Jayant Pankaj
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Articles by Jayant Pankaj
Datanomics: Nearly 50% of rape cases in last 50 yrs reported post-Nirbhaya
Home / India News / Datanomics: Nearly 50% of rape cases in last 50 yrs reported post-Nirbhaya Between 1971 and 2025, India registered 927,831 rape cases, with 47.2 per cent of them recorded between 2013 and 2025. Representative image Jayant Pankaj 1 min read Last Updated : Sep 07 2026 | 11:04 PM IST A recent case of rape of a minor girl inside a moving bus in Delhi has revived the horrors of the 2012 Nirbhaya case. Reporting of cases of sexual crimes has risen over the past decade.
Statsguru: Gaps in funding space despite India's growing startup ecosystem
India's space-tech ecosystem is expanding rapidly, but funding remains a key challenge despite a surge in startup formation Prime Minister Narendra Modi | Image: Bloomberg Jayant Pankaj 3 min read Last Updated : Sep 06 2026 | 11:00 PM IST Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently met the chief executives and founders of 20 Indian space startups in New Delhi to discuss transforming India into a global hub for technology in this sector.
Migration drives 70% of SIR deletions, northern states hit hardest
Exclusions also disproportionately affect women in 11 states. Jayant Pankaj analyses the findings of the exercise Representative Image Jayant Pankaj 5 min read Last Updated : Sep 06 2026 | 10:42 PM IST Migration drives 70% of SIR deletions, north hit hardestExclusions also disproportionately affect women in 11 states.
Statsguru: Sugar tastes bitter as retail prices surge amid tighter supply
Home / Industry / News / Statsguru: Sugar tastes bitter as retail prices surge amid tighter supply Representative image Jayant Pankaj All-India average retail sugar prices in have surged by 39 percent as on August 27 year-on-year. The government has attributed the rise to lower domestic production, weather-related crop damage, higher festive demand, and rising global prices. At the same time, India’s sugar trade surplus has narrowed.
Datanomics: Share of flood spending declines in vulnerable states
Home / World News / Datanomics: Share of flood spending declines in vulnerable states India's disaster count has risen over three decades, while storms are gaining pace and spending on flood and irrigation management in vulnerable states is falling Jayant Pankaj 2 min read Last Updated : Aug 28 2026 | 9:48 PM IST The world is facing difficult ecological times, with Nepal reeling from heavy floods and India’s Assam enduring weeks of continuous flooding, although the situation has now abated.
Datanomics: Submarine push highlights India's missed naval deadlines
This development highlights India's long-delayed naval projects and its spending patterns on naval fleets and infrastructure. Representative Image Jayant Pankaj 2 min read Last Updated : Aug 24 2026 | 8:13 PM IST In the coming days, India is set to advance the naval Project-75I programme, aimed at building six advanced conventional submarines with assistance from Germany. This development highlights India’s long-delayed naval projects and its spending patterns on naval fleets and infrastructure.
Number of schools shrinks by over 84,000 in India in eight years
Government schools' share declined from 69.8 per cent in 2018-19 to 68.54 per cent in 2025-26; and government-aided schools fell from 5.46 per cent to 5.4 per cent Representative Picture Jayant Pankaj New Delhi 3 min read Last Updated : Aug 23 2026 | 11:08 PM IST The Cockroach Janta Party’s ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign has drawn attention to the infrastructural decline in government schools in rural areas, along with teacher shortages, falling enrolments, lack of basic digital facilities, and...
Statsguru: Cracks in aviation oversight as safety concerns mount
India's plan for an independent civil aviation authority seeks to address regulatory constraints, strengthen safety oversight and equip the sector for rapid growth Representative image Jayant Pankaj 3 min read Last Updated : Aug 23 2026 | 10:18 PM IST Minister Narendra Modi to establish an independent Civil Aviation Authority, replacing Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to resolve administrative, financial, and technical constraints in the sector.
Datanomics: AI hiring rises in India, legislative mentions remain limited
India's AI hiring share has risen steadily, but limited legislative engagement and a market-driven talent ecosystem highlight gaps in policy and research Representative Image (AI Generated) Jayant Pankaj 1 min read Last Updated : Aug 18 2026 | 9:49 PM IST In his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a major national mission to provide artificial intelligence (AI) skill training to 10 million young Indians within a year.
