What is the story about?
The Congress on Monday accused the Madhya Pradesh government of corruption, alleging that the Khandwa district administration used AI-generated images
to secure a national water conservation award, a charge firmly denied by district officials. The controversy erupted after Khandwa district secured first place nationally for water conservation under the Centre’s Jal Sanchay, Jan Bhagidari (JSJB) campaign, following which it received a Rs 2-crore award at the sixth National Water Awards ceremony held in New Delhi in November, according to news agency PTI. The Kaveshwar gram panchayat in Khandwa also won second prize in the best gram panchayat category.
Congress alleges use of AI-generated images
Days after the ceremony, Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari raised the allegation in a post on X, accusing the BJP-led state government of misusing artificial intelligence to falsely project development.
“Where the BJP government should teach our children the proper use of AI, it is itself indulging in corruption using AI,” he said.
“In Khandwa, officials of the BJP government turned two-foot-deep pits into wells using AI, and uploaded AI-generated images of various development works across the area on the portal,” Patwari alleged.
“Based on these images, they even took an award from the Honourable President,” he claimed.
He further alleged, “When the ground reality came to light, fields and empty grounds were found there. Clearly, this was not water conservation, but a game of technology-created images. Under the BJP rule, corruption has also become smart.”
District administration rejects charge
As the allegations gained traction, the Khandwa district administration held a press conference to rebut the claims.
District panchayat chief executive officer Nagarjun B Gowda said that AI-generated images had no role in the National Water Awards process, PTI reported.
He said “verified images after thorough scrutiny” of 1,29,046 water conservation works carried out under the Jal Sanchay, Jan Bhagidari campaign were uploaded on the official JSJB portal.
According to Gowda, the Union jal shakti ministry verified all uploaded material and conducted random field inspections of one per cent of the total works.
“Prima facie, false news about water conservation works carried out in Khandwa district is being spread by some social media accounts,” he said, as quoted by PTI.
Separate portal, limited AI images
The CEO clarified that images related to water conservation are also uploaded on a separate platform, the Catch the Rain portal, but only for educational and motivational purposes.
“The district administration has found that 21 images generated through AI were uploaded on the Catch the Rain portal. This was possibly done with malicious intent. The district administration is taking action against those who uploaded these images,” Gowda said, according to PTI.
He stressed that the Catch the Rain portal is separate from the Jal Sanchay, Jan Bhagidari campaign portal.
“The Catch the Rain portal is completely different from the Jal Sanchay, Jan Bhagidari campaign portal. Awards under the Jal Sanchay, Jan Bhagidari campaign are not considered based on images uploaded on the Catch the Rain portal,” he added, PTI reported.
According to officials, more than 1.25 lakh water conservation works were carried out in Khandwa district under the JSJB campaign, the highest number recorded in the country.
