From the article:
The number of excess deaths reported during India’s Covid-19 pandemic could be up to 10 times the official Covid-19 death toll, a working paper published by the US-based Center for Global Development said.
Between 3.4 and 4.9 million estimated excess deaths were reported in India between Jan. 2020 and June 2021, while the Indian health ministry's reported death toll of approximately 400,000.
“We have no reason to hide deaths...many people have said the Indian government is hiding the death toll, the Indian government simply compiles and publishes the figures sent to us from state governments," Mansukh Mandaviya, India’s newly-appointed health minister, said in the upper house of parliament on Tuesday, in response to questions regarding the underreporting of deaths.
"The Indian government has never asked for deaths to be under-reported,” Mandaviya added.