India Has 15 Judges Per Million People
It highlights a profound shortage that marginal additions cannot easily resolve. Lok Sabha passed a bill increasing Supreme Court judge strength from 33 to 37, excluding the Chief Justice. Total judges across India's courts increased from 20,573 in 2019 to 21,841 in 2025. India's judge-to-pending case ratio fell sharply from 555 per million in 2019 to 403 in 2025. The judge-to-population ratio remained broadly stagnant, rising marginally from 15.3 per million in 2019 to 15.4 in 2025.
Can Fast-Track Courts Handle Paper Leak Cases?
As of December 2025, India had 880 Fast-Track Courts with 1.39 million pending cases, despite disposing of 1.33 million cases during the year. IMAGE: The Supreme Court of India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the establishment of fast-track courts to ensure swift punishment for individuals involved in paper leaks, responding to widespread protests. Uttar Pradesh accounts for a significant 72 per cent of the pending caseload in FTCs, followed by Maharashtra and West Bengal.
What Numbers Reveal About Murder Motives In India
Homicides declined during 2015-2024 compared to the previous decade, but those motivated by love and extramarital affairs did not. A high-profile murder case involving Siya Goyal has renewed attention on the motives behind murders in India. NCRB data shows overall homicide cases declined during 2015-2024 compared with the previous decade. Murders linked to love affairs and extramarital relationships did not witness a similar decline.
Defective Fingerprint See Sharp Drop
The National Automated Fingerprint Identification System database expanded from 3.2 million records in 2012 to 11.2 million. Kindly note the image has been published only for representational purposes. Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched the Abhigyan app, enabling field officers to conduct real-time fingerprint identification. Police agencies submitted nearly 11 million fingerprint slips for verification between 2012 and 2024.
India's Defence Trade Hits Record High
The arms trade surplus grew tenfold, reaching $691 million in FY26 from $63 million in FY18. IMAGE: India showcased its frontline military assets including the Brahmos and Akash missiles, the Suryastra rocket launcher system, the Main Battle Tank Arjun and the newly raised Shaktiban regiment at the Republic Day parade. Reports have recently emerged that the Indian government is in talks with the UAE to sell its BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system.
India's Top Arms Supplier Is...
Europe has overtaken Asia as India's biggest arms supplier, reflecting New Delhi's evolving defence procurement strategy. IMAGE: The first batch of Rafale combat jets enter the Indian air space on its way to the Ambala airbase from France. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar criticised European nations for supplying weapons to countries attacking India. Trade data shows India's dependence on European military hardware has increased significantly in recent years.
171,150 Indians Deported From 52 Countries In 5 Years
Deportations of Indians have increased in recent years from several countries like the UAE, USA, Malaysia, Myanmar. IMAGE: An Indian immigrant deported from the US walks out of the airport in Ahmedabad, February 6, 2025. More than 171,000 Indians were deported from 52 countries between 2021 and 2025=. About 900 Indians per million overseas residents faced deportation in 2025 amid growing immigration enforcement across multiple regions.
Crorepati MLAs Surge 32 Times In 20 Years
BJP witnessed steady growth in crorepati MLAs between 2016 and 2026. IMAGE: Bharatiya Janata Party supporters celebrate the party's triumph in the West Bengal assembly elections in Kolkata, May 4, 2026. Over 21 per cent of candidates contesting five assembly elections between 2006 and 2026 declared crorepati-level assets. The share of crorepati winners in these assemblies jumped sharply from 11.8 per cent to 73.4 per cent.
Political Parties Sees 1,123 Defections In 15 Years
Most defections originated from three major parties -- the Congress, BJP and BSP. IMAGE: Bharatiya Janata Party President Nitin Nabin offers sweets to Aam Aadmi Party's Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha at the party headquarters in New Delhi, April 24, 2026, after he, along with two other AAP Rajya Sabha MPs Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal, joined the BJP. More than 1,100 MPs and MLAs switched political parties across three Lok Sabha terms between 2009 and 2024.
Kidnapping Cases Surge Over Million
Abduction remains the most common motive, accounting for more than half of kidnapping cases, followed by abduction of women for marriage. Kindly note that this illustration generated using ChatGPT has only been posted for representational purposes. More than 2 million kidnapping and abduction cases were registered in India between 1953 and 2024. Over half of all kidnapping cases recorded during seven decades were reported between 2013 and 2024.
