The Modi government repeatedly pushed the deadline since 2015 for coal-fired power plants to install devices for curbing noxious emissions after the power producers wrote over 20 letters lobbying with the government to lower emission norms.

A new report shows that the Modi government’s Jan Dhan Yojana success story is hollow. The Collective had exposed how the scheme’s bank registration data was used to rig government’s official poverty index, claiming 25 crore people escaped poverty.

{{BOLD}}The Ministry of Truth, Concluding Part{{/BOLD}} [[BR]] Ministries pass the buck on democracy and rule of law while quietly acknowledging rising corruption and politicised investigative agencies

{{BOLD}}Ministry of Truth, Part 2{{/BOLD}} [[BR]] The homemade poverty index was preordained to show the government in a flattering light, reveals a confidential report. Then convenient parameters were cherrypicked to show a lower number of poor. Modi flaunted the numbers in the election campaign.

{{BOLD}}The Ministry of Truth, Part 1{{/BOLD}} [[BR]] How the Prime Minister’s Office has ordered a systemic operation to discredit and ‘fix’ global rankings which show the gov’t in bad light. And, to home-cook some charitable replacements.

Convoluted auction rules, scuttled competition and friendly bidders lead to the mega solar power deal. The deal is now caught in allegations of corruption, bribery and fraud by the US authorities.

संयुक्त अरब अमीरात के साथ मोदी सरकार के द्वारा ज़ल्दबाजी में किये गये व्यापार समझौते के कारण निजी व्यापारियों ने 1,700 करोड़ रुपये के अनुमानित टैक्स को बिना चुकाये 24,000 करोड़ के प्लैटिनम एलॉय का आयात कर लिया। कस्टम अधिकारियों ने इसको लेकर चेतावनी दी थी।

Customs authorities raise alarm as private players import Rs 24,000 crore worth of platinum alloy to avoid an estimated Rs 1,700 crore in taxes. Courtesy, a deal Modi government signed in haste with the UAE

रासायनिक रूप से फोर्टिफाइड चावल को कुछ लोगों के लिए हानिकारक बताया गया था। सुप्रीम कोर्ट में सरकार पर यह सुनिश्चित करने का दबाव था कि यह उन लोगों को न दिया जाए जिनपर ऐसा खतरा है। इसके बजाय, सरकार ने एक विशेषज्ञ पैनल का गठन करके यह निष्कर्ष निकाला कि किसी को भी चेतावनी देने की आवश्यकता नहीं है।

Chemically fortified rice was labelled as unsafe for some. The government was under pressure in the Supreme Court to ensure it is not given to those who are at risk. The government instead set up a convenient expert panel to conclude that nobody needs to be warned to begin with.

बिजली का उत्पादन करने का ठेका देने के लिये राजस्थान और महाराष्ट्र में जो टेंडर जारी किये गये उनके नियम और शर्तों में बहुत सी समानताएं थी और इन नियम और शर्तों को अडानी समूह की विद्युत क्षेत्र की वर्तमान परियोजनाओं और भविष्य की योजनाओं के अनुसार तराशा गया था। जहां अडानी समूह को एक ठेका पहले ही मिल गया है वहीं दूसरे ठेके को पाने की दौड़ में यह समूह सबसे आगे है। अडानी समूह को प्राप्त हुए इतने बड़े ठेके का दुष्परिणाम ये हुआ है की अब अगले 25 साल तक राज्य सरकार अडानी से बिजली खरीदने के लिये बाध्य है।

The terms in the tenders by Rajasthan and Maharashtra, which have identical criteria, are tailored to match Adani Group’s operations and ground plans. The group has already bagged one contract and is the frontrunner for the other. The massive contracts bind states to buy power for 25 years.

नीति आयोग, राज्यों और विशेषज्ञों ने चेताया की योजना में घोटाला हो सकता है लेकिन मोदी सरकार ने सभी चेतावनियों को दरकिनार करते हुए मध्य प्रदेश की असफल योजना का पूरे देश में विस्तार कर दिया

Niti Aayog, states and experts warned the scheme was scam-prone. But Modi gov’t ignored them to upscale a failed scheme of Madhya Pradesh government across the country.

