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Category: promise

  • Did Rahul Gandhi promise Rs 1 Lakh to youth browsing through Facebook, Instagram? Clipped video viral

    A video of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was viral on social media recently. It was shared with the claim that he had promised to deposit Rs. 1 lakh annually and Rs. 8,500 monthly into the accounts of youth who were seen wandering on the streets while browsing Instagram and Facebook.

    BJP Uttar Pradesh youth wing social media head Richa Rajpoot shared the video, claiming that those using Instagram and Facebook would be made millionaires by emptying the pockets of wealth creators.

    ‘Megh Updates‘, an X handle that has been found sharing misinformation several times in the past, amplified the clip, claiming that youth doing the tedious work of browsing Instagram and Facebook would automatically receive Rs. 8,500 into their bank accounts every month.

    Right-Wing propaganda account ‘The Hawk Eye‘ also posted the video of Rahul Gandhi, stating that youths watching Facebook and Instagram reels would be given a sum of Rs. 1 lakh.

    Fact Check

    Alt News performed a reverse image search of a frame taken from the viral video. This led us to a longer version of this video uploaded on Rahul Gandhi’s YouTube channel on April 20. According to the title, this video is from the party’s 2024 Lok Sabha elections campaign in Bhagalpur, Bihar.

    At the 10:58 mark of this video, the Congress leader states, “Our second scheme is called ‘Guaranteed First Job.’ Now let me explain what ‘Guaranteed First Job’ means. It means we are going to give all the graduates and diploma holders of India the right to entrepreneurship. Applaud a little more, and I’ll explain it to you. The right to entrepreneurship means that every youth of India will be given the right to the first job by our next government. Just as we gave the right to employment in MGNREGA, similarly, we will give the graduates the right to their first job. The right to the first job means that all the graduates of India and diploma holders will get a one-year entrepreneurship opportunity for a sum of Rs. 1 lakh per year, or Rs. 8,500 per month, into their bank accounts. They will be trained, and if they perform well in the first year, they will be given a permanent job. These jobs related to entrepreneurship will be in the private sector, in public sector units, as well as in the government. So millions of youths will be trained, and India will get a trained workforce. And the youth who are wandering on the streets today, browsing Instagram and Facebook, will receive Rs. 1 lakh annually, Rs. 8,500 per month, and a promise from our government.”

    The last sentence of the above-mentioned part of Gandhi’s speech was shared without context, giving the false impression that Rahul Gandhi promised to deposit Rs. 1 lakh annually or Rs. 8,500 monthly into the bank accounts of youths sitting idle and browsing Facebook and Instagram. Whereas, in reality, the politician was talking about providing a one-year entrepreneurship opportunity to all graduates and diploma holders.

    To sum it up, during the election campaign in Bhagalpur, Bihar, Rahul Gandhi spoke about providing a one-year entrepreneurship opportunity to all graduates and diploma holders. Several BJP leaders and Right-Wing influencers shared a clipped version of this speech without context, claiming that he promised to deposit Rs. 1 lakh annually or Rs. 8,500 monthly into the bank accounts of youths sitting idle and browsing Facebook and Instagram.

    The post Did Rahul Gandhi promise Rs 1 Lakh to youth browsing through Facebook, Instagram? Clipped video viral appeared first on Alt News.


    This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Abhishek Kumar.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • The False Promise of Small Nuclear Reactors

    Ralph is joined by M.V. Ramana, professor at the “School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, University of British Columbia,” to lay out the false promise of small nuclear reactors, which still carry the risk of accidents, still produce waste, still produce plutonium for the weapons industry and are still economically noncompetitive with wind and solar. Plus, in an interview recorded before the tragic wildfires in Maui we welcome back citizen activist and organizer, Paul Deslauriers, to break down how his progressive group was able to take over the governance of Maui County and how with a little “Common Sense” you can do the same.

    M.V. Ramana is the Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human Security and a professor at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, University of British Columbia. Professor Ramana is the author of The Power of Promise: Examining Nuclear Energy in India, and is a member of the International Panel on Fissile Materials, the International Nuclear Risk Assessment Group, and the team that produces the annual World Nuclear Industry Status Report.

    It seems inconceivable to me that anybody who has any sense of history would think about nuclear power— either the fission version or the hypothetical future nuclear fusion version— as an environmentally sustainable source of electricity.

    Professor MV Ramana

    What we are lacking in climate change today—simply because we’ve been so late in trying to act on it—is the urgency. The IPCC puts out report after report saying how high emissions are, how rapidly it has to be decreased if we have even a fighting chance of meeting a 1.5℃ target. And by putting off this kind of action, those calls are becoming more and more desperate. And I think that desperation is probably what’s driving some of these groups to say, “Well, you know, let’s make friends with everybody, and so on, and so forth.” But the challenge there is that every dollar we spend on nuclear power is a dollar that’s not spent on renewables, on energy efficiency, on other ways of trying to deal with [the climate crisis.]

    Professor MV Ramana

    As I’ve said on prior programs— nuclear power today is unneeded, unsafe, uninsurable, uncompetitive, irresponsible, very secretive, and not willing to suffer the verdicts of the marketplace.

    Ralph Nader

    Paul Deslauriers is a grassroots organizer, who has consulted over two hundred organizations involving mergers, restructuring, work process flows, teamwork, management coaching, and asset management. The work involved diverse groups such as the Alaskan Inuit, Icelandic communities. In 2002 Mr. Deslauriers became a full-time activist, coordinating nearly three hundred grassroots groups focused on government system change. He has written a number of guidebooks on organizing including Seven Steps to Reclaim Democracy: An Empowering Guide For Systemic Change, Reclaim Paradise: RESET for the Common Good, and Common Sense: How we are Reclaiming Democracy and Resetting for the Common Good.

    When you have a core team that is really dedicated in trying to bring about systemic change, and you have the foundation that you need, then you can really develop and grow this without a lot of divisiveness.

    Paul Deslauriers

    When you have volunteers, you have to have the right motivation, the right structure, the right training so that you can work cohesively and collaboratively together. And that’s so crucial for anyone who wants to start a similar group.

    Paul Deslauriers



    Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe


    This content originally appeared on Ralph Nader Radio Hour and was authored by Ralph Nader.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • “Pick Up the Pen, Joe”: Biden Faces Pressure to Cancel Student Debt to Fulfill Campaign Promise


    This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • “Pick Up the Pen, Joe”: Biden Faces Pressure to Cancel Student Debt to Fulfill Campaign Promise

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    The Debt Collective is planning an action on April 4 at the Department of Education to urge the Biden administration to fulfill a campaign promise to cancel student debt before federal student loan payments restart in May. Debt cancellation would give relief to some 45 million borrowers who owe nearly $1.8 trillion in student debt. Education should be treated as a human right and not as a commodity, says Astra Taylor, co-director of the Debt Collective. Not only has Biden failed on his campaign promises, but he has made it easier for lenders to prey on student borrowers, adds Braxton Brewington, press secretary with the Debt Collective.


    This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.