Govt asks social media platforms to remove content mentioning ‘Indian variant’ of coronavirus

The IT ministry said the matter has already been clarified by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on May 12, 2021 through a press statement.

The government has asked social media companies to immediately remove any content on their platform which mentions or refers to the term ‘Indian variant’ of coronavirus, in a bid to curb spread of misinformation around COVID-19.

On Friday, the IT ministry wrote to all social media platforms emphasising that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has not associated the term “Indian Variant” with the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus in any of its reports.

A notice issued in this regard by the IT ministry states that a “false statement” is being circulated online that implies that an ‘Indian variant’ of coronavirus is spreading across the countries.

The IT ministry said the matter has already been clarified by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on May 12, 2021 through a press statement.

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