News / Author / Abhishek Jha

Abhishek Jha

Abhishek Jha is a data journalist. He analyses public data for finding news, with a focus on the environment, Indian politics and economy, and Covid-19.

Articles by Abhishek Jha

Education spending in need of a budget boost

A previous analysis of National Statistical Office (NSO) data by Ishan Anand in HT showed that access to higher education in India is much lower among socio-economically backward groups.

School children wearing caps attend Republic Day celebrations in Ahmedabad.(REUTERS)

india news

Published on Jan 30, 2020 03:48 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByAbhishek Jha

India’s alcohol imports aren’t causing a trade hangover

In 2018-19, India imported $384 million worth of alcoholic beverages. This is less than 1% of India’s total imports in that year. In fact, unlike many other things, India does relatively well in exporting alcohol as well.

Beers and other alcoholic drinks sit on display in a refrigerator.(Bloomberg)

india news

Updated on Jan 22, 2020 01:41 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByAbhishek Jha

Consistent low temperatures part of a trend in Delhi

Earlier, the IMD had declared December 2019 as the second-coldest December month in Delhi since 1901 based on average maximum temperatures (18.76 degree Celsius).

The trend of consistent low temperatures in Delhi and neighbouring areas is in contrast with the all-India trend in temperature, where both maximum and minimum temperatures in winter months have been increasing since the 2000s.(HT Photo)

cities

Updated on Jan 10, 2020 09:42 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByAbhishek Jha

Poorest most likely to commit suicide in India, reveals NCRB data

Data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) shows that daily wage workers, those earning less than ₹1 lakh per annum but educated up to the secondary level have the highest share in number of suicides in India in 2018.

india news

Updated on Jan 10, 2020 07:07 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByAbhishek Jha

Two factors that may determine who wins Delhi Assembly Elections 2020

The Congress, which ruled Delhi for three consecutive terms until 2013, drew a blank in both Lok Sabha and state elections since.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal(Arvind Yadav/HT PHOTO)

elections

Updated on Aug 20, 2020 01:29 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByAbhishek Jha and Vijdan Mohammad Kawoosa

Surge in tribal support key to victory for JMM-led alliance

An analysis by regions shows that the biggest reason for the BJP’s political reversal is a surge in support for the JMM alliance in Scheduled Tribe (ST) dominated regions of the state.

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led alliance, which also includes the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), has won 47 ACs, 22 more than what these parties won in 2014.(PTI)

elections

Updated on Dec 24, 2019 12:12 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Ranchi | ByAbhishek Jha and Vijdan Mohammad Kawoosa

Onion prices rocket, but retail profit margins low

The average monthly retail profit margin since January 2015 on onions is 104%, which clearly shows that terms of trade in agriculture are strongly skewed in favour of retailers, not farmers.

An earlier HT analysis discovered that prices normally spike due to poor supply, caused by inclement weather, which results in a poor crop.(Burhaan Kinu/HT PHOTO)

business

Updated on Dec 17, 2019 02:15 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByVineet Sachdev and Abhishek Jha

Will a single party get majority for the first time in Jharkhand? | Analysis

In fact, even before Jharkhand was created, no party had been able to muster a majority in the 81 assembly constituencies (ACs) which were carved out of Bihar to form the new state since 1990.

elections

Updated on Nov 30, 2019 06:03 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Ranchi | ByVijdan Mohammad Kawoosa and Abhishek Jha

Jharkhand assembly election 2019: How politics has evolved in Jharkhand in two decades

The analysis shows that political equations which matter in Jharkhand today had started manifesting themselves before the state was created.

Jharkhand would complete two decades of its formation in November 2020.

elections

Updated on Nov 28, 2019 06:09 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByAbhishek Jha and Vijdan Mohammad Kawoosa, New Delhi

Delhi’s air bad, farm fires make it worse

Delhi’s air quality in this period was bad even without the effect of stubble-burning, which only made it worse.

Vehicles ply amid a dense layer of smog at Rajpath, in New Delhi.(PTI Photo)

cities

Updated on Jul 27, 2020 04:43 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByAbhishek Jha, New Delhi

High alert sounded on Diwali pollution

The moves come at a time when farm fires appeared to have been raging at the same frequency as last year, according to an analysis of data from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) satellites, and weather conditions are expected to exacerbate local pollution.

