'Leaked' budget document turns out to be fake: PIB
Just days before the official budget, rumors of a "leaked" 2026 Union Budget started making rounds on social media.
The government quickly stepped in—PIB's fact-check team called out the so-called leaked images as fake, describing the circulated Telegram posts as fabricated.
One image was old document with year swapped
Turns out, one image was just an old budget document with the year swapped to 2026, and the other was totally computer-generated. Neither had anything to do with real government files.
It's a reminder that viral posts can be misleading—especially around big events like the budget.
Misinformation can mislead public, spread panic: PIB
PIB's fact-check unit labeled the circulated images as fake and warned such misinformation can mislead the public and spread unnecessary panic.
Misinformation around something as important as the Union Budget can cause real trouble—there is no evidence in the PIB report of any recent genuine budget leak.
So, double-check what you see online before sharing!