New Delhi: The Union government has directed central ministries and departments to set up dedicated Quick Response Teams (QRTs) to address fake, distorted or misleading information circulating on social media about their work.
With government policies, schemes and announcements spreading rapidly through digital platforms, officials say there is a growing need to clarify facts without delay whenever false claims gain traction. While the Press Information Bureau (PIB) already runs a fact-checking unit and ministries operate official social media pages, a department-wise mechanism to monitor and respond quickly was seen as lacking.
Under the new arrangement, each ministry’s social media and digital media teams will continuously track posts related to that department’s decisions, programmes and announcements. If a post is found to be fabricated, misleading, taken out of context or edited in a way that changes its meaning, it will be escalated immediately to the department’s QRT.
The QRT will verify the claim using the department’s subject expertise and prepare an official clarification for public release online. If required, the department will coordinate further action with the PIB’s fact-checking wing, an official said.
