News Tamil Nadu

Annamalai Fact-Checks DMK Govt’s “Fact Checking Unit” On Village Road Schemes

February 24, 2024
The Commune

Once again, the so-called Fact-Checking Unit (FCU) of the DMK government has found itself peddling half-truth in order to peddle propaganda.

The current controversy centers on conflicting assertions concerning the originality of village road schemes implemented by both the central and state governments.

The spotlight is now on the DMK government’s Fact Checking Unit, led by Dravidian propagandist Iyan Karthikeyan, recognized for spreading misinformation favoring the DMK. Tamil Nadu BJP chief Annamalai has exposed them, detailing the schemes and highlighting discrepancies. He has not only caught them red-handed but has also raised questions about the inconsistencies in the scheme, urging the release of a white paper.

The TN Fact Checking Unit through its official X handle buttressing DMK refuted the assertion made by BJP leader Annamalai regarding the Muthalamaichar Grama Sallai Menbaatu Thittam (MGSMT), dismissing it as mere speculation. According to the Fact Checking Unit  Annamalai alleged that the State Government had simply rebranded the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) of the Central Government, presenting it as a new initiative named MGSMT.

Unit explianed the MGSMT scheme aims to establish well-constructed roads for village connectivity and execute road development projects in rural areas. It operates solely on state funds, in contrast to the PMGSY, which links villages along roads housing essential facilities like hospitals, colleges, and institutions. The PMGSY specifically focuses on upgrading hill village roads to tar roads, with funding allocated at a ratio of 60% from the central government and 40% from the state government. Therefore, the Union Government’s PMGSY and the State Government’s MGSMT schemes are distinct initiatives.

Discovering this amusing, Tamil Nadu BJP Chief Annamalai issued a statement through his official X handle expressed, “The fact (?) checking unit of the Tamil Nadu government has given a rare explanation in the name of the difference between the rural roads plan of the Prime Minister and the said rural roads plan of the Tamil Nadu government.”

“The Prime Minister’s Rural Roads Scheme was introduced in the year 2000 by the then Prime Minister of India, Bharat Ratna Vajpayee. Under this scheme, which provides tar road facilities to hamlets and hill villages, in the last nine years, ₹5,837 crore has been spent in Tamil Nadu. However, in the districts of Tiruvannamalai, Vellore and Tirupur, there is still a dire situation in Tamil Nadu where dolly are carried for medical treatment in hilly villages without road facilities. If that is the case, it is clear from this that the DMK, which was in power in the Congress alliance for ten years between 2004-2014 at the center, did nothing for the villages of Tamil Nadu.” He said

“The Chief Minister’s Village Roads Project announced by the DMK was announced only in 2023.  Is DMK’s fact-checking unit says that road facilities were not constructed till then in Tamilnadu villages? If road facilities were constructed in the villages before then, with what funds were they carried out? Central government funding or state government funding? Is the Central Government providing funds to Gram Panchayats ? Or the state government?” He questioned

“Apart from this, according to the DMK Government’s Order No. 34 issued on 18.03.2023, under the Chief Minister’s Village Roads Scheme, ₹2,300 crore has been allocated for the year 2022-2023. But, real spending is “zero”. If DMK’s fact-finding unit says this too is wrong, then it should publish a white report on the expenditure of ₹2,300 crore last year.” He demanded

“Why are we asking for a white report? There is a doubt among the public that you have declared the Chief Minister’s Village Roads scheme by name, allocated funds, and are accounting for the works implemented under the funds of the Prime Minister’s Rural Roads Project. Therefore, the DMK government must release a white paper on the ₹2,300 crore allocated for the CM’s rural roads scheme last year.” He further said

“Above all, in the last nine years, the amount of funds given directly to the Gram Panchayats by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Mr.@narendramodi is ₹19,936 crores. The DMK government has asked the panchayats in Tamil Nadu to add all the remaining funds to the treasury of the Tamil Nadu government. It is in this fund that nominally the schemes are announced to the villages. I mentioned this last February 7 while speaking in Arakkonam parliamentary constituency. Will DMK’s fact-finding unit come forward to refute this with evidence?” he further questioned

“If the welfare programs implemented by the central government led by our honorable Prime Minister of India, Mr.@narendramodi, are made available to the public without corruption, bribery, or commission, all the people of Tamil Nadu will benefit. Those who know DMK’s sixty-year history know very well what the purpose of changing the name of the project is, as if wearing a disguise.” He finally said

Netizens discovered the post by the TN Fact-Checking Unit to be sarcastic and proceeded to mock the unit chief D-Stock Iyan Karthikeyan for supporting the DMK blindly . They shared authentic images featuring central government schemes such as Jal Jeevan Mission stickered by DMK, some of which are provided below.

 

Previous Instances Of DMK & its Govt Agencies Peddling Misinformation

Previously on 24 January 2024, The official Tamil Nadu BJP handle released a video alleging severe food shortages at the MGR Stadium in Madurai, claiming athletes were provided only a chapati and a half-boiled egg. Athletes and coaches raised concerns about the inadequate food portions, with reports indicating a private contractor managing the food arrangements. The district administration, including Collector Sangeetha, intervened, assuring prompt resolution of the issues within a day. DMK MP Venkatesan emphasized the potential harm to Tamil Nadu’s reputation, and the official fact-check team of the state government refuted the claims, labeling them as fake news.

On 15 January 2024, A statement from the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) acknowledged inaccuracies in historical details related to E.V. Ramasamy (EVR), known as ‘Periyar.’ The errors included the claim that Periyar visited Anna University on 16 July 1920 instead of the correct date, 16 July 1970. Additionally, discrepancies were found in stating Periyar’s birthday as 17 September 1879, a Wednesday, whereas computer-generated information in the statement indicated a Saturday. The release also falsely attributed a quote about cell phones to Periyar, whereas it was originally made by the renowned scientist and inventor Nikola Tesla.

On 12 December 2023, The Chief Minister initially praised writer Rajasekaran Devibharathi on social media for winning the Sahitya Akademi Award. However, the celebration was short-lived when it became apparent that the Sahitya Akademi had not yet announced any awards. Consequently, the Chief Minister promptly deleted the post.

In November 2023, when allegations of Aavin reducing fat content in the green packet milk surfaced, instead of proving that the milk contained a specific amount of fat as claimed or other details that pertained to the topic of discussion, the FCU’s Mission Director ended up fact-checking the “container” in which the sample was received.

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