Fact Check: Is Modi Government Giving Free Masks To Fight Coronavirus?

Amid coronavirus outbreak, a message claiming that the Modi government is distributing free masks is being circulated on WhatsApp groups and Facebook. The message also has a web page link that directs users to a registration form. The form, with a photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asks your details like name, phone number, address and pin code. Once you submit all the details, another web link will open asking you to share the post with 10 other WhatsApp users.

A Facebook page shared one such link and wrote, "In view of the rise in coronavirus cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to give free masks under Swachh Bharat. You can click on the below-mentioned link and order your mask, wear it and be part of Swachh Bharat."

Screenshot of the post being shared on social media

When News Nation decided to find out the reality of the post, it came out to be a fake website. This is because when you click on the terms and conditions link, another web link opens that says it is a prank and there is no such scheme being run on this site.

Also, the name of the prime minister is not correct. It has been spelled as ‘Narendr Nodi’ instead of ‘Narendra Modi’. The URL of the link is ‘pmmaskyojana.blogpost.com’ and we almost everyone knows that the URL of the website of Government of India is india.gov.in.

Evidently, this is a fake website and is being used to fool users by claiming that they will receive free masks to fight deadly coronavirus.