In a big move, the central government’s fact check unit on Thursday took action against 12 YouTube channels, including one that it said was spreading fake news about central schemes.

The fact check unit (FCU), which is under the Press Information Bureau (PIB) of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), busted 134 videos from 12 online channels, targeting one called ‘NITIGYAN4U’ and posted an informative thread on X about how it was spreading fake news related to government schemes.

The PIB Fact Check handle on X said this particular YouTube channel has more than 8.47 lakh subscribers and over 15 crore views. According to the thread on X, the channel is seen to be posting false information about government-run schemes that do not exist, especially those related to waiver of power bills, jobs, LPG cylinders and pension.

In one of its post, busting a claim about a scheme related to power bills, the FCU said: “The thumbnail of a YouTube channel named “NITIGYAN4U” claims that 100% electricity bills will be waived off under the “Bijli Bill Mafi Yojana” by the Government of India. #PIBFactCheck This claim is fake. No such scheme is being operated by the Government of India.”

It also busted other fake schemes like “Berojgari Bhatta Scheme, Kanya Sumangala Yojana 2024, 8 gifts to every lower class family” among others.

The PIB’s FCU was notified as the Centre’s fact checking unit in March under the relevant provisions of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The MIB and MeitY have been working closely on the subject to address the challenge of fake news, especially on social media.

The FCU was established in November 2019 with a stated objective of acting as a deterrent to creators and disseminators of fake news and misinformation. It also provides people with an easy avenue to report suspicious and questionable information pertaining to the government.