Hi,
Over two and a half decades of journalism I had got used to the political actors playing fast and loose with statistics. Every party and politician in power loves to cite data that is favourable to them and ignore any that pop a red flag. But, what my colleague Shreegireesh found during his recent investigation left me flabbergasted.
He found that the Union government has gone several steps ahead. It has been purposefully reconstructing statistical data with a predetermined intention of showing the government in good light. Cherry-picking parameters that help beautify the government’s image.
That is akin to rewriting contemporary history to erase records of the unpleasant truths of our times.
In the second part of the investigative series, The Ministry of Truth, Shreegireesh reveals how, under orders of the Prime Minister’s office, the Union government has erased the number of poor and sold the world a mirage.
Telling and spreading such statistical lies have consequences that go far beyond perception battles. Particularly for the poor.
Read the revelations here: To Show Dramatic Reduction in Poverty, Modi Gov’t Rigged a Homemade Poverty Index.
If you missed the first part of the series, it's here.
We are close to Christmas and have a concluding part of this series coming out soon. My other colleagues are keeping busy with three other rather ambitious investigations. But it’s been a worrying winter for us at The Reporters’ Collective. While we have kept at our work, our resources have dried up. We are on a financial cliff and without your help won’t make it into the new year as a team. Please donate generously to keep us going.
Donate here. www.reporters-collective.in/support-us.
With warm regards
Nitin Sethi
Founder Editor