Are they fudging numbers?

BHUBANESWAR: Are there villages in Bargarh district having no population? The flood report of the Government, at least, suggests that there are 189 villages where no one lives.On Monday, the Government presented estimates which put the total affected population in the western Orissa district of Bargarh at 75,000. The report presented on Sunday too had put the affected population at 75,000.But the catch lies somewhere. Today’s report said the number of affected gram panchayats in Bargarh stood at 165, up from 35 a day before. Similarly, the number of affected villages jumped to 507, a rise of 189 over yesterday. However, on both the days, the population affected remained unchanged at 75,000. “This could mean no one lives in these 189 villages from 130 gram panchayats of Bargarh,” said anofficer. Interestingly, Monday’s report even said that 1,850 people were evacuated from these villages. Where did the evacuees come from?The Government, which has been furnishing updated reports everyday, came up with more such blunders that indicate that there are serious problems with mathematical calculations being made at the Secretariat while such numbers are being fed from the district without anyone applying their minds.