YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Prime Minister of Andhra Pradesh, launched an official “Factcheck” portal on Friday to curb misinformation by vested interests against the state government.
With the launch of the website: http://factcheck.ap.gov.in in his camp office, the Prime Minister said that the aim of this initiative is to stop the spread of malicious propaganda on social media. He also unveiled an exclusive Twitter handle for the same.
Jagan said officials could use the platform and fight the propaganda with evidence. The CM also ordered authorities to take action against individuals involved in such malicious activities.
‘No one has the right to damage the reputation of an individual or the system with bad intentions. It is necessary to counter such malicious campaigns that are intended to mislead the people on the ambitious programs of the government. “People need to know the facts,” he said.
The launch of the new portal follows the latest campaign on social media against the government accusing it of promoting Christianity, which is hurting the sentiments of the Hindus.
A few days ago, there was a systematic campaign on social media by the leaders of Bharatiya Janata party and sympathizers with the hashtag # Encroachment4ChristInAP, alleging that a large cross was erected on a hill in Edlapadu, Guntur , where carvings of Hindu gods are carved. already exists, ”a CMO official pointed out.
The national secretary of the BJP and co-body of Andhra Pradesh, Sunil Deodhar, took to Twitter to claim that the cross was built, where there were ever footprints of Sita Maa and the carvings of Lord Narasimha. He also added that ‘Christian mafias’ are wreaking havoc in the Guntur district, despite protests by RSS and the BJP cadre.
The official handle of the Guntur Rural District Police immediately responded to his tweet and explained the topography of the location through a video. Sub-inspector of Edlapadu explained that the hill on which the cross was erected is 500 meters from the hill on which the idol of Narasimha Swamy is.
“He also mentioned that no official complaint had been lodged with the police or the Revenue Department about the concerns raised by the BJP member on social media,” the CMO official pointed out.
There have also been some reports of the heightening of the Polavaram dam becoming viral on social media. The posts claim that the Polavaram project height will be reduced from 45.72 meters to 41.1 meters.
‘Some media houses have reported this speculation with heated debates, and reports appear on social media with false information without any verified source. But during a review meeting on the progress of the Polavaram project chaired by the prime minister, officials explained that work on the project is proceeding according to the design approved by the Central Water Commission and the Union Water Resources Ministry. There is no proposal to reduce the height of the dam, ”he pointed out.