New Delhi, May 19 (IANS) The government on Tuesday dismissed as ‘false, misleading and baseless’ reports and social media claims suggesting that it was planning to introduce a gold monetisation scheme for temple trusts and religious institutions across the country.

The Ministry of Finance, in an official clarification, said certain media reports and social media posts were falsely claiming that the Centre was planning to issue gold bonds to temples in exchange for temple gold reserves or had approved a proposal for monetisation of temple gold holdings.

“The speculation and rumours suggesting that the Government is planning to introduce a monetisation scheme for gold held by temple trusts or any religious institution across the country are completely false, misleading and without any basis,” the statement said.

The government also rejected claims that gold plates installed on temple towers, doors or other temple structures would be treated as “Strategic Gold Reserves of India”.

“It is clarified that claims suggesting that gold plates on temple towers, doors, or other temple structures will be considered as ‘Strategic Gold Reserves of India’ are false, misleading, and entirely baseless,” the ministry added.

The government urged citizens not to believe or circulate such rumours, warning that the spread of unverified information could create unnecessary confusion and mislead the public.

It further advised people to rely only on official communications issued through authorised channels for information related to policy decisions and government schemes.

The government said any such policy announcement would be communicated through official press releases, government websites and verified public communication platforms.

Earlier in the month, the government defended India’s textile recycling ecosystem against what it termed “misleading” international media portrayals, saying the country has one of the world’s largest textile recovery and recycling networks supported by long-established reuse and repurposing systems.

The government said that recent foreign media reports focusing on clusters such as Panipat selectively highlighted environmental and occupational concerns while ignoring the sector’s progress in sustainability, regulation and technology adoption.

–IANS

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