Row over calling ‘Nagda’, Madhya Pradesh a ‘Village’ on KBC:Amitabh mentions water crisis; locals say Bachchan lied to block district status

Megastar of the century, Amitabh Bachchan, recently referred to Nagda as ‘a small village’ located in Malwa, Madhya Pradesh, on his TV show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC). A controversy has erupted since then. In the episode aired on December 23, 2025, the CSR activities of Grasim Industries in Nagda were mentioned under the ‘Force for Good Stories’ segment. During this, Nagda was referred to as a small village and an area struggling with water problems. After the broadcast of the statement, protests began in Nagda. A complaint was filed in court, a grievance was lodged with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and legal notices were also sent to the KBC team and Amitabh Bachchan. Dainik Bhaskar reached Nagda and spoke to people who objected to Amitabh’s statement. It also tried to find out why people in Nagda, Ujjain district, are so upset about it being called a village. What is Grasim’s role in this entire controversy, which Amitabh praised? The entire controversy started with the KBC episode Amitabh had said this in the show – There is a small village located in Malwa, Madhya Pradesh, named Nagda. Due to falling groundwater levels and uncertain rainfall, the people of this village have been struggling with water problems for years. But they are standing firm. To help the residents of Nagda deal with this problem, Aditya Birla Group’s company Grasim Industries has, over the past few years, built new dams, reservoirs, rainwater harvesting systems, and new RO systems, so that the villagers could get some relief from this long-standing problem. The result of this was that fields in Nagda started receiving water throughout the year, due to which crops are now grown abundantly on 5,000 hectares of land. Approximately 9,000 families, or 3 lakh people, started receiving regular income and regular water. Many congratulations! And along with this, an hospital has also been established in Nagda by the Grasim Jan Seva Trust, where 1.4 lakh (1,40,000) patients are treated every year. We commend the Aditya Birla Group for its invaluable contribution to the nation’s progress. This is truly – ‘A Force For Good.’
Why did Amitabh call Nagda small while praising Birla? The answer to this question is hidden in the concept of KBC. In every episode of KBC, a story related to a positive initiative is told. This has been named ‘Force for Good Stories’. Under this initiative, in the episode aired on December 23, 2025, the CSR activities of Grasim Industries, an Aditya Birla Group company in Nagda, were being praised. Actually, during the show, Amitabh says what is written in the script. This script is given to him by the show’s organizers. Meaning, what Amitabh said were not his personal views, but he could have made corrections in the script. Because of this, there is a lot of resentment among the residents of Nagda. Bhaskar spoke to whistleblower Abhay Chopra, who complained about Amitabh Bachchan’s statement to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. He expressed apprehension of a conspiracy behind calling Nagda a small village. He said that Nagda is the second largest city in Ujjain district, with a population of over 1.5 lakh. It is soon to become a district, as the gazette notification has been issued. The whistleblower presented his points in 4 points 1. Illegal operation of industries He said these people are against making Nagda a district because it will affect their illegal industries. The Central Pollution Board does not issue licenses to highly polluting chemical industries in urban areas. All chemical industries in Nagda are within the municipal area, so they obtain licenses without an NOC they write ‘Post Office Birla Gram, Nagda’ on the address and omit the plot number. Once it becomes a district, administrative oversight will increase, which will stop their irregularities. 2. Drinking Water System and Hospital Chopra said that Nagda is a city situated on the banks of the Chambal River, where the Madhya Pradesh government and autonomous bodies supply drinking water, but these industries have polluted the Chambal the water is no longer potable for humans or animals. 3. Causing severe damage to the environment
Chopra claims that a factory near Mukteshwar Mahadev Temple has created a mountain of about one lakh tons of ash. Being on the river bank, the ash water seeped into the ground, polluting the groundwater. This destroyed the agriculture of 14 villages and children are being born with serious diseases (strabismus, disability). 18-year-old girls look 35. There is no such problem in other areas of Nagda; the only reason for this is the factory’s ash. 4. Complaint and municipal complicity Abhay Chopra wrote a complaint letter to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting stating that the municipality is spreading misleading information. He has demanded action, penalty, and an apology. He alleges that the municipality is colluding with industries. According to the assembly’s response, it has neither an engineer nor a chemist. Water testing is being done without a lab. Due to the absence of a settler tank, waste does not settle before filtration. People’s lifespans are rapidly decreasing, and the number of elderly people is very low. The Bhaskar team reached the municipal office to inquire about the allegations against the municipality and Amitabh Bachchan’s statement.
