Fact Check: Maha CM Eknath Shinde is not offering free medical services for people below Rs 75K annual income

Vishvas News (New Delhi): Vishvas News came across a post going viral on Facebook. The post claimed that new Maharashtra chief minister has announced free medical services including the surgeries to the people of the state and their families whose annual income is less than Rs 75 thousand. Vishvas News did an investigation of the post and found the post to be misleading. The current government is thinking to implement this scheme but has not yet taken steps in that direction, neither Eknath Shinde has announced this himself.

Claim:

Facebook user Payal Sharad Gund, posted the viral picture on Facebook and wrote: भाजपा आणि शिवसेना शिंदे गट बनलेला युतीचे सरकार… महाराष्ट्रातल्या जनतेच्या अपेक्षावर नक्कीच उतरणार

Translation: The coalition government formed by the BJP and Shiv Sena Shinde group… will definitely meet the expectations of the people of Maharashtra

The viral image had the content in Marathi stating: महाराष्ट्र राज्यातील ज्या व्यक्तीचे वार्षिक उत्पन्न हे ७५ हजार पेक्षा कमी असेल तर त्याच्या परिवारातील संपूर्ण सदस्य यांना संपूर्ण दवाखान्यातील खर्च व कुठली पण मोठी सर्जरी फ्री मध्ये होणार.

Translation: If the annual income of a person in Maharashtra is less than 75 thousand, all the members of his family will get the entire hospital expenses and any major surgery for free.

Check the post and its archive version here.

Investigation:

Vishvas News started the investigation with simple keyword search. We checked for some major changes he has made since he became a CM.

We found an article titled: Eknath Shinde restores Emergency pension scheme scrapped by Thackeray govt

We also found a report on Financial Express stating: Maharashtra: Eknath Shinde cabinet approves renaming of Aurangabad, Osmanabad cities

This year in May, Eknath Shinde as guardian minister had inaugurated Matoshree Gangubai Sambhaji Hospital, other facilities on May 3

We found a report about it on The Free Press Journal.

We could not find any reports about implementing the scheme of free medical services for the people and families with annual income less than 75 thousand rupees.

In the next step of investigation we contacted media coordinator of Maharashtra chief minister, Viraj Muley over phone. He told us that the viral post is misleading. The steps are being taken in the direction to see whether this scheme of providing free medical services could be implemented, but that has not been done by the Maharashtra government and the chief minister Eknath Shinde yet.

In the last step of investigation, Vishvas News did a social background check of the Facebook user Payal Sharad Garud who posted it. She is a volunteer of Bharatiya Janata Party and is a resident of Borivali.