Smart corruption: Congress accuses BJP of using AI images to win water award

Khandwa district secured first place nationwide for outstanding work in water conservation.

• Congress claims AI images used for Khandwa water award; BJP denies any misconduct.
• District denies AI images linked to Water Award, takes action on misuse.
• Khandwa won Rs 2 crore for top water conservation at national event.

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The Congress has accused the BJP-led Madhya Pradesh government of corruption, alleging that the Khandwa district administration used Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated images to secure a national water conservation award.

In a post on X, Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari took a swipe at the BJP, alleging that instead of teaching children the responsible use of AI, the party is using the technology to facilitate corruption.

At the sixth National Water Awards ceremony held in November, Khandwa district secured first place nationwide for outstanding work in water conservation under the Centre's 'Jal Sanchay, Jan Bhagidari' (JSJB) campaign. It received a Rs 2 crore award, reports PTI news agency.

"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. Based on these images, they even took an award from the Honourable President, he alleged." Patwari said in his post in Hindi.

The district administration, however, dismissed Patwari's allegations. In a brief statetement, District Panchayat Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Nagarjun B Gowda said "verified images after thorough scrutiny of 1,29,046 works" were uploaded on the JSJB portal.

The images were then verified by the Union Jal Shakti Ministry and officials also conducted random field inspections. He said photographs related to water conservation are uploaded on another portal named 'Catch the Rain' 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," the CEO added.

As the controversy escalated, the Khandwa district administration held a press conference to refute the allegations. District panchayat chief executive officer Nagarjun B Gowda said that AI-generated images had no connection with the National Water Award process, as reported by news agency PTI.