According to an analysis of data from Nasa’s Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), there were 5,414 fires spotted in Punjab and Haryana between October 18 and 24(Photo by Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times)

india news

Updated on Oct 26, 2019 03:44 AM IST

New Delhi | ByJoydeep Thakur and Abhishek Jha

Maharashtra election results indicate shift towards bipolar politics

Among the most interesting statistics in the 2019 assembly results is the combined vote share of the parties other than BJP, Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP, which is 25.3%.

elections

Updated on Oct 26, 2019 09:58 AM IST

New Delhi | ByAbhishek Jha

Maharashtra, Haryana results may affect BJP’s Rajya Sabha math

Maharashtra and Haryana send 19 and five members respectively to the Rajya Sabha. Of the five members from Haryana, the Congress has just one, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has three while Subash Chandra is an independent.

elections

Updated on Jul 14, 2020 11:19 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByAbhishek Jha and Roshan Kishore

Spoiler alert: Vote transfer between Maharashtra alliances bigger concern for parties

A party is defined as spoiler if it polls more votes than the victory margin in a particular seat, but finishes third or below.

elections

Updated on Oct 20, 2019 03:43 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Mumbai | ByAbhishek Jha

Why western Maharashtra is crucial this poll season

The BJP and Shiv Sena won 232 of 288 assembly segments in the state in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, 185 in the 2014 assembly election, and 226 in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

What eventually happens in the upcoming assembly election will depend a lot on the political outcome in 58 assembly constituencies (ACs) in the sub-region of Western Maharashtra.(PTI image)

elections

Updated on Oct 10, 2019 01:09 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByAbhishek Jha

Patna flooded, but monsoon rainfall still below normal

An HT analysis of daily rainfall data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) shows that total rainfall in Patna between 26 to 29 September was 210.8 mm.

A cycle rickshaw driver moves through waterlogged roads of Patna.(Parwaz Khan / Hindustan Times)

india news

Updated on Oct 01, 2019 06:43 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByAbhishek Jha

Local voting patterns show sharp contrast with central

A closer look at the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) performance in these bypolls underlines the larger trend which was seen in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Results of four assembly bypolls held in the states of Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Tripura were announced on Friday.(HT Photo)

india news

Published on Sep 28, 2019 03:16 AM IST

New Delhi | ByRoshan Kishore and Abhishek Jha

How BJP challenged traditional caste arithmetic in Maharashtra, Haryana

When BJP won assembly elections in 2014, it chose chief ministers who did not come from dominant social groups in both Haryana and Maharashtra.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar showers flower petals on party workers during a felicitation event near Sector 10A, in Gurugram(Yogesh Kumar/Hindustan Times)

india news

Updated on Sep 22, 2019 12:17 PM IST

Chandigarh/Mumbai/New Delhi | ByAbhishek Jha

How fit is India’s population?

According to the National Family and Health Survey (NFHS), a person is considered to be thin or overweight or obese, if their BMI score is less than 18.5 or more than 25. BMI scores between these values are considered normal.

Among women, Mumbai has the highest share of the overweight or obese people, followed by Chennai, Delhi, and Bengaluru.(Photo by Aalok Soni/ Hindustan Times)

india news

Updated on Aug 29, 2019 10:58 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByAbhishek Jha

Heavy rain in hills poses flood threat to Delhi

Residents of low-lying areas along the river have been asked to move to safer locations as the water level is expected to reach the 207-metre mark by August 21, as per the Central Water Commission’s forecast.

The Yamuna river has been flowing above the danger level of 205.3 metres in Delhi since 19 August.(HT image)

cities

Updated on Aug 21, 2019 12:58 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByAbhishek Jha

More rain in less time behind flooding: Data

In the two weeks ending 22 August, 2018, Kerala received 652.4 mm of rain, the highest in two weeks since 1 January 1989. It was this burst of rain, rather than a large increase in annual rainfall, which resulted in large-scale flooding in the state.