केंद्र सरकार ने अपने पिछले कार्यकाल में 906 केंद्रीय योजनाएं चलाईं, उनमें से 71.9% की फंडिंग कम हुई। हर पांच में से एक योजना पर सरकार ने बजट में किए गए वादे का आधे से भी कम खर्च किया।

The Union government that ran 906 central sector schemes in its last tenure underfunded 71.9% of them. On one out of every five schemes, the government spent less than half of what it promised in the budget.

किसानों को फसल का उचित दाम दिलाने की पीएम-आशा योजना पर वास्तविक खर्च केवल 2019 और 2024 के लोकसभा चुनावों के आसपास के महीनों में देखा गया। दो आम चुनावों के बीच तीन साल तक सरकार ने इस योजना पर एक भी रुपया खर्च नहीं किया।

PM AASHA, a crop price support scheme, saw real spending only in the months around 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Three years in between the two general elections, the government did not spend a single rupee on the scheme.

मध्य प्रदेश के सबसे घने जंगलों में स्थित ब्लॉक में खनन पर लगे प्रतिबंध को हटाने के लिए पर्यावरण मंत्रालय और खनन विशेषज्ञों पर कोयला मंत्रालय ने डाला दबाव।

Coal ministry over-rode environment ministry and its mining experts to do away with ban on mining the block nestled in the densest forests of Madhya Pradesh.

नीलामी में पश्चिम बंगाल सरकार की कंपनी की अनुपस्थिति से आरपी संजीव गोयनका समूह को 83 मिलियन टन का सरिसाटोली कोयला ब्लॉक हासिल करने में मदद मिली।

The state-owned company’s absence in auction helped RP Sanjiv Goenka Group collude to win 83-million-tonne Sarisatolli coal block.

आंतरिक पत्राचार में दोनों सांसदों ने भविष्य में घोटालों की चेतावनी देते हुए नई कोयला व्यवस्था में खामियों को उजागर किया था। उनकी आशंका बाद में सही साबित हुई।

In internal letters, the two parliamentarians had punched holes in the new coal regime, cautioning of scams in future. Their words were prophetic.

नीति आयोग के सीईओ बीवीआर सुब्रमण्यम ने खुलासा किया कि मोदी ने राज्यों को आवंटित कर निधि में कटौती के लिए वित्त आयोग के साथ अनौपचारिक बातचीत की, और कहा कि सरकार का वित्त इतना खराब है कि उन पर 'हिंडनबर्ग' जैसा आघात पड़ सकता है।

हरियाणा सरकार ने अरावली की वनभूमि के संरक्षण के कई कानूनी रास्ते बंद किए। इससे पतंजलि की शेल कंपनियों को इनकी खरीद-फरोख्त करके भारी मुनाफा कमाने का अवसर मिला।

पतंजलि समूह ने संदिग्ध फर्जी कंपनियों का एक जाल बिछाया, जिसके ज़रिए पैसे का हेर-फेर करके अरावली में वनभूमि खरीद कर फिर उसे रियल एस्टेट के रूप में बेचा गया।

Haryana govt blocked multiple legal routes to protect Aravalli's forest lands. This allowed Patanjali's shell companies to earn super-profits by trading in them

Patanjali Group employed a web of dubious shell companies that funnelled money to buy Aravalli forestland and sell it as real estate.

जब नीलामी विफल हो जाती है, तो केंद्र निर्णय लेता है कि अकेले बोली लगाने वालों को कोयला खदानें मिलनी चाहिए या नहीं। अब तक 12 निजी कंपनियों को फायदा हुआ है, जिसमें अडानी ग्रुप भी शामिल है

When auctions fail, the Centre decides if lone bidders should get the coal mines anyway. Twelve private companies have benefited so far, including the Adani Group

कोयला मंत्रालय ने देश के घने जंगलों में खनन पर लगे प्रतिबंध को हटाने के लिए पर्यावरण मंत्रालय और अपने ही खनन विशेषज्ञों को किया दरकिनार।

Coal ministry over-rode environment ministry and its mining experts to do away with ban on mining in the densest forests in the country

किसानों की आय के विषय पर पर बनी नीति आयोग की टास्क फोर्स के समक्ष, अडानी समूह ने कृषि संबंधी वस्तुओं की जमाखोरी करने वाले कॉरपोरेट्स पर लगे प्रतिबंध हटाने की वकालत की

