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| - Fact Check: Nirmala Sitharaman meeting social media influencers is not recent and not related to pre-budget meeting
Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget 2025 in Parliament at 11 am on Saturday,
Claim :Viral image shows Nirmala Sitharaman having a pre-budget meeting with the economic experts
Fact :Viral image shows Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman meeting with social media influencers in July 2024
Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget 2025 in Parliament at 11 am on Saturday, February 1, 2025. This will be Sitharaman’s eighth budget presentation in the Parliament. The Narendra Modi government introduced the new income tax regime a few years ago and since then several modifications in income tax rates and income tax slabs have been made in the system.
There are expectations that the Modi government will likely announce record capital expenditure for infrastructure sectors, especially highways and Indian Railways to spur economic growth, investments in wellness infrastructure, green initiatives, and job creation are key. A reduction in GST from 18% to 12% for hotels with room rates above ₹7,500 to provide a significant boost to both domestic and inbound tourism is also expected by the public in this budget. The Budget 2025 presentation can be watched live on the official channels of the Parliament, Doordarshan, and also Sansad TV.
Meanwhile, an image of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman sitting in her office, along with social media influencer Rishi Bagree, is in circulation with the claim that she is having a pre-budget meeting with the economic experts. The image is shared sarcastically on X with comments like “this sycophant is an economic expert??? no wonder the tax terrorism”
Here is the archive link of the claim.
Fact Check:
The claim is Misleading. The image is old and not recent. When we searched the image using Google reverse image search, we found that the image has been online since July 2024. A social media influencer named Pallavi CT shared the images thanking the Honorable Finance Minister for meeting top social media influencers across the country and across platforms.
Deccan Herald shared the image on their Instagram handle on July 29, 2024, with the caption Union Finance Minister #NirmalaSitharaman called social media influencers from across Instagram, YouTube, and X to discuss their concerns regarding the #UnionBudget on July 28. However, this meeting has gathered criticism on social media with netizens accusing the government of meeting only right-wing influencers.
Deccan Herald also published an article stating that Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman called social media influencers from across Instagram, YouTube, and X to discuss their concerns regarding the Union Budget on July 28.
The article also states that this meeting has garnered criticism on social media with netizens accusing the government of meeting only right-wing influencers. Pallavi C T is a co-convenor of the BJP Mumbai unit's IT cell, as per her X bio.
Therefore, the viral image is not a recent one, it is from July 2024. The claim that the Finance Minister is meeting with them before budget 2025, and taking financial advice from them is not correct. The image is from an event when Nirmala Sitharaman met with social media influencers in July 2024. The claim is Misleading.
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