Calling the claim in this viral message fake, the official Twitter account of PIB (Press Information Bureau) Fact Check has denied any such scheme being run by the government and advised the users of the popular messaging app to not believe any such claims.
दावा : #WhatsApp पर वायरल हो रहे एक मैसेज में दावा किया जा रहा है कि सरकार द्वारा प्रधानमंत्री फ्री सोलर पैनल योजना… https://t.co/xHYoF2rcpU
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) 1600435277000
As per the message, the government is offering free solar panels for houses without any cost and requires people to fill out a form. The link to the alleged form is also included in the message and may lead users to getting scammed.
The aforementioned message is one of the fake viral messages that is being spread through WhatsApp. The app has been increasingly facing the problem of being used to spread misinformation — especially in the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19) — as a result of which, the app earlier this year even restricted the limit of sending forwarded messages.
This was followed by a launch of a chatbot, called MyGov Corona Helpdesk, by the Facebook-owned app in association with the central government to create awareness as well as fight misinformation about coronavirus pandemic.