नीति आयोग की टास्क फोर्स ने एक ऐसे भविष्य की योजना बनाई जिसमें किसान कॉर्पोरेट को कृषि भूमि पट्टे पर दें और उनके सहयोगी के तौर पर काम करें

Before a Niti Aayog task force on farmers’ income, the conglomerate advocated to remove restrictions on corporates hoarding agricultural commodities

Niti Aayog’s task force envisioned a future where farmers lease out farmland to corporations and work as cogs

A bevy of international organisations were part of a government resource centre that chalked up policy on rice fortification. All of them have links to Dutch multinational, Royal DSM, which benefits from the assured market created by the government's decision

Government’s top think tank reviewed the pilot studies in seven districts across India only after the government had ordered 80 crore Indians to be fed fortified rice. It found that all of them were fundamentally flawed and had failed. The report was never made public.

Union government ignored pilot projects’ failure and internal warnings that it is 'premature' to universalise fortified rice without first studying its health impact, particularly on children.

Modi government has commissioned an audacious operation to scrub India’s global image. The primary target is international indices in which India fares badly. Ministries, embassies, and a special unit called GIRG have been tasked to track and influence over 30 indices that rank countries on hunger, poverty, democracy, rule of law among others.[[BR]][[BR]]Their playbook? Lobbying to alter methodologies to bump up India’s rankings, unleashing ministers to bash the indices, and creating homegrown indices with cherry-picked data to make India look good. This investigation exposes a government more obsessed with optics than fixing country’s real problems.

Niti Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam reveals Modi held backdoor negotiations with the Finance Commission to cut tax funds allocated to states, and says gov't finances are so shady, they could be hit by a 'Hindenburg'.

Hidden in plain sight, the Patanjali business empire is functioning as a dubious real-estate agency buying and selling forested lands in the fragile Aravalli mountain range through a web of shell companies.

The Collective’s investigation reveals the Union government gave away coal blocks to private companies based on its discretion, undermining the landmark 2014 Supreme court order and the coal reforms it had unveiled. The Centre also gave into lobbying by power companies to open up the densest forests for mining, defying environment ministry

The Collective’s investigation illuminates the corporate influence on the agricultural policies of the Union government. It uncovers how an NRI with no agricultural expertise managed to capture Niti Aayog's attention and got himself, and the people he picked, to be part of the task force formed by Niti Aayog to find ways to double farmers’ income. The investigation thrust open the doors of the task force behind which Adani Group candidly advocated the removal of restrictions on corporate companies hoarding agricultural commodities, which become a law two years later and trigged farmers’ protest.

The Collective's investigation uncovers the Union government's rush to supply fortified rice to 80 crore Indians, ignoring failed pilot projects and warnings from the finance ministry and the head of premier medical research body. NITI Aayog confidentially reported the that government bungled pilot projects meant to gather scientific evidence on fortified rice. The investigation further revealed that international organisations linked to a Dutch fortified rice premix producer influenced government policy, provided evidence, and influenced standards.

The investigation reveals that the government allowed private corporations to bypass the competitive process to corner large coal reserves. It allowed shell companies of a conglomerate to manipulate auctions, and granted an extraordinary favour to another.

The think tank pushed Modi gov't to cut food subsidies, curtail food security coverage and privatise PDS, documents reveal

After the Bhopal gas tragedy, Union Carbide and its executives were declared absconders. Their properties were ordered to be attached. But, using a web of front companies it funnelled in goods and took out profits for more than a decade.

Under the law, similar to the one in UP, the child if found guilty could be ordered to pay compensation to his neighbour. It will happen without a formal criminal investigation that requires a police investigation, a prosecution and a trial before a proper court that follows procedures and offers safeguards under IPC.

A grammatical loophole in appointment rules helps Women and Child Development Ministry push through the amendments to increase the terms of chairpersons of the National Commission for Women and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights

The Union government used a flawed set of data to mask the gloomier death count calculated by the UN body, and ignored a robust number thrown up by another of its own survey. The data was so unreliable that 20 of the 36 states and Union territories saw more registered deaths than what the government claims died.

Supreme Court has not heard the Electoral Bond case for more than 2 years after receiving data from parties in a sealed cover. That has let the belief spread that Electoral Bonds were encashed by 105 political parties and the BJP’s claim that bonds are an efficient way to allow “donation to any political party of donors’ choice”.

