According to a report by the “Indian Express” on the 28th, Ramswarup, a farmer from Satna district in Central India, has been dubbed the “poorest person in all of India” on social media due to an income certificate showing an annual income of just 3 Rupees (approximately 0.08 CNY). The certificate was issued by a tax official in the village on July 22nd, revealing that Ramswarup’s annual income is only 3 Rupees. This certificate, once shared online, quickly sparked a social media frenzy. Indian media outlet ZeeNews reported that if calculated this way, Ramswarup’s monthly income would be 25 Paise, with less than one Paise per day. More importantly, since June 2011, the 25 Paise coin has ceased to be in circulation, making such “non-existent” income raise questions about how he could sustain himself.
The certificate has also become a weapon used by the Indian National Congress Party to criticize the Central Province headed by the People’s Party of India. An Indian National Congress Party official stated that under Chief Minister Mohan Yaduvanshi, the state has not improved its people’s welfare but has instead led to their destitution, hinting at corruption among some officials who might be taking bribes.
Faced with public pressure, Devevi Diwan had no choice but to clarify, insisting it was a mistake and had been corrected, and on July 25th, he issued and posted a new income certificate with the amount corrected to 30,000 Rupees. However, this explanation did not entirely quell the controversy, leaving the public questioning the government’s credibility and corruption issues. Netizen Bhatwaji stated on social media: “In India, any government certificate can be easily obtained for payment, and this incident is the best proof that corruption has hollowed out the country.” (Special Report by Bai Yuan, Global Times)
