojna-Har Khet ko Pani, 96 deprived irrigation districts will be taken up with an allocation of Rs 2600 crore.


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

- - 3.15 crore children vaccinated - 80.58 lakh children fully immunized - 80.63 lakh pregnant female immunized - 91.94 lakh vitamin A doses administered - 79.73 lakh ORS packets distributed - 2.73crore zinc tablets distributed - Intensified Mission Indradhanushlaunched by PM on 8th October 2017 at Vadnagar, Gujarat to cover 121 districts, 17 urban areas and 52 districts of NE states (total 190 districts/urban areas across 24 states) for intensified immunization campaign. [...] In concurrence with the World Polio End Game strategy, IPV was introduced in November 2015 in six states and expanded throughout the country by June 2016. Till December’17, nearly 3.87 crore doses of IPV have been administered to children across the country since its introduction. [...] - Till January’18, more than 14 lakh doses of PCV have been administered to children across above mentioned areas.


Participating in the Global Polio Endgame Strategy (2013–2018), by introducing a highly effective IPV, in addition to OPV in routine immunization, it was introduced on November 30, 2015, and globally synchronized switch activity from trivalent oral polio vaccine (tOPV) to bivalent oral polio vaccine (bOPV) was achieved on April 25, 2016, with Global Alliance for Vaccine Initiative (GAVI) and NTAGI that recommended IPV introduction as an additional dose along with third dose of DPT in the entire country in the first quarter of 2016.11 This was followed by introduction of the fractional intradermal dose IPV (f-IPV) in two doses at 6 weeks and 14 weeks replacing the single-dose intramuscular schedule. As IPV is an inactivated vaccine, it carries no risk of vaccine-associated paralytic polio (VAPP) and vaccine-derived polio virus (VDPP). Injectable polio vaccine provides excellent humoral immunity and also boosts intestinal mucosal immunity in OPV-primed children. Recent studies in India and Bangladesh have shown that two f-IPV intradermal doses provide similar levels of protection as compared with one full intramuscular IPV dose.12 The primary role of IPV will be to maintain immunity against type II poliovirus while removing all polio virus serotypes globally.


Social security has been made a nationwide phenomenon with Jan Suraksha

The government has published an infographic that makes certain claims about financial inclusion and insurance. Here is a fact check of these claims.


The next claim is that social security has been made a nationwide phenomenon with Jan Suraksha. It also claims that more than 19 crore people have been insured against life and accident risk or ensured pension. As per an answer provided by the government in Lok Sabha, "Three social security schemes were launched in May 2015 pertaining to the Insurance and Pension Sectors namely Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) in a move towards creating a universal social security system, targeted especially for the poor and the underprivileged. The schemes provide essential and affordable social protection to all citizens in a convenient manner linked to auto-debit facility from bank accounts. These schemes address the issue of low coverage of life or accident insurance and old age income security in the country." PMJJBY was launched in May 2015 and it offers life cover of Rs. 2 lakh to all subscribing bank account holders in the age group of 18 to 50 years, covering death due to any reason, for a premium of Rs.330 per annum per subscriber. The scheme is administered through LIC and other Life Insurance companies willing to offer the product on similar terms. PMJJBY covers death by any cause including suicide and murder. According to the latest progress report on the Jan Suraksha website, a gross enrollment of 5.3 crore has been reported by banks.


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

New Delhi: 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 percent. 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 percent interest subsidy to ensure farmers get short-term farm loan of up to Rs 3 lakh at an effective rate of 7 percent per annum. An additional incentive of 3 percent is being given to farmers for prompt repayment of loans within due date, making an effective interest rate for them at 4 percent.


The third claim is that farm credit target has been raised to a record high of 11 lakh crore rupees for 2018-19. The Finance minister, in his budget speech (2018-19) announced that the target for the institutional credit for the agricultural sector has been raised to 11 lakh crore rupees from 10 lakh crores in 2017-18 and from 8.5 lakh crore in 2014-15. In the 2013-14 budget, the then Finance Minister had announced increasing the target of farm credit to 7 lakh crore rupees for 2013-14. The following graph shows the increase in farm credit targets in the Union budget since 2009-10. The data has been gathered from the union budget speeches over the years.Successive governments have increased farm credit target every year. During the 2nd term of UPA between 2009-10 to 2013-14, the farm credit target increased from 3.3 lakh crore rupees to 7 lakh crore rupees (an increase of more than 100%). On the other hand, during the current government, the farm credit target has increased from 8 lakh crore rupees in 2014-15 to 11 lakh crore rupees in 2018-19 (an increase of about 40%). [...] Fact: Farm credit target has been set at 11 lakh crores in the budget of 2018-19. Though it is a record high, this is inline with the increase that happens every year during successive governments. Hence, the claim is PARTLY TRUE. It also has to be noted that successive governments have increased the farm credit target and the increase during the UPA-2 was over 100%, more than the percentage increase during the current government.


