Social media users have been sharing a message which states that the Central Government is distributing free laptops to students keeping in view the transition to online education amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the same time, a purported clip talking about a special scheme by the Centre to tackle rising unemployment has also surfaced on the Internet.
The claims
A message circulating on WhatApp asserts that the government has introduced a provision for allocating free laptops to students in order for them to attend online classes as schools and colleges are shut as of now.
"Due to the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic, schools and colleges have been closed and because of that education of students is getting affected. Therefore, the central government is providing free laptops to all the students so that they can complete their education and also give exams with the help of the Internet," states the WhatsApp message along with providing a registration link. The message has been shared by many on Twitter and Facebook as well.
Besides, a video doing the rounds on multiple social media platforms claims that the Narendra Modi government has announced 'Ek Parivar Ek Naukri Yojana' under which one member of each family will be given a government job.
Fact-check
The Central Government is neither distributing free laptops to students nor it has launched the 'Ek Parivar Ek Naukri Yojana'. Both the claims have been debunked by the fact-checking arm of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) via its official Twitter account.
"In a WhatsApp message, it is being claimed that keeping in mind the online education, the government has decided to provide free laptops to students. This claim is fake as the centre has not made any such announcement. Do not share personal information on any such fake link or website," read a tweet by PIB Fact Check.
Simultaneously, it also issued a clarification regarding the claim that the government will provide jobs to every family. "In a viral video, it is being claimed that according to the 'Ek Parivar Ek Naukri Yojana' of the central government, one member of every family will be given a government job. This claim is false. The Centre has not announced any such scheme," PIB Fact Check stated.
Therefore, it is evident that the claims of the government providing laptops to students and jobs to families are false.