The Union government's auctions worth more than Rs 4,600 crore to provide pulses to the poor and armed forces were rigged to benefit a few big millers, shows the findings of the National Productivity Council, a government research body headed by Minister Piyush Goyal. The Council’s findings confirm The Collective’s previous exposé that the terms of auctions allowed the millers to rip the government off tonnes of pulses and sell them at a profit in the open market, and also supply poor-quality pulses.

Auction method used to mill pulses under welfare schemes for poor and armed forces allowed millers to make unchecked profits for years, hammering the public exchequer and the quality of pulses supplied

Data from thousands of pages of death registers maintained by municipalities in Gujarat show an excess death count of 16,892 for just 6% of the state's population during the pandemic. When projected across the state, the figure zooms to a staggering 281,000.

Under its commercial coal mining auctions, the Modi govt has sold off at least two coal blocks for rates cheaper than their 2015 prices. As a result Chhattisgarh will end up losing Rs 900 crore every year and over Rs 24,000 crore over decades.

The Niti Aayog wants to review economic impacts of Supreme Court rulings on environmental-law violations. Its officials are supposedly not investigating ‘judicial activism’. Files we obtained under RTI show that is indeed what they are doing.

Two days after the Health Ministry said it has ensured 'effective' distribution of foreign Covid aid and lambasted media for reports on its haphazard handling of the donations, its own records belie the claims. Internal records show large consignments were either 'in transit' or yet to even be allocated -- some from as far back as April 30!

MEA made urgent late evening deployments to its Covid Cell as late as May 01. This was 24 hours after the Philippines Embassy sought help from Indian Youth Congress for delivery of oxygen cylinders. In response, the MEA launched a bitter Twitter dogfight against the opposition for supplying cylinders to the embassy.

A new report by US-based Arsenal Consulting, a digital forensics agency, claims that 22 ‘incriminating’ filed were planted into activist Rona Wilson’s laptop. These files are among the primary evidence against Wilson and 15 others currently in jail.

Through a secretive deal, the government sold off vehicular bulk data of the entire country to a private company in a deal that officials red-flagged over lack of price discovery. With this exclusive low-cost bounty, the firm developed an entire business model based on the data. It even cut a separate agreement with a German firm and sent samples of sensitive data it received from the government. All this happened five years before the government announced a dedicated policy to sell the same data to other buyers.

A network of self-proclaimed Hindu volunteers file legal complaints and unleash a toxic wave of trolling, harassment, threats and doxing against social media users who they believed make “anti-Hindu” remarks

Other companies with similar coal contracts did not get the benefits that Adani group did.

During the fresh auctions of coal blocks from the coal-scam era, Modi government allowed RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group’s shell companies to undercut competition while bidding for a coal block in West Bengal. Internally the government admitted to flawed auctions but it did not investigate CAG’s warning of possible collusion in auctions by 10 other private companies to corner large coal reserves and causing loss to the exchequer.

The Collective’s year-long investigation found that an ecosystem of proxy advertisers is flourishing on Facebook, bypassing election laws, breaking Facebook’s own rules and undercutting the political level-playing field. Surrogate advertisements worth more than 58 million rupees, most of which promoted BJP, denigrated opposition and seeded false narratives, got a whopping 1.3 billion views for a period of 22 months, almost equal to the advertisements officially placed by BJP. They helped double BJP’s visibility without the party having to take responsibility for the content or the expenditure related to their advertisements.

The Indian firm that got vehicular data of the entire country as an exclusive low-cost bounty cut a separate deal that would allow a German firm access to the information. This agreement fell through over 'differences in vision' but the Indian firm had already shared samples of the data it got from the Indian government. It was only months after the Indian company informed the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways that data had been shared with a foreign entity which then refused to delete it, that the government decided to scrap data supply to the company over 'data leakage possibilities' and 'security issues'.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways sold off the vehicle registration database of the entire country to a small private company in a deal that flew completely under the public radar. The deal was rammed through without consulting the ministry's finance wing and by sidelining the National Informatics Centre. The pact was flagged by multiple officials over its complete lack of price discovery. Eventually, the deal was scrapped over privacy concerns but the firm still holds the data and has earned crores in revenue by selling tech solutions based on it.