The Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check Unit has flagged a viral video featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "completely fake," clarifying that the government has not announced any scheme to provide free mobile recharges to school-going children.
The misleading video, shared by the Instagram handle ‘saloni_idr', reportedly used Artificial Intelligence (AI) to simulate the Prime Minister's voice and appearance to endorse the false claim. PIB confirmed that neither the Prime Minister nor the central government has made any such announcement.
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"PIB Fact Check: This claim and video are fake. No such announcement has been made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi or the Central Government," the unit stated in an official post.
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Authorities have urged citizens to stay vigilant against sophisticated deepfakes and to verify all government-related schemes through official portals such as pib.gov.in before sharing them online.
The original post that triggered the government's warning was an Instagram video uploaded by a handle named ‘saloni_idr', featuring a digitally manipulated version of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In the video, the AI-generated avatar of the PM was seen announcing a nationwide scheme providing free mobile recharges to all school-going children.
इंस्टाग्राम हैंडल ‘saloni_idr' द्वारा प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी की एक #AI वीडियो साझा कर यह दावा किया जा रहा है कि स्कूल में पढ़ने वाले बच्चों को मुफ्त रिचार्ज दिया जाएगा ।#PIBFactCheck
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) April 30, 2026
❌ यह दावा और वीडियो फर्जी हैं।
✅ प्रधानमंत्री @narendramodi या केंद्र सरकार द्वारा इस… pic.twitter.com/yZjzk5mfxY
Major government announcements are always made through official channels like press notes, the PMO's handle, or national news broadcasts, not random Instagram accounts.
To help the public report fraudulent claims, the unit has shared multiple contact channels. Citizens who encounter suspicious content can report it directly to the official handle @PIBFactCheck on X (formerly Twitter), or reach out via WhatsApp at +91 8799711259. Additionally, reports can be filed via email at factcheck@pib.gov.in to ensure swift verification and removal of misleading information.
The government's nodal agency warned users not to click on unknown links often embedded in such viral posts, as they are frequently used for phishing and data theft.
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