Claim
An old claim has resurfaced on social media, falsely stating that Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar promoted the Army Welfare Battle Casualty Fund, which allegedly uses public donations to buy weapons for the army and paramilitary forces.
The viral message claims, “Only one rupee per day, that too for Indian army. In yesterday's cabinet meeting, the Modi government opened a bank account for the modernization of the Indian Army and for soldiers who are injured or martyred in the war zone. In which every Indian can contribute any amount as per his/her own choice.” The claim further directs one to a Canara Bank account named Army Welfare Fund Battle Casualties with the account number 90552010165915. This claim is being widely shared following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 27 people and injured several others.
Fact
BOOM found that this claim is misleading. We had debunked this claim in January 2023.
In 2020, the government established the Armed Forces Battle Casualty Welfare Fund (AFBCWF), managed by the Ministry of Defence, to support the families of Army, Navy, and Air Force personnel who have lost their lives in service. This fund is solely for welfare purposes and not for purchasing weapons.
We also found that Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar did not promote this particular fund. Instead, he supported the Bharat Ke Veer initiative, which provides financial assistance to families of Central Armed Police Forces personnel under the Ministry of Home Affairs. In 2017, he helped launch the Bharat Ke Veer app and website alongside then-Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Like the AFBCWF, this fund also does not finance weapons purchases.