A video claiming that the Telangana government distributed cars exclusively to Muslims for free is circulating on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: The Telangana government distributed cars exclusively to Muslims for free
Fact: Telangana State Minorities Finance Corporation distributed cars to eligible minority drivers as a part of their Driver empowerment program under the Driver cum Owner scheme. Similar schemes are provided to people across different communities. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
On reverse image search of the video, we found that the video is from a recent event where cars were distributed by the Telangana state minorities Finance Corporation to eligible minority drivers as a part of their Driver empowerment program under the Driver cum Owner scheme (here, here, and here). The government of Telangana has launched this program to empower Minority Drivers through skill enhancement by Maruthi Driving School, assistance for placement through Uber, and financial assistance for vehicle purchase through Minorities Finance Corporation & SBI.
Subsequent research led us to other such schemes being implemented by the Telangana government with different eligibility criteria. The Driver Empowerment program is also implemented by the Telangana tribal welfare department. This scheme was launched to empower SC/ST/BC/Minority drivers through skill enhancement, placement assistance through Uber, and financial assistance for the purchase of vehicles through SC/ST/Minority corporations. It is also implemented by the Telangana state Christian (minorities) welfare department.
Another such scheme is the Swachh auto tippers-driver cum owner scheme which aims to improve door-to-door garbage collection services and create self-employment opportunities for unemployed youth.
To sum up, the Telangana government’s driver empowerment program is provided to people across different communities.