UP, Haryana still below national wage line
Despite recent minimum wage adjustments, Indian factory workers, especially in key industrial states, face stagnant real wages and a growing disparity with supervisory staff, as highlighted by recent analyses and global labour indices. Uttar Pradesh recently increased the minimum wage by 21 per cent in Noida and Ghaziabad following worker protests over low pay.
Datanomics: India's energy diversification timely, but risks remain
PM Narendra Modi highlights India's diversified energy import strategy as tensions in the Strait of Hormuz disrupt global oil and gas flows The share of Hormuz in India’s crude oil imports nearly halved in over five years Yash Kumar SinghalJayant Pankaj 1 min read Last Updated : Mar 23 2026 | 10:28 PM IST Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday highlighted how shipping of energy products through the Strait of Hormuz has become highly challenging.
AI Misuse Fuels India's Growing Fake News Crisis
From 2022 to 2024, X, Facebook, and WhatsApp emerged as the primary platforms associated with the spread of fake news in India. Kindly note that this illustration generated using ChatGPT has only been posted for representational purposes. Between 2017 and 2023, 5,377 fake news cases were registered across India. Nearly 30% of all fake news cases were linked to social media platforms. Political themes accounted for 43% of fake news content between 2022 and 2024.
Infiltration Surges Along India-Myanmar Border
23,926 infiltrators were arrested across various border regions between 2014 and 2025. Kindly note the image has been published only for representational purposes. The border with Myanmar remains the most porous, with a sharp spike in infiltration in over a decade. By comparison, the India-Bangladesh border saw a marginal hike from 159 to 176 during this period.
Women Constitute 30% Of Trafficking Arrests in India
Coastal states such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra recorded the highest number of immoral trafficking cases in India. Kindly note the image have only been published for representational purposes.
Statsguru: 'Gigification' of Indian economy and the future of work
What is often framed as flexible employment increasingly resembles regular work, raising questions around hours, pay and working conditions Shikha ChaturvediJayant Pankaj 3 min read Last Updated : Jan 11 2026 | 10:33 PM IST Recent protests by sections of gig workers across the country have drawn attention to the significance of platform work in India’s labour market.
Demolitions Double in 7 Years; Rehab Remains Scarce
In 2023, Delhi accounted for the highest share of evictions at 53 per cent, followed by Gujarat at 30 per cent and Assam at 4 per cent. Kindly note the image have only been published for representational purposes. On December 29, 2025, the Karnataka government announced plans to rehabilitate residents whose houses were demolished in Kogilu, Bengaluru, amid sharp criticism from Opposition parties over the demolition drive.
Bengal SIR: Muslim Districts See No Major Impact
More voter deletions recorded in draft SIR exercises than to the combined SSRs in the past 10 years. IMAGE: Special Intensive Revision officials distribute the SIR forms in the Karimpur assembly constituency in West Bengal's Nadia. The Election Commission of India temporarily removed 5.8 million voter names in the draft electoral rolls published after the recently concluded special intensive revision (SIR) exercise in West Bengal.
Staff Behaviour Still Bugs Air Travellers
SpiceJet recorded the highest complaint rate per 10,000 passengers, rising sharply from 3.9 in November 2024 to 13.8 in October 2025. Kindly note the image has been published only for representational purposes. On December 19, an off-duty Air India Express pilot allegedly assaulted a passenger at Delhi airport, drawing renewed attention to passenger complaints in India's aviation sector.
Lynching Sees No End
Between 2014 and 2023, India recorded 189 lynching cases. Last month, a cloth vendor was lynched in Bihar allegedly over his religious identity. Between 2014 and 2023, India recorded 189 lynching cases -- less than 1 per cent of over 526,000 incidents of mob violence. As of 2025, only Manipur, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Jharkhand have anti-lynching laws. Mob violence cases slowing down Mob violence cases in India fell to 39,274 in 2023 from 66,044 in 2014.
Violence Against Christians On Rise
There has been an increase in violence against Christians over the past 12 years -- from 147 cases in 2014 to 706 in 2025 (till November). Kindly note that this illustration generated using ChatGPT has only been posted for representational purposes. According to a Christian organisation, 5,048 alleged incidents of violence against the community took place during 2014-2025 (up to November).
