The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has refuted rumours circulating regarding the Prime Minister's Free Laptop Scheme for Students, said a report by ANI.
"Several misleading reports have surfaced recently, falsely claiming the initiation of such a scheme. These reports suggest students apply for this scheme through the AICTE website link. While there has no such scheme been launched by AICTE," an official statement said.
Denying the existence of any such scheme, AICTE said that there is no official announcement or implementation of a Prime Minister's Free Laptop Scheme for students.
"Any information stating otherwise is entirely fictitious and misleading," a senior official of AICTE said.
The official further added that the dissemination of such baseless claims not only misleads students but also undermines the credibility of authentic government initiatives.
"It can also lead to some online fraud and our students can be cheated by cybercriminals. We urge students and the public to exercise caution and verify information from reliable sources before believing or sharing it. Furthermore, we caution news websites and media outlets against publishing or promoting unverified news, as it can have detrimental effects on society's trust in media," the official said.
The body urged the public to rely only on official announcements from authorised channels for accurate information regarding government schemes and initiatives.