The Ministry of Defence on Sunday issued a warning regarding a misleading WhatsApp message claiming that the government has opened a bank account for donations aimed at the modernisation of the Indian Army. In an official statement, the ministry urged citizens to stay alert and not fall prey to such fraudulent messages.
The ministry clarified that the circulating message falsely references a “Cabinet decision” and mentions actor Akshay Kumar as a key proponent of the supposed initiative. It further highlighted that the account details provided in the message are incorrect, resulting in failed online donations.
The Ministry of Defence reaffirmed that while the government has introduced several welfare schemes for soldiers who are killed or injured during active duty, no separate donation drive for army modernisation has been launched. It pointed to the ‘Armed Forces Battle Casualty Welfare Fund’, set up in 2020, which provides immediate financial aid to the families of soldiers wounded or killed in combat. The fund is managed by the Indian Army on behalf of the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare.
Meanwhile, the PIB Fact Check team also flagged the message on social media platform X, labelling the viral WhatsApp claim as “misleading”. Their post clarified that the bank account mentioned is not related to army modernisation or the purchase of military equipment, but rather the official welfare fund for supporting the families of fallen or injured soldiers. They also shared a screenshot of the false message stamped with “misleading.”