We are on the banks of the Chambal, how can anyone give us water – Water Chairman Nagda Municipal Council’s Water Chairman Prakash Jain said, “I think the people who briefed Amitabh ji told him only half-truths. Nagda is a prosperous city in itself. The population of half of the district headquarters in Madhya Pradesh is even less than Nagda’s urban population.” “Today, more than 1.5 lakh people live here. Districts like Alirajpur, Jhabua, Shajapur have a population of 60-70 thousand, whereas these are district headquarters and Nagda is just a tehsil. Nagda’s literacy rate is also higher than many district headquarters.” “Amitabh ji is saying that Birla ji brought water to Nagda from a great distance. My question is, we are settled on the banks of the Chambal, our area is already water-rich, how can anyone provide us with water?” Birla Brothers had a tripartite agreement with the government The Water Chairman of Nagda Municipal Council said that when the Birla Brothers came here and started establishing industries, they needed both land and water. At that time, they had a tripartite agreement with the government. The government gave conditional permission to build the dam. The condition was that you run the industry, but the responsibility of supplying water to Nagda city, Khachrod, and the railway would be yours. Therefore, someone gave incomplete information to Amitabh ji. The municipality is currently supplying water through taps to the entire Nagda city – that too twice a day. This is as per WHO guidelines. Currently, there is a 16 MLD (Million Liters Per Day) filter plant, and preparations are underway to build another 6 MLD plant. This makes it clear that we have plenty of water. We are a prosperous city. Amitabh Bachchan’s statement is factually false and irresponsible. Nagda’s progress was hindered by his statement Amitabh ji is a well-known personality of the country. Imagine, what message would have gone to the industrialists who are planning to invest here, who are thinking of opening malls, factories or educational institutions? Their employees must have also thought that if this is a village and lacks basic facilities, how will life be sustained here? What about the arrangements for children’s education and treatment? Such statements can affect the progress of Nagda. It is possible that some investors, believing such statements to be true, may have reconsidered their decisions. Therefore, it is necessary to register an objection in this matter, so that in the future, any celebrity verifies the facts before presenting them on a public platform. This step is not just an objection, but an effort to protect Nagda’s true identity and respect. Nagda is not a village, but a developed city full of possibilities. I am in favor of the case filed against Amitabh Bachchan. We, not Grasim, are providing water to Nagda – MP’s Representative BJP leader and MP representative OP Gehlot says that I completely refute the statement calling Nagda a village. Nagda is not a small village but a city and it is known as a tehsil. This city has approximately 6 to 7 large industries. Officers like the Municipal Council, SDM, and CSP are working here, there are two police outposts, and a government college, which are found only in a big city. Calling it a village is a deception with the city dwellers. People from all over the country are coming here to work. There are 36 wards here and about 2500 to 3000 people live in each ward. The name of our assembly constituency itself is Nagda-Khachrod. Does an assembly constituency ever get named after a village? Amitabh Bachchan should correct his information Municipal President O.P. Gehlot said that water supply throughout the city is managed by the municipality. Grasim management only oversees water arrangements in the two wards where its factory employees and laborers reside. Apart from this, all other wards in the city receive regular water supply twice a day. He informed that 12 water tanks are operational in the city and chemically purified drinking water is made available to citizens. Therefore, attributing the entire credit for water supply to a single private company or industrial group is factually incorrect. Gehlot said that a senior artist like Amitabh should verify facts before sharing any information from a public platform. The statement made regarding Nagda does not match the actual situation. He also said that by the grace of Chambal Maiya, sufficient water resources are available in the city and crores of rupees are being received from the central and state governments for development works. Grasim is shying away from responsibility, property investors also have doubts Amitabh’s statement could create unnecessary doubt regarding property and industrial investment. He said that Nagda is a developed industrial city and has immense investment potential. Perceptions based on incorrect facts affect the city’s image. Whatever industrial units exist, they carry out development work in that area with their CSR funds, but Grasim has not accepted this responsibility. People who fall ill due to the dirty water discharged by Grasim should receive free treatment at the hospital established by them, and financial assistance should be provided to those who lose their lives. Amitabh Bachchan should be severely penalized Advocate S.K. Sahoo says that if we understand Amitabh Bachchan’s statement, he means to say that whatever good happened in Nagda was done by Grasim and Birla. Following this, R.K. Thakur and L.N. Loharwar sent a legal notice to Amitabh Bachchan’s home through me. Our demand was that upon receiving the notice, he should refute the statement calling Nagda a village. Subsequently, a complaint has been filed in court by my client. Statements are to be made in this matter on March 13. Meanwhile, he refused our legal notice, which we have also submitted to the court. Thousands of rupees are charged at Janseva Trust’s hospital Advocate Sahu said, “I believe that thousands of people work at Grasim, but to say that water, health, everything here is Grasim’s contribution, is wrong. They run a hospital in the name of Janseva Trust, where they charge a lot of money for everything. A trust means that all work should be done at a minimum charge, but even a card costs 100 rupees.” In Nagda, there is a very large number of laborers working in factories. Thousands of rupees are being extorted from them in the name of treatment at the hospital. What was built for service is now working with the aim of making profit. Bachchan’s statement unfortunate for Nagda – Traders’ Association Manoj Rathi, patron of the Kirana Traders’ Association, says, “I have a wholesale oil business. My annual turnover is 50 crore rupees. I have been doing business in Nagda for 29 years. Nagda is not a city of today. It is the city of King Janamejaya, a very ancient city.” After Ghanshyam Das Ji Birla’s factory, there has been a lot of development here. The trade of 129 villages runs from here, but Amitabh Bachchan calling Nagda a small village is unfortunate. Ground reality of villages along the Chambal
The Chambal river was once the lifeline of these villages, but now this very water has become a curse. 14 villages located downstream are suffering from industrial pollution. Villagers allege that after fulfilling the needs of industries, the polluted water of Chambal reaches their villages. Villagers allege that waste from Nagda’s factories is mixing with the Chambal. Despite protests many times, no hearing took place. Ishwar Das says that drinking water is available from tap water, but for farming and animals, only borewell water has to be used. If you take borewell water in your hand, it feels like oil. The water of the land and Chambal has become poisonous. The soil in the fields has become hard, a layer of white chemical settles on the crop, and production has shrunk by up to 20 percent.