Fact Check: Indian government not providing rent, jobs under Digital India scheme, viral letter is fake
A WhatsApp message claiming that the Central government is installing mobile towers under the Digital India scheme is going viral.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 2 Nov 2021 12:15 PM GMT
Hyderabad: A WhatsApp message claiming that the Central government is installing mobile towers under the Digital India scheme is going viral. It is being claimed that the company will pay Rs. 30 lakh as advance and Rs. 25,000 per month as rent (to install the towers). People are being asked to pay Rs. 730 as registration fee.
The message reads, "The letter has been sent by Digital India Wi-Fi network. This is to inform you that your land has been surveyed for setting up a mobile tower…you will get a rent of Rs. 25,000, Rs. 30 lakh advance, and a 20-year agreement."
Fact Check
The claim is false. There are no news reports to support the claim.
The Press Information Bureau (PIB) fact-check team has refuted the claim and called the message fake. It tweeted, "It is claimed in an approval letter that the Govt of India is installing mobile towers under the @_DigitalIndia Wi-Fi network. The letter is also asking for the payment of Rs 730 on the pretext of the registration fee. This is a fake claim. GOI has not issued this approval letter.
How to identify a fake message?
It should be noted that all official notices and documents issued by the government will always be made available on official platforms. Citizens are advised to check government websites for any such notices and messages before making transactions. Messages that are usually circulated on social media platforms and messaging apps like WhatsApp carry spelling and grammatical mistakes. In some cases, letters carry incorrect spellings and the language is filled with syntactical errors. It is important to identify such elements before thinking a message is true. NewsMeter has identified numerous such fake letters and hoax messages.
