On March 7, the Chinese state media Global Times shared fake news from its official Twitter handle that India lit up Qutub Minar in Russian flag colour amidst the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war. In its tweet, Global Times wrote, “India lit up the Qutb Minar, one of the landmark buildings in New Delhi, with the colours of the Russian flag.”
The reality was far from what the Chinese government’s mouthpiece propagated on Monday. Qutub Minar was illuminated on March 5 to mark the fourth year of Jan Aushadhi Diwas, which is celebrated every year on March 7 under Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadi Pariyojana (PMBJP). The official handle of the scheme had shared the images on March 6 and wrote, “Historical Monument of our Country, Qutub Minar illuminates on the occasion of Jan Aushadhi Diwas 2022. This great moment captured in the camera will leave a mark in the history.” Interestingly, “Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadi Pariyojana” is clearly written in the images shared by Global Times.
PIB also fact-checked Global Times and wrote, “Global Times has claimed in a tweet that Qutub Minar was lit up with the colours of the Russian flag. This claim is misleading. Qutub Minar was illuminated as a part of the #JanaushadhiDiwas2022 celebrations.”
What is PMBJP?
‘Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP)’ is a central government initiative launched by the Department of Pharmaceuticals in association with Central Pharma Public Sector Undertakings. The aim is to provide medicines at affordable prices via dedicated outlets known as ‘Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendra’. These outlets provide generic medicines with the same potency compared to branded medicines at a much lesser price. Currently, 1451 types of drugs and 240 surgical items are available at these outlets across the country.