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Fact Check: Letter Claiming Kerala Government Spends Lavishly On Madarsas Goes Viral
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India, 16 Jan 2021 12:12 PM GMT
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A letter which claims that the Kerala government spends lavishly on Madarsas and it costs huge money to the state exchequer has gone viral. The Logical Indian Fact Check team investigates the claim.
Posts claiming that Kerala government is spending too much on Madrasas has gone viral on social media. According to the post, the spending data was presented by the Minister of Higher Education of Kerala, KT Jalil, in the State Assembly.
Many right-wingers are sharing the posts to put Kerala government in a bad light to claim it as a pro-Muslim and Hinduphobic government.
The post says, "An open letter to all secular believers, In recent days, there have been discussions on social media about the number of madrassas in Kerala. It was then that I felt the need for a more in-depth study of the subject and the need to pass on some of the knowledge gained accordingly. 1- Total population of Kerala: 3,56,99,443. (Approximately 3crore 57 lacs). 2 - Muslim population in Kerala: 88,73,472. (26%) (Approximately 88 lacs 74 thousand), 3 - Number of Madrasas in Kerala: 21,683. (Approximately 21 thousand 7 hundred), 4- Number of Madrasa Teachers in Kerala: 2,04,683. (Approximately 2 lacs 4 thousand 7 hundred), 5- Number of Panchayats in Kerala: 941. (Nine hundred and forty-one numbers), 6- The average number of madrasas in a panchayat is (21683/941) = 23 madrasas. NB: More than one madrassa per ward. 7- Salary of a Madrasa teacher = 25,000 / - per month (rupees twenty-five thousand per month), (excluding those earning Rs. 300 per hour).8- Salary paid by the exchequer for one month Madrasa teachers: (204683x25000) = 511,70,75,000. (Approximately 512 crores), 9- One month pension for Madrasa teachers (implemented by Pinarayi Government): 6000 x 200000 = 120,00,00,000.(One hundred and twenty crores), 10- Total one-month madrasa salary and pension payable from the exchequer:(5117075000 + 1200000000) =631,70,75,000 /-(Approximately six hundred and thirty-two crores), 11- Expenditure on Madrasa Salary and Pension in Kerala for one year (6317075000 x 12) = 75804900000 (Seven thousand five hundred and eighty crores forty-nine lakh NB) With the size of the number, an error will be displayed. Credit to: Minister of Higher Education - KT Jalil Presented in the Assembly. Now a question to secular minds, what is so special about this community that you do not have? The tax money of Hindus, Christians, Jain, Sikh etc is being misused in this manner. Should this injustice still be allowed? The only word to say to those who say Kerala is secular soil! Kerala is not secular, it is a land of religious madness. Think: Think and act on this injustice when you put ink on your index finger the next time..."
An open letter to all secular believers,
In recent days, there have been discussions on social media about the...
Posted by Anun Jayachandran on Monday, 28 December 2020
Many people, including Tathagata Roy, Former Governor of Tripura, are posting the same claim in the form of Twitter thread.
respective state govts ... Kerala is paying them our tax money while their religious organisations give back nothing ...
— Tathagata Roy (@tathagata2) September 7, 2020
Facebook users are also sharing the same post.
Claim:
Kerala government is spending too much on Madrasas, as per the data provided by KT Jalil, the Minister of Higher Education.
Fact Check:
Claim 1: Total population of Kerala: 3,56,99,443
Fact Check: According to the Census 2011 data, the state's total population stood at 3,34,06,061. The population counting happens once in a decade, and the Census 2021 is yet to be released. Hence the first claim is false.
Claim 2: Muslim population in Kerala: 88,73,472. (26%)
Fact Check: According to the Census 2011 data, the Muslim population is the same as provided by the viral message, 88,73,472, i.e., 26 % of the total population.
Claim 3: Number of Madrasas in Kerala: 21,683
Fact Check: The Quint contacted CEO of Kerala Madrassa Welfare Board, Hameed, who told there are 27,814 madrasas in Kerala that are run by various organisations. Hence, the number present in the viral claim is lesser than the original number.
Claim 4: Number of Madrasa Teachers in Kerala: 2,04,683
Fact Check: According to the data provided by Hamid to The Quint, there are 1,70,816 teachers in these madrasas. Hence, the viral claim data is over 30,000 more teachers than the original number of teachers appointed in these Madrasas.
Claim 5: Number of Panchayats in Kerala: 941
Fact Check: The number of Panchayats in Kerala present on the website of the Department of Panchayats, Kerala is the same as the number of Panchayats given in the viral message, i.e., 941.
Claim 6: The average number of madrasas in a panchayat is (21,683/941) = 23 madrasas.
Fact Check: Since the number of madrasas provided by the viral message is 21,683, lower than the original number of Madrasas, hence the calculation done is also wrong.
Claim 7: Salary of a Madrasa teacher is Rs 25,000 per month
Fact Check: Salary of Madrasa teacher is not paid by the State government but by the respective Madrasa committees. The Quint quoted KT Jaleel's office, who said, "The respective madrasa committees pay the salaries of madrasa teachers. They are paid according to the financial capacity of the madrasa committees."
Claim 8: Salary paid by the exchequer for one month Madrasa teachers: (2,04,683x25,000) = 511,70,75,000.
Fact Check: Since those teaching in Madrasas are not paid by the State government, hence this calculation false flat.
Claim 9: One month pension for Madrasa teachers (implemented by Pinarayi Government): 6,000 x 2,00,000 = 120,00,00,000.
Fact Check: As per a report published by The Hindu on November 20, 2019, Kerala Assembly had passed the Kerala Madrasa Teachers Welfare Fund Bill, 2019. According to which, the madrasa teachers would be given a pension in the range of Rs 1,500 and Rs 7,500.
Dr Moideen Kutty AB, Director of Directorate of Minority Welfare, rubbished the viral post's claim, saying that there are only 411 retired madrasa teacher and none are getting more than Rs 1,200.
Claim 10 and 11: Total one-month madrasa salary and pension payable from the exchequer, (5117075000 + 120,00,00,000) is Rs 631,70,75,000 and Expenditure on Madrasa Salary and Pension in Kerala for one year (6317075000 x 12) is 75804900000, i.e., over 7 thousand crores.
Fact Check: As the government of Kerala does not pay the salary of the Madrasa teachers; hence both the calculation of monthly and a yearly salary of teachers spent by Kerala government on madrasa teachers have no base.
Hence, we found that the viral claim is fake and KT Jamil has not presented any data in the State Assembly as claimed by the viral post.
This fact-check has been sourced from The Quint.
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.
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