Bhutan has become the first country in the world without Mosques

A post is being shared on social media claiming that Bhutan has become the first Mosque-free country in the world. The post claims that there is not even a single Mosque in Bhutan for Muslims to offer their religious prayers. Let’s verify the claim made in the post. [...] Upon further research, we found that there are a few countries like Monaco and Slovakia where there are no Mosques for Muslims until now. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that Bhutan is not the only nation without Mosques in the world. To sum it up, Monaco and Slovakia are a few other nations that have no Mosques in their countries like Bhutan.


Government paying compensation in case of accidental deaths

§8102. Compensation for disability or death of employee (a) The United States shall pay compensation as specified by this subchapter for the disability or death of an employee resulting from personal injury sustained while in the performance of his duty, unless the injury or death is-- (1) caused by willful misconduct of the employee; [...] §8133. Compensation in case of death (a) If death results from an injury sustained in the performance of duty, the United States shall pay a monthly compensation equal to a percentage of the monthly pay of the deceased employee in accordance with the following schedule: [...] Compensation paid under this subsection is instead of all other compensation from the United States for the same injury or death, and a payment made under this subsection is deemed compensation under this subchapter and is satisfaction of all liability of the United States in respect to the particular injury or death.


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

AMRIT pharmacy outlets which is a revolutionary step towards giving relief to the common man will provide 164 medicines (branded drugs) for cancer, 191 for cardio-vascular diseases and 5,200 other Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are now being given at 50-90 per cent less price to the patient. [...] India’s first pharmacy retail store came into being at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) that will provide drugs for cancer and cardiovascular diseases at a 60 to 90 per cent discount on prevailing market rates. The pharmacy which is branded AMRIT (Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment), will also provide cardiac implants that will be sold at 50 to 60 per cent discount. [...] The chief minister, who along with Nadda also laid the foundation stone of Super Speciality block of IGMC Complex to be constructed at Chamyana, 20 km from Shimla said, "AMRIT Pharmacy outlet in IGMC campus will provide medicines at 70 to 90 per cent cheaper rates. "The launch of this would be a major relief for the patients who cannot afford costly medicines for treatment of cancer, cardiac and other diseases. This will also enable the patients to purchase medicines under one roof."


The third claim is that ‘AMRIT pharmacies provide drugs for cancer and cardiovascular diseases at a discount of 60 to 90 percent’. As per information shared in the Lok Sabha, AMRIT (Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment) Pharmacies are being opened and operated by M/s.HLL Lifecare Ltd., a Central Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, with an objective of providing affordable medicines for treatment of Cancer, Cardiovascular and other diseases, stents, implants, surgical disposables and other consumables, thereby reducing the out of pocket expenses. The first AMRIT pharmacy was opened in November 2015 at AIIMS, New Delhi. [...] Fact: AMRIT pharmacies provide drugs for cancer, cardiovascular and other diseases, stents, implants, surgical disposables and other consumables. The average discount that patients can avail ranges from 50 to 55%. Hence, the claim is FALSE.


Affordable Medicines And Reliable Implants For Treatment (AMRIT) The AMRIT pharmacies provide drugs for cancer and cardiovascular diseases along with cardiac implants at a 60 to 90 per cent discount on prevailing market rates. - As of now 124 stores have been opened so far across 22 states selling over 5200 drugs (including cardiovascular, cancer, diabetes, stents, etc), implants, surgical disposables and other consumables at significant discount of up to 50 % on market rates.


The time taken for environmental approvals has been brought down to 180 days from 600 days.

6. The license must not be issued until the Administrator of the Division is satisfied that the proposed facility will be in compliance with the applicable codes concerning safety of human life, environmental health, and building and zoning, as established respectively by the State Fire Marshal, the State Board of Health and the appropriate local government. A report of inspection by the State Fire Marshal or the Division, finding satisfactory conditions, may be accepted by the Administrator as proof of compliance with the applicable regulations. [...] 9. If the applicant and the proposed facility are in compliance with the provisions of this chapter, as shown by his or her application and related material and the investigation, a license will be issued to the applicant within 30 days after completion of the investigation. [...] 1. To maintain his or her license, the licensee must ensure that his or her facility meets all standards for environmental health which are established by the Division.


