Fact Check: Nirmala Sitharaman endorses trading platform to earn easy money? No, viral video is digitally manipulated

Hyderabad: A video featuring senior BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman, serving as the minister of Finance and minister of Corporate Affairs, has been circulating on social media, allegedly promoting a trading platform to earn guaranteed profits.

In the video, Sitharaman, without naming the platform, reportedly announces that Indian citizens no longer need to work hard or worry about their family’s future. She is allegedly heard saying, “This revolutionary, risk-free platform allows Indian citizens to earn Rs 60,000 per day effortlessly using AI-driven trading technology. It is officially licensed, globally verified and insured by the National Bank of India for complete security.

Anyone—teachers, retirees, housewives, or drivers—can join. Simply register, get guided by a project manager and deposit Rs 20,000 to start earning. No skills or effort are needed—the AI does everything for you. Don’t miss this life-changing opportunity—act now and secure your financial future!”

The text overlaid on the video states, “Guaranteed for everyone in India to earn Rs 1,600,000 within 28 days. You will only need Rs 21,000 to invest in February.”

The finance minister allegedly assures that the platform carries zero risk, claiming to have personally tested it by investing Rs 21,000 on the first day and earning Rs 1.5 million in the first month.

A Facebook account shared the video on February 20. At the time of writing this article, it has garnered over 4.4 million views. An archived version of the post can be seen here.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The voice of the Union finance minister in the video has been digitally manipulated.

A reverse image search of the video’s keyframes led us to a one-hour-long video published by The Print on December 22, 2024, titled ‘Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addresses the 55th meeting of the GST Council in Jaisalmer.’

According to the media organisation, during the meeting, Sitharaman addressed issues faced by small businesses related to registration and verification. She stated that the GST council has prepared a concept note aimed at streamlining the registration process for smaller businesses. She announced the council’s decision to reduce the tax rate on fortified rice kernels and exempt gene therapy from GST.

We carefully listened to the entire video but found no instance of Sitharaman endorsing any trading platform that promises financial gains without effort or special skills. However, we observed that the minister’s background and her chair in the viral video are identical to those in the original footage. Sitharaman was also seen wearing the same outfit as in the viral clip.

The viral clip appears in the video after the 32:59 mark, going by the identical hand gestures of the minister in both videos. However, in the original video, she was talking about rate rationalisation, not endorsing any trading platform.

We also checked the PIB press release on the ‘Recommendations of the 55th Meeting of the GST Council’, dated December 21, 2024. According to the press release, the council recommended:

- A reduction in the GST rate on fortified rice kernels

- Full exemption of GST on gene therapy

- Exemption of GST on contributions by general insurance companies from third-party motor vehicle premiums for the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund

- No GST on voucher transactions, as they are neither a supply of goods nor services

- Clarification that no GST is payable on penal charges levied by banks and NBFCs for borrower non-compliance with loan terms

- Reduction in the pre-deposit amount required for filing an appeal before the Appellate Authority when the order involves only a penalty

We found no mention of Sitharaman endorsing any trading platform. This confirmed that the video was digitally manipulated. We analysed the video using AI-detection tools which did not give any conclusive proof whether AI was involved in the manipulation of the original video. We have sent the video to Deepfakes Analysis Unit (DAU) for further analysis.

However, it is clear that a video of the finance minister has been digitally altered using an external voice to make it look like Sitharaman was endorsing a trading platform. The claim is false.