Coronavirus: Ratan Tata tweeted clarification today on a post widely shared on social media.
Industrialist Ratan Tata today gave a clarification after a post with remarks attributed to him linking "huge downfall of economy" to coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic was widely shared on social media.
"This post has neither been said, nor written by me. I urge you to verify media circulated on WhatsApp and social platforms. If I have something to say, I will say it on my official channels. Hope you are safe and do take care," the 82-year-old seasoned business leader tweeted this afternoon.
In a status message on photo sharing app Instagram, he wrote: "Fake news is harmful to all of us, and must always be verified."
The post titled "Very motivational at this hour" doing rounds on social media platforms quoted Ratan Tata as saying that "experts are predicting huge downfall of economy due to the corona".
"I do not much about these experts. But I do know for sure that they do not know anything about the value of human motivation and determined efforts," it read. The post went on to give examples of rebirth of Japan after World War-2, international politics with Israel at the centre, and India's win in the 1983 cricket World Cup, among others. The examples were apparently to inspire the readers at a time when nations across the globe are trying to tackle a pandemic.
"The Indian Economy will bounce back in a great manner," the post with a several grammatical errors concluded.
Since its origin in China's Wuhan city in December, coronavirus has spread to more than a hundred countries, killed over one lakh people and infected over 16 lakh people worldwide. The pandemic has badly hit the world economy, many developing nations are among those affected.
In fight against the pandemic, Ratan Tata last month committed Rs 1,500 crore. "The COVID 19 crisis is one of the toughest challenges we will face as a race. The Tata Trusts and the Tata group companies have in the past risen to the needs of the nation. At this moment, the need of the hour is greater than any other time," he had tweeted.