Students in Kerala allegedly receiving 25 kg rice for Onam. What’s behind the claim? Know more.
A post is circulating widely on Facebook claiming schoolchildren are being given 25 kilograms of rice for Onam this year.
The claim comes from a screenshot of Education Minister V. Sivankutty’s social media post. The minister has previously faced widespread cyberattacks and false propaganda. The fact is that this latest claim in his name is also misleading.
Investigation
The General Education Minister recently announced that four kilograms of rice will be distributed to all students who are beneficiaries of the midday meal scheme. The message currently circulating differs from that.
On August 20, media outlets reported that rice would be distributed to children from pre-primary to eighth grade through the Civil Supplies Corporation as part of Onam. A total of 24,77,337 children will benefit. Mathrubhumi also carried this report.
https://www.mathrubhumi.com/news/kerala/kerala-students-onam-rice-1.10848483
It is therefore clear that the claim of 25 kilograms of rice being provided to schoolchildren is false.
If false information regarding the Education Minister or his department spreads, clarifications are issued through the minister’s official social media page. However, no such message related to the current claim has been published.
But, the image that is being circulated was traced back to Sivankutty’s official Instagram account. The caption there read: “Four kilograms of rice will be distributed to all students who are beneficiaries of the school lunch scheme for Onam. 24,77,337 children from pre-primary to eighth grade will benefit from this.”
Despite this, many commenters asked why the packaging appeared large for four kilograms and whether the quantity was actually more. On close inspection of the viral image, flaws can be seen in the eyes and hands of the children and teachers — inconsistencies commonly found in AI-generated images and videos.
The image was tested with Hive Moderation, an AI detection tool, which confirmed with 99% certainty that it was AI-generated.
Truth
The claim that schoolchildren are being given 25 kilograms of rice for Onam is misleading. The actual quantity is four kilograms. The false propaganda is being spread by misusing a screenshot of the minister’s Instagram post.
Published: 01 Sept 2025, 03:49 pm IST
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