Fact Check: AI VIDEO Shows FM Nirmala Sitharaman Promoting Investment Scheme Promising ₹5,000 Per Hour; PIB Debunks Fake News

New Delhi: A video of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman promoting an investment scheme promising ₹5,000 per hour and claiming it can generate ₹1 crore in six months is making the rounds on social media. However, the Press Information Bureau’s (PIB) fact-checking unit has termed the video fake and said that it is AI-generated.

PIB also confirmed that neither the Finance Minister nor the Government of India has announced or endorsed any such scheme.

"A doctored video of Union Finance Minister @nsitharaman is being circulated online, falsely suggesting that she is promoting an investment scheme promising ₹5,000 per hour and claiming it can generate ₹1 crore in six months. This video is FAKE and AI-generated," PIB's post on X read.

"Neither the Finance Minister nor the Government of India has announced or endorsed any such scheme," PIB said.

PIB also appealed to citizens, "Don’t get trapped by fake investment claims. For accurate information, rely only on official government sources."

Earlier on Monday, amid the ongoing cancellations of IndiGo flights, an old video of Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu surfaced online with false claims. Several social media posts claimed that the minister was dancing at an event as over 4,500 IndiGo flights were cancelled in the past seven days.

However, PIB's fact-checking unit dismissed these claims as "misleading". The PIB Fact Check said that Naidu's video going viral is four months old, and does not link to the current IndiGo crisis.