Fact Check: Kerala School Students to Get Four Kg of Rice for Onam, Not 25 Kg

A viral Facebook post falsely claims Kerala students will get 25 kg of rice for Onam. In reality, Education Minister V Sivankutty announced 4 kg per student under the midday meal scheme. The misleading post used an AI-generated image.

Thiruvananthapuram: A viral post on Facebook is claiming that schoolchildren in Kerala will each receive 25 kg of rice for Onam this year. The post includes what appears to be a screenshot of a social media update from Kerala’s Education Minister V Sivankutty. However, the claim is misleading. The Education Minister recently announced that students covered under the midday meal scheme will be given four kilograms of rice, not 25 kilograms. This will be distributed through the Civil Supplies Corporation as part of Onam benefits. According to reports published on August 20, the scheme covers 24,77,337 students from pre-primary to class eight. The misleading posts use a manipulated image linked to Sivankutty’s official Instagram account. His original caption clearly stated the distribution of four kilograms of rice per child, yet the viral claim exaggerated the number to 25 kilograms. Adding to the confusion, the photo being circulated appears to be AI-generated. On closer inspection, there are noticeable flaws in the children’s eyes and the hands of teachers in the image.

Hence, the claim that students are being given 25 kilograms of rice for Onam is false. Each eligible child will receive four kilograms. The viral post is an example of misinformation spread by misusing a screenshot of the minister’s social media update.