Modi suffers embarrassment over I-Day claim on village electrification, as PIB under him issues "denial"

Photo tweeted by Modi of Nagla Fatela villagers

By A Representative
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has suffered a major embarrassment when the Government of India's Press Information Bureau (PIB) was forced to issue a statement which virtually amounted to denying Modi's claim in his Independence Day speech that a village near Delhi, Nagla Fatela, received electricity under him 70 years after Independence.
Modi, in his Independence Day speech had said that, over the last one year, out of 18,000 villages, more than 10,000 villages had been electrified, and one of them was village of Nagla Fatela, which "is only three hours from Delhi, but it took more than 70 years for it to get electricity."
He added, "I have been told they are with us, watching this celebration of Independence Day”. His official twitter handle, @PMOIndia went so far as to post a photograph sayig, “People of Nagla Phatela watching the Independence Day celebrations for the first time. More power to them. :)”
A Finance Express story, on the very next day, found that there was no such thing, even as quoting the gram pradhan of the village refuting Modi's claim saying that pictures tweeted by Modi, and thereafter by Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal were "not of their village and no programme was organized in the village on Independence Day."

Power Minister's tweet remains intact

“No programme was organized in our village. The picture with children watching the Independence Day programme does not belong to our village,” the village pradhan said. The report quoted "people in the village" as saying that that "poles have been set up and electricity metres have been installed in the houses but there is no power supply."
The PIB was forced to come up with a statement, titled "Electrification of Village Nagla Fatela, Hathras -Facts at a Glance", only confirming FE report. It said, the village in Hathras district of UP "was proposed by the Uttar Pradesh Government under 12th plan of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) and the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for this purpose was submitted through State Level Steering committee, headed by Chief Secretary of the State on date July 13, 2013."
"For this village, the Detailed Project Report (DPR) proposed connections to all households including creation of infrastructure one transformer of 63kVA, four transformers of 25kVA, HT 1.57 km, LT 1.54 km (three phase) and LT 0.62 km (single phase)", the PIB continued.
"The DPR was sanctioned by Government of India on December 20, 2013 and sanction letter was released by Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) on January 6, 2014", the PIB said, adding, the power distribution company (DISCOM, Agra), "confirmed on February 26, 2015 that village Nagla Fatela is still un-electrified."
The PIB further said, DISCOM Agra, "reported in October 2015 that infrastructure work for electrification of the village Nagla Fatela has been completed and the village has been electrified. Accordingly the village has been shown as electrified" in official records.
While PMO deleted its tweet which showed a photo of group of people allegedly from Nagla Fatela village and watching his speech on a TV set, Goyal, the power minister, has not (click HERE).
Goyal, in fact, went further and tweeted not one but several photos of allegedly from the same village showing people watching Independence Day celebrations claiming that they were in the newly electrified villages.
A top site comments, "From the PIB clarification, it is abundantly clear that not only did the Prime Minister make a false claim on his achievement, his government had also not played any part even in the process to create infrastructure to electrify Nagla Fatela village."

Comments

Mergers and privatisation: The Finance Minister’s misguided banking agenda

By Thomas Franco The Finance Minister has once again revived talk of merging two or three large public sector banks to make them globally competitive. Reports also suggest that the government is considering appointing Managing Directors in public sector banks from the private sector. Both moves would strike at the heart of India’s public banking system . Privatisation undermines the constitutional vision of social and economic justice, and such steps could lead to irreversible damage.

Political misfires in Bihar: Reasons behind the Opposition's self-inflicted defeat

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The Bihar Vidhansabha Election 2025 verdict is out. I maintained deliberate silence about the growing tribe of “social media” experts and their opinions. Lately, these do not fascinate me. Anyone forming an opinion solely on the basis of these “experts” lives in a fool’s paradise. I do not watch them, nor do I follow them on Twitter. I stayed away partly because I was not certain of a MahaGathbandhan victory, even though I wanted it. But my personal preference is not the issue here. The parties disappointed.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou...

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

Whither GIFT City push? Housing supply soars in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, not Ahmedabad

By Rajiv Shah A new report by a firm describing itself as a "digital real estate transaction and advisory platform," Proptiger , states that the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) has been the largest contributor to housing units among India's top eight cities currently experiencing a real estate boom. Accounting for 26.9% of all new launches, it is followed by Pune with 18.7% and Hyderabad with 13.6%. These three cities collectively represented 59.2% of the new inventory introduced during the third quarter (July to September 2025), which is the focus of the report’s analysis.

Only one Indian national park rated ‘good’ by IUCN: Concerns over ecological governance

By A Representative Environmental policy expert Shankar Sharma has written to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and its affiliated institutions, expressing grave concern over India’s deteriorating ecological health. Citing the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s latest global review, which found that only Khangchendzonga National Park received a “Good” rating among 107 national parks, Sharma warned that the findings reveal a “serious concern for the overall health of the country’s flora, fauna, and environment.”

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Search This Blog