Fact Check: Video claiming free car distribution only to Muslims in Telangana is MISLEADING
A video of people standing alongside new cars with placards showing the Telangana Chief Minister’s image on the placards with TSMFC written on it is in wide circulation with the claim that Telangana CM
Driver-cum-Owner scheme
A video of people standing alongside new cars with placards showing the Telangana Chief Minister’s image on the placards with TSMFC written on it is in wide circulation with the claim that Telangana CM KCR has plundered Rs 12,000 crore to please Muslims and get their votes.
The claim goes as “Free Cars distribution only to Muslims? With taxpayer's money? Less than 5% of Muslims pay any tax, property Tax, Electricity Bill, or Water Bill. 80% of Muslim shop owners don't even have GST Registration, no filing of GST returns, no payment of GST, and evasion of taxes. Telangana's CM KCR has plundered approx 12000 Cr to please Muslims to get their votes. This is how Muslim vote bank politics is destroying our country.
Some law should be in place to spend taxpayers money only for development and NOT giving freebies”
Fact Check:
The claim is Misleading. The Telangana State Minorities Finance Corporation distributed cars to many eligible minority drivers under the Driver-cum-Owner scheme.
Upon performing a reverse image search on the key frames extracted from the video, we found that the Minister of Home, Telangana, Mohammed Mahmood Ali distributed subsidy cars to the minorities in Hyderabad in an event conducted on October 5, 2023.
According to siasat.com, Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali, along with MLA Prakash Goud and other dignitaries, handed over the vehicles during a function held at Metro Classic Garden Function Hall in Aramgarh.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) launched the scheme for unemployed youth who are interested in earning their livelihood as a driver.
The minister himself shared the images on X (Twitter) with the caption “Distributed cars to the 100 beneficiaries selected under Driver cum Owner scheme along with MLA Prakash Goud Garu & Other Dignitaries at Metro Classic Garden Function Hall in Aramgarh.”
According to the TSMFC website, the Government of Telangana has launched a program called “DRIVER EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME” to empower minority drivers in collaboration with Maruthi Motors, an Uber cab service provider. The program includes skill enhancement of the drivers through Maruthi Driving School, assistance for placement through Uber and financial assistance for vehicle purchase through the Minorities Finance Corporation.
Applications were invited and the successful candidates who complete the training will be provided financial assistance for the purchase of a four-wheeler vehicle.
The letter shared on the website states that assistance will be provided to the candidates belonging to SC, ST, BC, and minority communities.
According to Telangana Today, the Telangana State Minorities Finance Corporation (TSMFC) provided cars to 106 beneficiaries under the program.
Therefore, the claim that the Telangana government provided free cars only to Muslim minorities is Misleading. Persons belonging to different minority groups were benefited through this program.