Last week, Andhra Pradesh cybercrime police chief A K Ravikrishna issued a stern warning against the circulation of deepfake videos falsely attributed to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, stating that legal action would be taken against the creators and distributors.
The clips purported to show Naidu advising farmers to reduce the use of urea and pesticides and were shared on Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram under titles such as “CBN warning to AP farmers.”
Police said the videos were “completely contrary to reality” and created using AI deepfake technology. The CID has registered criminal cases against the perpetrators.
Less than a week later, the Chief Minister made remarks closely aligned with those depicted in the fake videos.
At a collectors’ conference at the Secretariat on Monday, Naidu urged farmers to cut back on urea, warning of its harmful health effects.
He announced incentives of â¹800 per bag for farmers who minimize urea use and directed officials to distribute subsidies under the PM-PRANAM scheme directly to farmers to encourage reduced consumption.
Naidu said a recent chilli consignment to China was rejected on grounds related to chemical fertilizers.
He warned that excessive use of chemicals, pesticides, and urea can lead to cancer, citing Punjab as an example, where two trains reportedly operate between Punjab and Delhi for cancer patients.
He noted that Andhra Pradesh currently ranks fifth in cancer cases, linking this in part to heavy urea usage, and stressed the need to educate farmers about the health risks.
When Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar raised concerns about rising cancer cases in Bhalabadrapuram, East Godavari district - allegedly linked to excessive fertilizer and urea use - the Chief Minister directed officials to immediately study the causes.