Truth vs Hype

As the High Court rebukes the BJP government of Haryana for the violence that erupted after self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was convicted, we trace the chain of culpability to the very top and ask why, despite evidence of repeated incompetence, is the BJP still backing Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

Confronted with more and more evidence that demonetisation may have dented the economy, the government has put out a confusing jumble of numbers to show that the move to scrap Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes has led to a surge in India's tax base. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech said that 56 lakh people filed Personal Income Tax Returns after notes ban - a big jump from same period last year. The latest Economic Survey says 5.4 lakh new taxpayers were added after notes ban. The Finance Minister earlier suggested that 91 lakh new taxpayers were added as a result of demonetization. 56 lakh, 5.4 lakh, 91 lakh - what is the correct number? What sense do we make of it? And do these numbers reflect a big increase, or has the data been cherry-picked? We try and decode the mystery math on a special edition of Truth vs Hype.

Confronted with more and more evidence that demonetisation may have dented the economy, the government has put out a confusing jumble of numbers to show that the move to scrap Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes has led to a surge in India's tax base. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech said that 56 lakh people filed Personal Income Tax Returns after notes ban - a big jump from same period last year. The latest Economic Survey says 5.4 lakh new taxpayers were added after notes ban. The Finance Minister earlier suggested that 91 lakh new taxpayers were added as a result of demonetization. 56 lakh, 5.4 lakh, 91 lakh - what is the correct number? What sense do we make of it? And do these numbers reflect a big increase, or has the data been cherry-picked? We try and decode the mystery math on a special edition of Truth vs Hype.

In the second part of our investigation into the fatal risks faced by construction workers in India, we uncover how even government commissioned projects are unsafe for workers - whether it's big projects like the Metro, or government housing colonies. We also posed tough questions, based on our findings, to India's labour minister, asking him what steps the government will take to ensure safety at worksites.

In the second part of our investigation into the fatal risks faced by construction workers in India, we uncover how even government commissioned projects are unsafe for workers - whether it's big projects like the Metro, or government housing colonies. We also posed tough questions, based on our findings, to India's labour minister, asking him what steps the government will take to ensure safety at worksites.

Millions of men and women build the homes of our dreams. Every year, hundreds of them die in fatal accidents or are injured - all because of the lack of safety on worksites and a shocking absence of government oversight. These fatal accidents are rendered invisible, because there is no official national-level record of construction workers' deaths or injuries. Over a five-month long investigation, through RTI's, police records, and NGO surveys, we have put together a first-of-its-kind national record of the deaths and injuries of India's construction workers on worskites. The results - though far from perfect - show the number of deaths are 10 times more than the only government estimate that exists. We also air undercover video from construction sites which have witnessed deadly accidents, to show how - despite having witnessed deaths - those worksites are still blatantly violating basic safety measures.

Millions of men and women build the homes of our dreams. Every year, hundreds of them die in fatal accidents or are injured - all because of the lack of safety on worksites and a shocking absence of government oversight. These fatal accidents are rendered invisible, because there is no official national-level record of construction workers' deaths or injuries. Over a five-month long investigation, through RTI's, police records, and NGO surveys, we have put together a first-of-its-kind national record of the deaths and injuries of India's construction workers on worskites. The results - though far from perfect - show the number of deaths are 10 times more than the only government estimate that exists. We also air undercover video from construction sites which have witnessed deadly accidents, to show how - despite having witnessed deaths - those worksites are still blatantly violating basic safety measures.

On Truth vs Hype, we examine the two big lessons from Nitish Kumar's abrupt decision to dump his ally, Lalu Yadav and join forces with the BJP. Does it mark the increasing irrelevance of so-called secular politics, (not secularism itself - an important principle in Indian public life)? Two, does it underline the utterly cynical and power centric nature of Indian politics, even when it comes to someone like Nitish Kumar, considered amongst India's more principled politicians?

On Truth vs Hype, we examine the two big lessons from Nitish Kumar's abrupt decision to dump his ally, Lalu Yadav and join forces with the BJP. Does it mark the increasing irrelevance of so-called secular politics, (not secularism itself - an important principle in Indian public life)? Two, does it underline the utterly cynical and power centric nature of Indian politics, even when it comes to someone like Nitish Kumar, considered amongst India's more principled politicians?

Facing heat for not able to back its promises of job creation, the Centre and the BJP have repeatedly cited the success of MUDRA - a scheme meant to promote lending to small businesses. BJP President Amit Shah has claimed that in the two years since its inception, the MUDRA scheme has helped 7.28 crore people become self-employed. This number, if true, is nothing short of a revolution. But these numbers do not reflect in the job surveys that instead show the job market shrinking. This week on Truth vs Hype, we try to analyse the data, and hit the ground to discover how MUDRA may be simply re-branding an existing process as a new breakthrough. We also met top MUDRA officials who admit not having any data on how many jobs MUDRA has created.