SIR Exercise Covers Half Of Electorates
Since 2004, 12 states have added 160 million people to their rolls. IMAGE: Booth Level Officers and Booth Level Agents assess activities scrutinising the newly published Special Intensive Revision list at Ganabhaban in Kolkata, December 16, 2025. The Election Commission of India released preliminary Special Intensive Revision (SIR) data for 12 states, covering half of India's electorate, on December 16. In earlier years, 19 states underwent intensive revisions in 2002, followed by 7 states in 2003.
Indian Pilots Fly 246 Hours A Year
Most Indian airlines recorded a rise in average flying hours per pilot after the Covid period. Kindly note the image has been posted only for representational purposes. IndiGo's recent major flight disruptions stem from India's new Flight Duty Time Limitation rules, designed to combat pilot fatigue by increasing mandatory rest and capping night operations.
India's Nuclear Power Push: Big Goals, Slow Build
India's nuclear energy share in total installed capacity remains limited, fluctuating between 1.9 per cent and 2.9 per cent from FY10 to FY24. IMAGE: A view of India's first indigenously developed 700-megawatt electric (MWe) nuclear power reactor that has been established at the Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPP) in Gujarat. World Nuclear Energy Day, December 2, is a reminder of India's steady but slow progress in the nuclear sector.
Will White-Collar Terror Be the New Normal?
9 accused individuals have held white-collar job positions since 2017. IMAGE: Rapid Action Force personnel stand guard at the Red Fort car blast site, November 12, 2025. The November 10 terror attack near the Red Fort, in which 15 people died, has been identified by investigative agencies as the work of a 'white-collar terror module', with seven suspects having white-collar jobs.
Why Do So Many People Die In Custody?
Custodial deaths are a serious and long-lasting problem in India, with over 28,000 people dying in custody since 2009. On November 6, three Railway Police Force personnel were booked for alleged murder after a Dalit man died in custody. The case has once again drawn attention to a troubling pattern of custodial deaths across India.
Alarming Rise Of Sexual Violence Against Dalit Women
57,766 cases of atrocities against scheduled castes were reported in 2023, the highest in the last three decades. The alleged gang-rape of a minor Dalit girl in Lucknow has yet again trained the spotlight on the growing incidents of violence against females of the community. In 2023, the share of rape incidents against scheduled caste women in overall incidents was over 14 per cent.
Infra breakdown: AWS' global outage creates a moment of vulnerability
Home / Companies / News / Infra breakdown: AWS' global outage creates a moment of vulnerability AWS suffers major global outage on October 20, affecting millions of users and services including Canva, Duolingo, and Snapchat amid its dominant cloud market presence Jayant PankajYash Kumar Singhal New Delhi 2 min read Last Updated : Oct 21 2025 | 11:19 PM IST The Amazon Web Services (AWS) on Monday experienced a major global outage that disrupted several of its widely used applications and...
Datanomics: Rise in sexual violence against Dalit women raises alarm
Home / India News / Datanomics: Rise in sexual violence against Dalit women raises alarm The total number of rape cases against SC women has shown a worrying upward trend over the years from 2,541 cases in 2016 to 4,214 cases in 2023 Jayant PankajYash Kumar Singhal 2 min read Last Updated : Oct 20 2025 | 10:47 PM IST The alleged gang-rape of a minor Dalit girl in Lucknow has yet again trained the spotlight on the growing incidents of violence against females of the community.
Corn Tests India-US Trade Ties
Between FY18 and FY25, India's annual corn imports from the US averaged just about $2 million. Kindly note the image have only been published for representational purposes. India's resistance to significantly increase the import of US corn has been one of the friction points in the ongoing trade talks. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick recently said that India has 1.4 billion people but it 'does not import a single bushel of corn from the US'.
How Much Will Digital Census 2027 Cost?
The 2027 Census may cost a bit more due to the proposed use of apps and smartphones by the 3.4 million enumerators who will collect comprehensive data much more efficiently than in earlier times. The Registrar General of India (RGI) has reportedly sought Rs 14,600 crore (Rs 146 billion) from the Centre to conduct the Census 2027. If we adjust the money spent on conducting the Census in 2001 and 2011 for inflation, RGI should have asked for much less money.
