Mancherial Collector called out for uploading wrong image to win cash award in Central campaign; IAS officer responds

Hyderabad: Two IAS officers from the Madhya Pradesh cadre have been accused of using AI-generated images to win a cash prize in a campaign regarding rainwater conservation organised by the Central government.

The officers have been accused of uploading ‘wrong pictures’ (AI-generated) photos to the website of the Centre’s ‘Jal Sanchay, Jan Bhagidari’ (JSJB) campaign as proof of evidence, which helped them bag the prize.

Now, an IAS officer from Telangana has been dragged into the nationwide controversy regarding the same campaign.

Mancherial Collector Kumar Deepak, IAS, reportedly won an award at the sixth National Water Awards ceremony held in New Delhi in November. However, it has been pointed out that one of the many pictures uploaded on the site, as proof of evidence of work, was a Tricolour instead of a rainwater pit, as required by the campaign.

Uploading the wrong photo was a manual error at mandal level, says collector

Speaking to NewsMeter, Collector Kumar Deepak said, “Out of 1,000 photos uploaded on the portal, one photo was a mistake. There was a picture of the Tricolour on the desktop and that picture got uploaded mistakenly. This was rectified immediately and the actual photo has now been uploaded. The mistake, which was a manual error, happened at the mandal level. Even if I were to take action, nothing will happen now.”

What did the IAS officer say about allegations?

Giving the details in a public statement, the Mancherial Collector said, “I must clarify at this juncture that there are two portals—one is the JSJB portal, and the other is the ‘Catch the Rain’ portal. The award was for JSJB for which 1% random verification and other desk exercise was done.”

“This photo is from the ‘Catch the Rain’, in which water harvesting structures are being uploaded. In this case, due to operator mistake, the other file was selected and uploaded and this picture is modified with the original work photograph which is being attached. In any work, out of thousands of pictures, if 1 picture gets misplaced and then its corrected then its human fault (less than .01% error). I am attaching the correct photograph, which is reflecting on the portal presently and those who wants to see that site are most welcome. It's better to verify the fact before making allegations.” The officer shared the statement from his X handle.

The ‘Catch the Rain’ awards were about the number of water conservation pits constructed across the country.

What is controversy regarding IAS officers using AI-generated images?

Meanwhile, two Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers from the Madhya Pradesh cadre— Khandwa District Collector Rishav Gupta, IAS, and District Panchayat CEO Dr Nagarjun B Gowda, IAS—landed in controversy after allegations surfaced on social media claiming they used AI-generated images and fake data to secure a prestigious national award.

Another IAS officer reportedly uploaded a wedding invitation card onto the portal.

Government clarifies-

Implementation is monitored via the JSJB Dashboard, an online platform that tracks every recharge structure using GIS coordinates, geo tagged photographs and financial details.

Entries submitted by districts are subjected to multi tier scrutiny by district authorities and the Ministry, and at least one per cent of the works are independently field verified to ensure quality and authenticity and remaining 99% percent are desk verified to rule out any manipulation.

Based on these verified entries, the Ministry of Jal Shakti presented the First JSJB Awards on 18 November 2025 at Vigyan Bhawan, recognising districts, NGOs, individual philanthropists and industry associations for exemplary water conservation efforts. Incentive amounts awarded must be reinvested in water conservation activities, thereby reinforcing the mission’s objectives.

Recently, certain social media posts have alleged that the National Water Awards were secured by uploading AI generated or duplicate images, invitation cards, or by portraying minor pits as larger water bodies.

Some posts have even circulated screenshots and old unrelated images from the Catch the Rain (CTR) portal to suggest that the awards were based on these images. These allegations are factually incorrect and misleading. Evaluation for the JSJB Awards is conducted solely on the basis of entries available on the JSJB Dashboard .

The CTR portal is an entirely separate platform , and images posted there are not considered for awards. While a small number of AI generated or duplicate images were detected on the CTR portal, they have no bearing on the JSJB award process and have been dealt with by the concerned districts.

District administrations have clarified that the questioned photographs were from the CTR portal and were never part of award submissions. The National Water Mission has also verified the images circulating on social media and confirmed that they do not pertain to JSJB works.

The Ministry of Jal Shakti therefore categorically rejects claims of manipulation or misuse of images in the JSJB Awards. Such misinformation misleads the public, demoralises field officers and community volunteers, and undermines a major national effort to enhance India’s water security.

The Ministry remains committed to transparency and accountability, rigorous verification of works and corrective action wherever irregularities are detected.