By Srijit Das
A cropped video of Rahul Gandhi is being shared on social media with a false claim that the Congress leader promised to credit an annual sum of Rs 1 lakh to accounts of youngsters who spent time browsing social media platforms.
BOOM found that the video has been cropped and Gandhi was referring to the Congress party's 'Right to Apprenticeship' programme where unemployed graduates and diploma holders of India would get the opportunity to work as apprentices in private and public sector companies for a year and get a salary of Rs 8,500 per month, if the Congress was voted to power. The same programme has been mentioned in the Congress Manifesto of 2024.
In the clipped video, Gandhi can be heard saying in Hindi: "Our youngsters, who are now wandering in the streets ... browsing Instagram, Facebook... our government will credit their bank accounts with an annual amount of Rs 1 lakh (a monthly income Rs 8500)."
The video was posted on X by Dr Richa Rajpoot, social media head of Bharatiya Janata Party's Uttar Pradesh youth wing with a Hindi caption that roughly translates to, "Use Instagram and use Facebook, and give birth to 10 children. If Congress comes to power, it will make everyone millionaire by taking money from the pockets of the middle class and wealth creators."
(Original Text in Hindi: इंस्टाग्राम चलाओ फेसबुक चलाओ और 10-10 बच्चे पैदा करो कांग्रेस आएगी तो मिडिल क्लास और वेल्थ क्रिएटर्स की जेब से निकाल के सबको लखपति बनाएंगे)
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
Right-wing handle Megh Updates also shared the video with the caption, "Accounts of common youth who are doing tedious job of watching Instagram and Facebook 24x7 will automatically get Rs 8500 credited every month to their bank account....Takatak ... Takatak."
BOOM has fact checked Megh Updates earlier for peddling misinformation.
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
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Fact Check
BOOM found that Gandhi in the longer video was referring to the 'Right to Apprenticeship' programme where unemployed graduates and diploma holders of India below 25 years of age would get the opportunity to work as apprentices in private and public sector companies for a year and receive a salary of Rs 8,500 per month.
We found that the viral video has been clipped out of a larger speech that Gandhi delivered in Bhagalpur, Bihar, on April 20, 2024. The speech was streamed live on Gandhi's YouTube channel.
At the counter 9:30 minutes Gandhi can be heard saying, "Narendra Modi has made India a center of unemployment. Wherever you see, you ask any youngster what they do... they say, they don't do anything. They spend seven to eight hours on Instagram and Facebook. Why? Because Narendra Modi has spread unemployed everywhere. Narendra Modi has finished the people who would provide employment with demonitisation and incorrect GST application. The result is that employment cannot be created in India today."
Gandhi then goes on to speak about apprenticeship. Starting from 10:17 minute mark, he says, "Now, the children of the rich have a process to enter the job market. They get an apprenticeship for a year, get a temporary job, get trained and they get money. But India's unemployed youth don't get this opportunity. Apprenticeship can be done by the rich people's children but not by the unemployed youth of India."
Gandhi then talks about the apprenticeship scheme. He introduces the scheme at 10:59 mark and says, "So our second scheme, which we have termed as, 'First Assured Job' (Pehli Naukri Pakki). Now let me explain about Pehli Naukri Pakki."
Gandhi then adds, "We are going to give all graduates and diploma holders in India the right to apprenticeship. Keep clapping more. I will explain it now, and then you see. The right to apprenticeship means that our next government will grant every youth in India the opportunity of their first job. Similar to how MNREGA has rights to earn, we will give the same right to graduates for their first job."
The Congress leader further says, "The right to the first job means that all graduates and diploma holders will receive a one-year apprenticeship, with Rs 1,00,000 annually deposited into their bank accounts, (equivalent to) Rs 8,500 per month. They will get trained and if they do well in their first year, they will get a permanent job. These apprenticeship jobs will be available in private sector, public sector units and government sectors. This way, millions of young people will receive training, India will get a trained workforce. Our youth, who are now wandering around the streets and browsing Instagram and Facebook, will have Rs 1,00,000 per year (Rs 8500 per month) sent directly to their bank accounts by our government."
The clipped viral video can be viewed from 12:40 minutes to 12:57 minutes in the live stream of Gandhi's speech.
The Right to Apprenticeship act, mentioned in theCongress Manifesto, 2024, will impart skills to enhance employability and provide full-time job opportunities to the youth. Click here to view the Congress manifesto.
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