Fact Check Unit of Press Information Bureau has today clarified in a tweet that Central Government is not mulling a reduction in retirement age of Central Government employees. The tweet was a response to an article printed on a web portal which claimed that the Government of India is likely  to reduce the retirement age to 50.

Claim: A web news portal claims Centre is likely to reduce retirement age of Central Government employees to 50 In #Coronavirus Crisis#PIBFactCheck: The claim made within the report is false. Centre is neither planning nor discussing any such move#COVID19 #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/d9jaWnUwxs

— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) April 26, 2020

 In another tweet PIB Fact Check today busted a fake news doing the rounds on WhatsApp that claimed Government is going to bring an Act which will require all salaried persons to deposit 18%. The tweet clarified that Government is considering introduction of no such law. The tweet also advised people not to forward unverified information. 

Claim: WhatsApp forward claims Government is going to bring in Act to have 18% income deposited by all tax payers #PIBFactCheck: No such move being discussed by the Government. This is a figment of imagination aimed at scaremongering. Please do not forward any such #FakeNews pic.twitter.com/z9H90uXG7n

— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) April 26, 2020

A fact check was performed by PIB Assam about a news published in Manipur claiming the District Hospital in Tamenglong was suffering from a lack of infrastructure and equipment amidst the coronavirus crisis. The State Health Department had earlier rebutted the claim made in the article.  

#PIBFactCheck
Claim: Lack of infrastructure, equipment in Tamenglong dist. hospital amid #COVID19 pandemic#FactCheck: #FakeNews
Tamenglong Dist. Admin has sufficient medical equipments & quarantine facility to combat #COVID19https://t.co/ZTOSRlspDD@ImphalTimes @PIBFactCheck pic.twitter.com/1dWge4K6eh

— PIB in Assam (@PIB_Guwahati) April 25, 2020

Background 

In order to check the spread of fake news on social media and following observations of the Supreme Court, PIB set up a dedicated unit to bust rumours getting viral on the social media. ‘PIBFactCheck’ is a verified handle on Twitter that continuously monitors trending messages on social media platforms and conducts comprehensive review of its contents to bust fake news. Besides, PIB_India handle and various PIB regional unit handles on Twitter are posting official and authentic version of any item on Twitter using the hashtag #PIBFactCheck for the benefit of the Twitter community at large.

Any person can submit to PIBFactCheck any social media message, including text, audio and video, to verification of its authenticity. These can be submitted online on the portal https://factcheck.pib.gov.in/ or on Whatsapp No. +918799711259 or email: pibfactcheck[at]gmail[dot]com. The details are also available on PIB website: https://pib.gov.in                                                  

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