India's public broadcaster Doordarshan, also known as DD, is not only drawing flak from Twitter users but also becoming the butt of jokes on the micro-blogging website.
The broadcaster is being ridiculed for a news report that comprised interviews from women who looked "well-off" but nevertheless shared their experiences of how they benefited from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's COVID-19 relief for the poor during the lockdown.
"Er, does this women (I’m looking at her backdrop too) look like she was in dire need of Rs 500? There are people who are actually going hungry. In fact, they need much more than Rs 500," exclaimed a twitter user while sharing the video. While some called the video fabricated and called it Modi government propaganda.
— Arjun Singh 💯 % FollowBack (@AskArjun_) April 17, 2020
— cheekus Videos♠️ (@by_cheeku) April 17, 2020
— AB Dip (@AlwaysBombay) April 17, 2020
— Manish Jha (@saidbymanishjha) April 17, 2020
— Veteran (@MILVETERAN) April 17, 2020
As part of billion dollar relief package for the poor, the Indian government is depositing a fund of $6.50 (INR 500) in the bank accounts of nearly 40 million women who are registered under the government's Jan Dhan scheme - a public financial inclusion programme.
The new report also sparked a meme spree on Twitter, many of which were sarcastic in nature and took aim at the channel and Modi himself.
— cheekus Videos♠️ (@by_cheeku) April 17, 2020
— Jaideep khedkar (@JaideepKhedkar) April 17, 2020
— Brumby (@brumbyoz) April 17, 2020
Poor women in India have been lining up outside banks, even waiting for three to four hours, to withdraw the $6.50 deposited by the government in their accounts. However, even this meagre amount cab be seen as a blessing in times of crisis.
Thousands of Indian migrant labourers from cities like Delhi and Mumbai trudged back home, after the sudden announcement of a 21-day-long national lockdown on 24 March to stop the spread of COVID19. The lockdown has since been extended until 3 May.
According to the federal health ministry, India has 11,616 active coronavirus cases and has registered 452 deaths. On a more positive note, 1,766 people have been cured and discharged.
