Centre Firm on Determining Accuracy of Information Related to Government

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that only the Centre can determine the accuracy of facts related to it. The Supreme Court has stayed the Centre's initiative to set up a fact-checking unit under the Press Information Bureau. The government maintains it has no plans for regional fact-checking units.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw emphasized the government's stance that only the Centre is equipped to verify facts about itself. He clarified this during a Rajya Sabha session amidst questions concerning the Supreme Court's stay on the establishment of a fact-checking unit under the PIB.

In March, the Supreme Court halted the Centre's notification to create a Fact Check Unit (FCU) under the IT Rules of 2021 aimed at identifying fake news related to the Union government. The bench, led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, overruled a Bombay High Court decision that had declined an interim stay on this setup.

Responding to a related query, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan confirmed that there are no current plans to expand fact-checking units to regional levels. Established in November 2019, the FCU verifies news related to the central government and disseminates accurate information through its social media channels.