Fact Check: Stalin gives retrofitted petrol scooters only to Muslims with disabilities? Know the facts here

While mentioning the scheme, several social media usersare claiming that the TN government is showing favouritism to a certain religious community. Many are sharing a photograph of Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin handing over a retrofitted scooter to a woman, insinuating that the woman is a Muslim and that the scheme is only intended for Muslims.

“Are there no differently abled persons in the Hindu religion? Is Tamil Nadu in India or Pakistan? (translated from Tamil)” wrote a Facebook user who the shared the image.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. People of all religious beliefs are eligible for the scheme.

Through a reverse image search, we found the same image on the official Instagram account of the Tamil Nadu chief minister’s office, dated March 3, 2025. The caption read, “Retrofitted petrol scooters were distributed by the chief minister during an official program in Nagapattinam district.” There is no special mention that the woman is a Muslim.

Further, through a keyword search, we found the viral image in a news report about other welfare measures and government projects by the TN government. ETV Bharat Tamil Nadu published the image in a report on March 3, 2025. The caption read, “The chief minister presents a three-wheeler to a woman.”

The report stated that, in a program held in Nagapattinam District, the chief minister inaugurated 35 completed projects worth Rs 423.18 crores and laid the foundation stone for 206 new projects. Further, he distributed welfare measures to 38,956 beneficiaries. There is no mention of any special benefits being extended to Muslims.

It is clear that the beneficiary in the image was presented with the scooter as part of the welfare scheme and not because she is a Muslim.

While checking for information from the government about the scheme, we found that the Instagram account of the Department of Information and Public Relations shared the video on March 4 of another beneficiary of the scheme, Dilli Babu, thanking the chief minister for providing the vehicle. Hence, this showed that the scheme is applicable to persons with disabilities from all religious backgrounds.

What are the eligibility criteria for the scooter scheme?

To understand the eligibility criteria for the scheme, we visited the official website of the Department for the Welfare of Differently Abled Persons.

The ‘retrofitted petrol scooters’ scheme was listed among other social welfare schemes. As per the scheme, ‘retrofitted petrol scooters are provided for orthopaedically affected persons whose both legs are affected. Students, employed and self-employed differently abled persons are eligible.’

The eligibility criteria, as per the website, are as follows: ‘The age of the beneficiary should be more than 18 years. The candidate should be an orthopaedically differently abled student/working in private organisations/self-employed person and resident of the district/area.’ Here, too, there is no mention of the scheme being exclusive for Muslims or any other religious group.

Based on our findings, we conclude that the TN government has announced the ‘retrofitted petrol scooters’ scheme for anyone satisfying the eligibility conditions and not just Muslims, as claimed in the viral posts on social media platforms. The claim is false.