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NDTV
14-07-2025
- Business
- NDTV
Cashews On Bill, Khichdi On Plate: Probing Madhya Pradesh's 'Dry Fruit Scam'
Madhya Pradesh: Bhadwahi village in Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol district has found itself at the centre of a bizarre controversy. It all started when official bills from a local water conservation event claimed that 14 kilograms of dry fruits were consumed in just one hour. That unusual figure, part of a rupees 24,270 hospitality bill filed under the Jal Ganga Sanvardhan Abhiyan, triggered public outrage. As the news spread and images of the inflated bill went viral on social media, NDTV travelled to Bhadwahi to investigate whether the plates actually matched the paperwork. What we found was a story not of dry fruits, but of dry lies-cleverly disguised in government files. According to records, the programme took place on May 25, 2025, as part of the state-run Jal Ganga campaign, and was attended by nearly twenty senior officials, including the District Collector, the CEO of the district panchayat, and the SDM. The event, intended to promote water conservation and grassroots dialogue, reportedly involved elaborate catering--at least on paper. The bills filed after the event showed massive quantities of food-- 14 kilograms of dry fruits, 30 kilograms of namkeen, nine kilograms of fresh fruits, six litres of milk, and five kilograms of sugar. The total cost of this brief 'hospitality' amounted to more than twenty-four thousand rupees. But when NDTV reached the villages listed on the bills--Bhadwahi, where the event took place, and Bharri, from where the dry fruits were supposedly procured -- an entirely different picture emerged. One of the major suppliers named in the documents was Govind Gupta, who runs a tiny grocery shop in Bharri. Gupta, however, said he never stocked such quantities of dry fruits. "I don't even have a proper bill book. They sometimes take blank slips from me and use them later. I don't remember giving anyone 5 kilos of cashews or 30 kilos of namkeen. I don't keep such stock," Gupta told NDTV. His shop had no GST registration, no billing system, and, visibly, no stock of dry fruits. Even more surprising was the claim that bananas, pomegranates, grapes, apples, ghee, flour, and oil were purchased from a shop owned by one Lallu Kewat. When NDTV arrived at his address, it turned out that Kewat isn't a grocer at all--he is a supplier of building materials. His wife Roshni, confirmed that they only deal in sand, cement, and gravel. "We don't supply fruits or ghee," she said, looking puzzled at the idea that a government bill had credited her husband with feeding bureaucrats. Back in Bhadwahi, NDTV reporters found no trace of the lavish spread that the documents suggested. Villagers who had participated in the programme said they were served only simple dal khichdi and a little seviyan. There was no sign of dry fruits. "There were only two small plates of cashews and almonds, and the officers barely touched them. Most of us never even saw them," said Mangaldin Yadav, a farmer. Another resident, Ramswaroop Jaiswal, added, "Jalebi, samosas - nothing was distributed. The public got nothing. Even the money for our labour wasn't paid." The officials had come, the villagers said, for an hour-long event involving "Bori Bandhan"-- a traditional technique of stacking sandbags to conserve water. But the villagers claim the effort was symbolic at best. "As soon as it rained, all the bags washed away," said Vimal Singh, who was present at the site. "It's a live nala. Nothing stays there." NDTV's team also reached the drain where the water conservation activity took place. Though the campaign's intent was noble-reviving and cleaning water bodies, ponds, and traditional wells- the execution, at least in Bhadwahi, appeared to be focused more on refreshments than results. When asked about the dry fruit controversy, Mudrika Singh, Additional CEO of Shahdol Zila Panchayat, acknowledged the irregularities. "Yes, we had gone for the Chaupal event. It's a remote area, so food was arranged for the villagers and officials. We were not aware of the cashew-raisin bill. It has come to our notice and will be investigated," she said. Cabinet Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, when questioned about the same, said he had no knowledge of the incident. But in Bhadwahi, the outrage is real. Villagers now joke that children should be named "Kaju" and "Kishmish", because that's the only place these items exist-on government paper. "We got khichdi; they got praise. And the files got fat with fake bills," said one villager bitterly. The government campaign had promised to save water. But what was actually conserved, it seems, were inflated bills and blank slips. And in the middle of it all, a remote tribal village found itself reduced to a joke about dry fruits-without having ever tasted them.
