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Information about a bank account is becoming increasingly viral on social media, in which people are being appealed to donate one rupee per day. It is being claimed that on the suggestion of Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, the Modi government has opened this account in the recent cabinet meeting to modernize the Indian Army and help the soldiers injured or martyred in the war, while the truth is that no such cabinet meeting has taken place recently nor has any such decision been taken. The viral post also states that this fund will be used to buy weapons for the army and paramilitary forces.
What is in the viral post?
The viral post reads, ‘Another good decision of Modi government on the suggestion of superstar Akshay Kumar: Just one rupee per day, that too for the Indian Army. Modi government opened a bank account for the Indian Army and soldiers injured or martyred in the war zone in the cabinet meeting yesterday. Every Indian can donate the amount he wants, which starts from Rs 1 and is unlimited. Weapons will also be purchased for the army and paramilitary forces with this money.’
The post further claimed that if 70% of India's 130 crore population donates one rupee daily, the amount will become 100 crore in one day, 3000 crore in 30 days and 36,000 crore in one year, which is more than Pakistan's annual defence budget. The post also gives Canara Bank account details. The post urges people to share the message as much as possible, adding slogans like "Jai Hind" and "Vande Mataram".
What is the reality of this claim?
While investigating the authenticity of the viral claim, a tweet dated 2 September 2016 was found on the official Twitter handle of the Indian Army, which clarified that the viral bank account belongs to "Army Welfare Fund Battle Casualty". This account was created by the government to help the families of soldiers injured or martyred in the war. Apart from this, this bank account was also confirmed in a government press release dated 17 October 2016. This account was not opened recently, but many years ago. This account was not opened for the purpose of purchasing any weapon etc.
Let us tell you that Syndicate Bank and Canara Bank have merged and now they are a single entity. This merger became effective on April 1, 2020, when Syndicate Bank became a branch of Canara Bank. That is why the name of the bank is written as Syndicate Bank in the Army's tweet.
The viral claim is completely misleading
In this way, the viral claim is completely misleading. This post has been going viral on social media for a long time with different claims. Such claims have been refuted earlier as well. This bank account was not opened recently, but many years ago by the government to help the families of soldiers. It has nothing to do with Akshay Kumar or any recent government decision. People are appealed not to believe such misleading information and check its veracity before sharing it. Use only official channels to help the army.
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