Rise and Fall Of Real-Money Gaming Firms
India has nearly 490 million online gamers, and an estimated Rs 10,000 crore is spent every month on online gaming transactions. Kindly note that this illustration generated using ChatGPT has only been posted for representational purposes. Parliament recently passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, which seeks to promote segments like esports and social online games but enforces a blanket ban on real-money games (RMG) in India.
ED Recovers Rs 15,000 Cr In 7 Months
The ED probed 30 cases between August 2024 and March 2025, during which it recovered ₹15,261 crore, mostly from cases related to bank frauds. Reliance Infrastructure Chairman Anil Ambani was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate on August 5 in connection to a loan fraud case. This is one of the many such investigations by the ED related to bank fraud.
Has TCS Sparked Job Cuts Across IT Firms?
While FY25 attrition rates remained below pre-Covid levels, most companies experienced a 1 to 3 percentage point increase compared to FY24. Tata Consultancy Services announced the sacking of around 12,000 employees on July 27, sending shockwaves in the information technology sector. Moreover, the industry witnessed even high voluntary attrition rate in the first quarter of FY26. TCS employed the highest number of workers in FY25, at 636,833 employees.
54 MiGs Have Crashed In 17 Years
Between FY09 and FY25, 101 IAF fighter jets have crashed, costing the lives of 28 pilots. IMAGE: A MiG-21 fighter jet. Russian-origin MiG-21 aircraft are set to retire from the Indian Air Force in September amid ongoing safety concerns, marking the end of their 62-year-long service in the IAF. Between FY09 and FY25, 101 IAF fighter jets crashed, costing the lives of 28 pilots.
IndiGo Tops in Flight Cancellations
IndiGo, which operates the largest fleet among Indian carriers, has reported the highest number of serious engine-related incidents. On July 16, an IndiGo flight was forced to make an emergency landing at Mumbai airport following a reported engine failure. Two more similar incidents involving IndiGo took place within the same week. In the wake of the Boeing AI 171 crash, concerns over aircraft safety have intensified. However, these are not isolated cases.
How Did Rajya Sabha Perform Under Dhankhar?
His term saw the lowest average of 57 hours. IMAGE: Then Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar conducts the proceedings of the House on his last day in office, July 21, 2025. Former vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on July 21 with 751 days remaining in his tenure, citing health reasons. Before Dhankhar, two vice presidents -- V V Giri in 1969 and Ramaswamy Venkataraman in 1987 -- resigned from office before completing their term. As Chair of the Rajya Sabha, Dhankhar's legacy is a mixed bag.
Hit-and-Runs Cause 1 In 5 Road Deaths
Overspeeding remains the leading cause of road accidents in India. It accounted for 72 per cent of all road accidents. Kindly note the image have only been published for representational purposes. The world's oldest marathon runner, 114-year-old Fauja Singh from Punjab, died in a 'hit-and-run' accident on July 14. The case has once again brought the rising number of such accidents and other road safety issues in India into the spotlight.
India's Aging Bridges Under Scrutiny
Among India's 150,746 railway bridges, 25.8 per cent are over a century old. IMAGE: A truck stuck on the Gambjira bridge after it collapsed on the Mahisagar river at Padra in Vadodara, July 9, 2025. The recent collapse of the Gambhira bridge in Gujarat, which killed 17 and injured nine people, highlights a broader crisis in India's infrastructure, particularly in urban areas.
71% Of Train Mishaps Linked To Derailment
Between 2015 and 2023, around 543 train accidents occurred, resulting in 805 deaths, with derailments accounting for 71 per cent of the accidents and 35 per cent of the fatalities. IMAGE: Rescue operation underway after the coaches of the Dibrugarh-Chandigarh Express derailed in Gonda. Three weeks ago, a passenger train running from Hazrat Nizamuddin to Ghaziabad derailed near Shivaji bridge station in New Delhi.
Indian Detentions In US See A Surge
Despite relatively smaller Indian populations in cities like Seattle and Buffalo, the proportion of Indian nationals detained in these locations remains disproportionately high. Kindly note the image has been published only for representational purposes. A video of an Indian student being handcuffed and pinned to the ground at Newark airport in the United States has once again brought attention to the treatment of illegal Indian emigrants by US authorities.
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