According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), which has annual rainfall data from 1902, total rainfall in Kerala in 2018-19 was 3164.1 millimetres (mm).(PTI)

india news

Updated on Jun 14, 2020 09:28 PM IST

ByAbhishek Jha and Roshan Kishore

India’s changing monsoon trend: Fewer rainy days, but more rain

Rainfall patterns vary. That is why they are measured in terms of long-period averages rather than one year values. However, events such as the 2018 floods in Kerala have drawn attention to the trend of increasing skewness in rainfall patterns.

Scenes from worst-affected Kavalapara in Malappuram district of Kerala. A string of landslides decimated a human settlement here. At last 40 people are still buried under mud and debris.(HT Photo)

india news

Updated on Aug 14, 2019 06:12 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByAbhishek Jha and Roshan Kishore

Gender gap narrows in migration for jobs

Across various education levels, men are more likely to migrate for work than women, according to the data, although there has been some improvement.

The gap between the number of men and women migrating for work has reduced between the 2001 and 2011 censuses.(Bloomberg file photo for representation)

india news

Updated on Jul 27, 2019 06:54 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByAbhishek Jha

What the 2011 census data on migration tells us

Most women migrate due to marriage, and distance is a critical factor in determining the gender gap in migration for work and education.

The number of interstate migrants in Delhi and Mumbai (Mumbai and Mumbai suburban districts) in 2011 was 9.9 million, or one-third of the total population of 29.2 million in these cities.(HT Photo)

india news

Updated on Jul 26, 2019 04:55 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByAbhishek Jha and Vijdan Mohammad Kawoosa

Analysis: BSP gained more than SP from their grand alliance

The only beneficiary of the SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh has been the BSP, which increased its seat tally from zero to 10 between 2014 and 2019.

The Samajwadi Party (SP)-Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) alliance in Uttar Pradesh was perceived to be a major threat to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the biggest game-changer of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.(ANI file Photo)

india news

Updated on Jun 05, 2019 08:18 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByAbhishek Jha

More women may use Metro, but difficult to calculate fiscal burden

Since neither Delhi Metro, nor DTC or cluster buses have an accurate gender break-up of passengers, the fiscal cost of such a policy is difficult to ascertain.

The actual share of women travellers among all users of such services could be higher as women have a much lower share among workers than in the total population.(HT Photo)

cities

Updated on Jun 04, 2019 06:26 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByAbhishek Jha

Rise in win margins reflect BJP’s growing popularity

The BJP has increased its all-India vote share to 37%, an increase of six percentage points from 2014. Since it contested only 436 seats, it is unfair to compare BJP’s vote share with that of the Congress

Out of the 542 PCs polled in the 2019 elections, BJP’s seat share increases with a rise in victory margins.(ANI Photo)

india news

Updated on Jun 03, 2019 07:40 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByAbhishek Jha

‘National’ status up for review for four parties

Being a national party entitles a party to a common and permanent symbol across states, and also space for a party office in the heart of Lutyens’ Delhi and free airtime on public broadcasters during elections

A 15 March, 2019, notification by the Election Commission of India (ECI) lists seven national parties in India. They are (in alphabetical order): AITC, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), BSP, CPI, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Indian National Congress (INC) and NCP.(File photo)

india news

Updated on May 29, 2019 10:49 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByAbhishek Jha

Poll results: Is rural India more ‘liberal’ than urban?

The increase in vote share of the candidates/parties who became liberal mascots in these four seats is inversely related with the share of urban population in these seats, suggests an HT analysis.

The rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the post-2014 phase has often been seen as a threat to liberal values by a section among both anti-BJP political parties and civil society.(PTI photo)

elections

Updated on May 26, 2019 07:57 AM IST

New Delhi | ByAbhishek Jha and Roshan Kishore

Once neck-and-neck, BJP now opens up big vote share lead on opposition alliance in UP

In 2014, the combined vote share of these three parties was 42.7%, compared to the 42.3% polled by the alliance of the BJP and Apna Dal . Out of the 73 seats won by the BJP-led alliance (71 by the BJP alone) in 2014, 38 were spoiler aided victories.

elections

Updated on May 24, 2019 08:36 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByAbhishek Jha

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Abhishek Jha

Abhishek Jha is a data journalist. He analyses public data for finding news, with a focus on the environment, Indian politics and economy, and Covid-19.

A previous analysis of National Statistical Office (NSO) data by Ishan Anand in HT showed that access to higher education in India is much lower among socio-economically backward groups.