News18
14-07-2025
- News18
Billed Dry Fruits, Served Khichdi? Report Puts MP Govt Event Under Scrutiny
Last Updated: In Bhadwahi village, Madhya Pradesh, a water conservation event bill claimed 14 kg of dry fruits were consumed in an hour, causing outrage. Officials promised an investigation. A controversy has erupted in Madhya Pradesh's Bhadwahi village, in Shahdol district, over a suspicious bill for a water conservation event. The bill claimed that 14 kg of dry fruits were consumed in one hour. That unusual figure, part of a rupee 24,270 hospitality bill filed under the Jal Ganga Sanvardhan Abhiyan, triggered public outrage. The viral news and the images of the inflated bill on social media triggered an investigation. According to the records, the programme took place on May 25, 2025, as part of the state-run Jal Ganga campaign, and was attended by nearly twenty senior officials, including the District Collector, the CEO of the district panchayat, and the SDM, NDTV reported. Aiming to prompt water conservation and grassroots dialogue, the event reportedly involved elaborate catering–at least on paper. The bills filed after the event showed massive quantities of food– 14 kilograms of dry fruits, 30 kilograms of namkeen, nine kilograms of fresh fruits, six litres of milk, and five kilograms of sugar. The total cost of this brief 'hospitality' amounted to more than twenty-four thousand rupees. NDTV's investigation visited the villages mentioned in the bills, Bhadwahi and Bharri, from where the dry fruits were supposedly procured, and found a different story. Govind Gupta, a small grocery shop owner in Bharri, was listed as a major supplier in the documents, but the actual transactions didn't match the bills. Gupta, however, said he never stocked such quantities of dry fruits. His shop had no GST registration, no billing system, and, visibly, no stock of dry fruits. 'I don't even have a proper bill book. They sometimes take blank slips from me and use them later. I don't remember giving anyone 5 kilos of cashews or 30 kilos of namkeen. I don't keep such stock," Gupta told NDTV. According to his wife, Roshni, they only deal in sand, cement, and gravel. 'We don't supply fruits or ghee," she said, looking puzzled at the idea that a government bill had credited her husband with feeding bureaucrats. In Bhadwahi, no evidence of the extravagant food claimed in the documents was found. Villagers who attended the event said they were served simple dal khichdi and a little seviyan, with no dry fruits in sight. 'There were only two small plates of cashews and almonds, and the officers barely touched them. Most of us never even saw them," NDTV quoted a farmer, Mangaldin Yadav, as saying. 'Jalebi, samosas – nothing was distributed. The public got nothing. Even the money for our labour wasn't paid," another resident, Ramswaroop Jaiswal, added. The officials had come, the villagers said, for an hour-long event involving 'Bori Bandhan"– a traditional technique of stacking sandbags to conserve water. But the villagers claim the effort was symbolic at best. 'As soon as it rained, all the bags washed away," said Vimal Singh, who was present at the site. 'It's a live nala. Nothing stays there." Villagers in Bhadwahi now joke that children should be named 'Kaju" and 'Kishmish", because that's the only place these items exist on government paper. 'We got khichdi; they got praise. And the files got fat with fake bills," said one villager bitterly. After visiting the drain where the water conservation activity took place, NDTV found that though the campaign's intent was noble-reviving and cleaning water bodies, ponds, and traditional wells- the execution, at least in Bhadwahi, appeared to be focused more on refreshments than results. Mudrika Singh, Additional CEO of Shahdol Zila Panchayat, acknowledged the irregularities. 'Yes, we had gone for the Chaupal event. It's a remote area, so food was arranged for the villagers and officials. We were not aware of the cashew-raisin bill. It has come to our notice and will be investigated," she said. Cabinet Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya also said that he did not know about the incident. view comments First Published: July 14, 2025, 19:49 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Mint
22-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
Small-cap stock below ₹20: SBC Exports board approves IPO launch of subsidiary company
Small-cap stock below ₹ 20: SBC Exports announced that the board has approved, on May 21, the launch of initial public offering (IPO) of its subsidiary company Mauji Trip Ltd in the current financial year 2025-26. The company further informed that the details and terms of issue, size details will be revealed later, on the subject to approval. 'This strategic initiative is aimed at unlocking value for the shareholders, strengthening the capital base of Mauji Trip Limited, and supporting its future growth plans,' the company said in a release on May 21. Mauji Trip Limited operates in the travel and tourism segment, and the proposed IPO is expected to significantly enhance its brand visibility and provide the financial momentum needed to scale its operations. The company will begin the process of evaluating and initiating the necessary steps for a proposed public issue of the company during the current financial year. This proposal is subject to the receipt of all applicable regulatory approvals and compliance with relevant laws and regulations. Board of directors also approved company's Q4 and FY 2024-25 results. For the full year ended March 31, 2025, company earned a consolidated revenue from operations of ₹ 300.04 crore, which is approximately 43.28% higher than ₹ 209.40 crore earned in the previous year. The company had earned a net profit of ₹ 13.36 crore after tax, which is 41.52% higher than ₹ 9.44 crore earned in the previous year. The board also approved re-appointment of Govind Gupta as Managing Director for another term of five years, subject to shareholder approval in the ensuing Annual General Meeting. For Q4 of FY 2024-25 ended March 2025, company achieved a revenue of ₹ 96.29 crore, which is approximately 38.82% higher than ₹ 69.36 crore earned in the same period last year. Net profit of the company during Q4FY25 was reported at ₹ 4.01 crore, which is 21.07% higher than ₹ 3.31 crore earned in the same period last year.
