Insta
Govt Asks Social Media Platforms To Take Down Any Content Which Names Or Implies “Indian Variant” Of Coronavirus: Report
Swarajya Staff
May 22, 2021, 08:44 AM | Updated 08:46 AM IST
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
In a major development, the government has written to all the social media platforms asking them to take down any content which either names or implies to an “Indian variant” of the coronavirus, reports Economic Times.
Asserting that there was no such variant of the Covid-causing SAR-CoV-2 virus, the Government in the letter stated that "there is no such variant of COVID-19 scientifically cited as such by the World Health Organisation (WHO)". It added that the WHO has not associated the term “Indian Variant” with the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus in any of its reports.
It should be noted that on 11 May, the WHO had said that it was classifying the coronavirus variant B.1.617 as a variant of global concern. The said variant had been first identified in India.
Thereafter, a day later, the government too had issued a statement slamming media reports which were using the term “Indian variant” without any basis as the WHO identified the said variant as B.1.617.
The letter from the government to the social media platforms was written by the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information technology (MeitY).
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
Introducing ElectionsHQ + 50 Ground Reports Project
The 2024 elections might seem easy to guess, but there are some important questions that shouldn't be missed.
Do freebies still sway voters? Do people prioritise infrastructure when voting? How will Punjab vote?
The answers to these questions provide great insights into where we, as a country, are headed in the years to come.
Swarajya is starting a project with an aim to do 50 solid ground stories and a smart commentary service on WhatsApp, a one-of-a-kind. We'd love your support during this election season.
Click below to contribute.