In 2018-19, India imported $384 million worth of alcoholic beverages. This is less than 1% of India’s total imports in that year. In fact, unlike many other things, India does relatively well in exporting alcohol as well.

Earlier, the IMD had declared December 2019 as the second-coldest December month in Delhi since 1901 based on average maximum temperatures (18.76 degree Celsius).

Data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) shows that daily wage workers, those earning less than ₹1 lakh per annum but educated up to the secondary level have the highest share in number of suicides in India in 2018.

The Congress, which ruled Delhi for three consecutive terms until 2013, drew a blank in both Lok Sabha and state elections since.

An analysis by regions shows that the biggest reason for the BJP’s political reversal is a surge in support for the JMM alliance in Scheduled Tribe (ST) dominated regions of the state.

The average monthly retail profit margin since January 2015 on onions is 104%, which clearly shows that terms of trade in agriculture are strongly skewed in favour of retailers, not farmers.

In fact, even before Jharkhand was created, no party had been able to muster a majority in the 81 assembly constituencies (ACs) which were carved out of Bihar to form the new state since 1990.

The analysis shows that political equations which matter in Jharkhand today had started manifesting themselves before the state was created.

Delhi’s air quality in this period was bad even without the effect of stubble-burning, which only made it worse.

The moves come at a time when farm fires appeared to have been raging at the same frequency as last year, according to an analysis of data from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) satellites, and weather conditions are expected to exacerbate local pollution.

Among the most interesting statistics in the 2019 assembly results is the combined vote share of the parties other than BJP, Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP, which is 25.3%.

Maharashtra and Haryana send 19 and five members respectively to the Rajya Sabha. Of the five members from Haryana, the Congress has just one, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has three while Subash Chandra is an independent.

A party is defined as spoiler if it polls more votes than the victory margin in a particular seat, but finishes third or below.

The BJP and Shiv Sena won 232 of 288 assembly segments in the state in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, 185 in the 2014 assembly election, and 226 in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

An HT analysis of daily rainfall data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) shows that total rainfall in Patna between 26 to 29 September was 210.8 mm.

A closer look at the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) performance in these bypolls underlines the larger trend which was seen in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

When BJP won assembly elections in 2014, it chose chief ministers who did not come from dominant social groups in both Haryana and Maharashtra.

According to the National Family and Health Survey (NFHS), a person is considered to be thin or overweight or obese, if their BMI score is less than 18.5 or more than 25. BMI scores between these values are considered normal.

Residents of low-lying areas along the river have been asked to move to safer locations as the water level is expected to reach the 207-metre mark by August 21, as per the Central Water Commission’s forecast.

In the two weeks ending 22 August, 2018, Kerala received 652.4 mm of rain, the highest in two weeks since 1 January 1989. It was this burst of rain, rather than a large increase in annual rainfall, which resulted in large-scale flooding in the state.

Rainfall patterns vary. That is why they are measured in terms of long-period averages rather than one year values. However, events such as the 2018 floods in Kerala have drawn attention to the trend of increasing skewness in rainfall patterns.

Across various education levels, men are more likely to migrate for work than women, according to the data, although there has been some improvement.

Most women migrate due to marriage, and distance is a critical factor in determining the gender gap in migration for work and education.

The only beneficiary of the SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh has been the BSP, which increased its seat tally from zero to 10 between 2014 and 2019.

Since neither Delhi Metro, nor DTC or cluster buses have an accurate gender break-up of passengers, the fiscal cost of such a policy is difficult to ascertain.

The BJP has increased its all-India vote share to 37%, an increase of six percentage points from 2014. Since it contested only 436 seats, it is unfair to compare BJP’s vote share with that of the Congress

Being a national party entitles a party to a common and permanent symbol across states, and also space for a party office in the heart of Lutyens’ Delhi and free airtime on public broadcasters during elections

The increase in vote share of the candidates/parties who became liberal mascots in these four seats is inversely related with the share of urban population in these seats, suggests an HT analysis.

In 2014, the combined vote share of these three parties was 42.7%, compared to the 42.3% polled by the alliance of the BJP and Apna Dal . Out of the 73 seats won by the BJP-led alliance (71 by the BJP alone) in 2014, 38 were spoiler aided victories.

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