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

A viral video of snowfall in the Grand Mosque of Mecca has been widely making rounds on social media in the past few days. However, an official weather institution in Saudi Arabia has debunked the video. [...] The footage shows men and women enjoying the snowfall, while some even shooting the phenomenon on their phones or taking selfies. Even a policeman is seen carrying an umbrella. [...] Arab Weather, an account on Twitter, corroborated the news, tweeting, "Disclaimer: The circulating video titled ‘For the first time snow in Makkah Al-Mukarramah 1-1-2023’ is a technically modified video using filters, knowing that the temperature in Makkah today reached 30 degrees Celsius, and it is not climatically prepared for snowfall."


Great Mosque of Mecca, mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, built to enclose the Kaaba, the holiest shrine in Islam. As one of the destinations of the hajj and ʿumrah pilgrimages, it receives millions of worshippers each year. The oldest parts of the modern structure date to the 16th century.


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

The deceased in the mob lynching incident that took place recently in Pakistan’s Nankana Sahib is identified as Muhammad Waris, a Muslim. Multiple news agencies have reported this. Even the concerned police official confirmed that deceased is a Muslim. However, we could not find any report associating the viral visuals to the recent incident. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.


A victim of blasphemy mob lynching in Pakistan [...] In February of 2023, a charged mob entered the police station located in the Nankana Sahib district of Punjab. They proceeded to violently attack and kill a man who was being detained there. This individual had been accused of desecrating the Holy Quran, and some local residents had accused him of engaging in witchcraft. After the Nankana Sahib incident, PM Shehbaz Sharif launched an investigation and voiced his concern about the police’s failure to prevent the charged mob from committing violence. However, in 2018, when Shehbaz Sharif was the Chief Minister of the Punjab province in Pakistan, he was observed inaugurating a new OPD block at the Services Hospital that was named after Ghazi Ilm-ud-din. The same individual who killed Raj Pal over an alleged blasphemy incident. This raises questions about the message that Shehbaz Sharif was sending by dedicating a building in honour of a murderer [21]. If a building can be named after Ghazi Ilm-ud-din, who was responsible for committing a murder in the name of blasphemy, then one could expect a building to also be named after Mumtaz Qadri, who committed a similar act. Khalid, or the charged mob that lynched an individual in the Nankana Sahib district. After all, all of them committed the same act of killing an alleged blasphemer. This kind of hypocrisy is concerning, where on one hand, there are actions being taken, but on the other hand, there are tributes being paid.


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

2 groups clash, hurl stones over Ram Navami procession in front of Lucknow mosque The incident allegedly took place in a Lucknow village after a group of people played loud music in front of the mosque. [...] ALSO READ | 1 dead, several others injured during Ram Navami procession in Bengal's Dalkhola


HASSAN: Tension prevailed for a while at Megalakeri Extension of Channarayapatna town after a youth in a particular community allegedly stabbed two people during the procession of Rama Navami celebrations on Friday. SP Hariram Shankar said the incident occurred over ‘personal rivalry’. The injured have been identified as Muruli and Chetan of the same extension and they are undergoing treatment at taluk hospital. The incident occurred when the procession passed in front of a masjid where a group of youths was airing slogans against Sri Rama.


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

An old debunked Facebook post was being shared by people again claiming that the Indian National Anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’ was declared by UNESCO as the best anthem in the world. Let’s try to analyze it. [...] Fact: 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 When visited the official UNESCO website , a document was found regarding various rumors and fake news spread across the world in the name of UNESCO. In that document it can be found that the news ‘Jana Gana Mana’ being declared as the world’s best anthem by UNESCO was one of the favorite rumors.


Another favourite Indian rumour involving UNESCO is the claim that India’s national anthem–Jana Gana Mana–has been declared the "Best National Anthem In The World". The fake news started in 2008 through email and then caught the UN agency’s attention. "We are aware of several blogs in India reporting this story, but can assure you that UNESCO has made no such announcement concerning the anthem of India or any country," a UNESCO official toldIndia Today in 2008. [...] Congratulations!! ?Our National Anthem "Jana Gana Mana. "is now declared as "THE BEST ANTHEM OF THE WORLD" By UNESCO.!PROUD to be an INDIAN. [...] It isn't an independence day without "UNESCO declared india's National Anthem the best" message on whatsapp, especially on the family group.