The relaunch circular of Agnipath is a digitally generated hoax!
PIB has refuted the rumors and labeled the viral image as fake
Claim
Rating
Explanation
The shared image shows a document titled ‘Relaunched Aganipath.’ The circular highlights the changes and further adds the difference between the Aganipath and Sainik Samana schemes. This printed sheet is shared with a claim stating, “Changes in Agniveer- 4 places for 7 years and 60% permanent.”
You can see a similar claim post here.
अग्निवीर में परिवर्तन -4साल जगह 7 साल व 60 परसेंट स्थायी pic.twitter.com/eQZhnSvS40
— रजनीश गुर्जर (@RajnishGurjar19) June 15, 2024
What’s the truth?
We began our investigation by using Google to find relevant keywords. This directed us to an X post by the PIB fact-check.
The tweet read “A fake WhatsApp message claims that the Agnipath Scheme has been re-launched as ‘Sainik Saman Scheme’ after review with several changes including duty period being extended to 7 years, 60% permanent staff & increased income. GOI has taken no such decision.”
Additionally, the message included the widely shared viral image and labeled it as “Fake.”
A #fake WhatsApp message claims that the Agnipath Scheme has been re-launched as ‘Sainik Saman Scheme’ after review with several changes including duty period being extended to 7 years, 60% permanent staff & increased income#PIBFactCheck
✔️GOI has taken no such decision pic.twitter.com/1a3zmuVjfk
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) June 16, 2024
We next verified whether the information was accurate by searching the Indian Army website. There, we looked for similar notices using the search box, but we were unsuccessful. Furthermore, there would have been stories everywhere and media coverage if this information had been authentic.
Another significant issue is that the circular doesn’t have letterhead and contains numerous spelling mistakes (for example, “Agnipath” is spelled “Aganipath,” and “Lakhs” is spelled “Lacks”). Therefore, these facts confirm that if it’s genuine, the circular won’t have several faults and will bear a government seal.
This confirms and clarifies that the viral image circular about the Agnipath scheme relaunch is bogus and not a real one as the claim suggests.
Conclusion:
We, therefore, conclude that the widely circulated image, which purports to show changes in Agniveer – 4 places for 7 years and 60% permanent circular, is a digitally produced fake. The PIB has denied these rumors via a social media message.
